YouRiding Bodyboarding Battle on Facebook: Extreme games require extreme skill

YourRiding Bodyboarding Battle
There is a small group of Facebook gamers, mostly refugees of FarmVille and CityVille, that has been clamoring for a game that requires real skill. While there are plenty out there already, Bodyboarding Battle, by French developer YouRiding, is a worthy addition to that small list. The game doesn't look the best with its plain UI, and it appears that the major focus in its graphical push was toward the look of the waves--so much so that the other elements, such as your rider, lack detail. Regardless, Bodyboarding Battle rises to the challenge in gameplay, although there is a steep learning curve.

Luckily, anyone who has played games like Trials will feel right at home with the general idea of this game. Players, using the arrow keys, must out-board a wave while maintaining a balance between speed and, well, balance. It sounds easy enough, but the game reads extremely subtle key presses, meaning that delicate control is the key to victory in Bodyboarding Battle.

Gallery: YouRiding Bodyboarding Battle
Your rider appears in the distance, approaching the wave in the foreground of the scene. As he nears the crest of the wave, you must hold the "down" key and then the "right" key to take off ahead of the way. However, if you don't quickly establish a balance between speed and footing, you'll wipe out for sure. This is done by, while holding the right arrow key at all times, pressing the "up" and down arrow keys with slight, rhythmic strokes that both keep your boarder afloat and ahead of the wave. While it makes for a brilliant test of skill, the whole scheme takes some time to grasp.

If you're interested, the controls go even deeper to reveal tricks that players can perform while outpacing the wave. You can go into a tubing position while underneath a wave crest or even perform aerial tricks using the "R," "E" and "D" keys at the precise moments for major points.

Wipe out!
When you feel confident in your virtual surfing abilities, you can test those skills against opponents. However, the matches are asynchronous exchanges of best times rather than real-time races to the finish. Players perform their best runs, tricks and all, and compare the results to determine the winner. As you win matches and improve your skills, your rating will increase. But the more matches you lose, the more your rating will decrease, creating a sort of balance in the matchmaking system for everyone. In other words, you'll almost always compete with players of your skill level.

Players can buy boosts to their skills through either a credit card or PayPal to temporarily increase their speed and reduce their likelihood of wiping out, though nothing will do you better than practice in such a game. You can battle opponents 10 times a day at no charge, but after that matches will either cost money or require you to request them from friends. Boosts can be requested via friends as well, but focusing on requesting more matches to gain more experience looks to be a sound decision.

YouRiding has struck gold when it comes to skill-centric Facebook gaming, but Bodyboarder Battle could benefit from better visuals. Regardless, if you're looking for a social game that's going to test your abilities rather than your patience or dedication, then this is a fine place to start your search.

Click here to play Bodyboarding Battle on Facebook Now >

Are you more a fan of easier social games or those that require skill? Do you think that skill-based games have a chance at widespread success on Facebook?

2011 LOGIN Conference adding Facebook Game Boot Camp

The LOGIN Conference is an annual online game developer event held in Bellevue, Washington. Going on its fifth year, LOGIN has just announced that there will be an entire day-long track devoted solely to the development of Facebook games. The conference is held from May 16 through May 18, 2011, and the Facebook Game Developer Boot Camp will take place on Wednesday, May 18.

    The Facebook Game Developer Boot Camp, a day-long track, takes place Wednesday, May 18th. The track will cover topics such as current tools for virality, metrics, monetization and many others which are of significant and growing importance to a wide range of game developers looking to make the move into social games -- or to fine-tune their social game development they already have.

Given that social games are a major portion of online gaming as a whole, this will be a welcome addition to the conference. Developing games for Facebook is quite different than developing other online games, and this boot camp will teach interested game developers how to branch out into making games for this popular platform.

More information can be found about the Facebook Game Developer Boot Camp here.

CityVille: SugarVille contest winners show off their sweet tooth

Back in the middle of April, Zynga launched a candy-themed contest in CityVille called the "SugarVille" contest. This contest asked users to create real world buildings entirely out of either packaged or loose candy. The prizes were large - up to 500 City Cash for the first of five winners, but the pride of creating a real structure in the real world is probably just as sweet of a reward (ok, maybe not as great - I sure know MY city could use that type of cash). Now that the contest is over, Zynga has officially announced the winners, and how sweet their entries were!

With all said and done, the five winners definitely deserved their prizes, as you can see from the first place finisher - forums user Queen Betsy who walked away with the 500 Cafe Cash prize. To take a look at the other winners' entries, meet us behind the break.


2nd prize: delcy11

3rd prize: TieTjuh

4th prize: Giggles381

5th prize: Little Isa

Each of the five winners walked away with at least 50 City Cash, and Zynga is asking users what they think about the contest, perhaps in the hopes that they'll be able to offer a similar contest in the future. Either way, it's great to see how creative the CityVille community is, and we can only hope for more opportunities to show off that creativity in the future.

FarmVille Sneak Peek: Magnolia Trees coming for Mother's Day?

It looks as though a small Mother's Day theme will be released in FarmVille this year, and with it might come two new trees. Either way, we have a pretty good feeling these trees will be released, it's just a matter of which theme they'll be released in that's up in the air. As it stands, these two trees as the Magnolia Tree and the Purple Magnolia Tree.

For those that like the ultra-pretty trees in the game (I'm right there with ya), these will be two trees you won't want to miss out on. We expect the two trees to launch for anywhere between 5-12 Farm Cash, depending on which pricing method Zynga chooses for the pair. Also, it seems as though the Purple Magnolia Tree will be the level two tree in this pair, so make sure to look out for those appearing in Mystery Seedlings later this week, as they are likely to be made available through Mystery Seedlings before actually launching in the store.

We'll make sure to give you the complete theme and pricing details on these trees when and if they officially launch in the game, so keep checking back.

What do you think of these two trees? Are you a fan of the pretty, extra flowery trees in FarmVille, or do you like more manly trees like the Oak?

FarmVille Sneak Peek: Carnation crop and Carnation Crafting Recipes

Apparently, a Carnation Crop will be added to FarmVille in the near future (perhaps as early as this Wednesday), as we've come across images for four different Carnation-themed Crafting recipes. With Mother's Day coming fast, and flowers being one of the typical Mother's Day gifts, it only makes sense we would see a new crop released, with these new (and likely limited time) recipes helping give users some definite incentive to plant them on both farms while they will be available. Why? To get the mastery signs, of course!

The four recipes look to be the Carnation Vinegar, the Candied Carnation, Carnation Perfume, and Carnation Tea. Likely, we'll see the Perfume being available in the Spa, the Vinegar in the Winery, the Candied Carnation in the Bakery and the Tea in the Pub in the English Countryside, but of course, Zynga could be tricky and switch a few of those around before their actual release.

Either way, it's best to complete any crafting missions or crop mastery now while you can, before these Carnations take over the game. Sure, you could ignore them when/if they do launch, but then you'd miss out on what's sure to be a lovely (and exclusive) mastery sign. The choice will be up to you. Me? I'm mastering it, that's for sure. I just hope I have enough fuel to get me through!

What do you think of these Carnation Crafting Recipes? Do you wish you had the other crafting buildings so you could create all of these items?

HBO, Game of Thrones sing a Song of Ice and Fire on Facebook

We're starting to get the impression that fans of epic fantasy TV series just might like Facebook games too. At least major cable TV networks like HBO (and Starz) are making that gamble with Battle for the Iron Throne. The game, which will launch its levels in phases of mini games over the coming weeks as the show builds steam, is an adaptation of Game of Thrones, which is an adaptation of the popular novel series, A Song of Ice and Fire, by George R. R. Martin. So, consider this Facebook game an adaptation twice removed.

The first phase of the game contains three stages: Skill, Strategy and Knowledge. The first, Skill, involves a first-person encounter with a knight in training, as you strike him with your wooden sword as accurately and powerfully as possible. The next is Strategy, which a top-down army-building mini game tasks players with spending coins on the correct troops to take down the opposing captain and his squad.

Battle for the Iron Throne
The final mini game, Knowledge, tests exactly that: your knowledge of the Game of Thrones universe. Let's just say this game might be for fans only. Regardless, it's one of the more polished advergames we've seen in a long time, and we're hopeful to see how it shapes up in the coming weeks.

Click here to play Battle for the Iron Throne on Facebook Now >

Are you a fan of the TV show or novel series? What do you think of HBO turning the franchise into a social game?

Civilization World on Facebook in two minutes [Video]

Now you can color us convinced: If anything, Sid Meier's Civilization World on Facebook is going to be massive. Firaxis and 2K Games have posted a two-minute long video describing the basics of the game, which is in alpha testing. The studio's Pete Murray does a fine job of describing the basics of the game, which seems to be grounded in having lots of friends. (Some things on Facebook never change.)

And while each session is persistent, players can contribute as little or as much as they like. You can pop in to harvest some crops or do some research on break, or you can stick around until you finish off that major development. This is the first footage most of you are seeing of the game, so enjoy the sneak peek.

Are you lucky enough to be part of the Civ World alpha test? What are you excited most about when it comes to this game?

'RSPCA Rescue Shelter' sim game fails to let the dogs out

Maybe I'm a heartless monster, but I'm playing an animal shelter simulation game and I've gotten to the point where I'm so bored, I'm curious to see my animals die. If I can feel more attached to my FarmVille Pink Cows than the small furry creatures of "RSPCA Rescue Shelter", I'm guessing the problem is with the game and not me.

