Friday, July 27, 2012

Capture roaming dinosaurs in FarmVille


FarmVille is slowly releasing a new feature to players on Tuesday afternoon called Roaming Dinosaurs. You'll be asked to complete a series of challenges which will earn you all new dinosaurs in the game.
Remember, a slow release in FarmVille means something is released to a few players at a time. If you don't have it on your farm just yet, please be patient - you will very soon! In the meantime, you can get a head start on parts by helping friends collect items for their dinos on your Facebook game feed.
When the feature is available to you, you will notice a Dino Trap at the bottom edge of your farm. Clicking it will start the first round of collecting. There are six total levels to complete, each earning you a different dinosaur for your farm. A complete rundown of the six levels, the tasks you'll be asked to do and the types of dinosaurs you will earn are listed below.
Stage 1: Feed the Shy Bambiraptor so you can lure her onto your farm!
Collect 8 Fern Fronds by:
Posting a request to your wall, click on Feeds that are sharing Fern Fronds, or complete immediately for 30 FC
Stage 2: Attract a lonely Irritator with a sexy dino decoy!
Collect 10 Paper Mache (post to feed or skip for 10 FC)
Collect 10 Paper Mache Paste (post to feed or skip for 10 FC)
Collect 10 Dino Paint (send request to friends or skip for 10 FC)
Stage 3: Lure the friendly Hylaeosaurus onto your farm by throwing him a party!
To fill your guest list, you can ask for help by sending direct requests to 10 of your friends to attend Hylaeosaurus’ party, or pay 30 FC to immediately complete this stage.
Stage 4: Entice the speedy Pygmy Gallimimus onto your farm by building her a track!
Collect 12 Starting Blocks (send request to friends or skip for 12 FC)
Collect 12 Track Surface (post to feed or skip for 12 FC)
Collect 12 Finishing Tape (post to feed or skip for 12 FC)
Stage 5: Win over the hungry Jainosaurus by gathering Fern Fronds!
Collect 8 Fern Fronds by posting a request to your wall, click on Feeds that are sharing Fern Fronds, or complete immediately for 30 FC
Stage 6: Summon the flying Microraptor by recruiting your friends to call him!
Ask for Help: Send direct requests to 10 of your friends to call Microraptor
Complete Now: pay 30 FC to immediately complete this stage.

FarmVille Jade Falls: Chapter 8 quests guide

FarmVille released the Jade Falls Chapter 8 quests to players on Monday afternoon.
If you're up to the challenge, you will have six quests to work on, and seven days to get them done. These quests are running alongside the current Mystery and Cluck Rogers quests.

Stage 1: Wear it Well
Requirements: Get 6 Costumes, harvest 10 Sticky Rice, make 3 Pho Soups
Rewards: 50 ZP, Metasequoia Tree, 425 Jade Coins
Stage 2: Masks
Requirements: Get 8 Opera Masks, harvest 10 Chinese Daikon, make 3 Chow Mein
Rewards: 100 ZP, Kune Kune Pig, 850 Jade Coins
Stage 3: Give Props
Requirements: Get 8 Props, harvest 25 Lotus, harvest Kune Kune Pig twice
Rewards: 150 ZP, Mountain Tapir, 1275 Jade
Stage 4: All My Fans
Requirements: Get 8 Opera Fans, harvest 8 Imperial Tea, make 4 Ikura Nigiri
Rewards: 200 ZP, Trident Maple Tree, 1700 Jade Coins
Stage 5: Tuning Up
Requirements: Get 9 Erhus, harvest 35 Chinese Cotton, improve Imperial Ship to stage 2
Rewards: 300 ZP, Binturong, 2125 Jade Coins
Stage 6: Bang the Drum!
Requirements: Get 10 Bangu Drums, master Kunekune Pig, make 4 Oolong Tea
Rewards: 400 ZP, Lokai Horse, 4250 Jade Coins

FarmVille Swimming Pond: Everything you need to know

While we've been given Aquariums to store water animals in FarmVille's Hawaiian Paradise and Jade Falls, our farms without rivers or oceans are still lacking our underwater pals. That changes now with the launch of the Swimming Pond in the game's store, which serves as a storage building for water animals that can be placed on land. You'll be able to purchase a Swimming Pond base for five coins in the store, and can then work on building it in your English Countryside, Winter Wonderland, Lighthouse Cove or Home Farms, or really anywhere that you'd like some extra water animal storage space, but don't have the water to hold them.

A single Swimming Pond requires 45 building materials to complete: 15 each of Skimmers, Leaf Nets and Water Buckets. These items can be earned by asking your friends to send them to you, by claiming free items posted on your friends' walls, or by purchasing them with Farm Cash. As with other animal storage buildings, you'll have just 20 storage slots at the beginning, but can upgrade the Swimming Pond by collecting additional materials, until it eventually stores 60 animals in a single Pond.


