World Poker Tour (WPT) for Facebook is coming to mobile phones in a big way today with Hold 'Em Showdown. Available only for AT&T mobile phones including the iPhone, Hands-On Entertainment has brought the staples of World Poker Tour on Facebook to cell phones including:
High-quality graphics and enhanced avatar customization,
Offers players new casinos and tournament venues to visit while playing
Players have the option of selecting private tables or regular tournament style tables
Now play with up to eight people per table, create buddy lists and chat with other players while trying to win the pot
Considering the amount of poker games on mobile phones, that's not even the big news. Every download made between now and Jan.5 2011 will enter WPT players into a sweepstakes in which the grand prize is a trip for two to the WPT Celebrity VIP Invitational Tournament in Los Angeles on Feb. 18-19, 2011.
The first place winner will receive $1,000 and a WPT Gift Pack including an official tournament poker set. Five second place winners will each get the same WPT Gift Pack to "host their Poker Nights in style." All you need to do in order to enter is download a copy of WPT Hold 'Em Showdown on your AT&T phone by Jan. 5, so get to playing poker on the go if you want another chance to see a WPT tournament live.
Thứ Hai, 30 tháng 1, 2012
Facebook is down: FarmVille & FrontierVille down, sorry social gamers!
If you're experiencing the same issues we are, Facebook is currently down completely. That's right--kaput. We're unsure as to why exactly the website is down, but we're on to one possible lead. Users have reported that their profiles have been forcibly switched to the new Facebook profile on the fly, which could have caused the crash.
And that means all of your favorite social games, including FarmVille and FrontierVille, are also down. Stay tuned for updates and hopefully an explanation as to why Facebook bit the dust.
Update: Facebook is back for us here at Games.com as well as FarmVille and FrontierVille. However, search is still unavailable. Keep your eyes peeled for more updates.
Update #2: Facebook seems to be up and running for everyone, which includes all applications and search. Enjoy your return to [insert name of social game here]. According to All Facebook, the downtime was intentional to fix some glitches related to launching several of the website's brand new features at once.
And that means all of your favorite social games, including FarmVille and FrontierVille, are also down. Stay tuned for updates and hopefully an explanation as to why Facebook bit the dust.
Update: Facebook is back for us here at Games.com as well as FarmVille and FrontierVille. However, search is still unavailable. Keep your eyes peeled for more updates.
Update #2: Facebook seems to be up and running for everyone, which includes all applications and search. Enjoy your return to [insert name of social game here]. According to All Facebook, the downtime was intentional to fix some glitches related to launching several of the website's brand new features at once.
Rumor Alert: Is Mafia Wars 2 Zynga's next big Facebook game?
Mafia Wars 2 revealed! Check out the trailer here!
Is the above image an extremely early look at the sequel to Mafia Wars? Well, according to TopMafia user Bossy Don, who claims to have anonymous sources in Zynga, yes, it is. Found in a recent Zynga survey, the game will reportedly be titled "Mafia Wars 2: Shadow Nation" and will be far different from the current Mafia Wars in almost every way. Actually, this game looks familiar.
In fact, it looks just like the recent Crime City, a flash-based game that plays a lot like the original Grand Theft Auto games. You know, before they made the move to 3D and became insanely successful? Well, if the comments attached to the original photo are any indication, Mafia Wars fans aren't terribly happy with this new style change. While we're not going to judge too much from a single image, all we hope for is for Zynga to not take ideas from games like Crime City wholesale. Though, that does seem to be Zynga's M.O. these days.
Is the above image an extremely early look at the sequel to Mafia Wars? Well, according to TopMafia user Bossy Don, who claims to have anonymous sources in Zynga, yes, it is. Found in a recent Zynga survey, the game will reportedly be titled "Mafia Wars 2: Shadow Nation" and will be far different from the current Mafia Wars in almost every way. Actually, this game looks familiar.
In fact, it looks just like the recent Crime City, a flash-based game that plays a lot like the original Grand Theft Auto games. You know, before they made the move to 3D and became insanely successful? Well, if the comments attached to the original photo are any indication, Mafia Wars fans aren't terribly happy with this new style change. While we're not going to judge too much from a single image, all we hope for is for Zynga to not take ideas from games like Crime City wholesale. Though, that does seem to be Zynga's M.O. these days.
Robot Unicorn Attack: Heavy Metal sets Facebook on fire
Robot Unicorn Attack now comes in two flavors on Facebook, and by flavors, I don't mean unicorn SPAM. But since the original's September debut, Adult Swim Games has also launched a Heavy Metal and a Christmas version (iPhone only so far) on its site. But today, finally, Robot Unicorn Attack: Heavy Metal has been unleashed upon Facebook.
Robot Unicorn Attack Heavy Metal action
While the original Robot Unicorn Attack is a mellow, rainbow-splashed, galloping breeze of pretty pink and purple hues swaddled by a song from an 80s synthpop duo -- the Heavy Metal version is its demonic counterpart, where you blaze across as a fiery red-eyed beast, over a desolate landscape of bone-encrusted bridges, to the song "Battlefield" by a German 80s metal band, Blind Guardian. Though it's not as catchy as Erasure's "Always", the lyrics definitely fit the feel of the revamped game:
It cannot be seen
But there's blood on the green.
Only god knows I'm innocent.
Take me, take me home.
A dark seed reigns in me like the storm rules over the sea.
I challenge thee, do not cross the bridge alone.
Supposedly, the band was inspired by the old Scandinavian legend, Das Hildebrandslied. But in any case, everything else about the Heavy Metal installment plays the same as the original. The keyboard keys 'Z' and 'X' still mean 'Jump' and 'Dash', and the game remains ridiculously popular.
Play Robot Unicorn Attack: Heavy Metal on Facebook >
Robot Unicorn Attack Heavy Metal action
While the original Robot Unicorn Attack is a mellow, rainbow-splashed, galloping breeze of pretty pink and purple hues swaddled by a song from an 80s synthpop duo -- the Heavy Metal version is its demonic counterpart, where you blaze across as a fiery red-eyed beast, over a desolate landscape of bone-encrusted bridges, to the song "Battlefield" by a German 80s metal band, Blind Guardian. Though it's not as catchy as Erasure's "Always", the lyrics definitely fit the feel of the revamped game:
It cannot be seen
But there's blood on the green.
Only god knows I'm innocent.
Take me, take me home.
A dark seed reigns in me like the storm rules over the sea.
I challenge thee, do not cross the bridge alone.
Supposedly, the band was inspired by the old Scandinavian legend, Das Hildebrandslied. But in any case, everything else about the Heavy Metal installment plays the same as the original. The keyboard keys 'Z' and 'X' still mean 'Jump' and 'Dash', and the game remains ridiculously popular.
Play Robot Unicorn Attack: Heavy Metal on Facebook >
FrontierVille: You can now sell directly from your Inventory, menus now hold your place
Two very appreciated technical adjustments launched in FrontierVille this week, and both of them can be seen in action via your in-game Inventory.
First and foremost, you can now sell items directly from your inventory. Yes, that's right, one feature that users have been clamoring for since the game first launched has finally been added. No longer will you have to open your inventory and manually drag item after item out onto your Homestead, only to sell them in an extra step - you can now click on the small pile of coins next to those items that can be sold, to see a small menu pop up that will confirm that you do in fact want to sell the item.
Via this menu (as seen above), you can choose how many of that particular item you'd like to sell (in cases where you own more than one), and you'll see how many coins you'll receive in return upon selling that quantity. Simply click on the "'Sell" button and voila! Your items will automatically be sold from your inventory, and your coin total will rise accordingly.
While this new convenience is admittedly pretty fantastic, it still doesn't address the issue of leftover quest items, as those items remain "un-sellable" as of this writing. We'll be sure to let you know if that changes.
In the meantime though, another addition to the inventory has also been made, as the game will now automatically keep your position in your Inventory if you use or place an item from your inventory onto your Homestead, or simply close the menu. That is, during the same gameplay session (leaving the game resets this) every time you open up your Inventory window, your position in scrolling through items will be saved. If you have a lot of trees that are on the third page of your inventory, you will be sent directly back to the third page after you place each tree, saving you the hassle of having to scroll through page after page in your inventory just to get back to where you were.
While the place-holding in FrontierVille is very appreciated, we have to say that the ability to sell items directly from your inventory has to be one of the best technical adjustments Zynga has made to the game since launch.
First and foremost, you can now sell items directly from your inventory. Yes, that's right, one feature that users have been clamoring for since the game first launched has finally been added. No longer will you have to open your inventory and manually drag item after item out onto your Homestead, only to sell them in an extra step - you can now click on the small pile of coins next to those items that can be sold, to see a small menu pop up that will confirm that you do in fact want to sell the item.
Via this menu (as seen above), you can choose how many of that particular item you'd like to sell (in cases where you own more than one), and you'll see how many coins you'll receive in return upon selling that quantity. Simply click on the "'Sell" button and voila! Your items will automatically be sold from your inventory, and your coin total will rise accordingly.
While this new convenience is admittedly pretty fantastic, it still doesn't address the issue of leftover quest items, as those items remain "un-sellable" as of this writing. We'll be sure to let you know if that changes.
In the meantime though, another addition to the inventory has also been made, as the game will now automatically keep your position in your Inventory if you use or place an item from your inventory onto your Homestead, or simply close the menu. That is, during the same gameplay session (leaving the game resets this) every time you open up your Inventory window, your position in scrolling through items will be saved. If you have a lot of trees that are on the third page of your inventory, you will be sent directly back to the third page after you place each tree, saving you the hassle of having to scroll through page after page in your inventory just to get back to where you were.
While the place-holding in FrontierVille is very appreciated, we have to say that the ability to sell items directly from your inventory has to be one of the best technical adjustments Zynga has made to the game since launch.
Thứ Năm, 12 tháng 1, 2012
FarmVille Holiday Tree, Gifting events end tomorrow
If you've yet to finish that Holiday Tree in FarmVille, you better gift and beg your fingers off today, because tomorrow it will all be gone. FarmVille Freak reports that on Jan. 6 Holiday Gifts will be removed from the Free Gifts page. Furthermore, the "Ask for Parts" button within the Holiday Tree menu will be disabled and the Holiday Tree itself will disappear from the Market tomorrow.
Well, it was fun (for most) while it lasted. Hey, at least the New Year's events will still be around for a bit. But then it's back to the doldrums of being between holidays. Unless Zynga thinks some stuff up for Valentines Day, Easter/Passover and more. Who are we kidding? I can almost bet that they will (but no promises), so sit tight farmers.
Well, it was fun (for most) while it lasted. Hey, at least the New Year's events will still be around for a bit. But then it's back to the doldrums of being between holidays. Unless Zynga thinks some stuff up for Valentines Day, Easter/Passover and more. Who are we kidding? I can almost bet that they will (but no promises), so sit tight farmers.
Island Paradise Cheats & Tips: Free Christmas Items
Today's cheats, found by the experts over at The Facegamer, are for free Island Paradise items. I know you probably stopped playing Island Paradise long ago, or with the release of CityVille. But perhaps these Island Paradise cheats will send you back for a visit to the tropics. The links below are for free Island Paradise Christmas items. They can be placed on your tropical island. All you have to do is click the images below, and you'll instantly receive the item in Island Paradise for free. But note, you can only accept five items every 24 hours, so choose wisely. Make a mistake and you'll have to wait a whole day to get more Island Paradise free Christmas items. If you're having trouble choosing, I recommend the Firecracker; when you click it, it actually explodes!
Get started with my Island Paradise Cheats & Tips: Free Christmas Items below.
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island paradise cheats free christmas items island paradise cheats free christmas items island paradise cheats free christmas items
island paradise cheats free christmas items
Click on up to 5 items to receive them for free.
For more Facebook game cheats, check out The Facegamer.
Check out more Island Paradise Cheats & Tips:
Island Paradise Cheats & Tips: Free trees and animals
Island Paradise Cheats & Tips: Free building supplies
Get started with my Island Paradise Cheats & Tips: Free Christmas Items below.
island paradise cheats free christmas items island paradise cheats free christmas items island paradise cheats free christmas items
island paradise cheats free christmas items island paradise cheats free christmas items island paradise cheats free christmas items
island paradise cheats free christmas items
Click on up to 5 items to receive them for free.
For more Facebook game cheats, check out The Facegamer.
Check out more Island Paradise Cheats & Tips:
Island Paradise Cheats & Tips: Free trees and animals
Island Paradise Cheats & Tips: Free building supplies
FarmVille creator Zynga sued by Walker Digital over gaming patent
Well, what do you know, it's almost noon. Time for another Zynga lawsuit, isn't it? Walker Digital has sued Zynga and Activision Blizzard for patent infringement, claiming the three companies made use of U.S. patent no. 6, 425,828, which belongs to Walker Digital, according to TechCrunch. Issued on July 30, 2002, the patent is titled, "Database driven online distributed tournament system." More specifically, Walker Digital's 20-page patent boils down to:
A method and a system for a distributed electronic tournament system in which many remotely located players participate in a tournament through input/output devices connected to a central controller which manages the tournament. The method includes the steps of (a) uniquely identifying a player communicating with the central controller via an associated input/output device...
