FarmVille English Countryside Sneak Peek: Downy Birch Tree & Silver Birch Tree

Two new trees will apparently be coming to the English Countryside theme in FarmVille in the very near future, or so say this newest set of unreleased images. We've found pictures of both a Downy Birch Tree (also called the European White Birch Tree) and the Silver Birch Tree (a European ornamental tree), along with their mastery signs.

These two trees have no office release date, although we expect them to show up in the game as early as Sunday evening, when FarmVille is expected to update in full next. As they are both Birch trees, it's likely that one will be the Mystery Seedling of the other, and if history tells us anything, they'll be priced at 5 and 10 Farm Cash, although we don't know which tree will be the more expensive one.

We'll make sure to give you all of the details about these trees as they officially become available in the game.

Which of these two trees do you hope is the cheaper of the two, or do you like them enough to buy both?

Extra! Extra! Read all about it! FrontierVille News Stand Collection now available!

Ok, forgive the slight journalism pun if you will, but it's a very exciting time to be a FrontierVille player, as we've discovered that a new collection has been added to the game in the form of the News Stand collection. At the time of this writing, we know that a News Stand building is coming to the game, but as usual, it seems to be on a slow rollout to users.

While the Beehive, which was released earlier this week, didn't have any missions to go along with it, we know that there will be News Stand goals released in the game, but to our understanding, they haven't been completed yet. Will the building roll out to users before the day is done, or will we have to wait until the weekend proper to start our own News Stands on our Homesteads? Only time will tell, but for now, check out the five new items in the News Stand collection as things to keep an eye out for:

Bundle Cord
Ink Roller
Newspaper
Newsie Hat
Press Pass
Once you complete this collection (likely via collecting the News Stand's daily bonus, or by simply whacking the building's frame during construction), you'll be able to turn it in for a Newspaper Stack, which is likely a new decorative item.

Remember, this collection (and this News Stand building) are incredibly new, so we'll continue to update you with everything you need to know about both as time rolls on and we know more. Keep checking back with us for the latest on this new feature.

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

Have you received the News Stand building / missions in your game?

FrontierVille News Stand Goals: Everything you need to know

As we told you earlier this afternoon, a News Stand collection has appeared in FrontierVille, and that can only mean one thing - the News Stand building will soon be rolling out to all users in the game. A lucky few of you have already received this building on your land, which lets you communicate with your friends, telling them the tasks that you'd like completed when they visit, or simply notifying them that you'd like to receive a certain item as a gift.

A series of missions goes along with this building, and we have all of the details about those missions right here. The first is fairly simple, and requires you to build a News Stand on your land, along with two other tasks.

Buy a News Stand
Visit 2 Neighbors
Chop Neighbors' Oak Trees 25 Times

Completing these simple goals rewards you with 100 XP and 100 coins. It also unlocks the second mission in this series, so make sure to meet us behind the break for all of the details you need about these other goals.
Part II of IV asks you collect items from the News Stand Collection, so make sure to check out our complete guide to that collection in order to learn how to find them on your own land.

Have 1 Bundle Cord
Have 10 Newsprints
Have Five Sets of Clothes

The Bundle Cord is the News Stand Collection item, while the Newsprints can be earned by posting a general news item to your feed asking your friends to send them to you. Clothes, meanwhile, are crafted inside your Cabin for 6 Cloth and 500 coins each. Finishing this quest gives you 150 XP, 150 coins, and a Stuffed Mailbox decoration. Unfortunately, this isn't a "stuffed animal" mailbox, but rather just a mailbox that's overflowing with mail (I know, I got excited about a Mailbox plushie decoration too).

For Part III of IV, you'll need to have finished building the News Stand, and you'll need to take advantage of its new functionality to complete two of the three required tasks.

Answer a Classified Ad
Publish a Classified Ad (also called a Daily Edition)
Chop Neighbors' Pine Trees 50 Times

The rewards for this quest are slightly increased over the last, giving you 150 XP and 200 coins. Unfortunately, you won't receive a new decorative item for this quest, but you will be able to move onto the finale, which might be a big enough prize in and of itself.

Finally, Part IV of IV requires more of the same tasks as above, although you're done with chopping trees, and will need to collect a set of items instead.

Collect 10 Photographs
Publish 10 Daily Editions
Answer 10 Classified Ads

You'll be able to collect the Photographs by sending out individual requests to those friends that you think can help you. For finishing this quest, you'll receive a Newspaper Hat clothing item for your avatar(s), 200 XP and 500 coins.

And there you have it! A goal series that is slightly shorter than most (as most goal series have five missions to complete), that also doesn't seem to be overly difficult. Of course, whether or not you'll have an easy time at answering classified ads really depends on how many active neighbors you have in your game. Either way, we wish you luck as you try to complete these goals for yourself!

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

What do you think of these News Stand missions? Are they too demanding for what they reward in the end, or will you do anything to receive new clothing items for your characters?

FrontierVille News Stand: Everything you need to know

Are you ready to make headlines on your FrontierVille Homestead? Did you take one look at the News Stand Collection and think "That's a building I simply must have on my land?"If so, this guide is for you, as we have all of the information you need to know about adding a News Stand to your Homestead, and how to use its many new features after its been built. For starters, know that this building is on a slow roll-out to users, so if you don't have the building in your game already, simply wait some time and it will show up.

Once the update has rolled around to your game, you'll be able to purchase the News Stand from the store for 1000 coins and 20 Wood. You'll then to whack the frame ten times, with each whack costing 10 additional Wood. That's 100 extra Wood, so if you're feeling a bit light on the brown stuff at the moment, simply visit a few friends and chop down some trees (how convenient, you need to do that for the News Stand goals anyway!), and you'll be good to go in no time flat.

Once the building's frame is complete on your land, you'll need to finish it off by collecting a slew of new items that work as building materials. These themed items are 10 each of Shocking Photos, Breaking News, and Weather Reports, along with 15 each of Puzzles, Editorials, and Ask Fanny columns. As you might have guessed, the Shocking Photo, Breaking News and Weather Report items are earned through general news feed posts asking all of your friends to help simultaneously, while the other three items are earned through individual gift requests to friends.

After you've completed the building's construction, you'll be introduced to a system known as "classifieds" or "daily headlines" that can be published as a way to tell your neighbors what you'd like them to do on your land. This is much more of an efficient method of communication than simply hoping "Tend Here" signs grab your neighbors' attention, so make sure to take advantage of this daily service once you can. You'll need to complete at least part II of the News Stand Goals to use this feature, so check out our complete guide to the News Stand Goals to get up to speed.

You'll be able to customize what you want to say to your neighbors via a large text box, and you'll then be able to choose which items you'd like your friends to leave you after they've completed their five tasks on your Homestead. While the image above shows Wood, Fire, and Mallets being available to request at one moment, these items will vary.

After you publish this request, your neighbors will see a similar window when they visit your Homestead. You can either leave a personalized response for your friend, or you can simply go about your activities as normal, and you don't have to send their requested item to them at the end, if you know you don't have the ability to post on a friend's wall, or simply don't want to take the time.

This feature is available to all users level 18 and above, so what are you waiting for? The quicker you finish your News Stand, the quicker you can start communicating with your neighbors in-game. Whether or not those neighbors listen to your pleas or not is another thing, but at least you have the chance to try, right?

[Top image credit: Yvonne]

[Second image credit: Zynga]

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

What do you think of this new building in FrontierVille? Do you think users will be willing to complete the tasks that their friends ask them to, or will everyone just continue to do their own thing when visiting?

FrontierVille: Make headlines with two News Stand Badges

What better way to ensure that users are excited about a new FrontierVille feature than to release a set of Badges along with it? Zynga seems to understand that perfectly, as they have done just that - releasing two new Badges that coincide with the game's newest building - the News Stand.

These two Badges reward you for taking advantage of the News Stand's two new functions - posting Classifieds (also referred to as Newspapers or Daily Editions), and responding to Classifieds. Of course, as it is much easier to post something in your own game than it is to find users that have done the same and then help them out (which is made incredibly difficult if you have few friends actually taking advantage of the feature), the Publishing Badge requires much more from you than the Response Badge.

Either way, we have all four levels to both of these Badges detailed for you behind the break, so won't you meet us there?

Publishing Classifieds Badge:

Level 1: Publish 10 Newspapers. Rewards: 250 coins and 50 XP
Level 2: Publish 100 Newspapers. Rewards: 500 coins and 200 XP
Level 3: Publish 500 Newspapers. Rewards: 1,000 coins and 500 XP
Level 4: Publish 1,000 Newspapers. Rewards: 5,000 coins, 1,000 XP, and a Rooster Mailbox decoration

Responding to Classifieds Badge:

Level 1: Respond to 10 Classifieds. Rewards: 250 coins and 50 XP
Level 2: Respond to 40 Classifieds. Rewards: 500 coins and 200 XP
Level 3: Respond to 100 Classifieds. Rewards: 1,000 coins and 500 XP
Level 4: Respond to 250 Classifieds. Rewards: 5,000 coins, 1,000 XP, and a Puddle Boat decoration

As I said, you'll need to publish 1,000 Classifieds before ever finishing that particular badge, so you'll need to be incredibly dedicated to the feature to make your way through. Still, I suppose some rewards are better than none, no matter how demanding their requirements might be.

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

Will earning these Badges keep you using the News Stand feature long after you would otherwise? What do you think of the decorative items being given away with these Badges?

FarmVille Sneak Peek: Mother's Day decorations coming soon

If we needed any more confirmation that a small Mother's Day theme will be coming to FarmVille, here it is. We've come across a small set of four new decorative items that will be launching in the game this year, with one being an absolutely adorable sign containing a mama and baby bird (get ready to say "awww").