Created pro bono by 3RD sense for the RSPCA Australia (Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals), RSPCA Rescue Shelter mirrors Think Pig, another advocacy game that was commissioned by the United Kingdom's RSPCA last fall. (Both RSPCAs have no formal ties.) But Think Pig was a flop, presently eking out only 3 daily average users and an all-time high of merely 3,373 DAU. And while RSPCA Rescue Shelter just launched last week, I predict that unless it improves, it'll do a similarly poor job of maintaining interest.
RSPCA Rescue Shelter pop-ups
So what's wrong with it? First of all, the game really gets you into the habit of seeing these adorable shelter animals as 'goods' that you 'sell'. Because there's no shortage of animals coming into your shelter, but there's always a shortage of money. And there's no way to make money in this game except to dismiss these animals within an allotted time. Pocket Pets, such as rats and ferrets, can be ready for 'harvest' within a couple of minutes. Larger animals take longer. Without money, called 'Silver Paws', you can't do anything but sit and wait. Caring for the animals is no more than buying enclosures and basic necessities, followed by dropping the critters in until they 'ripen' a.k.a. become ready to be adopted.
RSPCA Rescue Shelter
Another laughable concept is that you get to name the animals. Except, what's the point of naming a rat that's only going to be in your possession for two minutes? Maybe the game understands this, because it does come equipped with a random name generator, which I end up clicking without even looking at the names anymore.
RSPCA Rescue Shelter
Perhaps the only way the game gets you to care is that pop-up window that appears when you've run out of space to house your animals, don't have money to build more enclosures, and there's so many broken pets knockin' at your door that you feel forced to send some away -- "Your rejection could be fatal for this animal!", the game warns. But the animals never die. They just get sent to another shelter. So you can keep stockpiling animals without consequence. I could go on...
RSPCA Rescue Shelter 'sent to another shelter'
Another problem is that the game's interface isn't immediately intuitive. For example, when you select an animal, a row of available enclosures are displayed. However, you have to exit the animal window and click on the enclosures on the field in order to house your animal. This game looks good and runs smooth, but the gameplay sucks, and as an advocacy tool, it actually does the opposite of what you want it to.
RSPCA Rescue Shelter enclosures
So what's the good news? Well, if you play this and bother to spend real money on it, that money will benefit RSPCA Australia's real efforts towards improving animal welfare. Also, 3RD sense is very open about player feedback. If you want to see this game do better (and it absolutely can, since it's still in beta), head to the Feedback tab on the top of the game and send them your comments and criticisms.

Cafe World Lake Party Picnic Catering Order: Everything you need to know

A new catering order has launched in Cafe World today, taking us straight into the summer fun at a lake. Appropriately, the order is called Lake Party Picnic, and it will see you unlocking a new seafood recipe for use in your cafe if you can finish the order with the three-star rating.

While this order may only have five of the six available tasks filled, none of them are exactly easy. You'll be able to bring 16 of your friends in on this job with you, as you cook three different dishes and collect a whopping 44 collectible items. Meet us behind the break for a complete look at how to finish this complex catering order.


For the cooking portion(s) of the order, you'll need to serve Seafood Paella (a 14-hour dish) 185 times, Spicy Devil Eggs (an 18-hour dish) 262 times, and Sirius Sorbet (a 30-minute dish) 88 times. It's unfortunate that the fastest cooking dish is required the least number of times, as these tend to be the easiest dishes to complete, simply due to the fact that you'll likely have one neighbor that can come back to their cafes that often and finish in less than a day.

As for the item collections, you'll need to collect 22 Water Skis and 22 Inner Tubes. This is done, as usual, through individual gift requests sent to your friends. You can also purchase an individual Water Ski or Inner Tube for 4 Cafe Cash each, if your friends stop helping you midway through.

If you can finish all of this within three days' time, you'll receive the three-star rating, 12 Catering Points, 6,300 Cafe Points, 75,000 coins and the Nut Crusted Lake Trout recipe. The two-star rating allows you a full five days to finish the order, earning you eight Catering Points, 4,500 Cafe Points, and 50,000 coins. Finally, finishing the catering order at any point after the first five days have elapsed will earn you the single star rating, just four Catering Points, 2,700 Cafe Points, and 30,000 coins.

Ultimately, there have been more difficulty catering orders, but there are also quite a few that are much easier as well. You'll need to make sure to make use of as many friends as possible to make this order a bit less overwhelming, so remember to send those requests out to your friends to join your team!

Cafe World Open Mic Night Goals: Everything you need to know

A set of five new goals has slowly started rolling out to Cafe World players today called "Open Mic Night." This set of goals coincides with the release of a new item theme in the game's store, which is long overdue (that is, any update is better than the drought we've had recently).

The first goal in this series sees you starting small, cooking just ten dishes, but then asks for a pretty high coin amount in the process.

Serve Atomic Buffalo Wings 5 Times
Serve BBQ Chicken 5 Times
Earn 50,000 coins

Atomic Buffalo Wings take three hours to cook, while BBQ Chicken takes five hours. Unfortunately, cooking just ten dishes isn't going to get you to the 50,000 coins barrier, so you'll either need to cook far more dishes (preferably those with high payouts), or simply sell items from your inventory to raise your in-game coin amount by 50,000 total. This first goal rewards you with the Microphone decoration for finishing.

Part II of V jumps back into the expected quest requirements, forcing you to ask your friends for items.

Serve Rackasaurus Ribs 45 Times
Ask for 5 Stage Lights
Ask for 5 Guitar Picks

Rackasaurus Ribs take 10 hours to cook, so remember to look in your Gift Box for any extra servings you can serve instantly to help move this task along. As for the other tasks, you'll need to ask your friends for help, or you can purchase each individual item with Cafe Cash if you'd rather not bug them. For finishing this second goal, you'll receive an Open Mic Guitarist decoration.

Part III of V doesn't slow down on either the cooking or the item collecting - in fact, it makes them worse.

Serve Tostada de Carne Asada 60 Times
Ask for 7 Chicken Breasts
Ask for 8 Rubber Chickens

Each serving of Tostada de Carne Asada takes eight hours to cook. While this is less time than for the Rackasaurus Ribs, the fact that you have to serve them 15 more times more than dissolves any time you might have saved otherwise. At least you'll have 15 collectible items to work on while you're waiting. Finishing this halfway point in the mission series gives you the Open Mic Comic decoration (hence the chickens).

For Part IV of V - you guessed it - it's more of the same, with more items required this time around.

Serve Tempura Udon 70 Times
Ask for 9 Bongo Drums
Ask for 9 Large Eggs

The Tempura Udon takes - wait for it - 22 hours to cook. I hope you're a fairly high level in the game, able to have tons of stoves cooking at once, or this goal is set to leave you waiting for quite some time before moving on. When you do finally finish, you'll receive an Open Mic Poet.

Finally, Part V of V ends the series by slightly increasing the items you need to collect, but also increasing the food - a lot.

Serve Chicken Gyro and Fries 50 Times
Serve Chicken Pot Pie 45 Times
Ask for 19 Frying Oil

Chicken Gyro and Fries is a 10 minute dish (thank goodness), while Chicken Pot Pie takes a full two days to cook. If you've been saving spices, now would definitely be the time to break them out, or you'll be waiting upwards of two or even four days (depending on how many stoves you have) to finish this one. Once you do, however, you'll receive the best prize of the entire set - the exclusive Chicken Fingers recipe.

All told, you'll earn quite a few new decorations, and of course a new recipe for finishing these goals, but they aren't easy to complete in the slightest. Hopefully, with enough help from your friends, you'll be able to finish this one sooner, rather than later.

[Source: Cafe World Times]

What do you think of the Open Mic Goals? Would you rather more variety be available in the goals, rather than just cooking and item collecting?

Earn 2 free FarmVille Farm Cash in Captain America promotion

Alright Zynga, you've piqued my interest. The next sponsored link in FarmVille is thanks to a promotion for the upcoming Captain America flick, which the fanboy in me simply cannot wait any longer for. (I've already made my shield.) Actually, the promotion is through Norton, the anti-virus software provider, but of course that takes a back seat to the Cap'n! Like all sponsored links, you'll find this one beneath the FarmVille game screen, and it will read, "Take the Captain America quiz..."

Click on the link for a pop-up to appear in yellow. As the Captain America promotional video plays above, just take the simple quiz and, when the video is through, you will find the familiar blue "X" in the upper right corner of the window. Click on it to close the window, and the 2 Farm Cash will be added to your total--not your inventory or anywhere else. Give it at least 30 minutes before you go calling Zynga customer support, and remember to refresh your game to see your updated Farm Cash.

Captain America sponsored link
If you've yet to see the sponsored link, do not panic. Some of these promotions take time, like all Zynga game features, to make it in front of every player. Not to mention that some promotions are only available in the US--sorry, international folks. Free Farm Cash or not, you'll find me in a theater somewhere at midnight July 22.

[Image Credit: ScreenRant]

[Source and Image Credit: FarmVille Feed]

Have you seen this sponsored link in your game yet, and have you participated? How psyched are you for Captain America's imminent ass-kickery on the silver screen?

FrontierVille: Earn 7 free Horseshoes from MasterCard Marketplace

Check out the bottom of your FrontierVille game for a banner from MasterCard Marketplace and after answering two simple survey questions, you'll be rewarded with 7 free Horseshoes, which is the game's premium currency. While not a huge payout, 7 Horseshoes is still a hefty offer. This MasterCard promotion follows on the heels of last week's 5 free Farm Cash on FarmVille. Obviously, MasterCard is eager to get the word out on their new service.