While there are three more steps to how the patent operates involving prize winnings and database management, what's most interesting is the first. Because of how widely terms like that could interpreted, games like Mafia Wars, World of Warcraft and the Call of Duty series are claimed by Walker Digital to infringe on the patent, Tech Crunch reports.
With the amount of times the company has faced legal disputes in 2010, it is almost unsurprising that the social gaming juggernaut didn't even make it through the first month of 2011 without a lawsuit being presented to them. Oh, the joys of running multi-billion dollar companies. We've contacted Zynga for comment, so stay tuned.
A method and a system for a distributed electronic tournament system in which many remotely located players participate in a tournament through input/output devices connected to a central controller which manages the tournament. The method includes the steps of (a) uniquely identifying a player communicating with the central controller via an associated input/output device...
While there are three more steps to how the patent operates involving prize winnings and database management, what's most interesting is the first. Because of how widely terms like that could interpreted, games like Mafia Wars, World of Warcraft and the Call of Duty series are claimed by Walker Digital to infringe on the patent, Tech Crunch reports.
With the amount of times the company has faced legal disputes in 2010, it is almost unsurprising that the social gaming juggernaut didn't even make it through the first month of 2011 without a lawsuit being presented to them. Oh, the joys of running multi-billion dollar companies. We've contacted Zynga for comment, so stay tuned.
Tatty Teddy: Popular UK teddy bear launches Facebook game
We've seen the launch of Facebook games supporting many American brands and services, but so far the craze hasn't caught on in other countries. Me to You: My Place is a brand new game developed by Sharkius Games in collaboration with Carte Blanche Greetings, to promote the teddy bear line Me To You Bears (and their Blue Nose Friends). In this game, you assume the role of popular UK icon Tatty Teddy and navigate a world, trying to find all of your stuffed animal friends. Cute to the max? I think so!
The game plays much like other popular games that we know and love. The core gameplay is that of treasure seeking games such as Treasure Isle. You unlock new areas to visit, and while you're there you search squares looking for collection items and new stuffed friends, using your energy that accumulates over time. The unique aspect to the game is the finding your friends bit. While you are digging, the main point is to find your Blue Nose Friends and bring them back to your 'garden' where you can interact with them.
In your garden, you can interact with the Blue Nose Friends that you have collected. Each animal has a name, and various meters that determine how healthy and happy the animal is. Once you have raised the Friendship level with that animal to a particular level, they become your "Friend For Keeps" and you can access them by clicking on your house. With that said, we're not sure what the point is of having Friends for Keeps.
There is also a farm that allows you to grow food for energy for yourself or for your Blue Nose Friends. The store features a few decorative items and trees and the ability to buy more food and energy. The art style feels mixed, as if many artists worked on the game without a cohesive vision on how the graphics would look. In addition, the fonts in the UI are a bit over-stylized and therefore hard to read and interact with.
If you are a fan of the Tatty Teddy brand, you may enjoy this game. However, for the dedicated Facebook game player you'll find that there is much to be desired. The game is lacking innovation and polish. The interface feels a bit clunky, and going out to dig for treasure simply doesn't feel that fun. It feels like a rudimentary attempt at putting together a Facebook game. It might appeal to the fans of the Me to You Bears, but we don't think this one has mass market appeal unless it becomes a much more fun game. It feels like the game took elements of farming, treasure seeking, and standard Facebook fare (like neighbors and gifting) and plopped some of Ravenwood Fair's fonts on top hoping for a win.
Are we missing the mark here? Do you think Me To You: My Place is a fun game?
The game plays much like other popular games that we know and love. The core gameplay is that of treasure seeking games such as Treasure Isle. You unlock new areas to visit, and while you're there you search squares looking for collection items and new stuffed friends, using your energy that accumulates over time. The unique aspect to the game is the finding your friends bit. While you are digging, the main point is to find your Blue Nose Friends and bring them back to your 'garden' where you can interact with them.
In your garden, you can interact with the Blue Nose Friends that you have collected. Each animal has a name, and various meters that determine how healthy and happy the animal is. Once you have raised the Friendship level with that animal to a particular level, they become your "Friend For Keeps" and you can access them by clicking on your house. With that said, we're not sure what the point is of having Friends for Keeps.
There is also a farm that allows you to grow food for energy for yourself or for your Blue Nose Friends. The store features a few decorative items and trees and the ability to buy more food and energy. The art style feels mixed, as if many artists worked on the game without a cohesive vision on how the graphics would look. In addition, the fonts in the UI are a bit over-stylized and therefore hard to read and interact with.
If you are a fan of the Tatty Teddy brand, you may enjoy this game. However, for the dedicated Facebook game player you'll find that there is much to be desired. The game is lacking innovation and polish. The interface feels a bit clunky, and going out to dig for treasure simply doesn't feel that fun. It feels like a rudimentary attempt at putting together a Facebook game. It might appeal to the fans of the Me to You Bears, but we don't think this one has mass market appeal unless it becomes a much more fun game. It feels like the game took elements of farming, treasure seeking, and standard Facebook fare (like neighbors and gifting) and plopped some of Ravenwood Fair's fonts on top hoping for a win.
Are we missing the mark here? Do you think Me To You: My Place is a fun game?
Island Paradise Cheats & Tips: Free building supplies
Hello Facefolks, It's Mr. Cheats here with the down-low on the things you shouldn't know.
The Facegamer has discovered cheats for Island Paradise free building materials. You're going to need these supplies if you want to upgrade Barns and other structures requiring materials in Island Paradise. Usually, to get these building materials, you have to be gifted the parts by friends or buy them with real money. Fortunately, my Island Paradise Cheats & Tips: Free building supplies will get you the parts you need to upgrade your barn without having to ask your friends or spend a dime. The catch is you can only receive 5 building supplies every 24 hours. So choose carefully.
Get started with my Island Paradise Cheats & Tips: Free building supplies below.
island paradise cheats free building supplies island paradise cheats free building supplies island paradise cheats free building supplies
island paradise cheats free building supplies island paradise cheats free building supplies
To receive building supplies, click on up to 5 images above.
For more Facebook game cheats, check out The Facegamer.
Check out more Island Paradise Cheats & Tips:
Island Paradise Cheats & Tips: Free trees and animals
Island Paradise Cheats & Tips: Free Christmas items
Was this guide useful to you? What other Island Paradise cheats do you want to see?
The Facegamer has discovered cheats for Island Paradise free building materials. You're going to need these supplies if you want to upgrade Barns and other structures requiring materials in Island Paradise. Usually, to get these building materials, you have to be gifted the parts by friends or buy them with real money. Fortunately, my Island Paradise Cheats & Tips: Free building supplies will get you the parts you need to upgrade your barn without having to ask your friends or spend a dime. The catch is you can only receive 5 building supplies every 24 hours. So choose carefully.
Get started with my Island Paradise Cheats & Tips: Free building supplies below.
island paradise cheats free building supplies island paradise cheats free building supplies island paradise cheats free building supplies
island paradise cheats free building supplies island paradise cheats free building supplies
To receive building supplies, click on up to 5 images above.
For more Facebook game cheats, check out The Facegamer.
Check out more Island Paradise Cheats & Tips:
Island Paradise Cheats & Tips: Free trees and animals
Island Paradise Cheats & Tips: Free Christmas items
Was this guide useful to you? What other Island Paradise cheats do you want to see?
Thứ Ba, 10 tháng 1, 2012
Gameloft beats FarmVille to the Android harvest with Green Farm
Alright, so you Android users and your fancy Flash can run FarmVille from the browser--big deal! It's still not dedicated app, and it looks like Gameloft, the French developer that recently brought Facebook it's unofficial World of Warcraft with Order & Chaos Online, has released Green Farm to the Android Market.
For those looking for a dedicated mobile game to farming on the go, it looks like Green Farm might be the place to go. (That all depends on whether it's fun, of course.) Seriously though, could you deny a game that justifies itself so boldly with bullet points like these:
ADDICTIVE: Get hooked on farm life as you raise crops, trees & livestock.
UNIQUE: Earn coins to buy a variety of seeds, animals and buildings.
AWESOME: Make juice & cheese, or develop specialties like carpentry.
NEW: The fun never ends thanks to frequent updates!
And MORE: Customize your avatar, take on missions & utilize tractors, robots and more.
However, the game is only available on certain Android sets, though most seem up-to-date with current phones, according to the download page. Keep in mind one is also the Xperia Play, Sony Ericsson's new PlayStation-branded smartphone. With Gameloft entering the social game field and encroaching upon unclaimed territory, it'll be interesting to see how Zynga responds on Android. HTML5-based FarmVille, anyone?
For those looking for a dedicated mobile game to farming on the go, it looks like Green Farm might be the place to go. (That all depends on whether it's fun, of course.) Seriously though, could you deny a game that justifies itself so boldly with bullet points like these:
ADDICTIVE: Get hooked on farm life as you raise crops, trees & livestock.
UNIQUE: Earn coins to buy a variety of seeds, animals and buildings.
AWESOME: Make juice & cheese, or develop specialties like carpentry.
NEW: The fun never ends thanks to frequent updates!
And MORE: Customize your avatar, take on missions & utilize tractors, robots and more.
However, the game is only available on certain Android sets, though most seem up-to-date with current phones, according to the download page. Keep in mind one is also the Xperia Play, Sony Ericsson's new PlayStation-branded smartphone. With Gameloft entering the social game field and encroaching upon unclaimed territory, it'll be interesting to see how Zynga responds on Android. HTML5-based FarmVille, anyone?
Will Google wash out Facebook with its Google+ Games Stream?
Like a good, old fashioned Apple rumor, the Google Games effort has shed its layers one by one, revealing sliver after sliver of information as to just what the hell it is.
And today, we now know that Google intends to change how social games appear in a social network. According to Slashgear, the Google+ help pages have revealed the Google+ Games Stream.
This brand new feature will apparently be the hub to of all of your social game notifications. In other words, it looks like social games on Google+ won't be very different from those on Facebook. And yes, that's a good thing. "If you're looking for updates shared from games, check out your Games stream," the Google+ help page reads.
While the link it provides redirects to a 404 page, this is all the confirmation we need that the Google+ Games platform is preparing for battle with Facebook. (We just can't wait to see how this one turns out.)
The Google+ Games Stream
And today, we now know that Google intends to change how social games appear in a social network. According to Slashgear, the Google+ help pages have revealed the Google+ Games Stream.
This brand new feature will apparently be the hub to of all of your social game notifications. In other words, it looks like social games on Google+ won't be very different from those on Facebook. And yes, that's a good thing. "If you're looking for updates shared from games, check out your Games stream," the Google+ help page reads.
While the link it provides redirects to a 404 page, this is all the confirmation we need that the Google+ Games platform is preparing for battle with Facebook. (We just can't wait to see how this one turns out.)
The Google+ Games Stream
Google Games says, 'When you can't beat 'em, undercut 'em' [Rumor]
Man, I don't know if that's even considered undercutting anymore. That's just plain crazy talk. According to All Things D, the recently revealed Google+ Games platform will only charge developers 5 percent of revenue from in-app purchases like, say, FarmVille (oh, wait).
If the website's anonymous sources are correct, and Google decides to charge a similar amount for in-game purchases, this undercuts Facebook's current service charge of 30 percent by an incredible amount.
And, if true, this appears to the strategy Google is going with. No need to sign on major talent in dangerously symbiotic contracts--ahem, Zynga--just undercut the hell out of the competition and make developers like you better.
Who knows exactly what Google+ Games will look like, but you can bet it'll have a metric ton of games at launch. That offer would simply be too goo to pass up. We've contacted Google for comment, stay tuned.
If the website's anonymous sources are correct, and Google decides to charge a similar amount for in-game purchases, this undercuts Facebook's current service charge of 30 percent by an incredible amount.
And, if true, this appears to the strategy Google is going with. No need to sign on major talent in dangerously symbiotic contracts--ahem, Zynga--just undercut the hell out of the competition and make developers like you better.
Who knows exactly what Google+ Games will look like, but you can bet it'll have a metric ton of games at launch. That offer would simply be too goo to pass up. We've contacted Google for comment, stay tuned.
War Commander is Kixeye's next Facebook RTS, keepin' it hardcore
Yeah, son! Better believe it. What? Hey, if Kixeye is planning to bring the hardcore to Facebook, you got to start playing the part--nobody likes a bad trash talker. Formerly known as Casual Collective, Inside Social Games reports the creator of Backyard Monsters will release War Commander, the result of developers' Paul Preece and David Scott mission to "get hard" in its Facebook games.