That item looks to be called just the "Mother's Day Sign," although we imagine the name might be jazzed up before the item's official release (which could come as early as this Wednesday). The other three items are the Mother's Day Gnome (what mother wouldn't love breakfast in bed?), a lovely Flower Basket that looks to be filled with a wide variety of flowers like bright yellow daffodils, and the Dahlia Flowerbed. Personally, Dahlias are my favorite flower, so excuse me if I get a bit over excited about its release (you'll know when it launches, as you'll hear my excited "Yip" through your computer speakers... well, maybe not, but you get the idea).

If history tells us anything, for these sorts of smaller-holiday or event themes, the items don't really last that long in the store. That being the case, you'll want to keep an extra eye on your game's marketplace to know when these launch, or just keep checking back with us here, as we'll make sure you're the first to know. Just be prepared for the Mother's Day Sign to cost Farm Cash - that's the only way you'll be able to send it to your game-playing mom!

What do you think of these Mother's Day themed unreleased items? Will you send your mother a virtual Mother's Day gift in FarmVille?

FarmVille Sheep Breeding Update: Prepare to be disappointed (again)

Over the weekend, we brought you the news of a series of bugs, or (at the very least) unannounced design changes in FarmVille's Sheep Breeding feature. Since Zynga turned off (and then turned back on) breeding with dotted, chameleon, and otherwise previously "illegal" sheep patterns, things have gone from bad to worse, with users reporting a very (emphasis on very) low amount of pattern inheritance from Rams, and an overwhelming amount of plain white sheep being bred regardless of the colors of the mother and father.

Up until today, Zynga had been relatively quiet on the matter, with Community Manager Lexilicious only briefly reminding users that pattern inheritance is never guaranteed. This afternoon, however, Lexi spoke out again, giving us a detailed statement on the current state of affairs with Sheep Breeding, the white sheep "bug," and the lack of patterns being passed down from Rams. You can find the most important bits of her statement behind the break, but I warn you - it's not pretty.


First and foremost, Zynga has gone on record as apologizing for the lack of in-game communication about the lowered rate of pattern inheritance. They are accepting the fact that users might feel "confused" and "frustrated," and are offering full refunds of the Farm Cash purchase price of any Ram or Ewe that you purchased under the assumption that the color/pattern inheritance rate was 100%. They are urging users to contact Zynga Customer Support, which will take care of the refund process. Of course, you won't get to keep the Ewe/Rams that you purchased, but you will receive your purchase price back in full.

That being said, the high inheritance rate (80-100% success) that many of us experienced since the beginning of the Sheep Breeding feature has now officially been labeled as a "bug," and has been lowered accordingly. Since Zynga didn't release the actual percentage of success for sheep, and since many users are having very, very low success after multiple attempts, it really throws that explanation into question, at least in my book. Could Zynga really have intended for the inheritance rate to be so low, knowing that it would annoy players, perhaps to the point of never purchasing Ewes and Rams, thus defeating the purpose?

The same can be said for the multitude of White Sheep that are being bred. Lexi again tries to confirm that this is a normal possibility as "white is a color," and it is possible to produce white sheep "when the feature is operating normally." She throws in a kicker to this however, that Zynga is aware of the white sheep issue with Chameleon Ewes and Rainbow Rams, and will be fixing those two animals "sometime this week."

All in all, there's not a whole lot of good news here. If you're a fan of the Rainbow Ram and the Chameleon Ewe, know that your White Sheep problem will be fixed shortly. However, for the issue of pattern inheritance, our progress has basically been squashed, unless you are lucky enough to receive an actual patterned Lamb with these much lower success rates. Isn't the entire point of Sheep Breeding to produce Lambs of different patterns, and not different colors? If all we wanted was a yellow sheep, we've seen those released in past Spring events. If we wanted a gray sheep, we'd just turn in our Shovels in the Storage Cellar for a Miner Sheep, which is gray.

No, the entire point, at least in my mind, definitely is the fun patterns that can be bred. But with these new changes, that Zynga is seemingly adamant about not changing back, the entire feature loses its allure, and for me, doesn't warrant any further purchases. It will be interesting to see how many users agree with me (apparently, a lot).

What do you think of these apparently final changes to Sheep Breeding? Do you think public outcry will be enough to make Zynga reverse all of their recent changes (sans unblocking the "hackers")? Or, did Sheep Breeding just become a rather useless feature?

FrontierVille Horse Badges reward you for assigning Skill Points with the Updated Corral

If you don't care about the big hoopla concerning the Upgraded Horse Corral in FrontierVille, know that you now have extra incentive to care - or at least incentive to use the feature long enough to unlock the rewards. Once you've upgraded your Horse Corral, you can assign skill points to your Horse(s) in one of four major areas: Speed, Endurance, Spirit and Agility. Coincidentally enough, these four new FrontierVille Badges correspond with those four traits, and reward you for pouring skill points into each one.

To be specific, these four Badges start with a fairly simply requirement - simply assign 20 skill points each into Speed, Endurance, Spirit, and Agility. After you pass level one, you'll have to assign more and more skill points to each trait, which is where your own personal preference might come into play (as you'll likely choose one trait to be more important than the other three).

Either way, these Badges don't seem to have a time limit associated with them, so you've got plenty of time to assign points to any of these four Badges - it's all up to you.

Let us know which of these Badges you'll be going for first in the comments. Which is your favorite trait?


Bookmark this site!

FarmVille Sneak Peek: New Collections system coming soon

This is not your average FarmVille Sneak Peek. No sir, today we present to you a brand new feature that's headed to Zynga's cash crop (I know, brilliant): A new Collections system. FarmVIlle Feed has found some early images of the upgraded Collections feature, revealing that any partially-completed Collection will be finished off once this update lands. While no other significant details are provided, we can infer from the images that Collections will take on a sort of Mastery system.
FarmVille Collections Prizes
This means that players could be able to complete Collections more than once for even greater prizes than before. It looks as if players will "level up" their Collections to redeem huge rewards as levels increase. Now, as long as the game doesn't make Collection items requirements for future Goals, we'll be in the clear.

[Image Credit: FarmVille Feed]

Have you seen hints of this new feature appear in your game? What do you think of an improved, scalable Collections system?

FrontierVille Legends Paul Bunyan Timed Goal: Everything you need to know

Zynga will soon pay respect to the classics, the original pioneers of history and, in this case, folklore. A new Timed Goal is being prepared for FrontierVille as the first of a series titled "FrontierVille Legends." This one in particular is in honor of Paul Bunyan, the giant lumberjack, and his massive blue ox, which you'll win if you complete this Goal within 10 days.

Here are the requirements for the Paul Bunyan Timed Goal:

    Harvest 20 Wheat
    Collect 15 Maple Syrup
    Sell 20 Adult Oxen


To harvest the 20 Wheat, you'll need 7,300 coins and at least one day's time for them to ripen. The 15 Maple Syrup appear to be items requested from friends, so keep up on this while you wait for the Wheat and somehow raise and sell 20 Adult Oxen. If you were to do it all at once, 20 Oxen would cost you 18 thousand coins and take about 4.5 days to complete. Hopefully, you've saved your Boosts for just this occasion (an unlikely scenario for most). Thankfully, you have more than double that time to complete the Goal, though this Goal is still one of legendary proportions.

[Source and Image Credit: FrontierVille Info]

Have you seen this Goal appear in your game yet? How would you go about completing this Goal as quickly as possible?

FrontierVille Poker Table: Everything you need to know

Will you check and hope for the best, or bluff your hand to catch unsuspecting prey? If you've ever played Poker, these are questions that will run through your mind, and now, they can in FrontierVille as well via the addition of a Poker Table to the Saloon. The Poker Table will be added to your Saloon after you upgrade the building. After that point, you'll be introduced to the idea of card collecting.

No, this isn't card counting, it's card collecting. You'll be able to collect Poker Cards from collecting the Saloon's Daily Bonus and can then turn those cards in matching different poker hands and receiving various prizes based on the value of the hand you turned in. But first, you'll need to build the Poker Table, which requires you to collect the six items we'll reveal behind the break.

The six necessary Poker Table building ingredients are 10 each of I.O.U.s, Green Felts and Dealing Boxes, along with 15 each of Red Chips, White Chips and Blue Chips.

Once you finish building the Poker Table, you can either purchase card packs or hope to receive cards via the Saloon's Daily Bonus, as we mentioned before. From there, it's a matter of luck (and patience) before you can actually turn in a hand. The different hands are seen below, along with the prizes. You can win everything from concoctions (like a new option that allows you to do ten tends per neighbor for a limited time) to Horseshoes - 500 Horseshoes for a Royal Flush, as a matter of fact.

All told, this seems like an interesting new feature, but I wouldn't gamble too much on your receiving any great prizes anytime soon.

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

What do you think of the Poker Table in the Saloon?

FrontierVille Poker Table Goals: Everything you need to know

Along with the release of the Poker Table in the Saloon in FrontierVille (you'll be able to upgrade when your Saloon looks as pictured with an arrow) this evening comes the launch of three new themed goals. The first is called Lend Hank a Hand, and it sees you performing three relatively simple tasks:

Collect one Saloon Daily Bonus
Mix one Concoction
Have 1 Fancy Clothing

Fancy Clothing are crafted in the General Store using Clothes that are crafted in the Cabin. The Concoction can be any of those currently available to craft inside the Saloon, so just pick the one that's easiest to complete (that is, if you have all of the ingredients for a particular concoction, pick it first), and then collect the building's Daily Bonus to finish this one off. You'll receive 250 coins, 250 XP and one Granny's No.5 for completing this first goal.

Meet us behind the break to see what's next.

Goal number two is Raising the Stakes! and it increases the difficulty a bit, but still isn't anything too overly outrageous.

Visit 5 Neighbors
Tend 20 Peppermint
Collect 10 Markers

It doesn't say you actually have to harvest Peppermint, so you should be able to buy new if you don't have that many on hand. Meanwhile, you'll need to ask your friends to send you the Markers. Finishing this second goal gives you 250 coins, 250 XP and 5 Poker Cards. Remember, you can use these cards to create hands inside the Saloon's Poker Table for prizes like concoctions or even Horseshoes (if you're lucky and draw a good hand).