So what is MasterCard Marketplace? Well, in the spirit of sites like GroupOn, LivingSocial, etc, MasterCard Marketplace is a coupon network and daily deals aggregator. Basically, you only need to visit one place to find out what's on sale at tons of other places. This one place will tell you how much you'll save and how long each sale will last. Currently, unique features with MasterCard Marketplace seems to be that they like showcasing 50% discounts, a reward points system, and many personalization options for signing up. But yeah, enough about that -- grab those 7 free horseshoes while you can!
FrontierVille 7 free horseshoes
MasterCard MarketPlace

Civilization World for Facebook reveals a crazy complex city [Video]

CivWorld Combat
You wanted complexity in your Facebook games, right? Firaxis Games plans to deliver enough of it to keep you interested for, well, ever in Civilization World. (And probably more than we could handle.) In Episode 2 of CivWorld's Gameplay Walkthrough, Pete Murray shows the nitty gritty of each of the game's primary resources: Food, Gold, Science, Culture and Production. And Sid Meier's social rendition of his hit strategy game looks to be deeper and more daunting than ever.

In CivWorld, you can change your workers' tasks at any time to fill gaps in any particular resource. Have some Farmers producing Food, but you need more culture progression? Then just switch them over and they'll start gathering the Culture resource. Scientific progression can be automated using the Job system, but can be micromanaged as well. The most exciting aspect of city progression in CivWorld, however, is the mini games.

For each resource, there is a mini game that you can play for extra boosts to that stat. For more science points and faster progression, you can work on a vast, sprawling maze mini game. To increase your Culture, you must collaborate with your friends to complete artifacts and acquire Great People before the opposition does, which can be sped along through a picture-swap game.


Most intriguing of all is the first footage of the combat system we recently heard about, which amounts to a card battle game that uses your Civilization's collective units. So, it pays to--you guessed it--collaborate. If anything, CivWorld is looking to be a seriously deep game, and we can't wait to dive in.

[Video and Image Credit: Firaxis Games]

Are you even more psyched now for Civilization World to flex your brain muscles? Do you think the game is looking to be too complex, or is this exactly what you're looking for?

FrontierVille Rodeo Goals: Everything you need to know

Rodeo Arena
It's finally time to take a seat on a more serious saddle in FrontierVille, as Zynga has released the Rodeo Goals to the game. In this series of four Goals, players will have lots to do on Horseback, so make sure you've already completed the Horse Corral Goals before getting into these. (In fact, these might not even appear to those who haven't completed those prior Goals.) At any rate, here is everything you need to know to complete the Rodeo Goals.

Saddle Up
1. Saddle Up!

    Tend 25 Animals on Horseback
    Plant 20 Corn
    Harvest 20 Apples


Considering there have already been Goals in which you complete tasks on Horseback, we'll jump right ahead. Planting 20 Corn will cost you 4,500 Coins, while Apple Trees go for 800 Coins a piece, if you don't already have a few. Completing this Goal rewards players with 250 Coins, 250 XP and a Sugar Cube.

Mysterious Stranger
2. A Mysterious Stranger!

    Clobber 3 Gophers on horseback
    Clear 10 Grass (yours or a neighbor's)
    Have 10 Rodeo Posters


The only tips we can give for this Goal would be to not harvest that planted Corn until you take on this Goal. Groundhogs are found by harvesting crops, and Corn just so happens to be one of their favorites. The 10 Rodeo Posters are sourced from friends through the Goal menu. Finish these simple tasks and you will score another 250 XP, 250 Coins and a Carrot Treat.

How Bout Them Cowgirls
3. How 'Bout Them Cowgirls?

    Collect 10 Go Bess Go Flags
    Harvest 20 Flax
    Mix a Concoction


The "Go Bess Go" Flags are found through even more help requests from friends. Harvesting 20 Flax will cost 3,000 Coins and take at least eight hours. Then, all you need to do is mix any Concoction in the Saloon to finish this Goal (however, most drinks in the Saloon require the help of friends), which will reward you with yet another 250 XP and 250 Coins.

Giddyap
4. Giddyap!

    Compete in 5 Barrel Races
    Feed 5 Neighbor Horses
    Collect 3 Rodeo Arena Bonuses


In order to finish this Goal, you must complete the Rodeo Arena, which is a new building that released with this set of Goals. Though, you also must visit your friends and feed five of their Horses. Completing this fourth and final Goal will reward you with--surprise!--250 Coins, 250 XP and a Midnight Bronco, a new Horse to ride in the Rodeo Arena.

[Source and Image Credit: FrontierVille Info]

Check out the rest of our FrontierVille Cheats & Tips right here.

Have you started these new Goals yet? What do you think of the Rodeo Arena feature, and what tips do you have to complete these Goals even faster?

Building the FrontierVille Rodeo Arena: Everything you need to know

If there were any situation where it was most appropriate to let out a "yee-haw!" over a Facebook game, it'd be right now. The Rodeo Arena has landed in FrontierVille, and along with it a series of Rodeo Goals.

However, those Goals won't help you build the Rodeo Arena in the slightest, so allow us to help, thanks to FrontierVille Info. Not only that, but how's about a primer on how the new racing feature works? OK, we're done teasing--let's get right into it.

Building the Rodeo Arena isn't a far cry from other feature-rich buildings in the game, meaning you will need to ask your friends for lots of items. This building in particular requires:

    12 Round Pens
    1 Rodeo Lariat
    8 Clown Chaps
    8 Rodeo Dirts
    8 Bronco Chutes
    8 Racing Barrels


That's a whopping 45 items in all, which is especially daunting considering they all must be found through friends. To break it down, the top three items must be requested from friends directly, while the bottom three will be found by posting News Feeds on your friends' Walls. That single Rodeo Lariat has us guessing, however, that it may require you to add a new player to the game, which is quite the feat. (If that's the case, you could always make a phony Facebook account solely for this item and delete it later, but you didn't hear that from me.)

Building the Rodeo Arena
Anyway, once the Rodeo Arena is complete you can click it and select "Race" to dive right into this new mini game. A menu will appear, displaying your own Horses and their skills, which finally have a purpose--to race! Choose your best Horse, and pick a friend to race against based on their difficulty level. This is decided by either your Horses skills compared to the opponents, or simply by a basic metric like the opponents' skills.

However, a feature called "Cheers" can turn the tables. This allows players to request Cheers from their friends, which increase their Horse's chances of winning a race and last for 12 hours. However, it's unsure how heavily Cheers are weighed in races, as it would be pretty disappointing to have your hard-working Horse beat down by a cheering crowd rather than honest competition.

Rodeo Arena Menu
Unfortunately, Horses can only race so often, and require rest between races. If you're willing to cough up the 8 Horseshoes, your Horses can be revived with a Bronco Tonic. So, it helps to have more than one Horse leveled up, if you want to compete multiple times daily.

[Image Credit: FrontierVille Info]

Check out the rest of our FrontierVille Cheats & Tips right here.

Have you started racing in the Rodeo Arena yet? What do you think of this new competitive feature, and how do you plan on coming out on top?

Cafe World Full Screen Mode now live to all chefs (it's about time)

It only took them two years to do it, but full screen gameplay has finally, mercifully come to Cafe World. While the feature has been available for some chefs for about a month now (you know, those chefs that had the patience to complete the Go Full Screen Goals), if you never got around to completing those goals, you can now access the full screen toggle anyway, as it's been added to the menu area at the bottom right-hand corner of the gameplay screen.

If you're wondering why this matters, just think of how nice it will be to redecorate or even use your cafe now that you can see the entirety of it without scrolling around. Have stoves at both ends of your cafe? Is your Salad Bar in the corner, away from all of your other appliances? You can now access everything with less hassle, simply by being in full screen.

The interesting thing now will be determining whether or not this was all too little, too late. The lack of a full screen option was really just a single problem in the game's long line of issues, so will its addition actually help matters, or will it only place more focus on the worse problems we're arguably left with (short completion time limits, never-ending friend requests for materials, etc.)? Either way, I suppose all that's left to do now is enjoy the full screen option while we can, hoping that something doesn't come along in the future to ruin the fun (you never know, stranger things have happened).

Did you unlock the full screen option by completing the Go Full Screen Goals, or are you just getting your first taste of full screen gameplay now?

FrontierVille Newlywed Newbies Timed Goal: Everything you need to know

As if FrontierVille wasn't already filled with enough wedding talk to last most of us a lifetime, a new timed goal has been added to the game that takes life after the wedding into account, as a pair of Newlyweds (Kit and Connie) have made a pit-stop on your Homestead on their way through to the Pioneer Trail. The Newlywed Newbies goal should be available to most pioneers as of this writing, and you'll find its icon along with the rest of your goals on the left-hand side of the screen.

This timed goal must be started by August 31. Once you start it, you'll have seven days to complete it, and if you do, you'll earn some Wedding Gifts that can be used towards special wedding decorations, if you're still trying to complete your collection of those. As you might have expected, this goal comes with three tasks:

Harvest 30 Potatoes
Collect 10 Spare Harnesses
Collect 10 Water Canteens

Apparently, Kit and Connie have found themselves in a spot of trouble, and you'll need to help them make up for the poor planning by rounding up some supplies. The Spare Harnesses are earned through individual requests sent to friends, while the Water Canteens are earned through a general wall post. As for Potatoes, they take just four hours to grow, so you'll likely finish that step first.

For completing this goal, you'll walk away with the aforementioned 10 Wedding Gifts, but will also earn 300 XP and 200 coins. Those prizes aren't huge, but the requirements here aren't too terribly difficult either. Just make sure to have some free space on your land to plant those crops, and the rest should come to you way before your seven day time limit is up. Good luck!

Check out the rest of our FrontierVille Cheats & Tips right here. >

Will you immediately start the Newlywed Newbies Timed Goal, or are you going to hold off on this timed goal until you have a chance to finish the other items on your plate?

Meteor Games wants to be the Nintendo of Facebook games, not just "for moms"

While Meteor Games may be a name that's foreign to most Facebook gamers, with just 1.1 million monthly active users across their entire catalog of Facebook games, that doesn't mean their games aren't successful. Just ask CEO Zac Brandenburg. According to Forbes, Meteor finds success in their Facebook games (including their most popular - Island Paradise) because they're more focused on the long-term when designing a game, rather than on instant success.