The game is due out sometime this August, and the game is said to play a lot like the classic Command and Conquer series, with players able to select individual and group units--and there will be 27 playable units at launch. This represents the company's mission to present itself as the hardcore developer for Facebook games.
Though, with companies like Kabam saying the exact same thing with games like Kingdoms of Camelot, it looks like the battlefield for War Commander will extend beyond the browser. Now, can Blizzard just bring Starcraft to Facebook already?
The game is due out sometime this August, and the game is said to play a lot like the classic Command and Conquer series, with players able to select individual and group units--and there will be 27 playable units at launch. This represents the company's mission to present itself as the hardcore developer for Facebook games.
Though, with companies like Kabam saying the exact same thing with games like Kingdoms of Camelot, it looks like the battlefield for War Commander will extend beyond the browser. Now, can Blizzard just bring Starcraft to Facebook already?
The creator of Mega Man has a Facebook game sans the blue bomber
Wow, what's next, Miyamoto announces a Facebook game? (Wait, no, that'll never happen.) Keiji Inafune, the legendary Japanese game producer and co-designer behind the original Mega Man, has announced his first project since leaving publisher Capcom. He left to make his own studio, Comcept, and The Island of Dr. Momo is the final result.
Set to release in Japan initially through the Gree social mobile games network, Dr. Momo a mysterious character that Touch Arcade reports is a lover of cute stuff, so your mission is to help him gather the cutest animals on Earth for some super-secret, super-cute project. Of course, the game will be supported through micro-transactions like paid currency and digital items. Inafune didn't mention a U.S. release, though we're not going to get our hopes up, and neither should you.
Seriously though, what Japanese (or American) designer can we see head to social games next? Hey, maybe this will be the next battle of the mega designers like the glory days of the SNES and Sega Genesis. If that's the case, social games are headed down a road filled with awesome.
Set to release in Japan initially through the Gree social mobile games network, Dr. Momo a mysterious character that Touch Arcade reports is a lover of cute stuff, so your mission is to help him gather the cutest animals on Earth for some super-secret, super-cute project. Of course, the game will be supported through micro-transactions like paid currency and digital items. Inafune didn't mention a U.S. release, though we're not going to get our hopes up, and neither should you.
Seriously though, what Japanese (or American) designer can we see head to social games next? Hey, maybe this will be the next battle of the mega designers like the glory days of the SNES and Sega Genesis. If that's the case, social games are headed down a road filled with awesome.
Angry Birds maker soars into lawsuit with Lodsys over patent violation
Golly, what have the Angry Birds crashed their impervious beaks into now? Oh ... really? That's a bummer. The Telegraph reports that Rovio, the Finnish developer of the infamous Angry Birds games, is facing a patent violation lawsuit from Lodsys. The Texan company alleges that Rovio has violated a patent filed by Lodsys regarding how players purchase levels from within the game.
According to the Telegraph, the control of this alleged in-app payment system has limited several European game developers from launching stateside, but not Rovio. The developer sells millions daily on everything from purchases of the game to Angry Birds plush dolls.
So, it's understandable why a company with such a patent would want to probe that a bit. In fact, the Telegraph reports that the lawsuit has scared lots of European mobile game developers from the US App Store.
According to the Telegraph, the control of this alleged in-app payment system has limited several European game developers from launching stateside, but not Rovio. The developer sells millions daily on everything from purchases of the game to Angry Birds plush dolls.
So, it's understandable why a company with such a patent would want to probe that a bit. In fact, the Telegraph reports that the lawsuit has scared lots of European mobile game developers from the US App Store.
DeNA enlists Mega Man, Sonic creators to make social games
It looks like Japan is using some American moves in its bout with the US for control of the social gaming market. DeNA has announced, according to Andriasang, its Super Creators program. This new program has enlisted the help of legendary Japanese game designers to create social games for release through the company's Ngmoco-ran platform, Mobage. The news was announced at a press conference covered by Japanese outlet 4gamer.net, and here are all five creators, according to Andriasang's translation:
Keiji Inafune: Comcept. The former Capcom development head is producing an app called J.J. Rockets. The nature of the game hasn't been revealed, but Inafune suggested it will be an action game.
Suda 51: Grasshopper Manufacture. He'll be releasing something based off No More Heroes.
Yuji Naka: Prope. The creator Sonic and Nights said that he hopes to release a game that uses positional information and has growth and adventure elements.
Yoshifumi Hashimoto: Marvelous Entertainment. He'll be releasing a game based off Harvest Moon. The game will link up with weather and seasonal information and will allow for communication with friends.
Noritaka Funamizu: Crafts & Meister. He'll be working on a brand called "Nama-ge."
Some of these names might be familiar with fans of hits hardcore franchises like Sonic the Hedgehog. However, all you need to know is that Japanese companies are beginning to mirror American companies that have attracted traditional veteran designers into social games. (Though, their approach is far more ... forced.) Designers like Ultima creator Richard Garriott with Portalarium, John Romero--one of two men behind Doom--ready to launch a second social game with Loot Drop, and Brian Reynolds, who joined Zynga last year to release FrontierVille.
The power players are turning into dream teams, so I say we settle this on the court--purely because of the humor in middle-aged coders and designers playing professional sports. Whether these games will eventually come to the US has not been announced, but since DeNA aims to expand into the US at some point, it is a possibility.
Keiji Inafune: Comcept. The former Capcom development head is producing an app called J.J. Rockets. The nature of the game hasn't been revealed, but Inafune suggested it will be an action game.
Suda 51: Grasshopper Manufacture. He'll be releasing something based off No More Heroes.
Yuji Naka: Prope. The creator Sonic and Nights said that he hopes to release a game that uses positional information and has growth and adventure elements.
Yoshifumi Hashimoto: Marvelous Entertainment. He'll be releasing a game based off Harvest Moon. The game will link up with weather and seasonal information and will allow for communication with friends.
Noritaka Funamizu: Crafts & Meister. He'll be working on a brand called "Nama-ge."
Some of these names might be familiar with fans of hits hardcore franchises like Sonic the Hedgehog. However, all you need to know is that Japanese companies are beginning to mirror American companies that have attracted traditional veteran designers into social games. (Though, their approach is far more ... forced.) Designers like Ultima creator Richard Garriott with Portalarium, John Romero--one of two men behind Doom--ready to launch a second social game with Loot Drop, and Brian Reynolds, who joined Zynga last year to release FrontierVille.
The power players are turning into dream teams, so I say we settle this on the court--purely because of the humor in middle-aged coders and designers playing professional sports. Whether these games will eventually come to the US has not been announced, but since DeNA aims to expand into the US at some point, it is a possibility.
Microsoft shelters new social game developers in Windows Azure
Microsoft wants to be part of the social gaming phenomenon one way or another. (For now, that appears to be without buying a company like CrowdStar.) The ubiquitous tech company has launched the Windows Azure Toolkit for Social Games, a special set of free tools for social game developers to host their games from Windows' cloud storage solution, akin to Amazon's similar service.
And while big companies like Zynga use the latter, Microsoft thinks it can attract new developers with its solution. ITProPortal reports that the company announced its new product at the Casual Connect event in San Francisco recently, and that it will provide tools for developers that other services do not offer.
While Amazon offers simply a place to put your game data, Microsoft wants to help game creators with built-in methods for tracking achievements and scores as well as payment integration over Facebook Credits. And, more importantly, Microsoft claims that its Azure servers can handle an influx of players, which is vitally important in the early days of a game's release.
The free set of tools launched with Tankster, an HTML5-based social game housed on Windows Azure. It was created by Grant Skinner, an established casual and social game designer. With the big "M" in the game, perhaps the time for indie games on Facebook isn't over.
And while big companies like Zynga use the latter, Microsoft thinks it can attract new developers with its solution. ITProPortal reports that the company announced its new product at the Casual Connect event in San Francisco recently, and that it will provide tools for developers that other services do not offer.
While Amazon offers simply a place to put your game data, Microsoft wants to help game creators with built-in methods for tracking achievements and scores as well as payment integration over Facebook Credits. And, more importantly, Microsoft claims that its Azure servers can handle an influx of players, which is vitally important in the early days of a game's release.
The free set of tools launched with Tankster, an HTML5-based social game housed on Windows Azure. It was created by Grant Skinner, an established casual and social game designer. With the big "M" in the game, perhaps the time for indie games on Facebook isn't over.
Diner Dash serves its last dish on Facebook Aug. 29 due to poor traffic
It's always sad to see a Facebook game go, but it's even sadder when it is attached to a beloved (and lucrative) franchise. Diner Dash has found success on handhelds like the Nintendo DS, PCs and even the Xbox 360, but not on Facebook. PlayFirst, the game's developer, has announced that it will shut Diner Dash down on Aug. 29, because the game "is no longer performing at a level that can be supported," according to a statement posted on the PlayFirst blog.
The game, which launched just in January of this year, reached an all-time high of 2.5 million monthly players, though players have fallen off considerably, leaving it at just over 1.2 million monthly players right now, according to AppData. What's worse is only a small fraction of those--just over 90 thousand--are playing daily. In other words, it's simply not worth it to keep the game running for PlayFirst, which strikes us as a mixture of odd and heartbreaking.
We enjoyed the game when it first released, though we had our doubts of whether the game could rise to the challenge giants like CityVille have presented to Facebook game latecomers. Unfortunately, like many before it, Diner Dash couldn't hang. However, PlayFirst is offering the PC and Mac OS versions of its hit time-management game--a genre I thought would do extremely well on Facebook considering--for half off the original price until Sept. 1 for those who use the promo code "dinerdash50." You lose a game, you get one for 50 percent off ... at least we didn't come away with nothing.
The game, which launched just in January of this year, reached an all-time high of 2.5 million monthly players, though players have fallen off considerably, leaving it at just over 1.2 million monthly players right now, according to AppData. What's worse is only a small fraction of those--just over 90 thousand--are playing daily. In other words, it's simply not worth it to keep the game running for PlayFirst, which strikes us as a mixture of odd and heartbreaking.
We enjoyed the game when it first released, though we had our doubts of whether the game could rise to the challenge giants like CityVille have presented to Facebook game latecomers. Unfortunately, like many before it, Diner Dash couldn't hang. However, PlayFirst is offering the PC and Mac OS versions of its hit time-management game--a genre I thought would do extremely well on Facebook considering--for half off the original price until Sept. 1 for those who use the promo code "dinerdash50." You lose a game, you get one for 50 percent off ... at least we didn't come away with nothing.
News 19 Comments Sony PS Vita may not be the 'social gaming revolution' we were hoping for
As more details come to light about Sony's upcoming PlayStation Vita handheld gaming system, our hopes of a (as Sony put it) "Social Gaming Revolution" are fading fast. EuroGamer has gathered new details about the console's online capabilities, but honestly, there's nothing truly revolutionary here.
First, there's the feature called Near, which is comparable to the Nintendo's 3DS StreetPass, with a gifting system built in. It tracks your location, and allows you to learn a bit about the Vita owners that are nearby you (what games they've played recently, for one). You can leave gifts in the locations you visit each day, and as other Vita owners visit those same locations, they may be able to pick up said gifts and use them in-game. While it's a novel concept, let's not forget that check-in applications like Gowalla have had item drop-and-pick-up features for quite some time. Besides, the entire virality of Near is dependent on having people within your geographical area that have purchased a Vita, so if you live in a rural neighborhood, your interactions will likely be limited.
Another feature is called Party, and it will allow you to talk with up to three of your friends in a "platform-wide" party, regardless of what you or your friends are doing elsewhere on your Vitas at the time. Again, this is fairly self-explanatory, as Xbox Live's Party Chat and Skype offer two major examples of similar systems.
Finally, there's the LiveArea and Activity trackers, which bring a bit of a Facebook-like setup to the system, as you'll be able to see activities listed in a sort of feed, including posts for when users unlock trophies or reach new leaderboard rankings, and will allow you to comment on them. LiveArea will also allow developers to interact with users, as they can push through announcements of updated content, or even DLC that has been released, and will track users' locations for as-of-now unannounced location features.
As individual systems, these don't really leave much for us to get excited about in the "revolution" column. Sure, cross-game chatting is great, and the Near gifting system should allow users in very active areas to earn in-game items otherwise unavailable to them, but revolutionary? While these combined packages are likely to please many fans, I'm not so sure the adjective fits. We'll make sure to keep track of how Sony further develops the Vita's online and social capabilities, and we can only hope it has more hiding up its sleeve.