On top of this, you can now place your Water-based Mystery Babies on dry land so that they can be born on farms without water. This will allow you to fill your Swimming Ponds with water animals, even if there's no water to "grow" the babies in normally.

With this launch allowing for storage of water animals on any farm, it brings about the thought of water crops. Will we eventually be able to plant water-based crops on all farms as well? Would farmers even like such an ability? We'll stay on top of things and will let you know if things change. Stay tuned!

FarmVille: Disappointed by Jade Falls' Forbidden Coast? Zynga's here to help


If you're like us, you might have been disappointed by the offerings in Zynga's newest FarmVille expansion, the Forbidden Coast within Jade Falls. For a purchase price of $5, we thought we'd get more than access to purchasing some new items in the store and upgrading an old ship / dock, and it looks like we weren't alone.

Still, the FarmVille team is looking to make right by those dedicated fans that splurged on the upgrade, as it's offered a series of free building materials to those players that made the jump. If you purchase Forbidden Coast early access, you'll receive a pop-up the next time you enter the game altering you to your prizes. These come in the form of Jade Falls building materials, and are pretty worthwhile, even if they are limited in quantity. Here's the full word from Zynga:

"Howdy farmer! As thanks for buying early access to Jade Falls Forbidden Coast, we've put some parts in your Gift Box for the Imperial Shipyard, Mountain Palace, and Bamboo Fortunes!"

Ultimately, it looks like we've received ten each of Mountain Palace items, plus enough tools to complete at least one Bamboo Fortune. Furthermore, we're given just enough parts to finish the first stage of the Imperial Shipyard (if you haven't done so already). Could Zynga offer more? That's arguable, but anything is better than nothing at this point. Whether or not new users that purchase the Forbidden Coast also receive these items is still unknown, but we'll make sure to update this space if we find out one way or the other.

FarmVille Water Park Items: Goggles Tree, Inner Tube Giraffe and more

What better way to cool off this summer than by taking a dip (or two) into a cool pool? Apparently, Zynga has had the same idea for FarmVille, as the game has received a variety of "Water Park" themed items. If you're into whimsy, rather than realism, this theme is for you as the trees in this theme are some of the most outlandish we've ever seen! Here's a look at the newly released Water Park items!

Trees

Goggle Tree - 6 Farm Cash
Flippers Tree - 12 Farm Cash
Water Slide Tree - 8 Farm Cash
Giant Water Slide Tree - 14 Farm Cash

Animals

Inner Tube Giraffe - 14 Farm Cash
Snorkel Mini Horse - 26 Farm Cash
Diver Sheep - 16 Farm Cash

Buildings

Big Water Slide - 25 Farm Cash

Decorations

Lazy River I - 2 Farm Cash
Lazy River II - 1 Farm Cash
Lazy River III - 1 Farm Cash
Lazy River IV - 1 Farm Cash
Lazy River V - 1 Farm Cash
Lazy River VI - 1 Farm Cash
Pool Shark (Water Only) - 4 Farm Cash
Ice Cream Truck - 8 Farm Cash
Life Guard - 10 Farm Cash

With these building materials, you'll be able to construct your very own lazy river, either surrounding your entire farm, or just weaving in and out of your farmland and / or decorative items. If you're wondering why a single piece costs 2 Farm Cash while all other cost a single Farm Cash, it's because this piece is the long, straight piece you'll likely need the most of (Zynga is running a business, after all).

These items will be available for the next two weeks. If additional Water Park items launch in the game's store between now and then, we'll make sure to let you know!