"The feature set is much more than a simple compulsion loop," says Brandenberg, "You need to have different things for players to do, centered around what the plot is going to be." In an upcoming branded game, released with Viacom, we'll apparently see that ideology in full effect. Meteor is currently working on three games that are "close to launch," but Brandenburg didn't reveal specific details about any of them, other than the fact that they may be "fantasy-themed."

We do know the company's end goal, however: to focus on the middle section of gamers. "We don't think like Kabam with hard core games and we are also not just casual games for moms. There is a middle ground - like with Nintendo. There's a huge audience in the middle. We're going to draw from the hard core elements and the super casual side." Brandenburg says that games don't need massive audiences to be successful, so long as you've given players a high quality experience that engages them over the long term. Of course, high-paying users don't hurt either.

While Brandenburg refrained from using the term "whales," Meteor apparently does have them, and in droves. In Meteor's case, whales are gamers that spend over $1,000 a year on their games, while a handful of Super Whales in each game spend over $10,000 - that's a lot of premium currency!

Even with all of that being said, Brandenburg made it clear that the company's focus isn't so much on a game's social aspects, but on making an individual user want to come back to the experience just to play the game. "You only play if you actually want to not because your friends want you to. Then you have a smaller audience but the audience may spend 50 times what another gamer (on a different game) spends. You can have a lot of success there."

When Meteor Games announces more details about their three upcoming titles (including the branded game with Viacom), we'll make sure to let you know.

Are you an active player of Meteor's games like Island Paradise and Ranch Town? Would you have more fun in a Facebook game if there was more focus on your own experience with the story, rather than on always asking for help from your friends?

FarmVille Platinum Mastery Statue offers double mastery for life

First there was the 2X Mastery Statue in FarmVille, at its high price of 25 Farm Cash. Now, there's an even more ridicul --err, pricier version available in the store. The Platinum Mastery statue won't just offer you double mastery on all crops and trees for a few days - this one's for life. For the whopping price of 300 Farm Cash (more than $50 US), you'll be able to permanently double all mastery points you earn within the game, at least when it comes to trees and crops. Whether or not the eventual Animal Mastery points will be doubled as well remains to be seen.

Actually, a lot about this statue can be considered confusing. We know for a fact that you can only have one Platinum Mastery statue active on your farm, and that purchasing multiple will only result in a massive waste of Farm Cash. However, whether or not you can combine a 2X Mastery Statue with a Platinum Mastery Statue wasn't made clear. That is, would combining the two give you 4X mastery? With the 2X Mastery Statue expiring from the store in just a few hours, there will only be a short time for that confusion to remain, but here's something else to think about - what happens when Zynga has a double mastery weekend for holidays and other events?

Will those users with the Platinum Mastery statue earn three points for all crops and trees, or will they earn four? Or, worse yet, will the double mastery event skip them by entirely? We've reached out to Zynga for clarification, and hope to be able to straighten things out for you soon. UPDATE: A FarmVIlle community manager clarifies the situation a little for us: "If we run a double mastery event it will not stack with the Platinum Mastery statue. If a Farmer were to buy and place one during the event, there would be no change on the mastery point gain." So, there you go.

In the meantime, let us know what you think of this statue in the comments. Will you purchase one for your farm(s)? Will you wait for a Farm Cash sale to purchase the 300 Farm Cash necessary to buy the statue, or do you think the price is reasonable for a permanent alteration to your game? Let us know what you think!

Top 25 Facebook Games - August 2011: Gardens of Time hits the big time

For all of the Playdom and Disney nay saying lately, the duo seems to be proving everyone wrong with a single game. Gardens of Time has been on a steady climb since its release, and this month it's the fifth largest Facebook game at nearly 16 million monthly players. Just last month alone, the game garnered another 1.7 million players, which is impressive for any game that wasn't made by You Know Who. (Has Zynga reached Voldemort-like proportions yet? We like to think so.)

Of course, Zynga maintains the same top four spots it did last month, even as CityVille lost over 8.5 million monthly players and Empires & Allies lost over half a million. Even FarmVille lost another 3.4 million monthly players, though it'll take a lot more than this for Zynga to lose its reign.

And oddly enough, Monster Galaxy lost a whopping 8.4 million monthly players last month just after gaining over 6 million the month prior. This caused the game to fall back from the mighty top five to now eighth place at 10.6 million players. In fact, loss is somewhat of a trend this month, with 18 of 25 games losing monthly players. This could be attributed to a list of factors, but we're gonna' go with: It's summer, and most folks would rather be outside than in front of the computer.

AppData top 25 Facebook Games August
New additions to the Top 25 are Mall World, which comes in at number 24 with 5.3 million monthly players, and Zoo World 2 in the 20 spot with 6.4 million monthly players and a gain of nearly 3 million. However, publisher RockYou, according to Inside Social Games, uses the same app ID for the sequel to Zoo World as the original, meaning RockYou has not separate the traffic from both games.

Unfortunately, Ravenwood Fair was knocked off the leader boards this month, as was MindJolt Games from the rise of Mall World and It Girl's far leap from 21st place in June to the 14 spot this time around. Gardens of Time has hit the coveted top five because, while there are hidden object games out there, it seems that Playdom hit the previously untapped genre at just the right time. It speaks volumes to Facebook games partnership director Sean Ryan's plea for developers to experiment with new genres (at least to Facebook). At this point, it just might be the only way to reach at least fifth place.

Cut the Rope 2 has a mysterious new character and plenty more rope

If I learned anything from the Boondock Saints, it's that you can never have enough rope. Chillingo, publisher of Angry Birds in the U.S. and now with EA, has released the first images of Cut the Rope 2 by Zepto Lab.

IGN expects the game to be a full-blown sequel to the original hit iOS game in which players cut a series of ropes that hold candy for Om Nom, the game's adorably green protagonist. At the moment, all we're riding on is three new images, none of which include gameplay, but are quite telling of what's in store for Om Nom.

Aside from a logo for the new game, the released media includes a storyboard for what will likely be an introductory cut scene. It seems that Om Nom is heading to a new home, and judging from the second screenshot, finally free from his box (the entire first game is played from inside it).

Cut the Rope 2 storyboard
However, a brand new character has been revealed for the game known only as "The Professor." This mysterious new character could be who players now cut the rope as. But one thing is for certain: With a name like "The Professor," I would expect some wacky new ways of delivering tasty sweets to our beloved green friend.

IGN says that Cut the Rope 2 will hit the App Store "soon," and that it might focus more heavily on story than the original. I don't think we've ever been this excited about cutting ropes. We blame the green thing.

Cut the Rope 2 The Professor

[Via Touch Arcade]

[Source and Image Credit: IGN]

What other hints do you see in these first-ever images of Cut the Rope 2? How do you hope this sequel will improve upon the original?

RockYou seeking skilled recruits ... to play Galactic Allies [Video]

Look, RockYou knows that you're not an architect by trade, and you're certainly no cook. So, why not stop pretending to do things real people do and pretend to be something completely fictional, like a galactic fleet commander? With developer 3 Blokes, the Facebook game publisher recently released Galactic Allies to Facebook, the studio's second strategy game.

The game enlists players as commanders of their very own fleet of star ships in a battle to protect their end of the galaxy from alien enemies. In a more casual approach to the growing sub genre of hardcore strategy games on Facebook, Galactic Allies lets players directly control their space-faring units to avoid enemy fire in real-time combat. (Of course, battles are exchanged between players asynchronously.)

While it's not marketed as such, the game looks a lot like the spiritual successor to 3 Blokes's first game on Facebook, Galactic Trader. But this time around, the developer has resources from a major publisher, which can only mean one thing: a goofy trailer displaying almost everything the game has to offer in a 60-second nutshell.
Gallery: Galactic Allies on Facebook
Also, the game wasn't exactly live when we first revealed it to you, so check out the fun trailer down there. And when you're done with that, click on the link below to hop into Galactic Allies. That is, if you think you can answer the call--come on, even the narrator wants in.


Click here to play Galactic Allies on Facebook Now >

Have you tried Galactic Allies on Facebook yet? What do you think of where hardcore strategy games on Facebook are at right now?

The Sims Social celebrates fans with a week of free stuff

Free stuff? Yes, please, I'll take some of that! With almost 61 million players (and climbing), the folks at EA / Playfish have a lot to be thankful for when it comes to the Sims Social on Facebook. As a way to thank their ever-growing player base for their support (even when the game suffered from some nagging loading and gameplay issues), the developers have launched a week long celebration involving free stuff that will be given away, apparently on a daily basis.

To start, we're given a gift of Social Points - a whopping 400 Social Points at that. Since your other methods of earning Social Points normally come in small increments (of 10 or less per action) when visiting friends, this really is a substantial prize. Remember, these Social Points work as a form of third currency in the game, and can be used to purchase exclusive decorations or other home items that aren't available through any other method or currency.

We've also been told that we'll be able to increase our land size in the future, although that wasn't exactly announced in as many words. To be specific, we're asked if we "need more space to build your dream home" and that with that question comes a secret that the developers just couldn't hold in anymore. We're even asked "If you could expand your land, what is the first room you'd build on it?"

Put two and two together here, and you're left with the answer that land size will soon be increasing, although no particular release date was announced (unfortunately). If you're like me, your home has already filled most nooks and crannies of land in our admittedly small square, and is surrounded by outdoor goodies to boot. Being able to increase the size of our house plot is a huge deal, and we'll make sure to let you know when that feature / ability launches as soon as it does.

In the meantime, keep checking back with the game's Facebook fan page for additional links / announcements of free prizes, and click right here to claim your free 400 Social Points.

What sorts of prizes are you hoping to receive in this week-long event of free stuff? What will you purchase with your 400 free Social Points?