Finally, the third of these three goals is called Ante Up! and it will do what you'd expect - requiring you to use those newly received Poker Cards, and even lay a bit of your own money on the line for a bet.

Play 1 Poker Hand
Have 10,000 coins
Collect 10 Gamblin' Cases

Again, Gamblin' Cases must be earned by asking your friends to send them to you, while the Poker Hand can be played using those five Poker Cards you just received. And yes, even if you don't have what would normally be a winning hand in poker (that is, a pair or better), you'll still be able to turn a "No Hand" in for 250 XP and 500 coins. In finishing this final goal, you will lose your 10,000 coins, but you'll also receive 250 coins, 250 XP and will unlock the Loyal Pioneer Drink to craft inside the Saloon. This drink allows you to complete ten different actions on a neighbors' Homestead, which will come in extremely handy when being forced to tend Horses or another rare animal for future goals.

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

What do you think of these Poker Table goals? Are you sad to see that this isn't a longer goal series

FrontierVille Poker Badges reward you with more cards to keep playing

In what turns out to be a pretty appropriate cycle of gameplay, Frontierville's newest Poker Badges will reward you with extra playing cards for playing other cards on the Saloon's new Poker Table. To be specific, each time you play a hand of cards on the Poker Table (that is, each time you play five cards), you'll earn a point towards these four new Badges. Once you reach each milestone, you'll receive a bulk amount of cards as a reward, helping you continue the cycle of earning points for playing hands.

Here's the rundown of the four available Badges:

Poker Pioneer - Play 1 hand - Reward: 2 Cards, 250 XP
Poker Practitioner - Play 10 hands - Reward: 5 Cards, 500 XP
Poker Pro - Play 50 hands - Reward: 10 Cards, 1,000 XP
Poker Phenomenon - Play 100 hands - Reward: 25 Cards, 2,500 XP

As you can see, the higher Badges also reward you with some pretty killer experience point bundles, so they're worth earning even for those bonuses. The 2,500 XP could very well be enough to push you up another level, so won't it be satisfying to finally earn it? Just keep plugging away, collecting your Saloon's Daily Bonus to earn cards, and you'll eventually get there - I'd be willing to gamble on that.

What do you think of the rewards for these Poker Table Badges in FrontierVille? Will you become a card shark just to earn them?

Upgrading the CityVille Wedding Hall: Everything you need to know

CityVille Wedding Hall Upgrade
"You know, that Wedding Hall isn't big enough," the Zynga team agreed upon during a CityVille meeting. "Let's make into a wedding multiplex!" And thus, the Wedding Hall upgrades in CityVille were born. The steps for upgrading the Wedding Hall into a Wedding Skyscraper aren't much different from previous upgrades to CityVille community buildings like the Emergency Clinic and the Bank. However, Boosting your Wedding Hall to Level 3 will give it a new look, increase its Energy drops from collection and give it a chance to drop Sunglasses upon collection. (Isn't a church enough for you people?)


CityVille Wedding Hall Upgrade window

Wedding Hall readyBefore we get into what's required, here are some pointers on the new Wedding Hall. You are allowed more than one Wedding Hall in your city, though you can only upgrade one Wedding Hall at a time. Also, if you delete a Wedding Hall, that will restart the upgrade process should you ever want to get back into the matrimony business.

Once you reach 700 or more population in your city, you'll have the option to upgrade your Wedding Hall to Level 2. Just click on the ready Wedding Hall (as pictured) and select the relevant option.

Wedding Hall Level 2 (700 Population)

    Provides 200 Population
    More Energy when collecting
    Chance for Sunglasses when collecting


Once you do that, the above window will appear, requiring you to add six new crew members to your existing crew in the Wedding Hall. To bring in new friends, just click on the green "Hire Friends" button and you'll be whisked away to the familiar friend request screen. (Of course, you can always shell out City Cash.) Boosting the Wedding Hall to Level 2 gives you an extra 200 Population, increase the Energy you receive when collecting and adds a chance for Sunglasses to drop when you collect.

Wedding Hall Level 3Wedding Hall Level 3 (2,250 Population)

    Provides 520 Population
    Even more Energy when collecting
    Higher chance for Sunglasses when collecting


Upgrading the Wedding Hall to Level 3 is more of the same, though you won't be able to get that wedding multiplex until you reach 2,250 or more Population. Again, click the building to make the same window appear, but this time you'll need to recruit eight more friends. So, now it's time to say, "I do ... want to upgrade the Wedding Hall."

[Source and Image Credit: Zynga]

Have you boosted your Wedding Hall in CityVille yet? What do you think of these upgrades to community buildings?

FarmVille 2nd Birthday Countdown: Collect all 12 items to celebrate

FarmVille 2nd Birthday Countdown
Don't blow out the candles just yet. FarmVille's 2nd Birthday is such a huge event for Zynga, it deserves a countdown. Starting now, you can count down the 12 days until the 43 million-strong farming simulator enters its Terrible Terrific Twos. And all you need to do is log in each day, click a few buttons and collect your prize. (If only celebrating real birthdays were this simple.) FarmVille Freak has found all 12 items including a Doghouse, an Orange Duck, a FarmVille Hay Bale and more. Oh, and the fan site also found the Countdown's grand prize.
FarmVille Blue Mane Gypsy Horse
To receive your free items, just click on the "Ask/Share" below each revealed item. Then, you can either wait for a friend to send one over, or you can peruse the News Feed yourself for one. Collect all 12 gifts over the next 12 days and you will receive this Blue Mane Gypsy Horse. Sure, blue horses are cool and all, but slapping a big ol' horn on that thing's head would make for the whole package. Come one, we all know unicorn trumps horse ... every single time.

[Image Credit: FarmVille Freak]

Check out the rest of our FarmVille Second Birthday coverage right here.

Have you started your countdown yet? Which of the items (aside from the blue horse) are you most excited about grabbing?

Here's the official Google Games logo, thanks to Google+ source code

Man, you can't hide anything on the Internet anymore, can you? Okay, so we already knew that the Google Games effort is 100 percent happening, thanks to some nerdery at Engadget that found clues referring to it in the recently released Google+ (essentially Google's answer to Facebook) source code.

However, in that same source code, TechCrunch has found a direct link to the official Google Games logo, courtesy of a tipster. Better yet, that tipster found some interesting bits of code that reveal what could be a social gaming service (as if it would be anything else):

    /_/games/getGameFriends
    /_/games/getActivities
    /_/games/postToStream


While none of this is particularly shocking, we'll take all the confirmation of a worthy opponent to Facebook's games platform we can get. And don't think this will be some tacked-on feature to Google+. Earlier this year, the company posted a job offer specifically for its not-so-secret games project.

Google Games
And before that, Google has reportedly invested in numerous Facebook gaming companies including Zynga--not to mention it has already acquired gaming talent like Slide. Will the ultimate social gaming battle be between platforms Facebook and Google rather than creators like Zynga and EA? Our bet is in on both, and we have ringside seats.

Are you excited about the Google Games project? Do you think the search engine slash web apps slash everything-Internet-related company has a chance against Facebook in the social games space?

FrontierVille Mystery Crate hides mythical Jackalope, Eagle and Anole

A rabbit with antlers? Who in the world thought that one up? Anyway, Zynga has released a new Mystery Animal Crate to FrontierVille that contains the mysterious (and completely fictional) Jackalope.

Well, don't tell that to those southwestern folk. The Mystery Crate, which costs 40 Horseshoes (about $5), also features the most iconic bird in the history of the nation, the Eagle ... and the Anole. What a motley crew, huh?

At any rate, the Jackalope is essentially your standard bunny rabbit, though with antlers planted on its head. However, you'll notice the clever nod to Pikachu (you know, the Poke--forget it) in that yellow one with brown stripes. It's other varieties include boring white and brown.

The Eagle comes in standard black, gray and brown tones while the Anole Has some crazy color combinations including one an orange body, orange eyes, a blue belly and yellow stripes. This Mystery Crate is only around until for another two weeks, so scrounge up those Facebook Credits quick if you want Pikachu--I mean, a Jackalope.

[Source and Image Credit: FrontierVille Legend]

Have you bought this Mystery Crate yet? Which of the nine new animal varieties is your favorite ... besides Pikachu?

Pet Tales: Adopt fluffy animals and give them a place to play on Facebook

If you're a pet lover, looking for a more realistic pet simulation game on Facebook (that is, as opposed to something altogether cartoon-y like Pet Society), you might be interested in Rivet Games' Pet Tales on Facebook. This particular game looks to be, in part, inspired by the likes of the Nintendo DS game Nintendogs, as you'll adopt realistic dogs and cats and interact with them in a variety of ways.

The overall goal of Pet Tales is to restore an old, abandoned park so that more cute and fluffy animals will be drawn in to play with you. You'll get to choose just one pet to start your game - either a dog or cat - and can then begin the park's restoration process via a quest system (more pets are available for the game's premium currency). You'll need to complete tasks such as pulling weeds or purchasing very specific decorations like beds or benches. As you do so, you'll earn experience points which help you level up, allowing for you to purchase previously locked items. It should be noted that some of these items require extra "building" once placed on your land (that is, requires you to ask your friends to send you building ingredients to finish that particular item), which has become an all too familiar feature in any game even resembling a city-builder.

Sometimes, new animals will randomly appear in your park as you make progress (or you may need to complete specific quests to draw them out). For example, in my game I chose a cat as my starting pet, and was quickly greeted by two dogs and another cat as I completed the game's first two quests. All animals freely walk around and interact with items in your park, but you can "force" your own animal to interact with specific items by clicking on them. This includes interacting with other animals, which rewards you with even more experience points or collection items for the game's collection system. One of the game's more interesting social features even sees your friends' animals automatically appearing in your park, allowing for more interaction and for your two animals to become friends.