First, there's the feature called Near, which is comparable to the Nintendo's 3DS StreetPass, with a gifting system built in. It tracks your location, and allows you to learn a bit about the Vita owners that are nearby you (what games they've played recently, for one). You can leave gifts in the locations you visit each day, and as other Vita owners visit those same locations, they may be able to pick up said gifts and use them in-game. While it's a novel concept, let's not forget that check-in applications like Gowalla have had item drop-and-pick-up features for quite some time. Besides, the entire virality of Near is dependent on having people within your geographical area that have purchased a Vita, so if you live in a rural neighborhood, your interactions will likely be limited.
Another feature is called Party, and it will allow you to talk with up to three of your friends in a "platform-wide" party, regardless of what you or your friends are doing elsewhere on your Vitas at the time. Again, this is fairly self-explanatory, as Xbox Live's Party Chat and Skype offer two major examples of similar systems.
Finally, there's the LiveArea and Activity trackers, which bring a bit of a Facebook-like setup to the system, as you'll be able to see activities listed in a sort of feed, including posts for when users unlock trophies or reach new leaderboard rankings, and will allow you to comment on them. LiveArea will also allow developers to interact with users, as they can push through announcements of updated content, or even DLC that has been released, and will track users' locations for as-of-now unannounced location features.
As individual systems, these don't really leave much for us to get excited about in the "revolution" column. Sure, cross-game chatting is great, and the Near gifting system should allow users in very active areas to earn in-game items otherwise unavailable to them, but revolutionary? While these combined packages are likely to please many fans, I'm not so sure the adjective fits. We'll make sure to keep track of how Sony further develops the Vita's online and social capabilities, and we can only hope it has more hiding up its sleeve.
Thứ Hai, 9 tháng 1, 2012
Sony shows off social savvy with Japanese PlayStation social network
Sony Play Community
But we doubt it's as fly as our mad alliteration skillz. Sony Computer Entertainment Japan has revealed a web-based social network for its players. Andriasang reports that the new section of the Japanese PlayStation website is called "Play Community," and it serves as a social network for fans. Players can make friends, form groups and send messages to others through the new PlayStation-centric social network.
Most importantly, however, is that users can seek out other players for game sessions and create a "My Page" with a list of the games they play. This all sounds vaguely familiar--wait, didn't Microsoft just update its Xbox website with a social network of sorts? Why yes, yes it did. Just as Google+ and Facebook have started a duel when it comes to games, could it be that Sony and Microsoft have walked their paces?
It certainly seems that way. (Gentlemen, prepare your slapping gloves!) To jump start use of the new website, Sony has offered PlayStation Vita systems to three people--Japanese, we assume--who register with the network, make three friends and submit a comment to this blog post. Unfortunately, there's no word of Play Community hitting Western shores. But considering Sony looks to take the "social gaming revolution" worldwide with the Vita, we can't imagine this portion not following suit.
But we doubt it's as fly as our mad alliteration skillz. Sony Computer Entertainment Japan has revealed a web-based social network for its players. Andriasang reports that the new section of the Japanese PlayStation website is called "Play Community," and it serves as a social network for fans. Players can make friends, form groups and send messages to others through the new PlayStation-centric social network.
Most importantly, however, is that users can seek out other players for game sessions and create a "My Page" with a list of the games they play. This all sounds vaguely familiar--wait, didn't Microsoft just update its Xbox website with a social network of sorts? Why yes, yes it did. Just as Google+ and Facebook have started a duel when it comes to games, could it be that Sony and Microsoft have walked their paces?
It certainly seems that way. (Gentlemen, prepare your slapping gloves!) To jump start use of the new website, Sony has offered PlayStation Vita systems to three people--Japanese, we assume--who register with the network, make three friends and submit a comment to this blog post. Unfortunately, there's no word of Play Community hitting Western shores. But considering Sony looks to take the "social gaming revolution" worldwide with the Vita, we can't imagine this portion not following suit.
Zynga temp worker accused of $100K theft, caught on security camera
Zynga thief
Surprise--you're on candid security camera. At least that's what FarmVille maker Zynga seems to think of 21-year-old Keith Brown, a temp worker in the developer's San Francisco headquarters. Brown is accused of stealing $100,000 worth in desktops, laptops and software from the building between Oct. 31 and Nov. 15, the date of his arrest.
According to The San Francisco Examiner, San Francisco District Attorney's Office spokesman Omid Talai said that Brown's alleged theft was caught on security camera footage. Brown was escorted from Zynga HQ by security and handed off into police custody. "At this point, he's the only Zynga employee arrested for doing this," Talai told the San Francisco Examiner.
Since Zynga is a multibillion dollar company (with likely very, very strong security) expected to make even more billions in its imminent initial public offering, we're not surprised. Still in custody and said to have been arraigned in San Francisco Superior Court on Wednesday, Brown faces four felony counts of commercial burglary, one of receiving stolen property, one of grand theft and one of embezzlement.
Surprise--you're on candid security camera. At least that's what FarmVille maker Zynga seems to think of 21-year-old Keith Brown, a temp worker in the developer's San Francisco headquarters. Brown is accused of stealing $100,000 worth in desktops, laptops and software from the building between Oct. 31 and Nov. 15, the date of his arrest.
According to The San Francisco Examiner, San Francisco District Attorney's Office spokesman Omid Talai said that Brown's alleged theft was caught on security camera footage. Brown was escorted from Zynga HQ by security and handed off into police custody. "At this point, he's the only Zynga employee arrested for doing this," Talai told the San Francisco Examiner.
Since Zynga is a multibillion dollar company (with likely very, very strong security) expected to make even more billions in its imminent initial public offering, we're not surprised. Still in custody and said to have been arraigned in San Francisco Superior Court on Wednesday, Brown faces four felony counts of commercial burglary, one of receiving stolen property, one of grand theft and one of embezzlement.
Call of Duty veterans set crosshairs for 'first-person social game'
Call of Duty
That sounds a helluva lot like "first-person shooter game," no? Well, these folks are best known for their contributions to hardcore games like Call of Duty. VentureBeat reports that Activision veterans Dusty Welch and Chris Archer have founded their own social game studio, U4iA. Pronounced "euphoria" (that's cute), the Bellevue, Wash.-based studio aims to bring core games to Facebook in a big way.
Welch (CEO) and Archer (CCO) aim to set the quality bar even higher on Facebook and mobile with a "first-person social game" that matches the caliber of recent free-to-play games like League of Legends, according to VentureBeat. At least from what the U4iA heads see, the future of social games is the arrival of traditional gamers.
"We're making core games for a social audience." Welch told VentureBeat, "We think the hardcore gamers are going to start looking for the core games on the social and mobile networks now." Well, with companies like Kixeye and Kabam gunning for the same audience, at least they're not alone.
"We think we're at the spearhead of a lot of cool things," Welch said to VentureBeat. Since the guy is credited with creating the Call of Duty series--the best-selling game franchise ever--we can't really contest that. This first-person shooter social game will be created for both Facebook and mobile devices using the Unity Player. With expertise like that, we're sure the game will be a technological marvel, but will the audience be there to bear witness?
That sounds a helluva lot like "first-person shooter game," no? Well, these folks are best known for their contributions to hardcore games like Call of Duty. VentureBeat reports that Activision veterans Dusty Welch and Chris Archer have founded their own social game studio, U4iA. Pronounced "euphoria" (that's cute), the Bellevue, Wash.-based studio aims to bring core games to Facebook in a big way.
Welch (CEO) and Archer (CCO) aim to set the quality bar even higher on Facebook and mobile with a "first-person social game" that matches the caliber of recent free-to-play games like League of Legends, according to VentureBeat. At least from what the U4iA heads see, the future of social games is the arrival of traditional gamers.
"We're making core games for a social audience." Welch told VentureBeat, "We think the hardcore gamers are going to start looking for the core games on the social and mobile networks now." Well, with companies like Kixeye and Kabam gunning for the same audience, at least they're not alone.
"We think we're at the spearhead of a lot of cool things," Welch said to VentureBeat. Since the guy is credited with creating the Call of Duty series--the best-selling game franchise ever--we can't really contest that. This first-person shooter social game will be created for both Facebook and mobile devices using the Unity Player. With expertise like that, we're sure the game will be a technological marvel, but will the audience be there to bear witness?
Social UPs games lure in Facebook fans for small businesses with big prizes
Have you been seeing Facebook wall posts from your friends with the dubious offer of big prizes for high-scoring a game? I encountered one last night that promised a free iPad 2 from a Toyota dealer by playing "Bouncing Balls". Google searches revealed no official announcements about this promotion and I worried it was a scam, but the offer was legit after all. Other games and prizes -- such as Sony HDTVs, iPhone 4S, and even an Xbox 360 with Kinect -- are being offered on the Facebook pages of various businesses. All of them are coming from a San Diego-based, social media marketing company called Social UPs, best described as what you'd get if Games And Prizes crossed paths with GamesThatGive.
Games And Prizes is a generic games hub on Facebook that lets players bet on sponsored prizes with currency they earned through gaming. GamesThatGive pairs up socially conscious companies and fundraising organizations with their games, putting a game on the Facebook fan page of a company. But instead of player giveaways, money goes to a charity based on the number of people playing. Companies that have games on their Facebook pages have proven quite successful in driving up their number of fans. After all, fans have to 'Like' a Facebook page to access the goods.
Social Up Tara Gray
A Facebook game that offers big, real-world prizes for play isn't new. PopCap's Bejeweled Blitz used to do weekly drawings, and even handed out a Mazda once. But Social UPs capitalizes this practice by matchmaking businesses to its games, while offering prizes to players. Social UPs' customers currently include RoomStore, The Safe Cig, Vitalyte, Raging Bid, Tara Gray, Casey Jamerson, many local car dealerships and more. Social UPs' game stable includes generic knock-offs of Tetris (they call theirs,"Montris"), Bejeweled ("Gems Swap 2"), and even Pac-Man ("Ghost Man Advanced"). According to AppData, these games are delivered through the company's following Facebook apps: Games and Play & Win.
Tara Gray, who "was formerly Miss Alabama and is currently a host on the Direct Shopping Network", was prominently featured in a video on the Social UPs website promoting their services. She's seen with the Gems Swap 2 game in the background (pictured above). Currently, the prize on her page is an opal pendant and the winner is selected via random drawing, but the contest methods of each company vary across the board.
Gallery: SocialUPs
For example, the Gem Swap 2 game on Dave White Acura's Facebook page will end when it reaches 200,000 "Likes". Only one person will get to nab "a 42 inch Flat Screen TV", but winning is determined via a random drawing of the top 50 scorers left at the end of the promotional period. Moreover, you've got to be at the dealership building in Sylvania, OH to pick it up.
In contrast, Raging Bid is running their contest until November 21st. They're offering a Sony Bravia 3D HDTV or a $150.00 USD Shell gas gift card. There will be two winners out of the 25 top players. The drawing will not be random, but determined by votes on the company's official fan page. Because of these differences, I recommend that interested players read all the rules very carefully.
Games And Prizes is a generic games hub on Facebook that lets players bet on sponsored prizes with currency they earned through gaming. GamesThatGive pairs up socially conscious companies and fundraising organizations with their games, putting a game on the Facebook fan page of a company. But instead of player giveaways, money goes to a charity based on the number of people playing. Companies that have games on their Facebook pages have proven quite successful in driving up their number of fans. After all, fans have to 'Like' a Facebook page to access the goods.
Social Up Tara Gray
A Facebook game that offers big, real-world prizes for play isn't new. PopCap's Bejeweled Blitz used to do weekly drawings, and even handed out a Mazda once. But Social UPs capitalizes this practice by matchmaking businesses to its games, while offering prizes to players. Social UPs' customers currently include RoomStore, The Safe Cig, Vitalyte, Raging Bid, Tara Gray, Casey Jamerson, many local car dealerships and more. Social UPs' game stable includes generic knock-offs of Tetris (they call theirs,"Montris"), Bejeweled ("Gems Swap 2"), and even Pac-Man ("Ghost Man Advanced"). According to AppData, these games are delivered through the company's following Facebook apps: Games and Play & Win.
Tara Gray, who "was formerly Miss Alabama and is currently a host on the Direct Shopping Network", was prominently featured in a video on the Social UPs website promoting their services. She's seen with the Gems Swap 2 game in the background (pictured above). Currently, the prize on her page is an opal pendant and the winner is selected via random drawing, but the contest methods of each company vary across the board.
Gallery: SocialUPs
For example, the Gem Swap 2 game on Dave White Acura's Facebook page will end when it reaches 200,000 "Likes". Only one person will get to nab "a 42 inch Flat Screen TV", but winning is determined via a random drawing of the top 50 scorers left at the end of the promotional period. Moreover, you've got to be at the dealership building in Sylvania, OH to pick it up.
In contrast, Raging Bid is running their contest until November 21st. They're offering a Sony Bravia 3D HDTV or a $150.00 USD Shell gas gift card. There will be two winners out of the 25 top players. The drawing will not be random, but determined by votes on the company's official fan page. Because of these differences, I recommend that interested players read all the rules very carefully.