Dress up a real turtle and win a trip to New York with Bravo's Turtle Time

Are you ready to help embarrass a turtle on cable TV and make life difficult for set designers on a weekly basis? If the answer is no, that's fine. I don't think most of us are ready for such a thing either. But for those of you who are, there's a new Facebook game that lets you do this called Turtle Time.

First announced last Thursday, Turtle Time is Bravo TV's little promotional stunt for Andy Cohen's Watch What Happens Live show. Cohen supposedly found the turtle, love blossomed and he decided to go steady by making her his show's mascot. Since the announcement, Bravo TV has launched a Facebook game for the turtle, given her a Twitter account (that now has 1,889 followers) and a name: "Tramona."

The game involves dressing up the turtle, and while the concept sounds innocuous, there might be some PG-13 material in the game, such as the presence of alcoholic items and profanity by the users. So I repeat, this is not a game targeted for kids. Right off the bat, when you try to play the game, it'll ask you for your birth date.

Gallery: Turtle Time

For the time being, players get 14 free items (nine Goods, three Costume pieces, and two Scenes) with 53 for sale at the store. Possibly the most outrageous item is "Gay Guys Holding Hands in Speedos," which surprisingly costs 150 Lettuce instead of Facebook Credits. Lettuce (a turtle's favorite food) is the in-game currency of Turtle Time, and you start off with 1,000 of it. But I managed to snag an extra 100 Lettuce, because I correctly answered a completely random, pop-up quiz question. And while there's no dedicated free gifts option yet, you can buy items and gift them to your friends.
Turtle Time Crowds Make Me Crabby
We can see this getting fun as more people play. Already, there's some killer entries, like surrounding the turtle with crabs or balancing the turtle on a pyramid of wine glasses or whiskey bottles--sorry, I can't rightly recall which. Overall, this is a simple game and the chance for a free trip to New York doesn't hurt either. This game has only been up for less than two days, and it's got 1,486 players. To follow the game, check out its official Facebook page.

Click here to play Turtle Time on Facebook now >

Are you playing for fun or for the free trip to New York? What's the wackiest costume and backdrop can you come up with for the turtle?

Pioneer Trail Bug Report: Lost progress bug is being squashed

If you've been playing Pioneer Trail (even when it was FrontierVille) for any considerable amount of time, I'd be surprised if you hadn't suffered from a rollback issue or two, or some other form of game/fun-breaking bug. If not, you're liable to run into one now, as a widespread issue has broken out in the game, causing users to lose considerable amounts of progress on goals. This is apparently such a large issue that the majority of the game's official forums has been branded with posts and banners about the issue, but Zynga is here to let you know that help is on the way.

Specifically, we're told this by customer service:

"We have received a high number of inquiries about players losing progress in the game and seeing old missions come back. We apologize for the problem and have our developers looking at the problem now.

There's no need to submit a help ticket for this matter, as we plan on correcting this problem on our end for all affected players. We request if you are having this problem to try again in a few hours (or even later today) to see if your progress has been returned. If this problem has occurred for you, please simply click the "vote to fix" button, this will alert us that you were affected."

Essentially, what this means is that you don't need to contact Zynga Customer Support to fix this issue, as supposedly everything will be placed back to normal on Zynga's end without any input from us. That is, the "game knows" where you were when the bug first hit, and will revert you back to the proper state when the bug has been fixed. As for the time table, things aren't progressing as quickly as we would have hoped. As of yesterday morning, the issue was still being worked on by developers, but a proper fix hadn't actually been pushed out.

While you're waiting for the issue to be resolved, I'd suggest simply not playing the game (or doing anything significant, that you would be upset about having to repeat). Keep checking back with the game's official forums for updates as to the progress of the bug fix, and we'll make sure to let you know if anything significant happens between now and then.

Have you been hit by this "lost progress" bug? How far did it push you back?

CityVille Reel World Timed Goal: Everything you need to know

A new timed goal has launched in CityVille this week, taking us back to the great outdoors for some fishing. If you're level 35 or above, you'll have access to this goal, which can be started at any point in your game - it's up to you when exactly you'll begin. Using our guide to the goal, you should be able to prepare yourself as much as possible before actually starting the goal, and that way you'll have a better chance of earning the gold trophy and the prizes that come with it.

The Reel World

    Get 10 Fishing Lures
    Harvest 30 Pumpkins
    Collect 8 Times from a Seafood Restaurant


A Seafood Restaurant costs just 7,500 coins to purchase from the store, and if you're a veteran player in the game, it's highly unlikely that you don't already have at least one sitting in your town. It requires 140 Goods to operate, so your best bet to completing this particular task quickly would be to make it the only business that currently has Goods, so all citizens will flock to it, causing it to sell out much faster than normal. Pumpkins, meanwhile, take 18 hours to harvest, so unless you follow our suggestion of having pumpkins already to harvest before starting this goal, that's some serious time you'll spend (waste), waiting for them to grow.

If you can complete these three tasks within the first 24 hours of starting the goal, you'll receive the Gold Trophy, a Sailboat, 2,300 coins and 1,200 Goods. Unfortunately, you must complete this goal at this top level to receive the Sailboat. If you don't finish within the first day, but can complete the goal before the 72-hour mark has passed, you'll receive the Silver Trophy, 2,600 coins and 1,200 Goods, while finishing at any point after that cutoff gives you the Bronze Trophy and 1,200 Goods.

Luckily, it seems that these timed goals are becoming a bit easier with each one that's released. So long as you plan ahead with the pumpkin task, you should have no real trouble finishing this one off in 24 hours, but we still wish you good luck in your attempt!

What do you think of this latest timed goal? Have you received the Gold Trophy on any timed goals in the past?

CityVille Campaign Committee Goal: Everything you need to know

If you're looking for a way to earn extra coins, XP and Zoning Permits in CityVille, and you have a lot of friends that are always willing to help you out, you might be interested in the new "Campaign Committee" goal that was launched this week in the game. This feature is open to users that are at least level 15 and have at least one City Hall building in their town. As of right now, this is a one-time only feature, and instead of showing up on the left-hand side of your screen as other goals appear, this one must be activated by you by collecting from your City Hall when it's ready.

The next time you collect your profits from your City Hall, you'll see a new menu, asking you whether or not you'd like to start this new goal. You'll have just 24 hours to collect as much help from your City Hall staff members as you plan your campaign for your run for Governor. There are three levels of prizes associated with this goal, with more upgraded City Halls unlocking better prizes, and the amount of friends that ultimately help you also affecting your rewards. For a Level 2 City Hall, the three level of rewards are 10,000 coins, 40 XP and 3 Zoning Permits.

Once you start the goal (remember, it's a manual start - you can choose to do so whenever you're ready), you'll be able to post wall posts to your friends' walls asking them to come help you out. If you happen to have many spaces filled by Samantha or just blank staff positions, you can fill those by asking friends as well. When a friend responds to your call for help, you'll see a green check mark appear next to their name on the list. After the 24 hour period has passed, you'll receive whatever prizes you've received for your current level (note: you can track your current status on prizes by looking inside the goal's menu, as seen below).

Again, this Campaign Committee goal is a one-time-only activity for your town. Perhaps if it goes over well enough with users, we'll see another opportunity to ask our friends for help with campaign "donations," but for now, just focus all of your efforts on earning the most rewards from this feature while you can.

What do you think of the Campaign Committee feature in CityVille? Would you like to see this be an ongoing feature in your town?

Clarins looks to beautify Facebook with Spa Life, its first social game

Is it only a matter time now before mom pants get their own Facebook game? Clarins, a well-known French brand of beauty products, recently released its own Facebook game, Spa Life. The game doesn't stray far away from games like Cafe World or Restaurant City, but applies the same principles to managing a spa rather than an eatery. Developed by Freshplanet, Spa Life has players managing an influx of customers looking for everything from a "mani-pedi" to facials and more.

Of course, just like its inspirations, players can decorate, upgrade and add new services to their spa. But players can only do this if they serve their terribly impatient customers in time to make the most cash from them. And in true Facebook game fashion, players can always buy their way out of waiting for the next upgrade with Facebook Credits.

According to Mashable, Clarins's North American CEO Jonathan Zrihen saw Facebook as a golden opportunity to reach its audience. And considering we all know by now that the average Facebook gamer is a middle-aged mother, he's probably right on the money. "I knew about the craziness of Zynga games, but I didn't realize the demographic was so much in line with the demographics of our products," Zrihen told Mashable. "I was also impressed by the level of engagement these games create."

Yes, this is yet another branded game, though it's odd that players aren't inundated with the brand until much later in the game. Another interesting nod is that Spa Life attempts to use your friends' names as customers to add more social awareness to the game. Building off of that, you'll need plenty more friends to run your various services, just like you need them to staff buildings in CityVille.
Spa Life in action
Branded games are exploding on Facebook. In fact, studios like Ecko|Code are focusing all of their efforts on creating games for brands such as Showtime shows like Weeds and Dexter. Facebook game developers like Zynga and Playdom have integrated brands into their games for awhile through promotions, it's only recently that they've begun to build games around a single brand.

For instance, it looks as if Adventure World will become Zynga's first game to completely embrace a brand. In October, the game will become "Adventure World: An Indiana Jones Game" with the help of Lucasfilm. Sure, original games will continue to release, but I wouldn't be surprised if we see less of them moving forward.

Click here to Play Spa Life on Facebook Now >

Are you a Clarins fan--enough to check out this Facebook game? What do you think of branded games on Facebook and the fact that they're growing?

Disney-branded Facebook games coming in 2012, Playdom head says

Can we all just say, "finally?" During a panel named "The Rise of Social Games" at the f8 Facebook Developers Conference in San Francisco, Disney Interactive and Playdom head John Pleasants revealed that two to four Facebook games surrounding Disney brands will hit Facebook in 2012. The general topic of the panel was the fact that branded social games are taking off.

