FarmVille goes tropical with round two of Island decor

Two days ago, the first set of island decorations was debuted in FarmVille, and while we didn't think it would be an enormous collection we didn't expect to see so many items come so fast. Tonight, 12 more tiki inspired items were released - making this set begin to take over the Market in FarmVille. These items are a great mix of coins and Farm Cash, so everyone will be able to partake in this summery theme. Here are the new items:

Hot Pink Flamingo - 12 Farm Cash
Island Stage - 14 Farm Cash
Spider Monkey - 18 Farm Cash
Pink Hibiscus (Crop)
Island Grill - 30,000 coins
Island Totem - 25,000 coins
Sand Hammock - 20,000 coins
Sky Hammock - 20,000 coins
Bamboo Fence - 5,500 coins
Tree Village - 42 Farm Cash
Island Resort - 36 Farm Cash
Island Shanty - 55,000 coins

FarmVille island items
We're not sure how popular this theme will be, as there are already plenty of island games out there already. It is nice to see something new following the Tuscan items, which we were starting to grow weary of. Nothing here stands out as being totally awesome though, except perhaps the Tree Village which is something unlike anything we've seen thus far. At 42 Farm Cash, it is the most expensive of the new decorations.

Have you been decorating your farm for the summer months, or are you skipping this theme entirely?

Send Lava Mangoes to your friends in Treasure Isle

The next installment in the "get everyone incredibly excited for the Fire God Mountain maps" is a new gift available on the Treasure Isle gift page. You can now send friends a new Lava Mango on the gift page. If you hover over this gift, it tells you that it will give 20 energy inside volcanoes.

These new mangoes are ONLY usable inside the Fire God Mountain, and regular mangoes will not be usable within the volcano. Some players have been confused over this, but a moderator on the official Treasure Isle forums has clarified this. These new Lava Mangoes do not have an expiration, so now is a good time to be stockpiling them to work your way through the Fire God Mountain volcano maps once they are released.

Are you getting excited for the new Fire God Mountain?

'Super Whales' drop upwards of $10K on social games

If you've ever wondered just how much people are spending in FarmVille and other social games, a new report from Social Gold and Inside Social Games have found some (disturbing) answers. About 90% of social gamers don't drop a dime on these free-to-play games, but those who do, average about $60 a person.

That's not the unsettling part of the story. There's a tiny percentage of that spendy population, called "Super Whales,' who have dropped over $10K on FarmVille and its ilk. Social Gold, a company that provides microtransaction software to game developers, reports that one lavish spender in Saudi Arabia has dropped $25,000 (yes, you read that right -- 25 THOUSAND) dollars on social games and another in the US has invested nearly $20,000 in games as well. Can you say goodbye college fund?

One game maker says he ran across several hedge-funders who tried to out-spend each other in one of his games, dropping over a grand each on virtual armor and weapons. We predict it's only a matter of time until we see a bankrupt virtual farmer sobbing on Dr. Phil. Oh, the horror.

YoVille: More Hollywood goodies

New Hollywood items have been released in Yoville. You can now complete your Manhattan, Fantasy and Romance movie sets with the newest set items. Many other miscellaneous items are also available. make sure to check a list of pictures and prices are after the link.

Which set are you going to build?

This article originally appeared on YoVille Lounge.

FarmVille Unreleased Tiki Hot Rod Surfboard, Pink Surfboard, Stripe Surfboard, Tiki Surfboard, & Double Surfboard

        farmville hot rod surfboard
Thank you to FarmVille Freak Farhan for finding these unreleased FarmVille Tiki Hot Rod Surfboard, Pink Surfboard, Stripe Surfboard, Tiki Surfboard, & Double Surfboard.

This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.

Cold Drinks Collection in Pet Society

Despite my aversion to sodas in real life, I have to say that these bottles are delightfully shaped and colored! Several players have been lucky to collect all ten of the new cold drinks from the Pet Society vending machines.