Aside from simply decorating and interacting with items in your park, you can also interact with your chosen pet directly by clicking on them and choosing the "care" option from the menu. There, you'll see a zoomed in, animated view of your pet, as you can complete three different tasks: feeding them, giving them water, or playing with them. Each of these are accomplished via the press of a button, or you can simply click on your animal in the middle of the screen to be allowed to pet them. Again, the pet reacts in real time to your actions, as a cat might purr when you pet it by moving your mouse on its fur, for instance.

As you play the game, your pet's confidence level will increase in a meter totally separate from your experience points. With a high enough confidence level, your pet can go on Play Dates with your friends' pets, which not only raises the friendship level between the two pets, but also rewards you with extra experience points and coins for doing so. In terms of other social elements, you can take your pet to visit your neighbors' parks, and then allow them to interact with their pets, toys or decorations that you may not have at home. You can even sign their guestbook (if they have one) to let them know you stopped by.

Gallery: Pet Tales on Facebook


While Pet Tales may only have the most basic of elements when it comes to decorating your park, the interactive elements with your cats and dogs are incredibly endearing. The realism here is something that's not overly abundant on Facebook, so if you'd like join the 800,000 users currently playing Pet Tales, I'd suggest you go right ahead.

Respectable research firm Doritos finds women like games more than sex

We've all heard the chocolate gag, but this is just ridiculous. Doritos--you know, Nacho Cheese?--found during a survey of 2,052 people for its upcoming Facebook game, Doritos Dip Desperado, that women like video games more than sex. Well, at least that's how we're (and everyone else is) spinning it, because crazy statistics like this are fun ... and its Friday.

According to the survey, 49 percent of women admitted to playing "online games," though as GamePro points out: It's not made clear whether these women are bombing cities in Call of Duty or building them up in CityVille. We're going to go with the latter. Regardless, this number is just 1 percent below men, meaning a whole darn lot of folks have their eyes glued to some screen, somewhere.

Of the 49 percent of video game femme fatale, 84 percent said they enjoy gaming sessions, compared to just 70 percent who said they enjoy love making, whoopee, boinking, what have you. (Women also reportedly enjoy games more than having a bath and shopping.) Now, here's the clincher: 23.1 percent of women, according to Doritos, spend more time online playing games than men, who came in at 22.3 percent. Dudes, we know you're digging on Halo more than FarmVille, but maybe it's time you joined the lady--ain't no shame in trying something new.

Do you buy these findings from Doritos? Do you find yourself playing more video games than your significant other? Does it have any effect on your relationship?

Building the CityVille Hotel Resort: Everything you need to know

Now that the Beach in CityVille has opened up for business, Zynga has released a brand new feature to the game: Hotel Resorts. This brand new building was teased earlier in the week, and it's actually more interesting than we previously guessed. This building is a Business that, when surrounded by other Businesses, increases in payout.

Better yet, players can invite their friends to stay in their Hotel Resorts, as long as there's vacancy (seriously). From there, messages can be shared across games through the building, and visiting your friends' Hotels can unlock special items for you. And, like all new features, it starts with a Goal:

1. Now, That's One Classy Joint!

    Place Hotel
    Complete Hotel


Place Hotel Resort
Once you receive this Goal, you can place the foundations for the Hotel immediately from within the Goal menu. Of course, the Hotel will take a few Energy to build up (6 to be exact), but after that, you'll need to ask your friends for a few items ... okay, a lot of items. However, a fancy Hammock decoration is in it for you for completing the building the Goal. Here's what you need to collect from your friends:

    Hotel Resort Add Business5 Satin Pillows
    5 Toiletries
    5 Sunglasses
    8 Beach Towels
    8 Bathrobe/ Slippers


On the Outside
Once the building is finished, you can give it a name. Then you must supply the Hotel with Goods like any normal Business, and in this case you'll need a whopping 500 Goods to supply it.

Then, start surrounding it with other Businesses to increase its payout--the more Businesses you surround the Hotel with, the more residents will check in for a night, so to speak. This increases how quickly you receive payout from the Hotel. However, it's important to keep your surrounding Businesses supplied as well so as to keep more customers checking into your Hotel.

Hotel Resort Invite Guests
And On the Inside
Click on the floating arrow above the Hotel to take a look at the options you have inside. From here, you can invite your friends to become VIP guests in your Hotel. However, it appears you can only have five VIP suites, but upgrading the Hotel will increase that amount--more on that later. Friends can still become normal guests, and the more you have of those, the faster you'll earn coin. Guests can also come from Cruise Ships, so it helps to keep those running at all times as well.

The Paying Customers
Okay, you don't really have to pay to be a guest in a friend's Hotel, but that's what you would be elsewhere than CityVille. (Thank heaven for the Internet, eh?) Once inside, you can ask to have your room upgraded, which increase the rewards you receive as a guest. You can also ask friends for VIP status, which yields the best rewards.

Hotel Resort Upgrade
Making Renovations
The Hotel can initially serve 500 guests, but that number can be expanded to 1,500 guests and 10 VIPs through Upgrading. However, upgrades to this building are far more involved than your standard Businesses (or maybe just more drawn out). Here's what you'll need for your first upgrade to 1,000 guests:

    Harvest the Hotel 10 Times
    Place 3 Businesses near your Hotel
    Gather parts to upgrade your Hotel


*Keep in mind that if you follow the above guide close enough, you'll reach these upgrade goals in no time.

[Sources and Image Credit: Zynga, CityVille Wiki]

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

Have you started on your Hotel yet? What tips might you have for getting to the max level Hotel even faster?

Adventure World Treasure Trail Expedition: Everything you need to know

So, you've gone through the jungle and have saved your friend Malcolm from the Lost Cave, but you've really only scratched the surface for what Adventure World has to offer. With Zynga's newest Facebook game, we see gameplay that is split into two: you'll have a Base Camp that allows you to earn supplies, build buildings and collect coins (not entirely unlike the Homestead in Pioneer Trail), and can then set out on adventures, or expeditions, that help to further along the main storyline, or just serve as side-quests of sorts.

The first of these expeditions is called Treasure Trail, and it sees you being put in search of an Azure Skull. You'll need to have 600 Supplies to start this expedition (after all, if you're going to be gone from Base Camp for an extended period of time, you'll need the basics like food and water), and will have enough Supplies to last you three days. To be specific, this three day time period is how long you have to finish the entire expedition, but if you follow our guide (and work straight through), you can easily finish it in one sitting. The Treasure Trail has three quests within itself; here's how to complete all three.

Find the Azure Skull!

Recover the Rare Azure Skull

As you might have guessed, this Skull is located at the very end of this particular map, and while the path is mostly linear, there are traps and enemies in the way (Snakes) that hope to stop you from succeeding. As usual, if you ever see a tiki-head with a lever, you'll want to make sure and clear your path to it before doing anything else (particularly walking over those matching tiles on the ground). If you do happen to get stuck, you'll have to waste valuable energy in escaping, so it is in your best interest to go a bit slower to avoid the traps.

Once you get to the end of the map, you'll see the setup above, where you'll need to click on the highlighted button to start a Simon Says game. Click on the three totems in the order you're told and the Azure Skull will lower allowing you to collect it.

Gather the Ruby Vases

Get at least 3 Ruby Vases

These Ruby Vases stand out pretty well against the green of the jungle, and while you can normally save your energy and skip collecting them, in this case they are required. Your first Ruby Vase is located just inside the map's beginning, so knock that shrub out of the way to get to it. The next Ruby Vase is guarded by a Snake and a trap, so make sure to deactivate the trap and eliminate the Snake before focusing your attention on the Vase itself. There are two more vases located even further ahead (one up a hillside, and the other next to the bridge, as seen below), so grab one or both of them to finish this particular quest with ease.

Gather the Jade Vases

Get at least 5 Jade Vases

These Jade Vases are harder to spot (since they're green like most of the map), but the quest works the same as the Red Vase quest above. Just make your way through the shrubs, snakes and traps to gather at least five Jade Vases. Watch out - one Jade Vase is particularly well hidden, to the left of a trap at the top of the map, as seen below.

Once you've finished these three quests, you'll receive your score and expedition/quest mastery points. That's right - you can complete these expeditions again multiple times in order to earn more coins, experience points and so on. That's not the way to eventually progress through the story, but if you need a few more XP before you can level up (and unlock new Expeditions to complete), it's something to keep in mind.

Congratulations on finishing your first real Expedition, adventurers! Keep checking back with us as we break down all of the Expeditions as they become available. Happy exploring!

Have you finished the Treasure Trail expedition? What do you think of the gameplay in Adventure World so far?

Adventure World Snake Marsh Expedition: Everything you need to know

After completing the Treasure Trail expedition in Adventure World, you've hopefully come to understand how the game is played, and how these Expeditions can work in your favor to help you level up and earn coins. For the second Expedition, Snake Marsh, you'll have a single day to make your way through the entire trip, with your possible rewards being a maximum of 445 coins and one Food.

Of course, you'll need to have some goodies before starting this trip, so you'll need to have 50 Supplies, one Food, one Fuel and one Water before you begin. These can be earned either through buildings in your own Base Camp, or by collecting them from buildings in your friends' camps (including the Base Camp of John Allen, the NPC character in your team). Snake Marsh is, you guessed it, full of snakes, and three quests to complete in all. Follow our guide and you'll be able to get through the Marsh in one piece, and with the top rewards.

A Place to Call Home

Plant 3 Rare Orange Flowers
Plant 3 Rare Pink Flowers
Plant 3 Rare Blue Flowers

Apparently, the climate is so great in the Snake Marsh that you're being asked to risk life and limb to plant some exotic flowers in the soil to test how well they'll grow. This is the main goal for the overall Snake Marsh expedition, seeing you traveling from one end of the map to the other, clicking on small mounds of dirt to plant flowers. As this map has a lot of cloud cover (clouds are removed as you explore more areas of the map) and isn't as linear, your best bet would be to start at one end and work your way around the outskirts of the map, clearing out snakes and bushes as you go. In this way, you'll be able to make sure you complete everything possible on this map, if you're into that sort of thing. That is, you could also fly through, just planting the flowers, if you're more into speed rather than completion.

