If you're anything like us, your Facebook requests page is absolutely out of control with everything from gifts, help requests, page suggestions, group and event invites, and neighbor requests. Sometimes, we log in and look at our requests page and simply turn away because the thought of clicking accept and back on each one of these requests makes us want to cry. If this sounds familiar, there is actually a solution that can help you out: The Facebook Mass Accept Requests tool.
Facebook Mass Accept Requests is a Greasemonkey script for Firefox that will allow you to "accept all" on your page of requests. Once you have this browser addon installed, it will add checkboxes beside each one of your requests so that you can choose to accept whichever ones you like. After that, clicking a simple "accept all" button will automatically go through and accept all of these gifts. In some games, it can even send back a reciprocal gift.
This doesn't work for all games 100% of the time, so your results may vary. It is known to work well in FarmVille, Farm Town, and FishVille. Other apps that don't work too great are Mafia Wars, Cafe World, and Social City. You may have to try your favorite game and report back and let us know which work and which do not.
Installing a Greasemonkey script is actually pretty simple, as long as you have Firefox installed. Greasemonkey is a simple browser extension that you can install by clicking here. After you have installed Greasemonkey and refreshed your browser, install the Facebook Mass Accept Requests script by going here. Click the install button and it will now be loaded. Simply go to your Facebook requests page and you should now see a new "Accept All" button. Give it a try.
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Showing posts with label facebook games. Show all posts
Showing posts with label facebook games. Show all posts
Monday, February 13, 2012
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Four lessons learned from Casual Connect 2010
Casual Connect 2010 in Seattle came and went last week with a whisper. The annual show held by the Casual Game Association had high attendance this year (2,000 people total), but it failed to generate major buzz. No big consumer news came from the event, and a big portion of the casual gaming world – Flash games – were nowhere to be found.
Some might argue that's because social gaming is so hot – there was no point in showing up unless you had something to say about the matter. Whether or not that's the case, it suddenly seems clear why casual games don't get the respect they deserve – it's all too fragmented to present a united front.
Despite the lack of mind-blowing moments at Casual Connect this year, there were a few common threads running throughout the three days of talks, all of which will likely impact your casual game playing experience for the rest of the year.
Everyone's obsessed with going social
About 80% of the conference was focused on social games, with discussions about how to keep your social game alive or how to turn an existing game franchise into something that's Facebook ready. PopCap made the jump with iterations of its popular PC games – first, with Bejeweled Blitz then Zuma Blitz (available in a few weeks). Big Fish Games made the jump with My Tribe and Treasure Quest; Playrix is doing the same with Fishdom. If you're favorite casual games haven't made the jump to Facebook yet, it will most likely happen sooner than later.
casual connect 2010 logoEveryone wants to figure out how to entice you to buy items in 'freemium' games
Freemium games are great for consumers – you can play for free and then – if you feel like it – you can spend anywhere from $1 to $10,000 buying additional items for your game. People who spend, spend big, but the majority of players refuse to part with their dollars, which is leaving everyone on the inside wondering what kind of new virtual doo-dads they can create to entice you to part with your hard earned cash.
Social games are seeking life beyond Facebook
Right now, Facebook is the hot place for social gaming, but publishers want to spread the love around on other (or any) platforms, whether it's another social network like MySpace or Hi5 or a big gaming portal like Yahoo or the upcoming Google Games. Scrappy start-ups such as HeyZap were also at the show, offering publishers a way to port their games somewhere other than Facebook.
Lots of talk for 'innovation' in casual games, but not many real examples
"We can do better." That's how ohai founder Susan Wu started out her talk at Casual Connect this year, challenging social game makers to go beyond creating pet sims and farming clones. That was a common thread that was touched on throughout the week, both for social and casual games. Outside of some larger theories (like Playfish US General Manager Dan Fiden's touchy feely talk on creating emotions with games), there weren't too many solid examples of innovation in games outside of the 'I Love Bees' meta-game that was used to promote Halo 2 several years ago. There was also a game built around an augmented reality mobile app that involves tagging real-world places and then viewing them using your cell phone camera. It seems like most of the real innovation was on new ways to make money, and not the actual games themselves.
For a video game veteran like myself, Casual Connect was a great way to get a feel for what's happening in this fascinating, but largely unappreciated, segment of the gaming industry. In a year, we'll see if 'social' is still the big trend or if everyone will move onto the next big thing.
Oh yeah -- don't let the name fool you -- even thought it's called Casual Connect, we didn't spot anyone hanging around in a bathrobe or loungewear (though I did spy PopCap co-founder John Vechey in a sweet red tracksuit).