From left to right, the drinks are:

    Cold Orange Soda
    Cold Cola
    Cold Peach Iced Tea
    Cold Tropical Drink
    Cold Lemonade – I think this one's my favorite bottle.
    Cold Coconut Drink
    Cold Grape Soda
    Cold Lime Soda
    Cold Cherry Cola – Oh, wait. I like this one even better.
    Cold Mint Drink


Remember singing "99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall" as a kid? This pet has 105 bottles, to be exact!
pet society soda
This article originally appeared on Pet Society Anonymous.

Summer Permanent Hair Styles arrive to YoVille

yoville summer hair
Two New YoVille Permanent Hair Styles: Blonde Summer Hair (16 YoCash) for girls and Male Blonde Summer Hair (16 YoCash) for guys are offered at the Salon for a limited time. Get them while you can!

Take a closer view after the jump.
yoville summer hair
yoville summer hair
This article originally appeared on YoVille Lounge.



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New Summer Stylings arrive at the YoVille Fashion Store!

Its a Hot YoVille Summer! Cool off and get decked out in the latest Summer Fashions. Cropped Tops, Headbands, Summer Shorts, Summer Sandals, Summer Floral Dress with coordinated Floral Flats and Hat for Girls. And Summer Vest, Shorts, Tanks, Slip-Ons, and Navy and Summer Hats for Guys! Head on down to the Fashion Store!

See the complete selection after the jump.
yoville summer clothesyoville summer clothesyoville summer clothesyoville summer clothesyoville summer clothesyoville summer clothes
This article originally appeared on YoVille Lounge.


Bookmark this site!

Wild Ones match selector lets players revert to old settings

wild ones match selector
There was a time long ago when Wild Ones was a game of survival. Players had one life and had to strategically fight and endure until they remained victorious as the last one standing. Unfortunately to the dismay of dedicated fans, on one fateful day, Playdom changed the rules. Wild Ones became a deathmatch style game where pets merely respawned when they died. Many players were totally outraged at the abrupt change to the game they knew and loved.

Well friends, I'm happy to announce, the old Wild Ones is back.

Wild Ones introduced a new match selector screen (pictured above) that expands and streamlines the process of finding a battle:

First, players choose a mode:
wild ones point match     wild one team point match
wild ones last one standing     wild ones last team standing
wild ones super speed     wild ones custom game
Fans of the old Wild Ones will be delighted to not only see the return of their beloved Last One Standing, but there is now a team option for the survival gametype too! I can assure you, it's just as awesome.

The match selector then lets you choose a map, yet some of the levels still require higher levels to be unlocked. Also pretty exciting is six blank map slots that are sure to be filled soon. In addition, the new match selector retains all the options for private games and customizable options with the Custom Game mode.

The usually angry and upset Wild Ones fans have nothing to complain about this time. This update asks for no Facebook Credits and no commitments. All the new match selector does is expand the game to embrace all its players: those who love the new point match and those who were devastated by the removal of last one standing. Personally, I'm a fan of the latter, so I'm definitely ready to jump back into the strategic game of survival I had come to love.

Click here to play Wild Ones>

Mafia Wars promises more rewards if you give up your email

Mafia Wars on Facebook is pulling out all of the stops (OK, maybe more like a concerted effort) to convince you to give up your email address. Now, if you hand it over, you'll receive emails that include updates from the game and bonus loot in the form of animals, stamina refills, XP, Reward Points and Energy.

Does this new offer compel you to give up your email to Mafia Wars?

Treasure Isle Gem Mine is 'coming soon'

Always on the hunt for certain colored gems in Treasure Isle? Got too many purples, greens, reds and blues but never seem to have any orange? The new Gem mine feature might help lessen the pain of always searching for missing gems. The mine will allow you collect gems every 24 hours and pick which color gems you want. The official TI Facebook fan page says it's 'coming soon,' so stay tuned.

Mafia Wars Beat the Feds yanked for a second time -- foiled again!

Update (8/14): Beat the Feds has returned to the game, though it still has been very buggy for some players. Is it working for you?

Mafia Wars launched the new Beat the Feds challenge today and after complaints about various bugs, rolled back the new mission with no indication on when it would be back again. This is the second time that this special mission has launched and was rolled back again -- the first time, the challenge went live for a few hours and was yanked as well.