Kabam on Edgeworld's release and what battles lie ahead [Interview]
Even at first glance of its war-torn landscape filled with futuristic buildings blasted to bits by the laser weapons of alien and mechanized armies, it's clear that Edgeworld is San Francisco-based developer Kabam's most ambitious project yet. Formerly known as Watercooler, the studio and publisher is filled with fans of traditional strategy PC games. Even CEO Kevin Chou was a world-ranked StarCraft player back in the day.
Inspired by sci-fi staples like Star Wars, Star Trek and even the Halo series of shooter games, Edgeworld is the culmination of Kabam's ongoing mission to bring a true 4X (explore, expand, exploit, and exterminate) game experience to Facebook. Since the game's "open beta" release in August, the team is hard at work to make that vision a reality as it claims to have in previous games. (As of this writing, the game enjoys over 858,000 monthly players, according to AppData.)
We sat down with Edgeworld Producer James Holloway recently to hear his thoughts on the game post-release, and what plans he and the rest of the Kabam team have for the strategy game in the future.
Edgeworld in action
Now that Edgeworld has released, what are your knee-jerk reactions? What do you love about the game at release, and what would you like to fix most?
We're really pleased with the release so far. We're seeing a lot of people come back to play the game--it has a really high retention. A lot of people are joining Alliances and engaging with each other. In every sector, I see chat is very active. But this is just the beginning.
The biggest thing that I think we're missing is that our Alliance feature is pretty lean right now. The thing that we would like to emphasize more is a cooperative play of the game. I think we have just the basics right now. The new Maps feature is going to integrate very tightly with alliances--you work together [with Alliances] to conquer territory.
We have about four unique turrets and nine units, and that's just the beginning. We're working on a new unit and a new turret that we're really excited about, and those are going to launch in the next month. We'll be introducing higher levels of our buildings. So, there's a lot more content that we need to create, and we're just getting started.
What's the most interesting thing you've seen players do in the game since release--something that never happened during testing?
One thing that we sort of didn't anticipate was that some Alliances and players are attacking each other for resources. At one point we didn't have inter-Alliance resource sharing, so right now you can actually send resources to other players to help them out. So, we didn't have that feature [originally].
But what people were doing was working around that by setting up their Command Centers, which are what contain your resources, outside the perimeter of their turrets. [Players would then] leave their Alliance, cook it, and then attack them and take their resources. So, they were doing resource transfers before the feature was even allowed.
Do you have any interesting or helpful gameplay tips for the players to get ahead in Edgeworld?
Certainly! If you're just starting out, we give every player two days of starter protection wherein no other player can attack you. That's a free few days of protection, and use that time wisely to build up your base and experiment with different configurations. Allow the Factions to attack your base. There's a lot of experimentation with the units.
Players are posting on the forums, talking with each other and also within their Alliances about the best combinations of units to deploy when attacking a base. There are a lot of combinations of tanks and DPS [damage per second] units you can deploy. Rhinos, or other types that have a lot of hit points, can take a lot of fire, and then you can deploy units with longer range or higher DPS behind them.
Edgeworld blast
Depending on what your goals are--like, you might want as many resources as possible--you might want to deploy the Raiders. The Rhinos draw fire from the turrets, while the Spectres sit outside and fire away at the turrets. You really want to upgrade your Spectres to give them a longer range.
We have two different types of units in the game right now: infantry units and mechanized units. It's not necessarily that the mechs are more powerful than the infantry--we're still constantly balancing the game to make sure every unit has its role.
Another thing is that the Warp Gates are really important as far as attacking goes. As you upgrade those, you increase their capacity so that you can actually deploy more units on the ground [at once]. As you unlock more units, the more powerful units will start to consume more of the [Warp Gates'] bandwidth, so you want to upgrade those to deploy the biggest army that you can.
Thanks for talking with us (and for the tips), James.
Territories Could Blow Alliance Play Wide Open
During our chat, Holloway had something brand new to show coming soon to Edgeworld. (Though, it's still in the concept phase, so weren't provided images.) It's a feature tentatively known as "Territories," and the game's producer hopes that it will expand Alliance play into something even more meaningful.
"We haven't seen a past feature like this that I can think of, and we all play a lot of games," Holloway gushes about what he's about to show me. "We're trying to make this a deeper, more robust 4X or empires building game."
As it relates to the game's story, many of the Galactic Union's outposts have been abandoned during the war for Cerulea IV, and they're ripe for the taking. The Territories feature will provide you with a map of the entire planet Cerulea IV, with your home base appearing in the center as a star. Your home base will be surrounded by either hostile, Alliance or neutral territories marked in red, green or simply displayed as abandoned outposts, respectively.
Edgeworld concept art
It's up to you to work with your Alliance to invade either hostile (controlled by enemy Alliances) or neutral outposts, and keep them under your control for as long as possible to reap their benefits, which weren't revealed to us. (Our best guess is additional resources to keep your home bases going.) Players will individually attack outposts just as they would enemy bases, and can call on their Alliance for help asynchronously.
However, players cannot build on these outposts, only bolster their existing defense turrets with their own resources to maintain control of the benefits they provide. This will make it more difficult for enemies to invade. Speaking of invading, players can only enter outposts that are adjacent to their own base or controlled outposts. Eventually, we see the Territories feature becoming a constant struggle between opposing Alliances, and hopefully something for us to work toward.
"This is very different from our other strategy games," Holloway says. "In most cases you individually own tiles on the map, but in this case you kind of need an Alliance to own territory. This is something we're really excited about. We're still working on it and prototyping it, but hopefully we'll have something out in the next four weeks."
Inspired by sci-fi staples like Star Wars, Star Trek and even the Halo series of shooter games, Edgeworld is the culmination of Kabam's ongoing mission to bring a true 4X (explore, expand, exploit, and exterminate) game experience to Facebook. Since the game's "open beta" release in August, the team is hard at work to make that vision a reality as it claims to have in previous games. (As of this writing, the game enjoys over 858,000 monthly players, according to AppData.)
We sat down with Edgeworld Producer James Holloway recently to hear his thoughts on the game post-release, and what plans he and the rest of the Kabam team have for the strategy game in the future.
Edgeworld in action
Now that Edgeworld has released, what are your knee-jerk reactions? What do you love about the game at release, and what would you like to fix most?
We're really pleased with the release so far. We're seeing a lot of people come back to play the game--it has a really high retention. A lot of people are joining Alliances and engaging with each other. In every sector, I see chat is very active. But this is just the beginning.
The biggest thing that I think we're missing is that our Alliance feature is pretty lean right now. The thing that we would like to emphasize more is a cooperative play of the game. I think we have just the basics right now. The new Maps feature is going to integrate very tightly with alliances--you work together [with Alliances] to conquer territory.
We have about four unique turrets and nine units, and that's just the beginning. We're working on a new unit and a new turret that we're really excited about, and those are going to launch in the next month. We'll be introducing higher levels of our buildings. So, there's a lot more content that we need to create, and we're just getting started.
What's the most interesting thing you've seen players do in the game since release--something that never happened during testing?
One thing that we sort of didn't anticipate was that some Alliances and players are attacking each other for resources. At one point we didn't have inter-Alliance resource sharing, so right now you can actually send resources to other players to help them out. So, we didn't have that feature [originally].
But what people were doing was working around that by setting up their Command Centers, which are what contain your resources, outside the perimeter of their turrets. [Players would then] leave their Alliance, cook it, and then attack them and take their resources. So, they were doing resource transfers before the feature was even allowed.
Do you have any interesting or helpful gameplay tips for the players to get ahead in Edgeworld?
Certainly! If you're just starting out, we give every player two days of starter protection wherein no other player can attack you. That's a free few days of protection, and use that time wisely to build up your base and experiment with different configurations. Allow the Factions to attack your base. There's a lot of experimentation with the units.
Players are posting on the forums, talking with each other and also within their Alliances about the best combinations of units to deploy when attacking a base. There are a lot of combinations of tanks and DPS [damage per second] units you can deploy. Rhinos, or other types that have a lot of hit points, can take a lot of fire, and then you can deploy units with longer range or higher DPS behind them.
Edgeworld blast
Depending on what your goals are--like, you might want as many resources as possible--you might want to deploy the Raiders. The Rhinos draw fire from the turrets, while the Spectres sit outside and fire away at the turrets. You really want to upgrade your Spectres to give them a longer range.
We have two different types of units in the game right now: infantry units and mechanized units. It's not necessarily that the mechs are more powerful than the infantry--we're still constantly balancing the game to make sure every unit has its role.
Another thing is that the Warp Gates are really important as far as attacking goes. As you upgrade those, you increase their capacity so that you can actually deploy more units on the ground [at once]. As you unlock more units, the more powerful units will start to consume more of the [Warp Gates'] bandwidth, so you want to upgrade those to deploy the biggest army that you can.
Thanks for talking with us (and for the tips), James.
Territories Could Blow Alliance Play Wide Open
During our chat, Holloway had something brand new to show coming soon to Edgeworld. (Though, it's still in the concept phase, so weren't provided images.) It's a feature tentatively known as "Territories," and the game's producer hopes that it will expand Alliance play into something even more meaningful.
"We haven't seen a past feature like this that I can think of, and we all play a lot of games," Holloway gushes about what he's about to show me. "We're trying to make this a deeper, more robust 4X or empires building game."
As it relates to the game's story, many of the Galactic Union's outposts have been abandoned during the war for Cerulea IV, and they're ripe for the taking. The Territories feature will provide you with a map of the entire planet Cerulea IV, with your home base appearing in the center as a star. Your home base will be surrounded by either hostile, Alliance or neutral territories marked in red, green or simply displayed as abandoned outposts, respectively.
Edgeworld concept art
It's up to you to work with your Alliance to invade either hostile (controlled by enemy Alliances) or neutral outposts, and keep them under your control for as long as possible to reap their benefits, which weren't revealed to us. (Our best guess is additional resources to keep your home bases going.) Players will individually attack outposts just as they would enemy bases, and can call on their Alliance for help asynchronously.
However, players cannot build on these outposts, only bolster their existing defense turrets with their own resources to maintain control of the benefits they provide. This will make it more difficult for enemies to invade. Speaking of invading, players can only enter outposts that are adjacent to their own base or controlled outposts. Eventually, we see the Territories feature becoming a constant struggle between opposing Alliances, and hopefully something for us to work toward.
"This is very different from our other strategy games," Holloway says. "In most cases you individually own tiles on the map, but in this case you kind of need an Alliance to own territory. This is something we're really excited about. We're still working on it and prototyping it, but hopefully we'll have something out in the next four weeks."
Thứ Bảy, 7 tháng 1, 2012
Zynga Beijing manager says social games are a craft, not an art
Social games are not an art, according to Zynga Beijing general manager Andy Tian. And there it is straight from the omnipotent horse's mouth, folks. In an extensive interview with Gamasutra, Tian goes in detail explaining what drives games like FarmVille and CityVille and the relationship between metrics and creativity when creating these games. In short, metrics-based games work best on Facebook because, quite frankly, their audience is not gamers.
Artist Cow"A lot of people in the game industry, like they want to build games because they're gamers, right? They like games, they play a lot of games," Tian said. "Our audience is actually in fact not gamers. The 200 million users out there who maybe play just a very, very basic kind of game, and that's it." In between very conservative comments on Zynga's goals--it's only focused on Facebook and its mobile extensions right now--Tian said that developing single-player games for Facebook is difficult, according to Gamasutra.
In fact, Zynga was working on a Diablo-like RPG game called Guild of Heroes before adopting its current model, which has proved far more successful. In the end, it seems that Zynga's metrics and feedback-driven method of game design isn't going anywhere. Not to mention the asynchronous style of games like FarmVille. That's no longer just a limitation of Facebook; it's what works on Facebook, according to Tian. When asked about creativity's place in Zynga's game design, Tian said:
I think we are metrics-driven. It depends on what you mean by "creative". Like, what is creative? People's definition of creative is very, very different. We ask different people... What is creative to us? [If] people like it. Many times, to a game designer, what is "creative" is what is new. "What I think is creative." I think we want to leave that judgment to the end users more. The end users will tell us what they like, what's creative. In fact, they'll give us a ton of ideas, too. So, I think that's where we differ. We want to drive as many things as possible through metrics and achieve, in the very beginning, not a balance, but a really, really integrated effort between metrics and creative. I think they can exist both in the same time. Very much so.
However, one commenter named Carlo Delallana made an interesting point in a reply that reads, "Unfortunately it's a numerical relationship that will be good at delivering what people want but (if powers that be push it as the end-all solution) may prevent creative people from giving people something they didn't expect."