Snake Master

Clear 3 Wiggling Bushes
Defeat 3 Quick Snakes
Get 5 Ruby Vases

Once again, you're asked to collect Ruby Vases, but these are often guarded by Snakes. While we're once again met with the Quick Snakes (of the brown, yellow and orange variety), these kinds of Snakes need a clear path to get to you, allowing you to tackle them only when you really want to. As for the Wiggling Bushes, these let you know that a Snake is hiding inside. Clear the bush and a Snake will appear, normally taking more than one whack to remove.

Dislike Spikes

Clear 10 Bushes
Disarm or Clear the Yellow Spike Traps
Disarm or Clear the Green Spike Traps
Disarm or Clear the Blue Spike Traps

For this quest, we're introduced to traps that are different colors, and the levers themselves don't necessarily have to appear directly next to the trap they control. For instance, the Blue Spike lever is directly north from where you enter this map, but the Blue Spikes themselves are on the far left side of the map. Just be cautious that you don't go into things with low amounts of energy, as you might be surrounded by snakes (which will remove all of your energy just by attacking you), and you'll eventually come through this Expedition in one piece.

As you likely won't be able to finish this expedition in one sitting, remember your time limit: if you don't finish in a single 24 hour period, you will have failed and will likely have to start over from scratch. While you're waiting for your energy to refill, keep checking back with us as we bring you continued coverage on Zynga's newest game. Have fun!

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

Have you started playing through Snake Marsh in Adventure World yet? What do you think of its increased level of difficulty over the game's beginning Expeditions / quests?

CityVille: Take to the field with new Sports-themed items

I hope you had your fill of the Farm theme in CityVille, as another theme has swooped in to steal the spotlight. To be specific, this new theme has to do with Sports, and there are tons of items available (some for coins, which is a plus) to allow your citizens to spend time in the great outdoors, living a fit and healthy lifestyle. As usual, we're here to give a complete look at what these items are, and (more importantly) how much they cost, so that you can be better prepared the next time you take on your role as Mayor.

Sports Hall of Fame (Community Building)

    Costs: 60 City Cash
    Raises Maximum Population Cap by 1800 citizens
    Available for: 6 Days


Kid on Unicycle (Decoration)

    Costs: 5,000 coins
    Payout Bonus: 1% to residences and businesses; extra 1% to Sports themed items
    Available for: 6 Days


Dodge Ball (Decoration)

    Costs: 27 City Cash
    Payout Bonus: 27% to residences and businesses; extra 27% to Sports theme
    Available for: 6 Days


Win Water Sports Drink (Crop)

    Costs: 4 City Cash per square
    Harvest Time: Instant
    Supplies: 360 Goods per square
    First Star of Mastery: 3 Harvests
    Available for: 6 Days


Archery Store (Business)

    Costs: 350,000 coins
    Requires: 335 Goods
    Earnings: 1781 coins
    Available for: 6 Days


Birdie Manor (Home)

    Costs: 30,000 coins
    Population: 170-320
    Rent: 19 coins every five minutes
    Available for: 6 Days


Healthy Home (Home)

    Costs: 10,000 coins
    Population: 130-250
    Rent: 231 coins every day
    Available for: 5 Days


Red Card Residence (Home)

    Costs: 65 City Cash
    Population: 1850-3650
    Rent: 461 coins every day
    Available for: 6 Days


Half-Pipe House (Home)

    Costs: 75 City Cash
    Population: 2350-4350
    Rent: 240 coins every eight hours
    Available for: 6 Days


Trophy Store (Business)

    Costs: 20,000 coins
    Requires: 260 Goods
    Earnings: 1445 coins
    Available for: 5 Days


Big Play Brewery (Business)

    Costs: 46 City Cash
    Requires: 335 Goods
    Earnings: 1781 coins
    Available for: 5 Days


Trampoline (Decoration)

    Costs: 11 City Cash
    Payout Bonus: 11% to businesses and residences; extra 11% to Sports theme
    Available for: 5 Days


Monkey Golf (Decoration)

    Costs: 120,000 coins
    Payout Bonus: 12% to businesses and residences; extra 12% to Sports theme
    Available for: 5 Days


Holland Hole in One (Decoration)

    Costs: 135,000 coins
    Payout Bonus: 12% to businesses and residences; extra 12% to Sports theme
    Available for: 5 Days


Pirate Putt Putt (Decoration)

    Costs: 27 City Cash
    Payout Bonus: 27% to businesses and residences; extra 27% to Sports theme
    Available for: 5 Days


Fencing School (Community Building)

    Costs: 55 City Cash
    Raises Maximum Population Cap by 1700 citizens
    Available for: 5 Days


On top of all of these items, there's also a Sports Mystery Crate available for 45 City Cash. If you purchase one, you'll be guaranteed one of four items: the Half-Pipe House, Red Card Residence, Fencing School or Big Play Brewery. This Mystery Crate will only be available for five days, so you'll need to decide fairly quickly if you want to risk receiving duplicates by purchasing multiple boxes, or if you'll purchase the four items individually.

As you can see, all of these items will be disappearing from the game rather quickly, so if you have any desire for them whatsoever, your best bet would be to purchase them now (even if it's just a few coin decorations), rather than waiting. Why? Well, there are few things worse than forgetting... and then regretting.

Will you purchase any of these Sports themed items before they expire from the store? What sort of theme of items do you hope Zynga releases next?

Cafe World Engagement Party Goals: Everything you need to know

Over the past few weeks, we've been bringing you continued coverage of the proposal saga between Cafe World's Joe and Lisa. In Part Three, we saw Joe finally being able to pop the question, and in what was a surprise to no one - she said yes! Now that the big question has been popped, the saga is still far from over, as there's an Engagement Party to plan, people, and you're just the (wo)man for the job!

As has become routine in new goal series, the dishes listed here are examples, and will likely be different from those you are asked to cook in your own game. Apologies all around, chefs, but there's no way for us to guarantee which dishes you'll have to cook in your own game (trust me, if I could, I would). That being said, here's a complete guide to finishing these goals and planning the perfect engagement party.

A Holly Hello

    Place the Hostess
    Serve 12 Kung Pao Stir Fry
    Collect 7 Table Mints


The Hostess is a new building project that will see you earning bonus Cafe Points for a week after her stand has been constructed. We'll bring you a complete guide to building Holly Hostess's stand just as soon as we can, so keep checking back. You can check out our complete guide to building the Hostess Stand right here.

Engaging Couple

    Collect 8 Surveys
    Collect 6 Invitations
    Serve 12 Blueberry Streusel


You'll need to ask your friends for both the Surveys and the Invitations, so make sure to make those your first steps. That is, you can cook the Blueberry Streusel while you're waiting, knowing that your friends could be responding to your requests at any time.

Invites Away!

    Collect 8 Cured Ham
    Serve 20 Creme Fraiche Caviars
    Serve 12 Tortilla Soup


Regardless of the dishes you're required to cook here (again, these dishes may vary from your own requirements), remember to look in your Gift Box for extra servings to help speed along the process. For finishing this goal, you'll receive the Antipasto recipe.

Early Arrivals

    Collect 6 Decorative Table Cloths
    Collect 8 Silver Napkin Holders
    Serve Antipasto 30 Times


By this point in the goal series, the Engagement Party is actually happening, but guests have started to arrive before you were really ready! You'll need to ask for these final touches to make the tables look great before Joe and Lisa's guests start to eat.

Hey Stranger!

    Collect 5 Funny Stories
    Collect 7 Folded Name Cards
    Master Antipasto to Level 1


Again, these items are themed to the event, and need to be earned by asking your friends to send them to you. You won't earn another recipe for completing this goal, but you will earn a bit of a cutscene in the story, showing off the happy couple at their party.

Strawberry Fields

    Collect 5 Sliced Almonds
    Collect 8 Fresh Strawberries
    Serve Super Chunk Fruit Salad 25 Times


After serving the appetizer (the Antipasto) previously, you've now moved onto the salad course, and for finishing this goal you'll receive a new salad recipe in the form of Strawberry Salad.

Picture Perfect

    Collect 7 Drink Charms
    Collect 7 Camera Batteries
    Serve Apple Cider 18 Times


You'll need the Drink Bar to finish this goal, although it's not clear whether or not this Apple Cider will be permanent across all users, or if it too will vary from user to user.

El Menudo

    Collect 9 Chili Powder
    Serve Chips and Guacamole 30 Times
    Spice 7 Neighbors' Stoves


For your next course, it's time to serve some Menudo, and you'll receive just that - the Menudo dish in your cookbook - for finishing this particular goal. I know we've been going for a while Chefs, but don't give up just yet!

Is This Thing On?

    Collect 8 Microphones
    Collect 6 Written Speeches
    Serve 20 Rootin' Tootin' Rib Eyes


What's a good party without entertainment? Apparently, Lisa and Joe's friends have come up with short speeches about the couple, so you'll need to give them microphones so they can be heard loud and clear (you'll also apparently have to write their speeches for them, which is odd, but I digress).

Maine Course

    Serve 12 Baklava
    Master Menudo to Level 1
    Serve Fruit Punch 16 Times


Unfortunately, we've only made it to the main course here, meaning that there's still plenty of work ahead of you. If you can make it this far, and complete this particular goal, you'll receive another new recipe: His & Her Surf n' Turf.

So Sweet

    Collect 9 Tubes of Frosting
    Collect 7 Cupcake Holders
    Serve Ginger Ale 18 Times


Even though we've moved onto dessert, don't get too excited - this party still has plenty of life left in it, and plenty of work left to be done.

Cupcake Creation

    Collect 10 Tea Leaves
    Serve 12 Triple Berry Cheesecakes
    Serve Gem Cake 12 Times


We're still not to the end of the Engagement Party, but we have at least officially moved onto dessert. For completing this goal, you'll receive the Elegant Cupcakes recipe.