Below is the error message I got when I tried to attack Agent Karlin. When I hit the red button, the bar under Karlin said 'undefined/900' and nothing happened. Clicked again -- nothing happened. Then Mafia Wars wouldn't load and when it finally refreshed, the event had disappeared from the game.

mafia wars beat the feds In the official message boards, one player posted their chat conversation with Zynga help, which confirmed that Zynga has pulled Beat the Feds again and that they did not know when it would be back in action. I just went back to the message boards to pull direct quotes from this chat, but now it's no where to be found. Not sure if the comment was deleted or moved to another spot in the forums.

Other players who had already beat some of the bosses, came back to find their loot missing and others couldn't play at all because the game was frozen. Either way, Beat the Feds is no longer in the game for now.

Update: The official word from a Zynga community manager is that they've 'slowed down the release' to handle the bugs.


    We're seeing some technical issues with the Fight Event, so we've slowed down our release while we work on resolving the situation. We want to thank our players for their patience and for immediately providing us with helpful info which we're using to resolve this matter as quickly as possible.

    We'll keep you posted on the status of the event as soon as we have more information for you. Again, thanks for your support!

Google and Social Gold -- it's official

Jambool, creator of the Social Gold virtual currency platform, have officially announced that they have been acquired by Google, which confirms rumors that were circulating earlier this week.

The two Jambool founders positively gushed about the merger on the company's official blog and created an FAQ for existing customers. They also recast the Social Gold logo to look like the Google logo -- isn't that cute?

Google's still staying hush-hush on its plans for Social Gold and its rumored 'Google Me' social network. If you follow the money trail, however, all signs seem to be pointing somewhere in that direction.

FarmVille parody app FarmVillain lands on iPhone

FarmVille's evil twin, FarmVillain has had a troubled start from the beginning. The parody app designed to give frustrated Facebookers a way to strike back at FarmVille spam was almost banned from the social network for its crude humor. Three times. Then the app was rejected three more times from the iTunes App store.

It looks like the fourth time's the charm, however, as FarmVillain finally makes its debut on the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad. The app costs 99 cents, and if you're tired of seeing friends' endless FarmVille gifting requests (or even if you're not), you can zing 'em back by posting the funny, and often crass, farm-bashing messages on their Facebook Wall. Two of my personal faves are below:

farmvillian tractor post
farmvillian gremlins post

If you don't want to pay $1 for to send these silly messages, you can always use the FarmVillain app on Facebook for the low price of free.

The cheeky company behind the FarmVillain app, Jolt Online, also has a handful of free online games under its belt, with more on its way. Earlier this year, Jolt partnered with Gamestop to create the tongue-in-cheek Legends of Zork and are currently at work on another game that might raise a few eyebrows -- Playboy Manager, a "massively casual online game set in the world of Playboy."

Treasure Isle Gem Mine: Everything you need to know

As predicted a couple of days ago, Treasure Isle has just released their new buildable Gem Mine. If you've been playing Treasure Isle for awhile, you're probably familiar with how this works since it functions almost identically to the Pirate Ship and the Tiki Statue. Not sure how to build your Gem Mine? Here is a guide that will help you with everything you need to know.

When you first log in to Treasure Isle, you'll be greeted with a message alerting you that you can begin building your Gem Mine. You can either place the mine right away, or store it for later building. Click "Place It" and then click on the ground on your island wherever you would like to place your mine. You can move it at a later time, so don't worry too much about the placement. After you have placed the not-yet-built Gem Mine, click on it several times to get the mine started. It will cost a total of 20 energy to get the mine started, in 5 energy chunks. Now that your Gem Mine is started, it's time for the nitty-gritty building.
Clicking on your unfinished Gem Mine will display the building interface, which shows you exactly what you need in order to complete the mine. You will need 5 each of Bolts, Planks, Rope, Pillars, and Gears. These materials can be received in several different ways. Buying them with Island Cash is the quickest (yet most expensive) way to complete your gem mine, but it will cost you either 1 Island Cash each or 22 total. Alternatively, you can "Ask for More" on each ingredient, which will post to your wall. Anyone who clicks on the wall post will instantly be granting you the material that you ask for. Unfortunately, you can only ask for a material once every 12 hours, and this includes materials for your Pirate Ship or Tiki Statue as well. The final way to collect all the pieces is through standard gifting on the gift page - so you can request for specific gifts to be sent to you.