So, are social games creative? In their own way of manipulating metrics and player feedback into relatively new features and gameplay, sure. But in the way that some video games evoke a response you didn't expect? We have yet to see. And if the direction in which this industry moves is up to Zynga, we probably won't.
Artist Cow"A lot of people in the game industry, like they want to build games because they're gamers, right? They like games, they play a lot of games," Tian said. "Our audience is actually in fact not gamers. The 200 million users out there who maybe play just a very, very basic kind of game, and that's it." In between very conservative comments on Zynga's goals--it's only focused on Facebook and its mobile extensions right now--Tian said that developing single-player games for Facebook is difficult, according to Gamasutra.
In fact, Zynga was working on a Diablo-like RPG game called Guild of Heroes before adopting its current model, which has proved far more successful. In the end, it seems that Zynga's metrics and feedback-driven method of game design isn't going anywhere. Not to mention the asynchronous style of games like FarmVille. That's no longer just a limitation of Facebook; it's what works on Facebook, according to Tian. When asked about creativity's place in Zynga's game design, Tian said:
I think we are metrics-driven. It depends on what you mean by "creative". Like, what is creative? People's definition of creative is very, very different. We ask different people... What is creative to us? [If] people like it. Many times, to a game designer, what is "creative" is what is new. "What I think is creative." I think we want to leave that judgment to the end users more. The end users will tell us what they like, what's creative. In fact, they'll give us a ton of ideas, too. So, I think that's where we differ. We want to drive as many things as possible through metrics and achieve, in the very beginning, not a balance, but a really, really integrated effort between metrics and creative. I think they can exist both in the same time. Very much so.
However, one commenter named Carlo Delallana made an interesting point in a reply that reads, "Unfortunately it's a numerical relationship that will be good at delivering what people want but (if powers that be push it as the end-all solution) may prevent creative people from giving people something they didn't expect."
So, are social games creative? In their own way of manipulating metrics and player feedback into relatively new features and gameplay, sure. But in the way that some video games evoke a response you didn't expect? We have yet to see. And if the direction in which this industry moves is up to Zynga, we probably won't.
Earn 2 free FarmVille Farm Cash from Farmers Insurance quiz
Farmer' Insurance Quiz
Farmer's Insurance teams up with Zynga once again in today's FarmVille Sponsored Link. For taking a short Farmer's Insurance survey, players can earn 2 Farm Cash for absolutely nothing. Just head over to the bottom of the game screen and click on the link that reads, "Take this FarmVilel quiz sponsored by Farmer's Insurance and earn 2 Farm Cash!"
Once the pop-up appears, enjoy the hilarious commercial (always been a fan of stop motion animation) and click on "Get Started." Answer the four painfully simple questions and you'll be taken to a completion screen. There's no need to click the button that reads, "Take a Quiz." You'll notice that in the upper right hand corner that you've already earned your Farm Cash. You should probably give it about 30 minutes before checking to see if the Cash posted to your account.
Farmer's Insurance teams up with Zynga once again in today's FarmVille Sponsored Link. For taking a short Farmer's Insurance survey, players can earn 2 Farm Cash for absolutely nothing. Just head over to the bottom of the game screen and click on the link that reads, "Take this FarmVilel quiz sponsored by Farmer's Insurance and earn 2 Farm Cash!"
Once the pop-up appears, enjoy the hilarious commercial (always been a fan of stop motion animation) and click on "Get Started." Answer the four painfully simple questions and you'll be taken to a completion screen. There's no need to click the button that reads, "Take a Quiz." You'll notice that in the upper right hand corner that you've already earned your Farm Cash. You should probably give it about 30 minutes before checking to see if the Cash posted to your account.
Zynga lays down a full house at Zynga PokerCon this March 18-19
Playing Zynga Poker online is one thing, but playing poker in person is another beast entirely. Zynga will announce on Monday, Feb. 7 its first ever PokerCon in Las Vegas. Taking place in the ultimate poker town at the Palms Casino Resort on March 18 and 19, Zynga will host a live poker tournament with a grand prize of $100 thousand awaiting the winner. Professional poker players will make appearances throughout the convention, offering tips and tricks for the contestants, so don't try any funny stuff here.
The final table in the tournament will be joined by an unannounced list of celebrities, but with Zynga's impressive list of contacts you can expect to be surrounded by interesting folks. Not to mention all convention goers are invited to an exclusive party with the opportunity to meet their fellow Zynga Poker players and executives involved in the game. Tickets for the event go on sale Feb. 11 for $125, which covers all activities during the two-day convention. And considering Zynga Poker is the company's third most popular Facebook game with over 37 million monthly players, you should be safe to expect a full house.
The final table in the tournament will be joined by an unannounced list of celebrities, but with Zynga's impressive list of contacts you can expect to be surrounded by interesting folks. Not to mention all convention goers are invited to an exclusive party with the opportunity to meet their fellow Zynga Poker players and executives involved in the game. Tickets for the event go on sale Feb. 11 for $125, which covers all activities during the two-day convention. And considering Zynga Poker is the company's third most popular Facebook game with over 37 million monthly players, you should be safe to expect a full house.
Zynga compensates FarmVille farmers for Cupid's Castle bugs
It was reported by FarmVille Freak last night that several FarmVille players claimed suffering issues with bugs involving the Cupid's Castle Goals. After completing the first quest in the series of three, players simply weren't receiving the second of third. FarmVille blogger Tim writes, "Yesterday we've decided to award those players who were stuck with the rewards from the second and third part of the quests, thereby finishing up the quest chain for them."
For those who were stuck in the middle of the Cupid's Castle Goals last night and today, you'll be happy to find that the Goals have been essentially completed for you tonight. The XP and coins normally awarded for completing the quests should be posted to your account tonight with the animal rewards from the two Goals inside your Gift box. While you were probably fuming at the computer screen last night, think of it this way: You just had two Goals done for you, so be happy.
For those who were stuck in the middle of the Cupid's Castle Goals last night and today, you'll be happy to find that the Goals have been essentially completed for you tonight. The XP and coins normally awarded for completing the quests should be posted to your account tonight with the animal rewards from the two Goals inside your Gift box. While you were probably fuming at the computer screen last night, think of it this way: You just had two Goals done for you, so be happy.
Angry Birds Valentine's Edition images leak, can't contain the cute
Angry Birds Cloud Ship
We all knew that a Valentine's Day Edition of Angry Birds was in transit, but this is our first glimpse at what the game will look like, thanks to All Things Digital. It won't take longer than a few seconds to notice the hefty amount of cute that Rovio has packed into the version of the game. ATD predicts this version will launch next week in the Apple App Store and Android Marketplace as an update to the Angry Birds Seasons game that's out right now.
Angry Birds Valentines home page
The gameplay will likely remain unchanged, so what we're dealing with is essentially a palette swap. However, some new winged pig enemies seem to make an appearance as well as some new shapes to deal with like glass hearts and cloud tree houses. There are also new items to collect, heart-shaped candies, in replace of golden eggs.
Fans might soon begin to complain that not much has changed in three versions of the game (and one on the way). And they're absolutely right. But isn't it the bite-sized, challenging and engaging gameplay along with adorably angry avian noises that we've come to love? Rovio called, it says thank you in advance for the $.99.
Cloud Treehouse
Heart Glass
[Via and Image Credit: Mashable]
Check out the rest of our Valentine's Day coverage right here.
We all knew that a Valentine's Day Edition of Angry Birds was in transit, but this is our first glimpse at what the game will look like, thanks to All Things Digital. It won't take longer than a few seconds to notice the hefty amount of cute that Rovio has packed into the version of the game. ATD predicts this version will launch next week in the Apple App Store and Android Marketplace as an update to the Angry Birds Seasons game that's out right now.
Angry Birds Valentines home page
The gameplay will likely remain unchanged, so what we're dealing with is essentially a palette swap. However, some new winged pig enemies seem to make an appearance as well as some new shapes to deal with like glass hearts and cloud tree houses. There are also new items to collect, heart-shaped candies, in replace of golden eggs.
Fans might soon begin to complain that not much has changed in three versions of the game (and one on the way). And they're absolutely right. But isn't it the bite-sized, challenging and engaging gameplay along with adorably angry avian noises that we've come to love? Rovio called, it says thank you in advance for the $.99.
Cloud Treehouse
Heart Glass
[Via and Image Credit: Mashable]
Check out the rest of our Valentine's Day coverage right here.
Thứ Sáu, 6 tháng 1, 2012
FrontierVille Cheats and Tips: Growing cacti on the homestead
Cacti Border
The FrontierVille forums are in somewhat of a fluster over the next big Goals in FrontierVille: the 37x37 Land Expansion Goals. Land expansions have always been more challenging than other tasks, but just look at the reward. However, players are particularly perturbed by a single requirement within a single Goal (in a series of five): Clear 10 Cacti. As it turns out, it is not impossible.
However, there is a bit luck involved with a dash of finesse. According to several players on the forums and sources like Pioneer Party, the more useful debris grows toward the south of your homestead while things like Thorns and Grass pop up in the north. Take that vital piece of information and run with it. Create a small portion--maybe 10 spaces around--in the south most corner of your homestead that will act as a sort of debris farm. Then, clear out all the unwanted debris to increase the chances of Cacti to appear over time.
Cacti Farm
To make better use of space, some players even create a small buffer of empty land lining the southwest and southeast ends of their homesteads. Because debris normally grows from the outside in, but doesn't grow within two squares of buildings or crops, this will cause debris to grow in a controlled environment. So, create a two-space buffer zone between the outermost borders of your homestead and whatever you might place there. Within a few days, debris should appear, namely Cacti. Try either of these methods and you should see more Cacti on your homestead than you might have hoped for.
[Image Credits: AndreaEvans and Pioneer Party]
Have you tried either of these methods to grow Cacti? What alternative method have you used to control debris growth?
The FrontierVille forums are in somewhat of a fluster over the next big Goals in FrontierVille: the 37x37 Land Expansion Goals. Land expansions have always been more challenging than other tasks, but just look at the reward. However, players are particularly perturbed by a single requirement within a single Goal (in a series of five): Clear 10 Cacti. As it turns out, it is not impossible.
However, there is a bit luck involved with a dash of finesse. According to several players on the forums and sources like Pioneer Party, the more useful debris grows toward the south of your homestead while things like Thorns and Grass pop up in the north. Take that vital piece of information and run with it. Create a small portion--maybe 10 spaces around--in the south most corner of your homestead that will act as a sort of debris farm. Then, clear out all the unwanted debris to increase the chances of Cacti to appear over time.
Cacti Farm
To make better use of space, some players even create a small buffer of empty land lining the southwest and southeast ends of their homesteads. Because debris normally grows from the outside in, but doesn't grow within two squares of buildings or crops, this will cause debris to grow in a controlled environment. So, create a two-space buffer zone between the outermost borders of your homestead and whatever you might place there. Within a few days, debris should appear, namely Cacti. Try either of these methods and you should see more Cacti on your homestead than you might have hoped for.
[Image Credits: AndreaEvans and Pioneer Party]
Have you tried either of these methods to grow Cacti? What alternative method have you used to control debris growth?
FarmVille Pic of the Day: Paul Hempenstall's St. Patty's Day Farm
With St. Patrick's Day quickly approaching, I decided to feature an incredible FarmVille St. Patty's Day themed farm. Paul Hempenstall, an Irishman who goes by paddy paul on the FarmVille Forums, crafted a marvelous St. Patrick's Day themed farm that is absolutely coated in the luck of the Irish. The farm design features a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow, a four leaf clover made entirely out of trees, a dancing St. Patrick's pig, and a St. Patrick's Day fortress at the north.
However, despite all the amazing hay bale art, in the end Mr. Hempenstall is in a FarmVille player, and he has designed his farm in a way that makes sure it is still functional. He has a huge animal collection, lots of buildings, and space to plant crops. It seems Mr. Hempenstall has struck the perfect balance between function and form; isn't that what design is all about?
Continue reading to see what Paul Hempenstall had to say about his St. Patrick's Day themed farm.
paul helpenstall farmville st patricks day
What inspired your creative farm design?
Being Irish, St. Patrick's Day is a big part of my year and I am also lucky enough to have a son born on the same day: the luck of the Irish.
Do you have any awesome decorating tips to share?
Don't be afraid to try using every item on your farm as part of a picture or design.You would be amazed at what works.
How did you create the wonderful crop and hay bale art?
At first, the hay bale art was a lot of trial and error, but once I got the hang of it ,I found it quite easy.
How did you go about making the perfectly shaped pig and top hat? Was it difficult?
A friend of mine actually suggested the pig and rainbow so I gave it a try and was very happy with the end result.
How long did it take you to complete the design?
The whole design took about a week,spending about 5 to 6 hours a day. -Paul Hempenstall a.k.a. paddy paul :D
What do you think of Paul Hempenstall's St. Patrick's Day farm?