Elegant Goodbye

    Master Elegant Cupcakes through Level 2
    Serve Chocolate Cream Pie 20 Times
    Serve Dark Roast 12 Times


The Coffee Machine is required for the Dark Roast (or whichever coffee drink you're asked to cook in your own game), but after you've dealt with these three tasks, you will have finally (mercifully) reached the end of the Engagement Party, along with its goals.

This is easily one of the longest goal series I can recall ever being released in the game, totaling 13 goals in all. Luckily, the game doesn't say anything about a time limit for these goals, so hopefully a larger chunk of players will have a chance to finish them (posted time limit or not, I don't expect them to be "permanent"). With the continuation of this particular story, it only makes sense that the next step will be the actual wedding (or, if Zynga really wants to draw this out, we could also see Bachelor / Bachelorette parties, along with a Bridal Shower for Lisa). Whatever comes next, we'll make sure let you know.

What do you think of these Engagement Party goals? Are you happy seeing such a long goal series that really gives you something to sink your teeth into, or would you prefer the goal series to be shorter?

Cafe World Holly Hostess Stand: Everything you need to know

Earlier tonight, we brought you a complete rundown of the many (many) goals in the Cafe World Engagement Party goal series, which sees Joe and Lisa celebrating their new engagement with friends. Of course, any party with this many guests needs someone to organize the arrivals, which is where Holly Hostess comes into the game. Holly heard about the engagement party we'd be throwing for the couple in our cafes, and has dropped by to help out. Of course, you can't expect this to be a simple affair, as you'll need to first build Holly's Hostess Station so she has a place to stand and work.

This is done by collecting a series of building materials or tools that Holly needs to work. You'll need five Highlighters, six Podium Lamps, seven Toothpicks and seven Table Charts. The Highlighters and Toothpicks are earned through general news feed posts, while the Podium Lamps and Table Charts are earned through individual gift requests sent to your friends.

Once you're done building the Hostess Station for Holly, you'll receive a 20% bonus on all Cafe Points earned in your cafe through cooking and serving dishes. However, this bonus isn't permanent, as it will only last for a single week. After that point, you'll need to use Energy Drinks to "recharge her" as she's become tired. These Energy Drinks can be purchased for Cafe Cash, as you might expect. Should you wish not to recharge her (which is your choice), you can either store the Hostess Stand in case the development team decides to create another use for her, or just use her as a decoration in your cafe.

What do you think of the Holly Hostess Stand / bonus in Cafe World? Will you use Cafe Cash to keep Holly constantly "energized" and ready to work?

CloudForest Expedition Sneak Peek: You're gonna have a rough landing

When we last heard word of Cloudforest Expedition, it was but a glint in legendary designer John Romero's eye. Well, that and a Facebook page chock full of little tidbits detailing the game, which is still in development at Romero's new social game studio, Loot Drop. Now, we've been granted access to some high resolution images of the game in action, and frankly, it's looking downright stunning.

In Cloudforest Expedition, players are on a search for their missing grandfather, which for whatever reason leads them to a jungle teeming with wildlife, ancient artifacts and strange tribes of natives. The images we have here seem to imply that you'll crash land in Cloudforest, left to your own devices to figure just what happened to your grandfather.

It seems that you'll encounter a normal (enough) looking jungle landscape in which either you or your grandfather landed in Cloudforest. From there, you will meet some colorful tribesman that appear to worship fire and dwell on a volcanic landscape. During your travels, you'll also come across other travelers or teammates, it seems, that we imagine will help you somehow navigate Cloudforest (and we assume will help you set up camp in various locations).

Gallery: Cloudforest Expedition on Facebook
We also know that players will get to choose between two avatars: a red-headed woman who seems to be channeling Lara Croft (and has a certain affinity for lemurs), and a roguish-looking man that's a cross between Rambo and Bear Grylls. To find out more about Cloudforest Expedition ahead of its Fall release, "Like" its Facebook page right here, and check out the rest of these images in the gallery.

Are you psyched for Cloudforest Expedition's upcoming release? What do you think/hope we're to expect from the game once it launches?

Nordeus's CEO on how Top Eleven became number one [Interview]

Being number one feels good, doesn't it? EA has been the most recognized name in sports games, even on Facebook--until a little game called Top Eleven came around the bend. Created by a small Serbian studio known as Nordeus, Top Eleven has quickly become the number one football (or soccer for you American folk) game on Facebook with over 4 million monthly players, according to AppData.

The game, which overtook EA Sports and Playfish's FIFA Superstars this summer, takes a far heavier simulator approach to the sports genre on Facebook. Oddly enough, this take has done quite well for Nordeus thus far. We sat down with Nordeus CEO Branko Milutinović recently to find out why the company took this approach to sports games on Facebook, how it has made it this far, and what it plans to do to stay on top. (Here's one: Top Eleven is available in about 27 languages, and it's all thanks to player contributions--now that's dedication.)

Noredus' motto seems to be, "Bringing desktop gaming experiences to social networks." Was this always the company slogan, and why did you decide to take this approach to social games?

It's probably my fault we still haven't changed it. Now, times have changed. When we got into social games at the moment, we though social games weren't complex or engaging enough, and someone who could translate the complexity of desktop games to social networks is going to be a huge success.

It has proven to be correct, because nowadays you see The Sims Social and Zynga is becoming less and less casual. Back then we thought we could differentiate ourselves from the competition by creating games that aren't completely casual or shallow, but complex and addictive. That's what we've done rather successfully with Top Eleven.

Our mission statement is a bit different--in a few words it would be something like 'Unifying gaming experiences throughout devices and platforms.' That's what Noredeus [has been] ever since we published Top Eleven.

How exactly will Nordeus connect the gaming experience between devices?

The idea is to provide users unique gaming experiences in that they can simply pick up where they left off. This would mean if you're, say, in the office and playing a game on Facebook during your break and you have to commute back home, we'll provide a way users can still interact, which is very important to them. You're going to be able to play the same game, with the same account, on different devices and platforms.

Top Eleven in action
Of course, football is huge in Europe, South America and some of Asia, but why did you go with a far heavier simulator approach to a Facebook game surrounding it?

There's a long and complex answer to that, which equals a lot of research we did. It comes down to the idea of providing users with a social game that's a bit more challenging than simply the relaxing, action-packed casual type. In short, people are managers at birth--everyone always thinks they would be able to run the country better, the team better.

And they simply don't get the chance to show how good they would have been doing the job that the other idiot is doing. That's the case in Europe, and I have a lot of American friends, so I think it's very similar back there as well. So, it's a characteristic of mankind [laughs]. In Europe, we're always having long and detailed discussions regarding football tactics or whether the manager chose the right lineup.

The idea is to fulfill users' natural need to show everybody else how good they would actually be, given the opportunity, by providing them a virtual plot that is only theirs. They're running the show, competing with other people, and Top Eleven really forces people that are friends to play together. Rather than the crew dynamics movement since day one of social games, we've taken it to the next level in that you're competing with friends synchronously.

It's also something that the rest of the industry is moving toward, but I think I can be very proud of us for picking some key elements of where social gaming is going to get to in the beginning--becoming the pioneers of what the social gaming scene is today over a year ago. I think that's the reason why a really small company from Serbia, which doesn't really have any tradition in building successful games--so, a very small company with very young people, and without any funding, we managed to build something that's rocking the boat now.

Now, will Nordeus remain focused on sports simulators, or does the company have an interest in pursuing other desktop gaming experiences on Facebook?

Without revealing too much, I can definitely say that we're going to remain in the sports genre. But we also have some plans to enter some other areas as well. Not in the distant future, but it's something to [look forward to.]

Facebook games have been largely a genre dominated by large American publishers (aside from Wooga). But I'm ready to see more culturally diverse social games. How do you think that as internationally-based companies gain global notoriety, the culture of other countries will come through in their social games?

I guess it depends on the publisher. From our side, our vision is to build global products, so we really want to cover as many countries in the world with a specific product. Of course, you can't always have the full coverage, but like with Top Eleven we have users from 140 or so countries. From our side, I don't think our culture is going to [influence] what we develop. Our vision is definitely global.

The Nordeus Team
Generally speaking, how does Nordeus plan to capitalize on this success? What can Top Eleven fans look forward to in the developer's future?

First of all, in a few weeks you're going to be pleasantly surprised by what we have been doing for many months. The game is going to evolve a lot--at the moment I can't share many details. But there are many improvements on the way, and we think the game is going to become exactly what users are passionate about.

And we have been conducting a lot of research and interaction with our user base. Our users are also very passionate about [Top Eleven], as our daily to monthly player ratio is one of the highest in the world: between 22 and 24 percent. And we have been working with them in polishing the feature set and building a product that's going to be super.
Thanks for sharing some of Nordeus's secrets for success with us, Branko.

What do you think of Top Eleven on Facebook? Do you prefer sports games on Facebook with the simulator approach, or something with more action?

Jimmy Buffett will tie Margaritaville Online to the real deal

In likely the most obvious brilliant move into Facebook games yet, Jimmy Buffett is hard at work with publisher THQ and Vancouver, BC-based developer Exploding Barrel Games on Margaritaville Online. (Though, why the game isn't simply known as "MargaritaVille" is beyond us.) In an interview with CNN, the legendary performer, author and songwriter spilled the salt, so to speak, on when the game will release and what it will be like.

According to Buffett, Exploding Barrel Games and THQ are looking at an October release to coincide with the end of his Las Vegas tour. As we already know from its initial announcement, the game will feature full 3D visuals, but Buffett revealed to CNN that players will first arrive in Margaritaville on a boat (of course) at Captain Tony's Bar. This game follows Buffett's songs, but goes even further to explore the stories within the world he has created over nearly 40 years.

The songwriter revealed that he hopes to connect the Facebook and iPad game to his existing Margaritaville restaurants and hotels via virtual goods purchased in the game. However, he has even more ambitious ideas for Margaritaville Online. "I'm toying with ideas of taking it into the real world, where you could have a battle of the bands, or you could have people play in our band," Buffett told CNN. "That's the kind of involvement that I'm looking at in the future."