Pleasants was joined on the panel by Kabam CEO Kevin Chou, EA Interactive head Barry Cottle and Zynga CBO Owen Van Natta. Facebook director of games partnerships Sean Ryan moderated the panel with the preface that branded games will take over the Facebook platform. And he might be right: EA just released The Sims Social, Zynga will soon re-brand its new Adventure World with Indiana Jones and Kabam recently announced The Godfather: Five Families.

Playdom, which Disney acquired in July 2010 for a whopping $740 million, is ahead of the pack with two branded games on Facebook: ESPNU College Town and ESPN Sports Bar & Grill. Both games performed well, thanks to advertising through the ESPN TV network. While Disney owns the ESPN brand, notice how neither of those actually involve the insanely popular Disney characters we've come to love.

Honestly, we're surprised this didn't happen sooner. Consider this: Disney has its own cable TV channel through which it could, in theory, advertise whatever it wants. Pleasants didn't get into why it's taken this long for Disney to throw its cast of characters into Facebook games, but did reveal the power of the Disney name.

Gnome Town, which Playdom launched in the summer--and we enjoyed quite a bit--peaked at 530,000 daily players. But just plopping the Disney logo on top of the existing one made users more likely to spend in the game just through trust of the company's name, according to Pleasants. "We think it's an advantage, if you put game play first," Pleasants said.

It's comforting to hear this emphasized by these developers. (Kabam's Chou shared the same sentiment.) Branded games on Facebook are OK in my book, but the last thing anyone wants to see is the genre become a branding machine.

[Source and Image Credit: VentureBeat]

Are you on board with the growing trend of branded games on Facebook? Do you think developers will maintain integrity as the focus on branded content in their games intensifies?

New Pioneer Trail World Map: Are four more expansions on the way?

That's the logical guess, at least. Zynga recently updated The Pioneer Trail with a brand new World Map that hints at four unreleased areas. Instead of showing the four areas on the Pioneer Trail, the "Travel" button now shows a condensed icon representing the recently-released expansion in a larger map. What's more important, however, is what surrounds it.

Considering this is all we have right now, prepare for some wild speculation. The Pioneer Trail icon is surrounded by four grayed out icons. Moving from most left to right, what first appears is either a castle or a fort, with no trail marks leading to it. Perhaps this is a new area for players to tend to much like the Homestead (maybe players claim Fort Courage for themselves.) To the bottom left is a canyon, which is most likely the long-teased Rattlesnake Canyon.

Directly below The Pioneer Trail icon is what appears to be a Gold Mine, likely alluding to the Gold Rush expansion that has been hinted at since almost day one. (You know, way back when this game was still known as FrontierVille?) Finally, a haunted graveyard of sorts is featured. We seriously doubt Zynga would create an entire expansion's worth of content with a Halloween theme, so maybe this will be the home of future season-specific events.

At this point, who knows what the developer is up to. What we do know, however, is that Zynga has big plans for Pioneer Trail well into 2012. And considering the game has lost the majority of its daily players since it was re-branded in August, we're not surprised Zynga would be working hard to keep the major content releases flowing.

What do you make of this brand new World Map in Pioneer Trail? Do you think Zynga can recover its lost fans with a flurry of major expansions in 2012?

Empires & Allies launches second campaign, Molten Terror

If you're level 25 or above in Empires & Allies, and have already completed most everything given to you from the start of the game, you'll be happy to know that an entire second campaign has been launched in the game! This second campaign is called Molten Terror, and it comes complete with plenty of new features. But first, the story!

In Molten Terror, the Molten Reef Islands have been almost entirely ruined by the eruption of a massive mega-volcano, and you're out to save the survivors. You'll face new enemies along the way, in terms of both units that you'll face in battle, and the "bosses" that are controlling them. For instance, you'll face a man named Lt. Basil Fletcher, who originally trained with Sergeant Cross. He's a weapons salesman, so you know he'll likely pack a punch! Of course, you'll also have new quests to complete to go along with these new enemies, and to introduce you to the second campaign overall.

In addition to this, these new islands will be themed appropriately, with islands that are on fire or covered in lava, and new, sometimes tropical themed troops to defeat. If you've yet to complete the game's first campaign, Wrath of the Raven, you can easily switch between the two campaigns using an icon in the bottom right corner of the game screen. Again, you must be level 25 to access this second campaign, regardless of your progress in the first. Now, if you are level 25 and you still haven't received it, you'll need to be a bit more patient, as this will roll out to users everywhere in due time.
[Source and image credit: Zynga]

Are you excited to try out the quests and battles in Molten Terror, or are you still working your way through Wrath of the Raven?

CityVille Plagued Playground Community Building: Everything you need to know

If you're working on one final push to reach 8,000 Monsters in CityVille's Halloween Monsters event, here's one final community building, that's available for coins, that will help you along. The Plagued Playground costs 50,000 coins to purchase from the store, making it one of the more expensive coin options (see also the Demented Dentist and Haunted Library, as examples), but it comes with a fairly easy building process.

Once you place the base in your town, you'll need to whack it (that is, use energy) to build up the frame six times. With this completed, you thankfully won't have to collect any building materials; rather, this is a community building that uses your friends as staff to get things done. In this case, you'll need ten friends to come help out. It should be noted that you can use any extra "Bonus Crew" - the pictures of Samantha - to staff this building for free, if you have some on hand. Otherwise, you'll need to send out individual requests to those CityVille neighbors that you think would be most willing to help you.

When this one is complete (you'll know because you'll either get an email telling you the staffing is complete, will see the hammer on top of the building, or both), you'll have a fun outdoor playground (that's of course themed to Monsters / Halloween) that allows for 1,500 extra Monsters to live in your town. Granted, this item won't help you actually add those 1,500 Monsters, but at least you'll have the room for any you want to add in your mad dash to the finish! Good luck!

Will you add the Plagued Playground to your town just for the look of this limited edition building, or are you actively trying to reach the 8,000 Monster mark?

FarmVille Raffle Booth (10/30/11): Black Corgi and Gazebo come back around

By this point, the FarmVille Raffle Booth has become a hit or miss prospect when it comes to receiving free items. Not only are the items simply hard to earn (that is, relying solely on luck), but the amount of duplicate items released in the feature might event take away from some of the excitement users feel towards the feature. As it stands, this week's Raffle Booth is another set of re-released items, so if you've had bad luck in the past, maybe it will turn around now.

As usual, the FarmVille Raffle Booth is absolutely free to play, and you'll have the chance of winning the following items (we'll also list their odds here for your reference).

10 Special Delivery Boxes - 1:5
3 Farmhands - 1:20
5 Love Potions - 1:50
Gazebo - 1:200
Black Corgi - 1:500

As you might have expected, you'll receive a free Raffle Ticket at the beginning of this week, giving you at least one chance at one of these items. You can earn others by asking your friends to send them to you, or you can purchase them outright for Farm Cash. Just remember, though: even though you have tons of Raffle Tickets doesn't mean you're guaranteed to win all five of these items, or even one of them. There's no real reason to spend Farm Cash on these Raffle Tickets. Good luck!

Have you ever won the big two prizes from the FarmVille Raffle Booth? Do you already have this Black Corgi or Gazebo? Which item are you most hoping to win?

FarmVille Fairy Hollow Items: Butterfly Dog, Fall Ribbon Flower Tree and more

It's unusual for Zynga to launch a new theme in FarmVille right before a major holiday, but apparently, with Halloween being tomorrow, the developer has decided to launch a new theme now, so that it will be available in the time after, between Halloween and Thanksgiving. That theme is Fairy Hollow, and the first batch of items in the theme has launched in the store this evening. There are trees, animals, decorations and even avatar costumes available in this theme - here's a look at what's available.

Trees

Fall Ribbon Flower Tree - 8 Farm Cash
Big Fall Ribbon Flower Tree - 14 Farm Cash
Golden Fairy Tree - 8 Farm Cash
Giant Golden Fairy Tree - 14 Farm Cash

While these pairs of trees are brand new, if they look a bit familiar, it's because they're re-colorings of trees we've seen in the game before. Keep that in mind, the rehashing technique is used throughout this entire theme. As usual, you'll only need to purchase the normal version of each of these two trees, as the Big Fall Ribbon Flower Tree and Giant Golden Fairy Tree can be earned for free from Mystery Seedlings.

Animals

Butterfly Horse - 26 Farm Cash
Butterfly Dog - 12 Farm Cash
Butterfly Rabbit - 12 Farm Cash
Butterfly Sheep - 20 Farm Cash
Yellow-Eyed Penguin - 1 million coins
Butterfly Pig - 18 Farm Cash

Here, many of these animals are, without the wings, just basic versions of animals you likely already have on your farm(s). Add the wings and you have these new animals, so ultimately, whether or not you purchase them will depend on how much you like their wings. As for the Yellow-Eyed Penguin, this one looks almost identical to the regular Penguin in the game, so you'll need to look closely at its yellow eye to really tell the difference.

Buildings

Fairy Mill - 20 Farm Cash

Other than the pastel colors, which go along with many of this theme's items, there's nothing really here that scream "fairy" to me, but I won't argue. If you're a building collector, you'll have to make the splurge either way.

Decorations

Wooden Gate - 10,000 coins
Fairy Godmother Gnome - 12 Farm Cash
Wooden Fence - 5,000 coins

The Wooden Gate and Wooden Fence were first sold back in the Fairy Garden event in August, and the Fairy Godmother Gnome was given away for free as a goal reward during that time. If you finished that goal then, you can save the 12 Farm Cash and just pull your old gnome out of storage to decorate for this theme.