Once you have completed your Gem Mine, it is now a functional piece of decor for your island that provides a huge bonus - gems! Every 24 hours you can go "mining for gems", which has a chance to give you 1-5 gems of the color of your choice. This is an essential addition to your island.

What do you think of the new Gem Mine? Have you finished yours yet?

FarmVille Unreleased Riding Pony, Riding Foal, Tulips, Mystery Gift, German Home

A slew of FarmVille unreleased items were discovered this evening, including the Riding Pony (which you can see in the German loading screen), the Riding Pony Foal, Orange Tulips, Mystery Gift and the German Home. Looks like we're just getting started with the German Limited Edition items this evening.

   
   
   
Please note: These items are 'unreleased,' which means they are not yet live in FarmVille, and there is no guarantee that these items will be released in the future.

[Via FarmVille Freak, FV Fan]

What do you think about the new Riding Pony?

FarmVille Releases Limited Edition Germany Theme!

Just in time for Octoberfest, FarmVille has debuted a new Limited Edition Germany theme!

The German invasion will feature limited edition buildings, decorations, animals and possibly some new seeds.

You can purchase the first round of Germany themed items in the FarmVille Market during the next 12 days. The Germany theme is running concurrent with the Wild West theme that is still featured in the FarmVille Market, but will be expiring soon.

What items do you see in the Loading Screen not yet available in the FarmVille Market? We spotted a new unreleased Pony (standing next to the Roe Deer).

As more and more FarmVille Germany theme content goes up, check back here to see all the new releases.

- FarmVille Unreleased Riding Pony, Riding Foal, Tulips, Mystery Gift, German Home
- FarmVille German Limited Edition buildings: German Barn, German Flower Cafe, German Tool Shed
- FarmVille German Limited Edition decor: Farm animal statue, Giant Moss Rock, Flower Knoll, Farm Fence

FarmVille Haiti charity event #3 coming soon?

FarmVille maker Zynga is the subject of much criticism - some of it deserved - but the social gaming company has done a stand-up job running in-game promotions to raise money to build schools in Haiti. So far, there have been two Sweet Seeds for Haiti promotions in FarmVille, where players could donate money buy purchasing special limited edition crops using Farm Cash. Those two promotions have raised over $500K for Haiti, and a portion of those funds went to build a school(s) for those in need.

There are rumors flying that Zynga is planning a new in-game Haiti charity event soon, based on this series of backpack and school supply images discovered by FVFan. Since there seems to be a progression in the images, we can only guess that this promotion will require you to collect items (maybe school supplies?) from your neighbors to fill up your backpack until it overflows.

Please note that these items have not been released yet, and there's no guarantee that they will make it into FarmVille. (Let's be honest, this unreleased stuff usually makes it into the game). Keep your eyes open (and your wallets ready) to help those in need in the near future.

FarmVille Orange Tulip coming soon as a permanent crop

farmville orange tulip
Orange Tulips may be coming soon to FarmVille. There also appears to be Crop Mastery available for Orange Tulips, so it is possible this could be a permanent crop or at least a Limited Edition crop with mastery!

Note, unreleased items have no official release date or guarantee that they will make it to the FarmVille Market and are subject to change without notice.
farmville orange tulip     farmville orange tulip mastery
Thank you to FarmVille Freak Teresa for finding these unreleased FarmVille Tulip items!

This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.

New YoVille Romantic Kitchen Items arrive

yoville romantic kitchen items
How elegant! This installment of the new YoVille romantic theme include 38 new kitchen items.

Items Include refrigerators, cabinets, islands, and more available in purple, white, red and brown matching a very nice dark wood.