Gallery: MargaritaVille Online on Facebook
Buffett will directly involve himself in the game beyond his music, which players will be able to listen to in-game. Parrot Heads will be able to directly interact with Buffett in the game, though there's a catch. "But you won't see my real name," Buffett revealed to CNN. "I'll sneak in. I already have my pseudonyms picked out, because I know they'll track me quick." We might not be able track the virtual Jimmy Buffett just yet, but we'll be tracking the release of this game ... just after this margarita.

Are you excited for Jimmy Buffett's big break on Facebook? What else do you hope to see in this social rendition of his tasty liquor-soaked world?

Pioneer Trail School House Upgrade: Everything you need to know

As your little ones sadly march off to another year of dreaded school, Zynga has turned that familiar fiasco into the next exciting update to Pioneer Trail. The School House can now be upgraded in a series of complex, repeatable Goals that will ultimately build your children's confidence in riding a pony to school. Of course, you must have at least one child and a completed School House. Since you probably just can't wait to send even more kids away to school, here's everything you need to know:

If you meet the above criteria, then a pop-up will appear next time you log in, click the green button to get started. (If you choose not to start immediately, just click on the School House and then "Upgrade" to start on the building.) To start the series of Goals, click on your oldest child, who will have an exclamation point hovering above its head.

Childhood Memories

    Have or Start the School House upgrade
    Feed 20 Pigs
    Feed 20 Ducks


Again, to start the upgrade, just click on the School House and then "Upgrade." From there, Humble Bob will appear with a message asking for a payment of 10 coins to start upgrading the building. Once you pay up, the School House will appear under a tarp during the upgrade process, which requires you to collect the following items:
Finish your School House
We image that, based on the wording of the upgrade menu, you will post requests to your News Feed for the 10 School Bells, School Desks and Text Books. The latter three, however, look as if you'll be asking friends directly for them. And that's especially unfortunate considering you need 15 of each.

The Pigs and Ducks must be fed on your Homestead, the first of which costs 365 coins, while we imagine the latter is referring to Injured Ducks and feeding them Critter Milk. Your rewards for completing this Goal include an Ice Cream Sandwich, 250XP and 250 Coins.

Make Hay While the Sun Shines!

    Tend 12 Horses on your homestead or neighbors'
    Collect 10 Small Pitchforks
    With your Child, mount the Playful Pony


This Goal is somewhat special in that it cannot be completed until you fill the Confidence Meter completely. This feature measures your progress in the repeatable Confidence Goals, which must be complete three times over. Though, each time you finish the set of Goals, you will be reward with a new animal and eventually the Playful Pony.

Before we get to that, however, you'll likely find the 10 Small Pitchforks through friend requests, as they're not a Market item. Your rewards for completing this overarching Goal will be an Apple Treat, 500XP and 500 Coins. Onto the Confidence Meter and its Goals.
Pioneer Trail Confidence Meter
Whenever you complete a "First Day of School" Goal, your child's Confidence Meter will grow, and completing the series will reward you with special decorative animals each time. The final reward will be the Playful Pony, which is exactly what you need to finish this series once and for all.

Fresh N' Fruity

    Harvest 20 Pink Roses
    Harvest 40 Apple Trees
    Collect 10 Salami


To harvest 20 Pink Roses, you will need at least 6,000 coins and 14 hours time, if you plant them all at once. Tending to an Apple Tree counts as harvesting it, though they don't produce Food until they're mature. Apple Trees cost 800 coins apiece. The 10 Salami more than likely come from asking your friends for them. For completing this Goal, enjoy a Green Apple Tree, six Wax Canvases and six Leather Straps.

Baby's Got A Brand New Bag

    Collect 15 School Supplies
    Collect 50 Reputation Points
    Craft two Rucksacks in the School House


School Supplies can be sent among friends through the Free Gifts page, so make sure to update your Wishlist with this item to increase your chances of friends sending them your way. To gather 50 Reputation Points, you must visit your friends' Homesteads and do favors for them. Since each visit provides five Reputation Points, just visit 10 friends and be done with it.
School House Crafting Workbench
To craft two Rucksacks, you will need a total of 16 Wax Canvases and 9 Leather Straps, both of which are found through asking friends (and the previous Goal's reward gives you a head start). Your rewards for this Goal are a Spring Water, 12 Copper Rivets and 12 Cloth Denim.

Upgraded School HouseGotta Look Good

    Collect Upgraded School House bonus once
    Collect 10 Pairs of Shoes
    Craft three School Outfits in the School House


Of course, you will have to have an Upgrade School House by this point. To find the 10 Pairs of Shoes, it looks like you'll yet again have to ask your friends. The same general idea in the previous Goal applies to this final Goal.

You're given a jump start with 12 Copper Rivets and Cloth Denim, but crafting three School Outfits will require a total of 27 Cooper Rivets and 18 Cloth Denim, the rest of which you must ask friends for. Enjoy your new Gala Apple Tree, 2,000XP and 2,000 Coins for completing this Goal.

The first time you complete this series of Goals, you'll earn a Giant Hamster. The second time around will reward you with a Cute Dalmatian (just a decorative animal), and the third tour will net you that Playful Pony required to finish the Goal titled "Make Hay While the Sun Shines!" Finally, that's the end of the School House upgrade Goals.
[Source and Image Credit: Zynga]

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

Have you started putting your digital kids through school once more? What tips do you have to complete these Goals even more quickly?

CityVille Governor's Run Goals Act 1, Part 1: Everything you need to know

Well, I guess we know now what Captain Krunsch meant when he said, "I plan on sleeping in the governor's mansion tonight!" Now that Governor Phil has abandoned his post and joined the Circus, Zynga has introduced the Governor's Run Goals to CityVille.

This event will span three acts, each consisting of nine Goals to complete. Here's everything you need to know about the first of the Governor's Run Goals, which revolve around Farmer Rita (Please keep in mind that this is early information and is subject to change):

First of all, you must be at least Level 50 to have access to these Goals. Once you reach that criteria, a window will appear upon logging into the game that features a short Flash video detailing just how Krunsch made it onto the campaign trail.

In this Governor's Run event, you must win over the hearts of the three major voting groups consisting of nine series of Goals: The People, Special Interests and Big Business. So far, we have just have information on Farmer Rita's portion of Act 1.

CityVille Feast or Famine
Feast or Famine

    Collect 10 Bags of Animal Feed
    Master the Alfalfa Crop
    Have 3,000 Goods


To acquire those 10 Bags of Animal Feed, ask your friends through the Goal's menu. To completely master Alfalfa, you will need a total of 13,200 coins, and each Alfalfa will take six hours to ripen. Harvesting 300 of these crops should net you the 3,000 Goods you need. Your reward for this Goal is 60 XP.

CityVille Run for Governor
Creating a Buzz

    Collect 15 Organic Locust Sprays
    Harvest 80 Locust Resistant Blueberries
    Harvest 80 Neighbor Crops


The 15 Organic Locust Sprays are found by asking friends through the Goal window. These Locust Resistant Blueberries look to be a new crop in the game. To harvest the 80 neighbor crops, you will have to visit 16 friends total. No reward information for this Goal is available yet.

Farmer Charmer

    Collect 20 Fruit Cartons
    Collect from 7 Cruise Ships
    Collect from Produce Paradise 10 times


The 20 Fruit Cartons are more than likely found through friend help requests, like the similar Goal requirements before it. Since Cruise Ships generally act like Community Buildings and can only be collected every 12 hours, this portion of the Goal will take at least 84 hours, or 3.5 days.

The Produce Paradise costs 12,500 coins, and considering the massive amounts of coins most high-level players have these days, I'd recommend buying a bunch and selling them back, if you're feeling impatient. Again, no reward information available on this one yet. Once you complete these three Goals, the second part of Governor's Run Act 1, "The People," will be made available to you.

[Source and Image Credits: Zynga, LightChan]

Have you started the Governor's Run series of Goals in CityVille yet? What tips do you have for completing these Goals even more quickly?

Michael Bublé croons his way into CityVille to ring in the holiday

Zynga has gone celeb crazy in CityVille, its top game on Facebook. The next star to make his social game debut is none other than Michael Bublé. The swing singer from another era will strut on into the popular Facebook just in time for Christmas this year to promote his new chart-topping album for the holidays, "Christmas". And according to CityVille GM Scott Koenigsberg, "Bublé was a perfect fit."

"We love bringing real-world experiences into the game," Koenigsberg tells us. Sometime near Christmas, players will get to interact with Bublé in CityVille, as his avatar will walk around in players' cities, greeting players with a few sayings. (We're told those are still in the works with Michael Bublé.) The main draw of the promotion is for players to build a holiday bonfire with Bublé and their friends, which will unlock an exclusive music video featuring the crooner himself.

As players work to complete the holiday bonfire, they'll collect various items from turntables to hockey sticks that give players hints as to just what kind of guy Michael is. Koenigsberg says that this promotion won't be as mechanically different from previous in-game celebrity events (like, say, Enrique Iglesias's time in CityVille) as it will be thematically different with new artwork and assets. As for why Zynga has become obsessed with celebrity?

"One of the reasons why we do these integrations is because our players love it," Koenigsberg gushes. "We actually spend a lot of time speaking to our players, through our forums, through Skype chat. We actually just invited some local players in the San Francisco area to come have lunch with us and sit down and talk to them." Stay tuned to CityVille as we inch closer to Christmas to see just how Bublé will hit the game in a big way.

[Image Credit: The Berry]

Are you excited to hear that Michael Bublé is headed to CityVille? What celeb would you like to see in the game next?

Now you can venture into ForestVille in the good old US of A, too

But for whatever reason, The Big Z didn't make a big stink of it. Zynga has released ForestVille for iPhone and iPad to the US App Store for the wonderful cost of "free". However, the company merely made the announcement on its blog, rather than its usual teasers through the media. ForestVille has been available on the Canadian App Store for a few days prior.