If you have an AWESOME FarmVille farm that you want to see featured on Games.com, please email a picture to editors@games.com, Include a few words about the inspiration for your design and maybe a few tips for people who need an assist! Bookmark this site!
Check out the rest of our FarmVille Cheats & Tips right here or check out our St. Patrick's Day coverage.
However, despite all the amazing hay bale art, in the end Mr. Hempenstall is in a FarmVille player, and he has designed his farm in a way that makes sure it is still functional. He has a huge animal collection, lots of buildings, and space to plant crops. It seems Mr. Hempenstall has struck the perfect balance between function and form; isn't that what design is all about?
Continue reading to see what Paul Hempenstall had to say about his St. Patrick's Day themed farm.
paul helpenstall farmville st patricks day
What inspired your creative farm design?
Being Irish, St. Patrick's Day is a big part of my year and I am also lucky enough to have a son born on the same day: the luck of the Irish.
Do you have any awesome decorating tips to share?
Don't be afraid to try using every item on your farm as part of a picture or design.You would be amazed at what works.
How did you create the wonderful crop and hay bale art?
At first, the hay bale art was a lot of trial and error, but once I got the hang of it ,I found it quite easy.
How did you go about making the perfectly shaped pig and top hat? Was it difficult?
A friend of mine actually suggested the pig and rainbow so I gave it a try and was very happy with the end result.
How long did it take you to complete the design?
The whole design took about a week,spending about 5 to 6 hours a day. -Paul Hempenstall a.k.a. paddy paul :D
What do you think of Paul Hempenstall's St. Patrick's Day farm?
If you have an AWESOME FarmVille farm that you want to see featured on Games.com, please email a picture to editors@games.com, Include a few words about the inspiration for your design and maybe a few tips for people who need an assist! Bookmark this site!
Check out the rest of our FarmVille Cheats & Tips right here or check out our St. Patrick's Day coverage.
Nexon races KartRider onto Facebook later this year
Yeah, yeah, so you've already heard that Nexon is bringing its KartRider franchise to iOS and Android devices later this month. (Don't forget about MapleStory on Facebook!) However, Inside Social Games (ISG) found out from Nexon VP of Social Games Operations, Soo Min Park, that KartRider will also be released on Facebook through the Unity Engine. Players will be able to race as the game downloads thanks to this emergent technology in the social games space. Micro-transactions have also been confirmed, while KartRider is scheduled for an extremely vague release date: "later this year." In related news, ISG also discovered that mulitplayer in MapleStory Adventures will be asynchronous (dammit, Nexon!).
[Image Credit: ISG]
Will you try KartRider out on Facebook once it launches? What do you think of Nexon's first two moves into social games?
[Image Credit: ISG]
Will you try KartRider out on Facebook once it launches? What do you think of Nexon's first two moves into social games?
FarmVille suffers loading issues; disables crop withering, puppy hunger
Crops begone
Another week, another maintenance issue. FarmVille Freak has found that FarmVille is suffering loading issues at the moment. For several hours, players have reported load times that are much slower than usual. Fortunately, Zynga was kind enough to disable wither and puppy hunger timers for the time being, according to banner currently above the game screen. But unfortunately, FarmVille Freak reports that some of its readers have lost items recently purchased with Farm Cash right from their farms. It's unknown as of this writing when FarmVille will be back in normal working condition.
[Image Credit: FarmVille Freak]
Have you experienced issue in FarmVille? When do you guess the game will return to its normal state?
Another week, another maintenance issue. FarmVille Freak has found that FarmVille is suffering loading issues at the moment. For several hours, players have reported load times that are much slower than usual. Fortunately, Zynga was kind enough to disable wither and puppy hunger timers for the time being, according to banner currently above the game screen. But unfortunately, FarmVille Freak reports that some of its readers have lost items recently purchased with Farm Cash right from their farms. It's unknown as of this writing when FarmVille will be back in normal working condition.
[Image Credit: FarmVille Freak]
Have you experienced issue in FarmVille? When do you guess the game will return to its normal state?
A&E, Majesco back Parking Wars 2 into Facebook this May
It's time to take the worst part of the driving test all over again. A&E and Majesco announced today that the TV network and games publisher are creating a sequel to Parking Wars for Facebook, inspired by the program of the same name. Again, the game will be developed by Area/Code, but this will likely be its last independent game given its new role as Zynga New York, VentureBeat reports.
The game will be aptly titled Parking Wars 2, and players will have to park on streets and feed meters. However, friends can sabotage the parking experience by writing parking tickets and throwing bricks through car windows. Of course, the game will feature virtual goods for purchase with Facebook Credits, according to VentureBeat.
"As Facebook becomes more mature, we are making it part of our strategy," Majesco CEO Jesse Sutton said about the company's growing interest in Facebook. "Our focus will be on brands, brands, brands" for casual audiences such as boys, girls, families and adult women."
N.J.-based-Majesco is already familiar with Facebook as it recently launched its flagship Cooking Mama series on the platform. But while the franchise has made the company crazy money on the Nintendo DS, it is suffering on Facebook with just over 700 thousand monthly players, according to AppData. Now, we know that Majesco can put out an impressive game on Facebook, but marketing it and attracting players is a different beast entirely.
[Image Credit: VentureBeat]
Are you psyched for Parking Wars to return to Facebook? How do you think Majesco will fare this time on the platform?
The game will be aptly titled Parking Wars 2, and players will have to park on streets and feed meters. However, friends can sabotage the parking experience by writing parking tickets and throwing bricks through car windows. Of course, the game will feature virtual goods for purchase with Facebook Credits, according to VentureBeat.
"As Facebook becomes more mature, we are making it part of our strategy," Majesco CEO Jesse Sutton said about the company's growing interest in Facebook. "Our focus will be on brands, brands, brands" for casual audiences such as boys, girls, families and adult women."
N.J.-based-Majesco is already familiar with Facebook as it recently launched its flagship Cooking Mama series on the platform. But while the franchise has made the company crazy money on the Nintendo DS, it is suffering on Facebook with just over 700 thousand monthly players, according to AppData. Now, we know that Majesco can put out an impressive game on Facebook, but marketing it and attracting players is a different beast entirely.
[Image Credit: VentureBeat]
Are you psyched for Parking Wars to return to Facebook? How do you think Majesco will fare this time on the platform?
Thứ Tư, 4 tháng 1, 2012
Raptr users fell in love with The Sims Social in every way this year
Who saw this one coming? (Not us, based on AppData numbers.) Raptr, the social network and tracking service for gamers, issued a report detailing its First Annual Playtime Awards, recognizing the most played games across several genres. When it comes to social games, EA and Playfish's The Sims Social dominated, accumulating more playtime in its first month than any social game released this year did in its first 30 days.
The report goes on to reveal that the average Sims Social player logged 1.37 hours in the first week, which is 16 percent more than Zynga's two best games released this year. Breaking it down even further, The Sims' debut on Facebook also garnered five times the playtime of Zynga's Mafia Wars 2, 18 percent more than CastleVille, and 33 percent more than Empires & Allies. (However, CastleVille garnered longer average play sessions than its competitor.)
Finally, Raptr points out that, when The Sims Social launched this summer, playtime in FarmVille and E&A dropped by 25 percent. In other words, The Sims killed it this year on Facebook--at least where Raptr users are concerned. This is undoubtedly an achievement for Playfish's most successful game, but it's story plays out rather differently on services like AppData. You could argue that Raptr users are generally more "hardcore" gamers, so we can't wait to see their response when (or if) SimCity lands. Check out the full report, including the winners of all of the other genres, right here.
Are you surprised that The Sims Social won Raptr users over this year?
The report goes on to reveal that the average Sims Social player logged 1.37 hours in the first week, which is 16 percent more than Zynga's two best games released this year. Breaking it down even further, The Sims' debut on Facebook also garnered five times the playtime of Zynga's Mafia Wars 2, 18 percent more than CastleVille, and 33 percent more than Empires & Allies. (However, CastleVille garnered longer average play sessions than its competitor.)
Finally, Raptr points out that, when The Sims Social launched this summer, playtime in FarmVille and E&A dropped by 25 percent. In other words, The Sims killed it this year on Facebook--at least where Raptr users are concerned. This is undoubtedly an achievement for Playfish's most successful game, but it's story plays out rather differently on services like AppData. You could argue that Raptr users are generally more "hardcore" gamers, so we can't wait to see their response when (or if) SimCity lands. Check out the full report, including the winners of all of the other genres, right here.
Are you surprised that The Sims Social won Raptr users over this year?
The father of Super Mario is retiring, but not according to Nintendo
Is this the end of an era? Not quite, but it's pretty darn close. Shigeru Miyamoto, creator of legendary video game franchises like Super Mario and The Legend of Zelda, revealed to Wired that he will retire from his current position at Nintendo. While the designer made a point to say that he will remain with the company, working on smaller projects with younger teams, Nintendo has denied Miyamoto's words, saying "this is absolutely not true," to Reuters.
"Inside our office, I've been recently declaring, 'I'm going to retire, I'm going to retire,'" Miyamoto told Wired through an interpreter. "I'm not saying that I'm going to retire from game development altogether. What I mean by retiring is, retiring from my current position."
The creator of the Mushroom Kingdom went on to say that he wishes to return to being hands-on with the game design process within Nintendo, working on smaller projects with younger game developers. According to Wired, Miyamoto made the decision in confidence of the staff that worked on acclaimed games like Super Mario 3D Land for the 3DS and The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword for the Wii. Nintendo has denied what the developer said in the interview completely.
"There seems to have been a misunderstanding," a Nintendo spokeswoman told Reuters. "He has said all along that he wants to train the younger generation. He has no intention of stepping down. Please do not be concerned." Miymoto told Kotaku a few years back that he had no intention of retiring entirely. Rest easy, Nintendo fans.
[Via Kotaku]
[Image Credit: Giant Bomb]
Are you surprised that Miyamoto plans to step down from his big-time role at Nintendo? Does this necessarily spell doom for the age-old game company?
"Inside our office, I've been recently declaring, 'I'm going to retire, I'm going to retire,'" Miyamoto told Wired through an interpreter. "I'm not saying that I'm going to retire from game development altogether. What I mean by retiring is, retiring from my current position."
The creator of the Mushroom Kingdom went on to say that he wishes to return to being hands-on with the game design process within Nintendo, working on smaller projects with younger game developers. According to Wired, Miyamoto made the decision in confidence of the staff that worked on acclaimed games like Super Mario 3D Land for the 3DS and The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword for the Wii. Nintendo has denied what the developer said in the interview completely.
"There seems to have been a misunderstanding," a Nintendo spokeswoman told Reuters. "He has said all along that he wants to train the younger generation. He has no intention of stepping down. Please do not be concerned." Miymoto told Kotaku a few years back that he had no intention of retiring entirely. Rest easy, Nintendo fans.
[Via Kotaku]
[Image Credit: Giant Bomb]
Are you surprised that Miyamoto plans to step down from his big-time role at Nintendo? Does this necessarily spell doom for the age-old game company?
Zynga tells American Airlines to 'LET ALEC PLAY' (in word tiles)
Behold, the mighty power of celebrity. After actor Alec Baldwin was removed from an American Airlines plane sitting at the gate in Los Angeles International Airport, allegedly while playing Words With Friends, Zynga took the opportunity to chime in. On the company's Twitter account, Zynga wrote, "Hey @AmericanAir, don't ground @AlecBaldwin for playing. A.B.S.U.R.D. is worth *at least* 11 points in @WordsWFriends #LetAlecPlay."
Zynga then articulated its tongue-in-cheek response with the image you see to the right in another tweet, part of which reads, "Alec 1. @AmericanAir 0." Get it? Zynga strung the words "LET ALEC PLAY" together using word tiles in Words With Friends. That's just plain cute.
Perhaps as a result of the incident, which Baldwin explained in detail in a piece on The Huffington Post, Words With Friends gained 100,000 players today on Facebook alone, according to AppData. And, based on AppData's readings on the iOS version of Words With Friends, the game's ranking experienced major spikes in all categories. Again, behold the power of celebrity.
This is far from the first time a celebrity has ... candidly expressed their love of social games. Actresses Emma Stone and Mila Kunis have both admitted to FarmVille addictions, while folks like John Mayer and Eliza Dushku are known to be fans, according to Boston Herald. We like the game as much as the next couple million people, but it looks like this is becoming more about Words With Friends than it really is, no?
[Image Credit: Zynga]
Are you still a fan of Words With Friends, and do you support Mr. Baldwin? What other celebrities do you suspect are social game fanatics?
Zynga then articulated its tongue-in-cheek response with the image you see to the right in another tweet, part of which reads, "Alec 1. @AmericanAir 0." Get it? Zynga strung the words "LET ALEC PLAY" together using word tiles in Words With Friends. That's just plain cute.