Also, check the previously released YoVille Romantic items here:

    New Romantic Bathroom Items
    New Romantic Bedroom Items
    New Romantic Living Room Items
    New Romantic House
    New Romantic Clothing


Prices and photos of all new items available after the link.
yoville romantic kitchen items
yoville romantic kitchen itemsyoville romantic kitchen itemsyoville romantic kitchen itemsyoville romantic kitchen itemsyoville romantic kitchen itemsyoville romantic kitchen items
This article originally appeared on YoVille Lounge.

Virtual Goods Summit panel says indie Facebook games still have a chance

Panelists as Virtual Goods Summit
There is hope yet for you indie enthusiasts out there (no, not the music). During a panel at the Virtual Goods Summit in San Francisco, five small social game studios took stage to dispel some myths and confirm some claims about the industry. Most important of those confirmations was that yes, "It's still possible for an indie developer to launch a successful Facebook title," the panelists unanimously agreed upon.

According to the panelists, innovation is still the primary factor in a successful game and it will propel good games to the forefront (try telling that to Zynga). Frederic Descamps from A Bit Lucky gave mention to the recent game sensation powered by social media, Minecraft. With the help of a plethora of "Look what I made" style YouTube videos, Minecraft has made $5 million in preorders in just three weeks. The game hasn't even reached beta status.

But with Facebook cracking down on game discovery and Groups potentially fragmenting potential fans even further, is this really all independent developers have to bank on? Regardless of how innovative and fresh your new game is, it's going to take some serious marketing savvy--or maybe what viral channels Facebook has left--but more importantly dollars to get the buzz going.

Well, these developers are out there every day making and selling games, so they should know first hand of what's possible. For our enjoyment's sake, let's just hope they're right.

FarmVille Boer Goat now giftable for a Limited Time

Thank you to FarmVille player Craig for giving us a heads up on the now giftable Boer Goat! You can gift the Boer Goat from the icon on the top left of your farm or directly from the gifting page!
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.

Social games to see increase in virtual purchases (again), analysts say

It looks like we're going to be buying many more digital doodads in the future, according to a study conducted by Lazard Capital Markets. Lazard's survey also suggests that time spent in social games will steadily increase if not maintain.

"Specifically, 86 percent of online gamers plan to spend at least as much or more time playing games online this year," Lazard said. "Similarly, 88 percent of social gamers plan to spend as much or more time playing Facebook games this year."

Well, that is a lot of loyal Facebook gamers, but just because social games like FarmVille are immensely popular in the U.S. doesn't necessarily mean players are going to be suddenly inspired to throw their dough at a social game. According Lazard's study, 21 percent of Facebook users--both console and social gamers exclusively--are paying for digital goods somewhere. While this doesn't directly correlate to just digital purchases on Facebook, Lazard claimed, "Nonetheless, from a trend perspective we note that virtual goods consumption is increasing."

The prime question here is, regardless of what the numbers imply, what is it exactly that will improve attitudes towards digital goods enough to change how game content is accessed? It's entirely possible that by as early as the next generation of traditional video games that digital distribution will become the primary method of buying games, which social gaming has surely had an impact on. However, it's uncertain what would make us gamers more comfortable with spending money on intangible items. The regulation of social games' item prices through Facebook Credits might do the trick.

Zynga Giveaway: Win a free FarmVille T-Shirt

We're kicking off the holiday season a little earlier this year by giving away a bunch of free stuff. We have all kinds of cool swag and we aim to give it all away to our readers. Everyone is eligible to get free prizes so continue reading to find out how you can enter to win.

This is just the first in a number of free giveaways, so we thought it best to kick it off with a trendy FarmVille T-Shirt. The shirt is 100 percent cotton and a Men's Small from American Apparel. Displayed across the chest is the FarmVille logo with a wreckless sheep speeding by on an out of control tractor (pictured above).

Continue reading to enter for the free t-shirt.
farmville t shirt
To enter:

Step 1: Go to the Games.com Facebook fanpage (http://www.facebook.com/gamescom).

Step 2: 'Like' the fanpage so you can see Facebook game news, tips, and cheats.

Step 3: Enter the giveaway by leaving a comment on the fanpage, telling us what your most prized FarmVille item is.
(My most prized FarmVille item is my withered Limited Edition Nachos that are no longer available in the market.)