FarmVille Mystery quests released to players

FarmVille released the Mystery quests to players on Thursday afternoon.
If you're up to the challenge, you will have nine quests to work on, and 14 days to get them done. These quests are running alongside the current Pony and Jade Falls Chapter 6 quests.
See photos of all the prizes you'll be earning in this set of quests in the slideshow at the top of this article.
As always, if guides like this are helpful to you, please take a moment to hit one of the social media buttons at the top of this article to share the news with your friends.
Stage 1: Listen Up!
Requirements:
Get 6 Spy Microphones
Harvest 50 Soybeans
Harvest Baby Bunny hutch 2 times
Rewards:
125 XP
1 Spy Dog
2500 Coins
Stage 2: I Spy With My Little Camera
Requirements:
Get 7 Spy Cameras
Harvest 75 Aloe Vera
Craft a Farmhand 1 time
Rewards:
150 XP
1 Unwither
3000 Coins
Stage 3: Look, A Clue!
Requirements:
Get 8 Notepads
Harvest 100 Sunflowers
Harvest Spy Dog twice
Rewards:
175 XP
1 Spy House
3500 Coins
Stage 4: I Can’t Put My Finger On It…
Requirements:
Get 9 Fingerprint kits
Harvest 150 Peppers
Harvest Baby Playpen 2 times
Rewards:
200 XP
1 Burglar Cat
4000 Coins
Stage 5: Let’s Shed Some Light on the Situation!
Requirements:
Get 9 Motion Lights
Harvest 150 Peanuts
Harvest Burglar Cat 2 times
Rewards:
225 XP
1 Magnifying Glass tree
4500 Coins
Stage 6: Let’s Magnify This Situation
Requirements:
Get 9 Magnifying Glasses
Harvest 150 Golden Poppies
Harvest Magnifying Glass Tree twice
Rewards:
250 XP
1 Turbo Boost
5000 Coins
Stage 7: Sound the Alarms!
Requirements:
Get 10 Alarms
Harvest 150 Chickpeas
Get Burglar Cat to Mastery Level 1
Rewards:
275 XP
Inspector Horse
5500 Coins
Stage 8: Get a Clue!
Requirements:
Get 11 Clues
Harvest 150 Peppermint
Harvest Inspector Horse 2 times
Rewards:
300 XP
1 Mystery Game Dart
6000 Coins
Stage 9: Read Up!
Requirements:
Get 12 Pest Books
Harvest 200 Daffodils
Master the Inspector Horse to Level 1
Rewards:
325 XP
1 Bandit Fox
6500 Coins

Sunday, July 15, 2012

FarmVille Jade Falls Forbidden Coast: Everything you need to know


Earlier this week, we brought you a preview of FarmVIlle's then-upcoming expansion within an expansion: Jade Falls' Forbidden Coast. Now, farmers are being given the chance to dive into this formerly inaccessible portion of their Jade Falls farm for 25 Farm Cash, or around $5 US.

Once you pay up, you'll be shown a market screen offering you a chance to see all of the new goodies that your purchase has unlocked. Luckily, they're all available to purchase with Jade Coins instead of Farm Cash. There are a few decorations, trees and crops available to purchase, but ultimately, whether or not unlocking these nine different items early for $5 is worth it is still up for debate. Here's a lineup of the new goodies:

Trees

Chinese Star Anise - 15,000 Jade Coins or 6 Farm Cash
Giant Star Anise Tree - 30,000 Jade Coins or 12 Farm Cash

Animals

Druk Dragon - 50,000 Jade Coins or 20 Farm Cash

Decorations

Stepping Stones - 310 Jade Coins or 1 Farm Cash
Daruma Doll - 400 Jade Coins


On top of these items, you'll also unlock a series of new crops: Green Onion (eight hours), Sesame (one day), Horseradish (12 hours) and Scallops (two days). These crops range in price from 56 Jade Coins to 200 Jade Coins per square, with Scallops being the cheapest while also being a crop that can only be planted in the water.

Outside of these new items in the store, you'll also be able to start collecting building materials to repair the Imperial Shipyard (you know, that ugly dock on the outskirts of your farm?). This works exactly like repairing the Mountain Palace, and we'll have a complete guide on its construction just as soon as we can. Also, one final perk comes as you're given a free "Cute Phoenix" animal in your gift box.

Ultimately, this Forbidden Coast expansion is pretty lackluster and ultimately doesn't seem anywhere near worth the $5 price of admission. If Zynga wanted to make these items special, they could have been given away for free to users that also purchased early access to the Jade Falls farm in the first place. As it stands, making these items cost an additional $5 for all players to unlock early just seems a bit too greedy for our tastes. Unless you're a diehard farmer that can't wait to get your hands on these new items and master these new crops, you're likely better off waiting until these items eventually roll around to everyone for free.

Saturday, July 14, 2012

FarmVille: Buy back mastery signs with coins

Since the launch of mastery in FarmVille, there's been a debate between players as to the enjoyment one can earn by mastering crops, crafting recipes, trees and even animals. Some players focus all of their time and effort on animal or tree farming, mastering every single tree or animal that's released in the game, while others simply collect what's valuable to them and master items along the way by simply continuing to play the game. Whatever your opinion on the matter, if you happen to have deleted a previously earned mastery sign from your game (either purposefully or by accident), you can now buy them back from the game's mastery menu at a low coin cost.

To be especially clear, you won't be able to buy mastery signs for items you haven't actually mastered, but if you've mastered a particular crop, tree, animal, crafting recipe or even flower bloom and want to buy either duplicate mastery signs or replace the one(s) you've lost, you can now purchase a single mastery sign for 500 coins.

If anything, this will allow farmers the chance to have "themed" mastery signs on the appropriate farms as decorations, while also being able to show them off back home (if "home" is still your primary farm, that is). For example, someone that mastered the Candy Cane crop might wish to show off that mastery sign in Winter Wonderland. Buying these mastery signs is completely voluntary, of course, but it's a nice gesture by Zynga to farmers that may have a love-hate relationship with the signs. Now, you can feel free to delete your signs to save space, but not worry about regretting that decision later.