Perhaps as a result of the incident, which Baldwin explained in detail in a piece on The Huffington Post, Words With Friends gained 100,000 players today on Facebook alone, according to AppData. And, based on AppData's readings on the iOS version of Words With Friends, the game's ranking experienced major spikes in all categories. Again, behold the power of celebrity.
This is far from the first time a celebrity has ... candidly expressed their love of social games. Actresses Emma Stone and Mila Kunis have both admitted to FarmVille addictions, while folks like John Mayer and Eliza Dushku are known to be fans, according to Boston Herald. We like the game as much as the next couple million people, but it looks like this is becoming more about Words With Friends than it really is, no?
[Image Credit: Zynga]
Are you still a fan of Words With Friends, and do you support Mr. Baldwin? What other celebrities do you suspect are social game fanatics?
Flutter on Facebook flits into the sunset on December 23
It's no secret that Facebook games don't have the best reputation when it comes to doing things differently. So it's especially sad to see one of the more unique games -- Flutter by Runaway Play -- prepare for its last flight. The game, in which you take on the role of a butterfly flitting around lush environments, will be no more as of December 23.
For the 30,000 of you who are still playing the game -- you'll be able to partake in the game's final flight with a new quest, a few freebies and more. Those include:
- Premium items (except potions, power-ups, and WWF items) can be purchased with HD instead of Facebook Credits
- Play a final quest that involves a "magical mishap" with an owl.
- A free free flower pack or two
Right now, the game's main forest has a new sunset background and, during the last week, will go into nighttime mode before "going to sleep." My god, it's all so sad, isn't it?
But wait! Before you get all misty eyed, there's some positive news, too. The Runaway Play blog says that, while this version of Flutter is going away, its using the down time to rebuild the game from scratch and will eventually launch a new, improved Flutter at a later time. From the post:
"We are a lot more experienced now than we were when we first designed the game, and have been working very very hard to design an approach for the next version of Flutter which is a far better core experience. So from 23rd December we will be going into our chrysalis, putting our heads down, and emerging with a much more spectacular creature."
There, there. Don't you feel better? Stay tuned for more details on the new and improved Flutter as it emerges.
For the 30,000 of you who are still playing the game -- you'll be able to partake in the game's final flight with a new quest, a few freebies and more. Those include:
- Premium items (except potions, power-ups, and WWF items) can be purchased with HD instead of Facebook Credits
- Play a final quest that involves a "magical mishap" with an owl.
- A free free flower pack or two
Right now, the game's main forest has a new sunset background and, during the last week, will go into nighttime mode before "going to sleep." My god, it's all so sad, isn't it?
But wait! Before you get all misty eyed, there's some positive news, too. The Runaway Play blog says that, while this version of Flutter is going away, its using the down time to rebuild the game from scratch and will eventually launch a new, improved Flutter at a later time. From the post:
"We are a lot more experienced now than we were when we first designed the game, and have been working very very hard to design an approach for the next version of Flutter which is a far better core experience. So from 23rd December we will be going into our chrysalis, putting our heads down, and emerging with a much more spectacular creature."
There, there. Don't you feel better? Stay tuned for more details on the new and improved Flutter as it emerges.
Want to come clean about your FarmVille addiction to all of New York?
If that intrigues you, then Zynga is certainly the place to do it. The FarmVille maker is running a contest on its fan page, calling for players to proclaim their love of Zynga's games to the world. Well, "the world" being Times Square in New York City through New Year's Eve. (So ... pretty much the world.) Zynga's calling it the "I Love Play" contest, and it's actually an app for players to install.
Once players click on the "Get Started" button, they'll be asked to install an app on their Facebook profile. Then, it's time to complete a somewhat lengthy form asking for your name, images of yourself and the game board from your favorite game, and a quote to go along with your entry. Finally, you'll be asked to give a shout-out to a friend. Hit "Submit" and you might find yourself on a billboard in Times Square through New Year's Eve.
And ... that's about it. There's no real prize to be won in this contest. Well, some might consider giving the world the ultimate "Hey, look at my farm, dammit!" a prize in and of itself. All this contest reminds us of is the fact that, back in the day, social gamers made separate Facebook accounts for a reason. Wait, why was that again? Oh, right.
[Image Credit: Good To Go Tees]
Will you enter this contest and attempt to proclaim your love of Zynga games to the world? Do you think this is a silly contest?
Once players click on the "Get Started" button, they'll be asked to install an app on their Facebook profile. Then, it's time to complete a somewhat lengthy form asking for your name, images of yourself and the game board from your favorite game, and a quote to go along with your entry. Finally, you'll be asked to give a shout-out to a friend. Hit "Submit" and you might find yourself on a billboard in Times Square through New Year's Eve.
And ... that's about it. There's no real prize to be won in this contest. Well, some might consider giving the world the ultimate "Hey, look at my farm, dammit!" a prize in and of itself. All this contest reminds us of is the fact that, back in the day, social gamers made separate Facebook accounts for a reason. Wait, why was that again? Oh, right.
[Image Credit: Good To Go Tees]
Will you enter this contest and attempt to proclaim your love of Zynga games to the world? Do you think this is a silly contest?
Yazino hopes to 'reinvent gambling' with in-sync social casino games
We'll be the first to admit it: Casino games have become a dime a dozen on Facebook recently. From Zynga's own Zynga Poker to Poker Rivals by Playfish and DoubleDown Casino, the sub genre is quickly becoming crowded. (Even PopCap appears keen on the genre.) That said, it's going to take a unique approach for a chance to attract a healthy chunk of that player base.
Yazino, a UK-based social gaming start-up founded in 2008, looks to bring exactly that with what CEO Hussein Chahine calls "in-sync" gaming. Chahine's vision is to have players compete and chat in real time across the web, iOS and Android devices--and Yazino is already doing just that. The seven games Yazino has today all started with a simple idea.
"The idea that we came by is, 'How do we take poker--a very engaging, a lot of emotions, there's a bit of skill when you play--and build an engine that builds completely synchronous games,'" Chahine tells us. "It's dedicated to games that are multiplayer by nature, and people want to play together. In all of the gambling industry, poker was the most powerful."
With that, Chahine and crew opted to create several classic casino games with the real-time competition that poker provides. And it's because of this direct competition that the Yazino chief believes his team works toward games that are truly social. "We have games on social networks, rather than social games," Chahine says. "If we put Solitaire on Facebook, would Solitaire be a social game?"
Blackjack by Yazino
While only two of Yazino's games--Blackjack and Slots Wheel Deal--are available on iOS, all of its games are on Facebook. Well, sort of. The company's seven games appear to be Facebook applications, but when launched redirect to Yazino's own website, which hosts the games complete with your list of Facebook friends and even random matchmaking. So, why take this route? According to Chahine, Facebook simply can't handle synchronous, multiplatform gaming at the moment.
"Synchronous play has a much deeper and more competitive advantage over asynchronous games. Because of the immersive nature of synchronous games, [the Facebook Ticker] is really a distraction, and actually quite annoying," Chahine admits. "It's like you're [watching] a horse race--you only want to know about what the horse is doing. Do I really care about 'Fred is listening to music?' The synchronous nature and intensity of these games require a different ambiance and a different environment."
Hussein ChahineYazino also looks to give players the option to create personal communities within the larger player base. Chahine (pictured right) uses the English football club Manchester United as an example: A group of friends who play in Manchester United together will soon have the option to create their own sub group, complete with its own leader boards. Because of this, along with the prospects of live chat and real-time gameplay across platforms, Chahine tells us that using Facebook directly isn't an option. (However, it's important to take note that this strategy appears to leave Yazino free from the grips of Facebook Credits too.)
Of course (well, at least in the U.S.), players can't cash in on their virtual winnings, as online gambling was effectively outlawed years ago. And apparently, players are actually happy to accept this reality, according to Chahine. The Yazino head also chalks that up to the fact that players can enjoy its games for free through offers and chips provided daily. Giving players the opportunity to play for free is "a big area of focus" for Yazino, Chahine tells us. And according to him, the entire social gaming scene would be different if online gambling hadn't suffered its run-ins with the law before the turn of the decade. Zynga Poker was one of Zynga's first games, after all.
"Zynga is the only player that's not a gambling site that could throw that game. Poker Stars didn't have the opportunity," Chahine tells us. "They were banned from Facebook, so if PokerStars and the other big sites were allowed even from a virtual perspective. So, if they were allowed to enter that market, there's no way Zynga would have had that success with Zynga Poker."
Slots Wheel Deal by Yazin0
In other words, Facebook could have very well been dominated by casino and gambling games if not for Internet gambling's dashed history with the law before and during Facebook's rise. But Yazino isn't interested in real money gambling. Period. (But is it any less real when players can pay for chips, but not see a return?) Regardless, what Chahine says is that Yazino is interested in is to "reinvent gambling in a much more sophisticated way."
"When you play together, our emotions are heightened," Chahine gushes. "It's more amplified, it's more real and we become more competitive. We do believe at Yazino, what we're trying to become is the pioneer of friendly competition."
Have you tried any of Yazino's games on Facebook (sort of) or mobile yet? What are your thoughts on the rise of casino games on Facebook and elsewhere?
Yazino, a UK-based social gaming start-up founded in 2008, looks to bring exactly that with what CEO Hussein Chahine calls "in-sync" gaming. Chahine's vision is to have players compete and chat in real time across the web, iOS and Android devices--and Yazino is already doing just that. The seven games Yazino has today all started with a simple idea.
"The idea that we came by is, 'How do we take poker--a very engaging, a lot of emotions, there's a bit of skill when you play--and build an engine that builds completely synchronous games,'" Chahine tells us. "It's dedicated to games that are multiplayer by nature, and people want to play together. In all of the gambling industry, poker was the most powerful."
With that, Chahine and crew opted to create several classic casino games with the real-time competition that poker provides. And it's because of this direct competition that the Yazino chief believes his team works toward games that are truly social. "We have games on social networks, rather than social games," Chahine says. "If we put Solitaire on Facebook, would Solitaire be a social game?"
Blackjack by Yazino
While only two of Yazino's games--Blackjack and Slots Wheel Deal--are available on iOS, all of its games are on Facebook. Well, sort of. The company's seven games appear to be Facebook applications, but when launched redirect to Yazino's own website, which hosts the games complete with your list of Facebook friends and even random matchmaking. So, why take this route? According to Chahine, Facebook simply can't handle synchronous, multiplatform gaming at the moment.
"Synchronous play has a much deeper and more competitive advantage over asynchronous games. Because of the immersive nature of synchronous games, [the Facebook Ticker] is really a distraction, and actually quite annoying," Chahine admits. "It's like you're [watching] a horse race--you only want to know about what the horse is doing. Do I really care about 'Fred is listening to music?' The synchronous nature and intensity of these games require a different ambiance and a different environment."
Hussein ChahineYazino also looks to give players the option to create personal communities within the larger player base. Chahine (pictured right) uses the English football club Manchester United as an example: A group of friends who play in Manchester United together will soon have the option to create their own sub group, complete with its own leader boards. Because of this, along with the prospects of live chat and real-time gameplay across platforms, Chahine tells us that using Facebook directly isn't an option. (However, it's important to take note that this strategy appears to leave Yazino free from the grips of Facebook Credits too.)
Of course (well, at least in the U.S.), players can't cash in on their virtual winnings, as online gambling was effectively outlawed years ago. And apparently, players are actually happy to accept this reality, according to Chahine. The Yazino head also chalks that up to the fact that players can enjoy its games for free through offers and chips provided daily. Giving players the opportunity to play for free is "a big area of focus" for Yazino, Chahine tells us. And according to him, the entire social gaming scene would be different if online gambling hadn't suffered its run-ins with the law before the turn of the decade. Zynga Poker was one of Zynga's first games, after all.
"Zynga is the only player that's not a gambling site that could throw that game. Poker Stars didn't have the opportunity," Chahine tells us. "They were banned from Facebook, so if PokerStars and the other big sites were allowed even from a virtual perspective. So, if they were allowed to enter that market, there's no way Zynga would have had that success with Zynga Poker."
Slots Wheel Deal by Yazin0
In other words, Facebook could have very well been dominated by casino and gambling games if not for Internet gambling's dashed history with the law before and during Facebook's rise. But Yazino isn't interested in real money gambling. Period. (But is it any less real when players can pay for chips, but not see a return?) Regardless, what Chahine says is that Yazino is interested in is to "reinvent gambling in a much more sophisticated way."
"When you play together, our emotions are heightened," Chahine gushes. "It's more amplified, it's more real and we become more competitive. We do believe at Yazino, what we're trying to become is the pioneer of friendly competition."
Have you tried any of Yazino's games on Facebook (sort of) or mobile yet? What are your thoughts on the rise of casino games on Facebook and elsewhere?
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