After a few days, we'll randomly select a winner, message them on Facebook for their address, and send them their free prize. Sound easy enough?

Get started by heading to the Games.com fanpage to enter for a free FarmVille T-Shirt.

Happy Island Halloween Items: Your happily haunted island resort awaits

As the big night draws near, more games are revealing their Halloween item sets and CrowdStar's Happy Island is right on time for the costume party. A new set of attractions and decorations have made their way into the game for varying amounts of coins and Facebook Credits. Some of the new attractions--which are in limited supply--collect as many as 2150 coins regularly and some, like "Freddie's House," make obvious nods at the pantheon of slasher films.

Happy Island Halloween Decorations
Almost every one of the new decorations goes for coins, with one exception being the "BOOOOoooo!!!!" item, which asks for a measly 13 Facebook Credits, or $1.30. All in all, these items aren't too hard on the wallet, costing just coins and $6.30 total, and will surely turn your island into the fright fest it deserves to be this season. Come to think of it, some of the items from the Anime Collection might be fitting for your island on Hallow's Eve as well.

What attraction will you be spooking up the place with this season? What other attractions would you have liked to see?

Vampire Wars' Imp Familiars: Cool new looks, same old Energy boost

Imps
Zynga's most recent update to Vampire Wars--well, aside from a whole new city to explore--introduces Imp Familiars to go with your Avatar. While they provide the same old Energy boosts Familiars have for, oh, I don't know, forever, these are probably the most badass-looking items to find their way into the game in a long time. The Veined Imp (that just sounds gross) provides 25 Energy for 40 Favor Points. The next two Imps definitely do the name justice when it comes to devilish looks, but provide the same old function. The Horned Imp, a green feathered-winged beast, provides 40 Energy for 60 Favor Points, (which is less than those before) while the avian Beaked Imp grants 55 Energy for 80 Favor Points.

Again, these items are only available for Favor Points and must be purchased in order if you want the Beaked Imp. We find it strange that these Familiars provide even less Energy than the Ghost Familiars yet they cost the same amounts. While this will most definitely put off plenty of folks, if there were any Familiars that I would buy, it would be these little devils. If there were a stat called "Badassery," these would boost that imaginary number by at least over 9,000. Nonetheless, it's up to you to decide on the price tag for looking cool.

Lunchtime poll: Facebook punishes Ravenwood Fair maker for privacy gaffe - did they go too far?

Just as we were really starting to fall for the Facebook game Ravenwood Fair from LOLApps, we got a rude awakening when we learned we could no longer share items from the game on our Facebook Wall or send gifts to friends. Turns out, Facebook is punishing the social game developer for leaking user information to ad network and other data mining companies.

For six months, you will not be able to post anything from any LOL Apps game on Facebook, essentially turning off all of the things that make these games 'social,' and in some cases, fun to play.

While privacy on the Internet is no joking matter, do you think that Facebook's punishment is too harsh? Or should they have taken the punishment a step further? Sound off in today's lunchtime poll.

Facebook punishes LOLApps for privacy gaffe. Is it fair?
Yes, it's a fair punishmentNot sureNo, they should ban LOL Apps from Facebook foreverNo, it's really affecting my game experience!
VoteView ResultsShare ThisPolldaddy.com

PetVille releases Betty the Baker and new window set

PetVille Betty Baker
Today, PetVille has released a mini-set of new decorations that they're calling 'essential', but we're not exactly sure if they are. Either way, they're super cute and will make great additions for your pet's home. The first set of items is two separate windows that look out to very peaceful environments. The first is a Sunflower Afternoon Scene, which costs 29 Pet Cash. The second is the Valley Vineyard, which is a grape-filled view of the rolling countryside, also 29 Pet Cash.

In addition to the two windows, there are two new kinds of cellars, which are functionally the same as windows. The Stocked Pantry is chock full of food for your pet, although you can't actually go inside it and eat any of the food. This pantry will cost you 28 Pet Cash. The second new room is the Wine Cellar, which would go perfect with the Valley Vineyard window. This is also 28 Pet Cash.

