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?

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.

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."

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.

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.

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.

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!

FarmVille Sneak Peek: Spring Garden building ingredients

Back on the official FarmVille podcast dated March 4th, 2011, FarmVille Community Manager Lexilicious gave us a sneak peek to something called the Spring Garden, which looks to be the equivalent of the Leprechaun's Cottage for the upcoming Easter or "Spring Basket" event that we expect to launch in the game in the coming weeks. That is, we know that we'll be able to collect "eggs and flowers" from the garden, which can be redeemed for special prizes, just as you can collect Gold from the Leprechaun's Cottage.

We were told that this new structure will be constructed via the help of friends, and we've now found images that represent the three building materials (at least) that we'll need to put it together - those being the standard Wooden Boards, Nails, and Bricks. The news here though is in the tiny image of the Spring Garden itself that you can see in each of the above images. It looks as though Lexi will have been proven right - this does look like an elaborate decorative item, and we can't wait to learn more.

We'll make sure to bring you all of the news concerning this building as they become available, so keep checking back.

What do you think of the Spring Garden? Would you prefer the item look more structured and not so (presumably) large?

FarmVille: Neighbors' crops show as withered with new bug

Users over on the FarmVille forums never miss a beat, as today they have discovered a new bug that has run through the majority of players' games. This bug allows you to visit your friends' farms as normal, but shows all of their crops as being withered. When visiting these friends, and choosing to spend your five daily actions, you can "un-wither" five plots of land, but as it turns out, those crops really aren't withered in the vast majority of cases.

From my own experience, having daily players in the 90-100 level range that suddenly have withered crops [see above] just didn't make sense. After confirming with a few of them, their crops are just fine, and the fact that I'm seeing them as withered is just a glitch or bug, if you will. We're not sure if your actions on those particular plots of crops actually has an effect, however. It could be that you'll actually end up "fertilizing" their land, rather than "un-withering" crops, but either way, make a note of this new bug so you don't inadvertently remove active players from your friends' list because it appears as though they've stopped playing. In all likelihood, they're seeing withered crops on your own farm as well.

Have you spotted this withered crop bug in your own game?

FarmVille English Countryside Avatar Clothing: Tea Party Hat I, Tea Party Dress II, & more

In a small FarmVille update this evening, Zynga has added four new options to the clothing section of the game's marketplace in the current English Countryside theme. The four items actually form two complete outfits, and are able to be mix-and-matched into the perfect ensemble for your avatar. These items are two Tea Party Dresses, and two Tea Party Hats.

The two pairs of items vary in terms of color, but are overall very similar in their structure. Both of the hats costs 5 Farm Cash, and again, either of these hats can be warn with either dress, which cost 10 Farm Cash each. All four of these items will be available to add to your clothing wardrobe for the next two weeks.

We'll make sure to let you know if some male-centric clothing items are added to the theme in the future as well.

Check out the rest of our English Countryside coverage right here.

Will you purchase any of these clothing items for your FarmVille avatar?

FarmVille Sneak Peek: Garden Trellis Bench, Stone Cottage, Egg Basket and more

A set of new unreleased FarmVille images has surfaced today, giving us a sneak peek of some of the items we can expect to launch in the game not only for the upcoming Easter holiday celebration, but perhaps as a continuation to the current English Countryside theme.

These items are the Garden Trellis Bench, the Stone Cottage (the one building in this release), the Bluebells Knoll, and the Spring Flower Egg Basket. Personally, the name of the last item - the Spring Flower Egg Basket - seems entirely too long, so we'd assume that the item will undergo a name change before officially be released in the game's store, or in some other method if that's what Zynga intends. Also, this is one of the smallest decorations we've seen, at least from its preview image, which gives us a pretty good feeling that the decoration will be available for coins, rather than Farm Cash. Anything could happen of course, but that's a fairly educated guess.

Speculation aside, we'll make sure to bring you all of the news about these items and more as they launch in the game, so keep checking back.

Are you excited for Easter items to be added to FarmVille, in addition to the already released Spring items?