"Farms, frontiers, cities and castles are all important and familiar 'Ville' territory," Zynga wrote in its announcement. "Today, we head to the wilderness to bring you Zynga's newest mobile game ForestVille. And we're sure you'll find it quite a different kind of 'Ville' and forest when you look beyond its trees."

We were under the impression that the game's presence in Canada was merely a test. As it turns out, ForestVille is ready enough for release. We first heard word of the woodland creature-filled addition to the 'Ville franchise through a series of domains registered by Zynga, and later the game's Facebook fan page was found. It seems that Zynga decided to simply let the cat out of the bag.
Gallery: ForestVille on iOS
We've had a chance to look at the game in depth since it hit the Canadian App Store. And just as this writer estimated before, ForestVille isn't much different from the stable of 'Ville games already available on both Facebook and mobile devices. Nevertheless, the game's free, so it's worth a shot to see if forest critters are more your thing than human beings.

Click here to download ForestVille for Free Now >

Have you tried ForestVille yet? What do you think Zynga can do to spice up the 'Ville franchise, or should it move on?

Meteor Games axes almost all staff, shutters social Neopets [Report]

And the company couldn't have better timing. Inside Social Games reports that Meteor Games, the social game developer behind Facebook games like Island Paradise and Serf Wars, has laid off 90 percent of its staff. Anonymous sources told the website that the terribly unfortunate move was made because the company couldn't raise funding for find an interested buyer.

Along with loosing nearly all of its staff, Meteor Games also opted to shut down Neopets: Treasure Keepers, which as of this writing welcomes just 30,000 monthly players and 3,000 daily players, according to AppData. Meteor Games made the announcement on the game's Facebook Wall just yesterday that the game would close today. As an apology for the short notice, Meteor Games gave players some items to use within the game before it closes.

ISG reports that the game peaked in September to the tune of 300,000 monthly players and 35,000 daily players, but it plummeted soon after. Sadly, Meteor Games isn't looking so hot across the board, as its total monthly player base is a hair above 900,000.

The website also confirms that company CEO Zac Brandenberg, left 4-year-old Meteor Games in November. Our best wishes go to those that may have lost their jobs at such an unfortunate time. We've reached out to Meteor Games for comment.

Were you a fan of Neopets: Treasure Keepers? What do you think this news might mean for other smaller social game makers?

With Angry Birds playgrounds, your kids might never come back inside

At this point, the only way to go up is to build an Angry Birds theme park. For the moment, Angry Birds-themed playgrounds should do just fine. Rovio partnered with Lappset Group to create two playgrounds in Finland complete with play equipment inspired by the iconic mobile game-turned-entertainment brand. The playgrounds will arrive in Rovaniemi and Espoo next year.

"The activity parks perfectly tie in with the Angry Birds world and our way of thinking," Rovio "Mighty Eagle" and CMO Peter Vesterbacka said in a release. "We will be developing a service which brings together the digital world and the physical world in a way that's never been seen before. The popularity of Angry Birds isn't restricted to any age, sex or social group, and the activity parks too will be designed to be interesting places for absolutely everyone, all around the world."

Every piece of play equipment --20 in total--in the parks will evoke a piece of the Angry Birds universe. Kids will romp around on everything from Angry Birds spring riders to climbing towers with slides. According to Kotaku, the playgrounds will even feature kid-friendly slingshots. And somehow, Rovio looks to merge the world of its games with these kiddie parks.

Of course, the Angry Birds are no stranger to exposure in the real world. Rovio has released numerous pieces of Angry Birds merchandise including even a cookbook. People have made life-sized games of Angry Birds, and Rovio has spurred thousands to scream at the Angry Birds. If you ask us, this is Rovio simply prototyping its Angry Birds Fortress of Solitude.

[Via and Image Credit: Kotaku]

Would you play with your kids at an Angry Birds playground? What's the next step in the real world for Angry Birds?

Canadians get to have all the fun: ForestVille testing way up north

Maybe it's consolation for being cold all the time? (Can you tell this writer has never been to Canada?) Inside Mobile Apps reports that Zynga is currently testing the recently-leaked ForestVille iPhone game on Canadian audiences. In fact, you can download the game on the Canadian iTunes App Store right now for absolutely nothing, but only if you have access (i.e. are actually Canadian).

The Facebook page has since been pulled, but we had enough time to catch a glimpse of the game's early promotional artwork. Now, we have a brief idea of what the game will look like, based on a few screen shots. The game looks decidedly more macro than previous 'Ville games on mobile phones, namely CityVille Hometown and Holidaytown. However, players can connect their ForestVille game to the two CityVille games and check pending messages from both while playing this new game.
ForestVille map
The play hooks seem to be all the same: Help a fledgling community (in this case, woodland creatures) build a thriving city, decorate said city, make money from said city, continue growing city, repeat. The visuals in ForestVille look less detailed than their CityVille counterparts, but that might be because the game view is more zoomed out than previous versions.

ForestVille will work on all iOS devices dating back to the iPhone 3GS, and it will feature Facebook Connect, according to the Canadian app page. However, keep in mind that this game is testing, which means it may not even make it elsewhere. (You know, like Kingdoms & Castles?)
ForestVille balloon
[Image Credit: Zynga]

Are you excited about this new 'Ville game? Based on these early images, what do you think of the game's graphics? Play mechanics?

CityVille's Summer Beach Goals are the next to hit the chopping block

One by one, goal series are dropping like flies in CityVille, forcing those players who may not be as active to catch up - and fast - in order to avoid losing out on some exclusive prizes. We saw this recently with the Family Vacation goals, and now the hammer has come to the Summer Beach goals that were originally released in August.

If you didn't finish these goals then, here's a recap for your reference:

Farmer's Tan

    Get 12 Bottles of Sunscreen (general wall post)
    Collect from Beach Hut 7 Times
    Have Sand Castle
    Reward: Surfer Girl decoration


A Shore Thing

    Collect from Taffy Shop 10 Times
    Send 20 Tour Buses to Sunglasses Stores
    Ask for 20 Snorkels (general wall post)
    Reward: Coral Reef unlocked in store


Tourist Trapper

    Supply 5 Cruise Ships
    Harvest 40 Cabbage
    Send 30 Tour Buses to Cinemas
    Reward: 2,800 coins


Pool Pigeon

    Get 15 Pigeon Bathing Suits
    Collect from Jet Ski Shop 5 Times
    Have one Fish Fountain
    Reward: Marina unlocked


As of this writing, you have around 62 hours to complete any goals that you might have missed, or to start from scratch if you're pretty far behind on your goals in your city. Is that enough time to complete them all? I suppose that would be depend on how many neighbors of yours have Sunglasses Stores, or how active they are in helping you out when you request items. If the prizes here matter enough to you, remember that you can always buy your way to them with City Cash, although that would be a very expensive prospect for items that have been available in your game for free for a few months now. The choice is up to you - good luck!

Have you already finished the Summer Beach goals in CityVille, or will you now have to scramble to finish them all in time?

Empires & Allies: Reach Level 5 in Mafia Wars 2 for a Fighter Bundle

In addition to the cross-promotions found in games like FarmVille and CityVille, another Zynga game has taken its turn of publicizing the company's newest Facebook game, Mafia Wars 2. Here, we see a promotion come to Empires & Allies, offering players a Fighter Bundle filled with goodies if you can make it to Level 5 in Mafia Wars 2.

Making it to Level 5 takes about 10-15 minutes, but can be even quicker if you already have multiple friends playing the game (as you could visit their compounds and earn extra supplies without using your own energy). Just make sure to access Mafia Wars 2 through the in-game pop-up that should appear for you when logging into Empires & Allies to make sure your progress "syncs" back to your Home Island.

Once you've reached Level 5, come back to Empires & Allies (refreshing the game if necessary), and you'll see the following pop-up, alerting you to your prizes. Specifically, the Fighter Bundle contains three items: Air Strike, III, Poison Gas III and a Tactical Nuke. All three will pop into your inventory where you can choose to use them at the most advantageous time for you in battle.

Remember, it's likely that this promotion won't be around forever, and as these prizes can really help turn the tide for you in battle, there's no reason not to spend a few minutes trying out Mafia Wars 2, even if you have no intention of playing it again. Play the game once, and you'll unlock multiple prizes across tons of Zynga games, so what are you waiting for? Claim them all before it's too late!

Have you already received your Fighter Bundle in Empires & Allies, or do you simply have no desire to ever play Mafia Wars 2?

Cafe World: Reach Level 5 in Mafia Wars 2 for a Lavender Lightning Stove

Hoping to pull in plenty of its existing player base into Mafia Wars 2, Zynga has launched yet another cross-promotional in one of its games, offering prizes to those players who try out its newest Facebook game at least for a few minutes. Specifically, this newest promotion is in Cafe World, offering players a trio of items for reaching Level 5 in Mafia Wars 2.

This task should take you no more than 10-15 minutes, and should be even easier now, as many of your friends have likely already tried the game to earn prizes in their own favorite Zynga games. Once you reach Level 5 (I'd suggest entering the game from the Cafe World pop-up so that it can be guaranteed to keep track of your progress), you can come back to Cafe World and will likely have to refresh the game to see your prizes in your inventory, spice rack, etc.

The three prizes here are a Lavender Super Stove, a six-pack of Instant Thymes (used to make your dishes instantly ready to serve), and the Chocolate Eclairs.

With this, we've now seen promotions in FarmVille (free Unicorn), CityVille (free Casino), Pioneer Trail (free White Lion), Empires & Allies (free Fighter Bundle) and now Cafe World. With the requirement being the same across all games - simply reach Level 5 in Mafia Wars 2 - you can play the game just once and rack up all of these prizes for free, just by making sure to login to each during what's expected to be a limited time promotion period. So, what are you waiting for? Plenty of free goodies are out there waiting for you people! Go make the most of them!

How many of these promotional prizes have you already claimed in these games? Which promotion has been your favorite so far?