Finally, there is a new Betty Baker pet (shown above) for 48 Pet Cash. She is animated and spends a lot of time mixing in her little bowl and licking the spoon. All of these items are limited time and are available for just over 6 days.

Market Street Fan Giveaway: 25,000 free coins!

Market Street free coins
Playdom has just given Market Street fans a huge reward - a free 25,000 coins simply for being a fan and clicking a link on their wall post. The post claimed that the local newspaper just voted our store the best in the city, and because of that they are giving out a huge reward. Market Street players know just how hard it is to collect and earn coins in this game, so 25,000 is an immense help - especially if you're just starting out in the game and learning how to play. We definitely appreciate some extra chump change so we can order some more expensive items and stock our store with better accessories and clothing!

To claim the 25,000 free coins, all you need to do is first install the game if you haven't already, and then click this link. At this point, there is no evidence of an expiration date for this promotion but it could end at any time.

Play Market Street on Facebook >

Other Games 1 Comment Baking Life Upgradeable Ovens: Everything you need to know

Baking Life has been teasing us for time about their new upgradeable oven feature, and now we finally get to see it in action. This new feature allows players to upgrade each and every one of their ovens three times, unlocking some slick rewards. We have the full details here to help you maximize your baking experience and get the most out of your new oven upgrades in Baking Life. Read on for the guide!

Upgrading your ovens is a multiple step process. Each step requires you to either materials with Facebook Credits or ask for parts from your friends. The first oven upgrade is the Super Oven, which allows you to skip the preparation clicks when you're making your recipes. The second upgrade is the Fancy Oven, which bakes in one click and recipes will bake 5% faster and burn 5% slower. The third and final upgrade for each oven is the Super Fancy Oven, which bakes in one click, recipes bake 10% faster, burn 10% slower, and it will auto-clean after baking. If you've spent much time in Baking Life, you know what a time saver this will all be. So how do you do it?

There are two ways to access the upgrade oven process. The first is by clicking on the little icon at the top of your screen that looks like three tubes filled with different colored liquids. If you click this button, you will see a screen that prompts you to select which oven you would like to upgrade.

Baking Life Oven Upgrades
You can only have one oven going through the upgrade process at a time, so you should be sure to pick the oven that you definitely want to upgrade. Once you click on "select oven" your mouse cursor will change and you can click on one of your ovens to select it. After you do this, you'll see the Oven Upgrade Materials screen which shows you your progress and allows you to ask for or buy the required materials that you'll need.
Baking Life Oven Upgrades
Now you know the drill! Ask for items from friends or buy them outright with Facebook Credits. The biggest difference with this new buildable feature vs. other games is that you actually get a material simply for responding to a friend's request for help. This means that it's possible for you to complete your ovens simply by helping others. Pretty neat isn't it? We think so.

You can then upgrade each one of your ovens in this way, through multiple steps until all of your ovens are at their max. You can tell what stage your oven is at by looking at the little indicators over each oven. This will take a lot of time, so get to it!

FarmVille Winter Holiday decorations: Snowy Tracks, Holiday Train Set & More

A few days ago, we brought you a sneak peek of some holiday train and snow-covered train track items that would be coming to FarmVille in the near future. We didn't have to wait long for that to become a reality, as in FarmVille's newest update, Zynga has released the full set of Holiday Train and Snowy Track items, allowing you to create a new train set wherever you'd like on your farm. What's more, there are new Winter Holiday decorative items also available to decorate your farm.

All aboard! Meet us behind the break to take a look at these new themed items.

First and foremost, you can now purchase for individual pieces comprising a Holiday Train. Unfortunately, though, you'll need to shell out quite a bit of Farm Cash, along with some coins, to make a complete train on your farm.

The engine is simply called the Holiday Train, and it is available for 20 Farm Cash. You can add more length to your train (as much as you'd like, in fact), by adding individual Holiday Cars to the train for 120,000 coins each. If you'd like your train to look as those it is carrying toys for boys and girls this holiday season, you can add the Holiday Flatbed to the train for 12 Farm Cash. Finally, once you've built your train, you'll need the Holiday Cart to bring up the rear. It can be purchase for 7 Farm Cash.