Avatar Costumes

Butterfly I - 8 Farm Cash
Butterfly II - 8 Farm Cash

These costumes will allow even your avatar to join in on the butterfly / fairy fun, and could even work as a Halloween costume, if you've yet to choose one, but are willing to do so fast (that is, before Halloween proper passes). Just remember that you can try on these costumes to see if you really like the way your avatar looks with wings before you purchase them.

All of these items will be available in the game's store for the next two weeks. It will be interesting to see if this is a single-release theme or if more items are released in the future. If more items are launched, we'll make sure to let you know.

What do you think of these Fairy Hollow items? Were you hoping the end of October would see even more Halloween items released, or are you ready to move on?

FarmVille Mystery Game (10/30/11): Halloween items take a final stand

With tonight's FarmVille Mystery Game, it looks like we've seen the last set of Halloween items released in the game (after all, the store has now been taken over by Fairy Hollow / Butterfly items). You'll have a chance to win both decorations and animals in this apparently final Halloween-themed Mystery Game, with a single dart costing 16 Farm Cash. There are two horses available here, so that's a fairly cheap price, all things considered (I would have easily guessed the darts to cost 20 Farm Cash or more).

Here's the list of six items you can win in this week's game by throwing darts:

Eerie Bridge
Fire Skeleton Horse
Headless Horseman
Nightmare Mini Pegasus
Pirate Goat
Vampire Gnome

As usual, there's another Bonus Prize being offered here, if you're willing to spend enough Farm Cash to win all six "normal" prizes. Do that and you'll walk away with the Gnome O Lantern - a garden gnome sticking his head out of a Jack-O-Lantern. Just remember, even if you really want this seventh bonus prize, you're not guaranteed to win all six individual prizes on the first six darts you throw, so you could wind up spending much more Farm Cash just to receive duplicates.

Either way, you've got a week to throw darts at this week's board, before these Halloween-themed items are packed away, potentially to never be seen again (granted, I'm sure a lot of them will come back next year, but there is no true guarantee). Good luck receiving the specific items you want!

Check out the rest of our Halloween coverage right here.

Which of these six items do you most want to win from this week's Mystery Game? If you went for all seven items, how many darts did you end up throwing?

That's a big table: Zynga Poker hits the big screen on Google TV

Is that 13-inch laptop screen you're dealing in on in Zynga Poker simply not big enough? How does a 55-inch HD screen sound? We thought so. Zynga announced that its hit poker game has landed on Google TV, the search giant's ailing set-top box platform. Players can download the Zynga Poker app on Google TV, the first TV platform to offer the game.

VentureBeat points out that Zynga Poker (and we imagine other Facebook games) were already accessible through Google TV's support for Flash-based websites. But this dedicated version is "especially optimized for playing poker from the comfort of your own couch," Zynga said in a blog post. According to AppData, Zynga's age-old poker game has over 29 million monthly players across Facebook, iPhone, Android phones and more.

Of course, Zynga is looking to grow that player base with this release, but things aren't looking so hot for Google TV. Logitech, the primary partner for the platform, just ditched Google's effort after losing $100 million on its Logitech Revue box since last year, according to VentureBeat. Regardless, this could serve as a launchpad for Zynga Poker--and other games from the publisher, for that matter--to expand onto other connected TV options.

Devices like the Roku box have already invited big time casual games like Angry Birds, and PlayJam is making strides in smart TV gaming. In the grand scheme of things, it only makes sense. If companies like CrowdStar and Rovio want to hit that 1 billion fan mark, the most popular screen in the home is a fine place to start.

Would you rather play your social games on a bigger screen than what you play on now? Is mobile or TV-based social gaming more appealing to you?

CNN Games: When social games fever hits the virtual newstands

Arkadium Stop the Presses on CNN Games
CNN has opened a spankin' new games portal on their site, named simply, "CNN Games" and powered by social games stalwart, Arkadium. Aside from having to put up with a 15-second ad before each game loads, all twenty-five of Arkadium's games are free, including established favorites such as Mahjongg Dimensions. You don't have to sign up as a CNN member to play (plus, Facebook Connect doesn't seem far behind), but CNN would like it if you did. Doing so allows you to "save your scores, get on the Leaderboard and challenge your friends".

We really shouldn't be surprised, but it's hard not to be. Certainly, there's been a trend where companies have been slapping games onto everything from banks to blogs. Some have even made it their core business to slap games onto other businesses. There's this belief that turning something into a social game will make it more popular. MySpace attempted a failed resurrection by investing in games. Social games killed the daytime soap, only for the soaps to attempt a comeback as games. Social games for social good are the watchwords of organizations such as Games4Change, and businesses such as GamesThatGive. But for an international news organization to invest in a generic, casual games portal is just mind-boggling. With the exception of Stop the Presses, a timed word game, nothing at CNN Games has anything to do with the news or the CNN brand.

However, consider this -- it was the rivalry between Joseph Pulitzer's New York World and William Randolph Hearst's New York Journal in the 1890s that brought us the modern-day, newspaper comic strip. In 1895, Pulitzer had convinced comics creator Richard Felton Outcault to publish "The Yellow Kid" for his newspaper. But Hearst saw the value in it and snatched Outcault away for his paper. Suddenly, the funnies became serious business as both owners believed that comics were their ticket to more readers. It sounds absurd, but those of us who grew up on newsprint remember the value of the funnies.

As major news producers move from print to the web, they're going to need new ways to compete online. I wonder if social games are going to be for news sites, the way comic strips were for newspapers.

Do you think social games can hit it big on news sites or that news sites can win readers by adding games, social or otherwise?

Pioneer Trail Holly's Sleigh: Everything you need to know

Technically, Holiday Hollow still hasn't launched in full in Pioneer Trail, but if you're an eager player that just can't wait to jump into the game's Christmas version of Ghost Town, you'll be happy to know that you can do something right now to earn early, VIP access to Holiday Hollow proper. What's that, you ask? Simple - just build Holly's Sleigh. No, I mean it - that's all you have to do. There are no goals associated with this one - just a sleigh to build and you'll be on your way to the magic that is Holiday Hollow.

Holly's Sleigh requires you to collect six different building materials in bulk:

    10 Jingle Harnesses
    10 Oiled Runners
    10 Gift Sacks
    15 Wishlist Ledgers
    15 Postmaster Badges
    15 Singing Quills


The Jingle Harnesses, Oiled Runners and Gift Sacks are earned through general news posts on your wall, while the other three items are earned by sending individual requests to your friends.

Once you finish Holly's Sleigh, you'll be able to collect a Daily Bonus from it (well... daily) that gives you Candy Canes. You'll also be able to unlock Holiday Hollow proper, complete with new goals to complete and prizes to earn! What are you waiting for? Get started on building Holly's Sleigh as soon as you can, and we'll work on bringing you a complete look at what to expect when you arrive in Holiday Hollow!

Check out the rest of our Holiday 2011 coverage right here.

What do you think of this Holly's Sleigh feature? Are you excited that you can earn early access to Holiday Hollow for free, even if it does require a bit of work on your part? Share your thoughts

Pioneer Trail Holiday Workshop: Everything you need to know

As part of tonight's launch of the Holiday Hollow Christmas feature in Pioneer Trail, you'll be required to build a Holiday Workshop back on your Homestead. Similar to items like the Shagbark Tree back during Halloween, this Holiday Workshop is required for a goal in Holiday Hollow, but is actually built back on your Homestead.

The Holiday Workshop requires six different building materials:

    10 Bent Nails
    10 Rusty Screws
    10 Chipped Boards
    15 Torn Sandpapers
    15 Dull Saws
    15 Dusty Hooks


The Bent Nails, Rusty Screws and Chipped Boards are earned through general posts on your wall, while the other three items are earned by sending out individual requests to your friends.

Once you finish building the Holiday Workshop, you'll also have access to three new repeatable goals on your Homestead. These can also be seen while in Holiday Hollow, but aren't required to finish that feature. You'll be able to repeat them as many times as you'd like in order to earn extra prizes for your Homestead.

    3 Goals: Stocking Tree
    6 Goals: Santa Costume for your Avatar
    9 Goals: Caroling Penguins
    12 Goals: Reindeer Prince
    15 Goals: Baby Yeti


The three goals themselves ask you to collect tons of themed items, some in Holiday Hollow and some on the Homestead. Here's a look at completing them.

A Flood o Cocoa

    Collect 40 Gears
    Collect 50 Cocoa Milk
    Collect 150 Candy Canes


Remember, items like the Gears are earned in Holiday Hollow by completing tasks with your three helpers (specifically, the Gears come from the Snow Slinger). The Candy Canes are earned after completing goals in Holiday Hollow, as free gifts sent by friends, or by collecting the daily bonus of items like your Holly's Sleigh. Finishing this goal gives you a Big Present, 10 Cheer and 500 XP.

Cookie Chaos

    Collect 50 Fir Wood
    Ask friends for 20 Cookie Dough
    Collect 150 Candy Canes


Yet again, the Fir Wood is earned by using your helpers in Holiday Hollow. In this case, you'll want to use the Tree Trimmer to finish tasks. For finishing this goal, you'll receive another Big Present, 10 Cheer and 500 XP.

Squad o Snowmen

    Repair 50 Melted Snowmen
    Ask friends for 20 Snowman Caps
    Collect 150 Candy Canes


For this goal - you guessed it - you'll need to complete tasks with another helper, in this case the Hall Decker to revive the Melted Snowmen. For finishing this goal, you'll receive the same rewards as before: a Big Present, 10 Cheer and 500 XP. Still, the rewards for these three individual goals aren't really the incentive here - the five prizes for completing these goals repeatedly are.

Make sure to start working on these goals, and start working on your Holiday Workshop, just as soon as you can in order to get the most out of the Holiday Hollow event in Pioneer Trail. Good luck completing these goals 15 times for all of the prizes!