FarmVille English Countryside Sneak Peek: The Royal Wedding

Not only will you be able to stream Price William and Kate Middleton tying the knot on YouTube, but Zynga wants you to reenact it ... on a dirty English farm. The Royal Wedding is coming to FarmVille, according to a leaked image found by FarmVille Feed.

It's doubtful that it will actually recreate the real Royal Wedding--that would just be creepy--but who says it can't source a bit of inspiration, eh? No information is available on the Royal Wedding other than, well, it exists. Don't worry, this is one we cannot afford to miss (comedy is a fine motivator), so we'll have the news as soon as it happens.

Royal Wedding
Image Credits: Ben Stansall, AFP/Getty Images, FarmVille Feed

Are you psyched for the Royal Wedding's arrival in FarmVille? Will you attempt the ultimate Royal Wedding experience: playing it out in FarmVille and streaming it via YouTube?

Zynga confirms FarmVille Pig Breeding; stash those Love Potions

Geez, how many leaked images does it take to officially confirm something around here, huh? Alright, we'll settle down, because Zynga has confirmed to FarmVille Freak that Pig Breeding is coming sometime in the future to FarmVille. Aside from that terribly vague time frame, Zynga provided the above image, showing that Pig Breeding won't be much different than Sheep Breeding. You will still have to build your Pig Pen and expand it to hold more Pigs, not to mention Love Potions will be needed as well. The only thing you can do now to prepare is stock up on those Love Potions, and if you have an unfinished building, hoard those building supplies.

[Image Credit: FarmVille Freak]

Are you excited to start Pig Breeding in FarmVille? What animal would you like to breed next in the game, if at all?

FarmVille Sneak Peek: Water Wheel coming soon?

Another building project looks to be coming to FarmVille in the very near future in the form of a Water Wheel. The image above shows you what the final menu of the Water Wheel will look like. Don't be fooled by the "Spring Garden" text, as this is likely a placeholder that will be corrected upon the Wheel's final release.

The comparison, however, does give us something to go on, in that we know that once we're done building the Water Wheel, we'll be able to choose any of the stages we'd like to actually show on our farm, allowing for a bit of customization should the massive, heavily decorated final product not be to your liking. I personally think it's lovely, but to each farmer their own.

No word yet on which set of building materials this will require, but I wouldn't rule out the possibility of Watering Cans being a required ingredient since this is a Water Wheel after all. We also don't know if the building will have a function, or if it will just be decorative (I'm leaning towards the latter). We'll make sure to give you all of the details about this new building as soon as it officially launches in the game.

What do you think of the FarmVille Water Wheel? Would you like to be able to use this building for some purpose - Watering Can production, perhaps? Or, are you happy adding another customizable decoration to your land?

FarmVille: 2x Mastery Statue comes back for 12 days only

While many users voiced their concerns upon the initial release of the 2x Mastery Statue in FarmVille (that Zynga had created the ultimate money-grabber), that didn't stop many other farmers from purchasing one for their farms. Apparently, the initial release was so successful that they've decided to bring the statue back around for another go. That's right, the 2x Mastery Statue is once again available to purchase in the store, but only for a limited time (12 days, to be exact).

As a reminder, this 2x Mastery Statue gives you double the amount of mastery points on all crops and trees harvested during a two-day period. A single statue costs 25 Farm Cash, and if you're already the owner of a Platinum Mastery Statue (which has the same effect, but permanently), you'll want to skip out on buying these re-released statues as the status effect doesn't stack.

Also, let me once again point out that this double mastery boost doesn't apply to animals, so if you've really taken to Animal Mastery, there's no reason to waste your Farm Cash on these statues either. Perhaps one day we'll see a double mastery statue released just for animals, but that still doesn't solve the conundrum of whether or not these items should exist to begin with. With enough hard work and some patience, you'll be able to earn dozens, if not hundreds of mastery signs for your farm. Do we really need to pay Farm Cash to speed up the process? We'll leave that up to you, farmers.

Will you purchase a 2x Mastery Statue? Did you purchase one of these statues upon their initial release, or did you splurge on the Platinum Mastery Statue instead?