Of course, you'll want your train to be able to travel, even if only in your imagination, so you can also pick up five different pieces of "Snowy Track," named Snow Track I - V, which are available for either 5,000 coins each. An additional Snowy Crossing will allow your avatar and in-game vehicles to cross the tracks safely for 8,000 coins.

Aside from the train set, two other Winter Holiday decorations have been added to the game, with these items coming in the form of a Winter Carriage and a Santa Gnome. Both are premium items, setting you back 20 and 18 Farm Cash, respectively.

All of the above items will be available in the game for the next 26 days, giving you plenty of time to thoughtfully construct as elaborate a railroad system as you'd like on your farm, and still have time to enjoy looking at it once it's completed, but before the Holidays are over.

FarmVille 28 x 28 Farm Estate Land Expansion is now available

Last week, we brought you a sneak peek of an image advertising an unreleased 28x28 land expansion in FarmVille. Who would have thought that less than a week later the expansion would actually be live in the game, but that's what has indeed happened.

Farmers who have simply run out of room on their 26x26 Grand Plantations can now upgrade to the 28x28n Farm Estate. Unfortunately, as of this writing, the ability to purchase this expansion with coins is unavailable, but if you don't want to wait (or save up the coins for what's sure to be a massive price tag - after all, the Grand Plantation cost 2 million coins), you can purchase the Farm Estate expansion right now for 120 Farm Cash, a full 40 Farm Cash more than the last expansion.

To be clear, the coin option for the Farm Estate is simply unavailable right now. This isn't a case of needing to be a certain level, or needing to add a certain amount of neighbors - Zynga has simply not activated the coin option yet (when you hover over it, you see a "Coming Soon" bubble). We'll be sure to let you know when they do.

Hotel City hosts huge 25% off sale for 48 hours

Black Friday and Cyber Monday are definitely the time for sales, and if you're a Facebook gamer who doesn't mind spending money in games, you can get a great deal around this time of year. Today, Playfish has kicked off a 48 hour sale that gives great discounts on your favorite Playfish Cash items in Hotel City.

For the next 44+ hours, all Playfish Cash items in Hotel City will be 25% off. This means items, rooms, and everything else in the store. Regardless of what you want in the store, you'll see the old price crossed off, and a new discounted price shown instead. This appears to be a Cyber Monday-inspired sale, although it's continuing throughout tomorrow as well so you'll have a bit of extra time to spend your cash.

Perhaps you want to check out the new sweet candy themed rooms and decorations? Or maybe you'd like to buy the Vegas casino items to go with your free Casino room? The choice is yours, but as long as you purchase within the next 44 hours or so, you'll get a sweet 25% discount.

Happy Birthday PetVille: Zynga's pet game turns one

PetVille First Birthday
PetVille is showing its longevity, being one of the first pet-themed games to hit the Facebook scene in 2009. On Friday, December 3rd, it's PetVille's first birthday and Zynga has invited players to come celebrate on that day.

We have absolutely no idea what to expect for the cute game's first anniversary. Could it be free Pet Cash simply for logging in? Maybe there will be balloons and new birthday items available to buy in the store? A new minigame, or a new theme? We really have no idea and PetVille sure haven't divulged much in the way of dirty details. All we know is that you can celebrate by logging into PetVille this Friday, and that you "won't want to miss out". This could mean a lot.

FarmVille: Gift box capacity increasing to 500

Good news for you farmers with a packed gift box - more space is coming soon! An increased FarmVille gift box capacity is slowly rolling its way out to all FarmVille players, and many of you might already see this feature released in your game. Previously, the highest capacity for gifts was only 200, so this is a huge upgrade that more than doubles your available space for gift storage.

This increased space probably has its ups and downs. First, it means that you'll have more pages of gifts, and we all know that paging through gifts to find the one you want is already a little bit of a pain. It could also mean that whatever FarmVille has up its sleeve for this holiday season means sending and receiving a lot of gifts. That could be a good or a bad thing, but it is the season for gifting after all. This is a pretty great holiday present from Zynga, and we're definitely not going to complain about the extra space!