Check out the rest of our Holiday 2011 coverage right here.

Get early beta access to DragonCraft on Android [Exclusive]

Back at the beginning of November, we gave you an in-depth preview of ngmoco's upcoming Android game DragonCraft. The game will give you the chance to explore the magical world of Terra Vale, where technology has mixed with magic and you'll have a chance to capture and command a mighty army of powerful dragons. The game combines city-building with combat inspired by Advance Wars, and if you'd like to try your hand at the game - you're in luck!

Thanks to ngmoco, we have an exclusive opportunity for you to do just that! The first 500 readers to head over to the the DragonCraft website and enter our special code will receive priority access into the beta before anyone else! Here's how:

1. Go to the DragonCraft's website: http://www.dragoncraftthegame.com/

2. Enter this code where prompted: AOL

That's all you need to do! Before you go, why not check out these new screens for the game to get a better idea of what exactly to expect when you get in?! Happy gaming!

Gallery: DragonCraft Android Beta


Will you join the beta of DragonCraft on Android? Are you looking forward to trying the game when it officially goes live?

CityVille Bring Home the Beacon Timed Goal: Everything you need to know

If you check the waters off the south side of your city in CityVille, you'll notice that a Lighthouse has appeared on a small rocky island. This Lighthouse goes along with a new timed goal in the game called Bring Home the Beacon. Via this timed goal, you'll be able to expand your way out to the Lighthouse, and will then "receive it" as a prize in the game. Here are the specifics:

• Ask friends for 22 Lighthouse Reflectors
• Expand to the Lighthouse
• Collect from a Level 2 Aquarium 4 Times

The Lighthouse Reflectors come via a general news post you'll place on your wall. Meanwhile, expanding out to the Lighthouse is the same project that you'd expect. You'll need to gather Zoning Permits with friends, and then raise your population (by varying amounts, depending on the player) in order to unlock access to each subsequent expansion. Here's a look at my own town, for reference on how far out into the water the Lighthouse actually sits.

If you can finish this goal within 120 hours, you'll officially receive the Lighthouse, which gives you a 100% payout bonus to houses and businesses. You'll also receive 12,000 coins. I don't think it needs to be said, but since you can manually start this goal in your game whenever you'd like, you should really plan ahead and expand before ever starting the goal, so you don't run out of time while waiting for extra Zoning Permits from your friends.

If you finish at any point after the first 120 hours, you'll receive 8,000 coins and 6 Energy, while finishing the goal at any point after that gives you just 5,500 coins. Of course, the main incentive here is to reach that Lighthouse so that you can have such a big boost in your buildings' payouts, so make sure to plan as much of this goal out ahead of time, so you can quickly finish it once you manually press start in the game.

What do you think of this timed goal in CityVille? Will you continue to expand where you want, instead of where the game "forces" you to for these goals, or will you take the time to expand out to the Lighthouse to receive such a payout boost? Sound off in the

CityVille Building Buddies: Everything you need to know

Galaxy Life on Facebook
When you hear the words "Galaxy Life," what do you think? We don't know about you, but that sure sounds like living out life across the galaxy. No one ever said anything about epic intergalactic battles against friends and "the sinister dark forces." Nevertheless, that's what you'll be up to in Digital Chocolate's new strategy game game for Facebook and web, Galaxy Life.

The San Mateo, Calif.-based social game developer, best known for games like Millionaire City and Zombie Lane, launched the game simultaneously on Facebook and its own website in an effort to increase its reach. Galaxy Life lets players become leader of a colony of aliens called Starlings that look to create a peaceful planet amidst sinister (and ambiguous) dark forces. Players will vie for dominance over the new found territory amongst friends, or frenemies, both known and anonymous.

Of course, you'll do so by creating daunting armies and stalwart defensive structures with which to attack opposing colonies and defend your own. Players can also create alliances with fellow players--yup, this sounds like a strategy game, all right. Galaxy Life sounds like more of the same on paper, but its Facebook-connected social features are optional. If you decide to play on Digital Chocolate's website, you can build a network of friends without Facebook.
Galaxy Life in Action
"We've created a groundbreaking sci-fi game with great competitive and cooperative elements, along with fantastic characters," Digital Chocolate president Marc Metis said in a release. "Galaxy Life takes the best elements of the strategy and space genres to create an immersive game that players can engage with across different platforms."

At first glance, Galaxy Life has a ton of character, with smooth animations, fun tunes and sounds, and adorable artwork. However, the play hook doesn't seem all too different from games like Kabam's Edgeworld or Kixeye's War Commander. That said, this could change in due time. But give it a shot: This cartoon-like take on the genre could be your cup of tea.

Digital Chocolate's Galaxy Life on Facebook has quite a deceiving title

Galaxy Life on Facebook
When you hear the words "Galaxy Life," what do you think? We don't know about you, but that sure sounds like living out life across the galaxy. No one ever said anything about epic intergalactic battles against friends and "the sinister dark forces." Nevertheless, that's what you'll be up to in Digital Chocolate's new strategy game game for Facebook and web, Galaxy Life.

The San Mateo, Calif.-based social game developer, best known for games like Millionaire City and Zombie Lane, launched the game simultaneously on Facebook and its own website in an effort to increase its reach. Galaxy Life lets players become leader of a colony of aliens called Starlings that look to create a peaceful planet amidst sinister (and ambiguous) dark forces. Players will vie for dominance over the new found territory amongst friends, or frenemies, both known and anonymous.

Of course, you'll do so by creating daunting armies and stalwart defensive structures with which to attack opposing colonies and defend your own. Players can also create alliances with fellow players--yup, this sounds like a strategy game, all right. Galaxy Life sounds like more of the same on paper, but its Facebook-connected social features are optional. If you decide to play on Digital Chocolate's website, you can build a network of friends without Facebook.
Galaxy Life in Action
"We've created a groundbreaking sci-fi game with great competitive and cooperative elements, along with fantastic characters," Digital Chocolate president Marc Metis said in a release. "Galaxy Life takes the best elements of the strategy and space genres to create an immersive game that players can engage with across different platforms."

At first glance, Galaxy Life has a ton of character, with smooth animations, fun tunes and sounds, and adorable artwork. However, the play hook doesn't seem all too different from games like Kabam's Edgeworld or Kixeye's War Commander. That said, this could change in due time. But give it a shot: This cartoon-like take on the genre could be your cup of tea.

Finally, GREE reveals what everyone actually cares about: the games

Continuing in the tradition of FarmVille Holiday celebrations, tonight marks the launch of this year's Holiday Tree in the game. However, instead of simply being a collection event where you'll redeem mass amounts of presents for singular items, this year's event goes back to the setup of 2009's Holiday Tree, in that we'll still be able to collect tons of presents, but will be able to open each one of them once Christmas arrives to find out what's inside.

You'll receive your Holiday Tree for free the next time you login to the game. If you're not on the farm you'd like to be to place this one, just cancel out of "Placement Mode" and travel to the farm you'd like this tree to be on (even if that isn't Winter Wonderland). From there, you'll be able to empty out your gift box of any Holiday Gifts you've already claimed from your Santa's Sleigh, and can then go to town asking friends for more gifts to really fill out the tree. You can simply ask your friends for gifts, or you can send one of six different gift designs to friends from the free gifts page, hoping that they'll return the favor. You can also purchase gifts with Farm Cash.

As you collect gifts, your tree will grow, going through five stages of upgrades until you hit the 300 gift total. We're told that we can collect "over 300 gifts" however, so there doesn't look to be a limit to how many it can actually hold (we're working to confirm that, and will let you know as soon as we hear back from Zynga). Regardless of how many gifts we all eventually end up with, we won't be able to open them until Christmas Eve - December 24. At that point, we'll either be allowed to open gifts individually (as we did back in 2009 - a time consuming process), or we might be able to open them like we can Special Delivery Boxes, but simply entering in a number and letting the game sort out the contents.

As for what's inside these gifts, unfortunately that's a mystery as of this writing. As we get closer to Christmas, we'll make sure to let you know if we learn what the contents of some of these gifts might be, so keep checking back with us!

FarmVille Holiday Tree 2011: Everything you need to know

Continuing in the tradition of FarmVille Holiday celebrations, tonight marks the launch of this year's Holiday Tree in the game. However, instead of simply being a collection event where you'll redeem mass amounts of presents for singular items, this year's event goes back to the setup of 2009's Holiday Tree, in that we'll still be able to collect tons of presents, but will be able to open each one of them once Christmas arrives to find out what's inside.

You'll receive your Holiday Tree for free the next time you login to the game. If you're not on the farm you'd like to be to place this one, just cancel out of "Placement Mode" and travel to the farm you'd like this tree to be on (even if that isn't Winter Wonderland). From there, you'll be able to empty out your gift box of any Holiday Gifts you've already claimed from your Santa's Sleigh, and can then go to town asking friends for more gifts to really fill out the tree. You can simply ask your friends for gifts, or you can send one of six different gift designs to friends from the free gifts page, hoping that they'll return the favor. You can also purchase gifts with Farm Cash.

As you collect gifts, your tree will grow, going through five stages of upgrades until you hit the 300 gift total. We're told that we can collect "over 300 gifts" however, so there doesn't look to be a limit to how many it can actually hold (we're working to confirm that, and will let you know as soon as we hear back from Zynga). Regardless of how many gifts we all eventually end up with, we won't be able to open them until Christmas Eve - December 24. At that point, we'll either be allowed to open gifts individually (as we did back in 2009 - a time consuming process), or we might be able to open them like we can Special Delivery Boxes, but simply entering in a number and letting the game sort out the contents.

As for what's inside these gifts, unfortunately that's a mystery as of this writing. As we get closer to Christmas, we'll make sure to let you know if we learn what the contents of some of these gifts might be, so keep checking back with us!