Sunday, July 8, 2012

FarmVille Pony quests guide

FarmVille released nine new Pony quests to players on Thursday afternoon.
These quests are running alongside the current Firefly and Jade Falls Chapter 5 quests, and players will have 14 days to work on them if they choose to participate in them.
This set of quests is our favorite so far, all of the prizes are worth working for. Right from the get-go, you're going to be earning a whole lot of ponies.
We have compiled a complete list of all the tasks you'll be asked to tackle and the prizes you will earn below. If you'd rather not know the contents ahead of time, you should head to my other FarmVille articles now.
HINT: If you still have a Horse Stable, these ponies will go into it. It makes for much faster mastery if you "stuff" the stable.
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Stage 1: Rainbow Rider
Requirements:
Get 4 Rainbows from friends, harvest 50 Strawberry (4 hour crop) and harvest a Horse Paddock twice
Rewards:
125 XP, Double Rainbow Pony, Picnic Basket, 2500 Coins
Stage 2: Starring: Ponies!
Requirements:
Get 6 Fallen Stars from friends, harvest 75 Ghost Chili (6 hour crop), harvest Double Rainbow Pony twice
Rewards:
150 XP, Star Pony, 2 Picnic Baskets, 3000 Coins
Stage 3: Too Much, the Magic Brush
Requirements:
Get 8 Magic Brushes from friends, harvest 100 Pineapple (2 day crop) harvest Star Pony twice
Rewards:
175 XP, 1 Mystery Game Dart, 2 Picnic Baskets, 3500 Coins
Stage 4: The Magic of Friendship
Requirements:
Get 9 Friendships from friends, harvest 125 Rhubarb (16 hour crop), craft a Fertilize All
Rewards:
200 XP, Friendship Pony, 2 Picnic Baskets, 4000 Coins
Stage 5: Getting Butterflies
Requirements:
Get 9 Butterflies from friends, harvest 150 Golden Poppy (1 day crop), master Double Rainbow Pony to 1 Star
Rewards:
225 XP, Butterfly Pony, 2 Picnic Baskets, 4500 Coins
Stage 6: One Smart Pony
Requirements:
Get 9 Wisdom (post to feed or skip for 30 FC), harvest 150 Peas (1 day crop), harvest the Friendship Pony twice
Rewards:
250 XP, Book of XP, 2 Picnic Baskets, 5000 Coins
Stage 7: Do You BEElieve in Magic?
Requirements:
Get 10 Bumblebees from friends, harvest 150 Chickpeas (20 hour crop), harvest Butterfly Pony Twice
Rewards:
275 XP, Bumblebee Pony, 2 Picnic Baskets, 5500 Coins
Stage 8: Pony Mania!
Requirements:
Get 11 Rays of Sunshine from friends, harvest 150 Sunflower (1 day crop), and master Friendship Pony to 1 Star
Rewards:
300 XP, 3 Unwither, 3 Picnic Baskets, 6000 Coins
Stage 9: Pony Party!
Requirements:
Get 12 Balloons from friends, harvest 150 Eggplant (2 day crop), master Butterfly Pony to 1 Star
Rewards:
325 XP, Party Pony, 3 Picnic Baskets, 6500 Coins
If you finish these quests with time to spare, you will be given the option to repeat them again if you choose.

FarmVille Big Picnic: Everything you need to know


While Americans may be preparing to celebrate the fourth of July holiday this week, Zynga has launched a celebration of its own in FarmVille, dealing more with summer in general and spending time outdoors. This feature is called the "Big Picnic," and it brings back the item collection feature we've seen during countless prior holidays, in that you'll need to ask your friends for collectibles that can be used to earn special, limited edition prizes.

To be more specific, this Big Picnic is an item you'll place on one of your farms, and you'll then be able to start filling it with Picnic Baskets. You can earn these Picnic Baskets by simply asking your friends to send them to you, or by claiming excess baskets that are shared on your friends' walls. As you collect Picnic Baskets, your Big Picnic item will grow and change in appearance, and you'll start to unlock prizes within it.

There are six prizes available in this feature as of this writing, ranging from 15 to 170 Picnic Baskets in price:

  • 15 Picnic Baskets - Peeking Ducks
  • 20 Picnic Baskets - Zen Gnome
  • 35 Picnic Baskets - Giant Parasol Tree
  • 50 Picnic Baskets - White Ninja Sheep
  • 75 Picnic Baskets - Ghangis Cow
  • 170 Picnic Baskets - Nomadic Horse

As with past features of this type, you'll likely only have a few weeks to collect Picnic Baskets and redeem them before Picnic Baskets will no longer be available. Your best bet is to ask for them early and often, to take advantage of all of your friends that are trying to do the same. Good luck earning at least one of every item inside this Big Picnic feature!