Gallery: Casual Connect 2010
Some might argue that's because social gaming is so hot – there was no point in showing up unless you had something to say about the matter. Whether or not that's the case, it suddenly seems clear why casual games don't get the respect they deserve – it's all too fragmented to present a united front.
Despite the lack of mind-blowing moments at Casual Connect this year, there were a few common threads running throughout the three days of talks, all of which will likely impact your casual game playing experience for the rest of the year.
Everyone's obsessed with going social
About 80% of the conference was focused on social games, with discussions about how to keep your social game alive or how to turn an existing game franchise into something that's Facebook ready. PopCap made the jump with iterations of its popular PC games – first, with Bejeweled Blitz then Zuma Blitz (available in a few weeks). Big Fish Games made the jump with My Tribe and Treasure Quest; Playrix is doing the same with Fishdom. If you're favorite casual games haven't made the jump to Facebook yet, it will most likely happen sooner than later.
casual connect 2010 logoEveryone wants to figure out how to entice you to buy items in 'freemium' games
Freemium games are great for consumers – you can play for free and then – if you feel like it – you can spend anywhere from $1 to $10,000 buying additional items for your game. People who spend, spend big, but the majority of players refuse to part with their dollars, which is leaving everyone on the inside wondering what kind of new virtual doo-dads they can create to entice you to part with your hard earned cash.
Social games are seeking life beyond Facebook
Right now, Facebook is the hot place for social gaming, but publishers want to spread the love around on other (or any) platforms, whether it's another social network like MySpace or Hi5 or a big gaming portal like Yahoo or the upcoming Google Games. Scrappy start-ups such as HeyZap were also at the show, offering publishers a way to port their games somewhere other than Facebook.
Lots of talk for 'innovation' in casual games, but not many real examples
"We can do better." That's how ohai founder Susan Wu started out her talk at Casual Connect this year, challenging social game makers to go beyond creating pet sims and farming clones. That was a common thread that was touched on throughout the week, both for social and casual games. Outside of some larger theories (like Playfish US General Manager Dan Fiden's touchy feely talk on creating emotions with games), there weren't too many solid examples of innovation in games outside of the 'I Love Bees' meta-game that was used to promote Halo 2 several years ago. There was also a game built around an augmented reality mobile app that involves tagging real-world places and then viewing them using your cell phone camera. It seems like most of the real innovation was on new ways to make money, and not the actual games themselves.
For a video game veteran like myself, Casual Connect was a great way to get a feel for what's happening in this fascinating, but largely unappreciated, segment of the gaming industry. In a year, we'll see if 'social' is still the big trend or if everyone will move onto the next big thing.
Oh yeah -- don't let the name fool you -- even thought it's called Casual Connect, we didn't spot anyone hanging around in a bathrobe or loungewear (though I did spy PopCap co-founder John Vechey in a sweet red tracksuit).
Gallery: Casual Connect 2010
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Facebook blocked by half of small businesses: Less farming, more work
FarmVille at work
Who wants to work, anyway? According to a study conducted by Webroot, 50 percent of small businesses want you to, that's who. The report shows that half of over one thousand employees surveyed in the U.S. and U.K. said that all social networks are blocked from their office network--that means Facebook games too.
While 39 percent reported being blocked from Facebook specifically, this specific social network is more than likely included in the 50 percent mentioned above. According to All Facebook, Internet security is a large cause of the block, citing that "one in six of those surveyed said a social networking site or Web 2.0 application was the source of a virus."
However, we can't imagine that at least part of the reason wasn't because businesses have taken a hit to productivity since Facebook blew up. Not to mention, who knows how many of those employees are playing the same games we are? Come to think of it, there are probably plenty of you at work reading this right now with FarmVille loaded in another browser tab. We know, it's OK. (You're safe here, for now.)
To keep those of you from hitting the wanted ads again, about 21 percent of small businesses allow Facebook use, but at designated hours of the day. Think of it as recess all over again, but replace the tether ball matches with virtual cook-offs.
Who wants to work, anyway? According to a study conducted by Webroot, 50 percent of small businesses want you to, that's who. The report shows that half of over one thousand employees surveyed in the U.S. and U.K. said that all social networks are blocked from their office network--that means Facebook games too.
While 39 percent reported being blocked from Facebook specifically, this specific social network is more than likely included in the 50 percent mentioned above. According to All Facebook, Internet security is a large cause of the block, citing that "one in six of those surveyed said a social networking site or Web 2.0 application was the source of a virus."
However, we can't imagine that at least part of the reason wasn't because businesses have taken a hit to productivity since Facebook blew up. Not to mention, who knows how many of those employees are playing the same games we are? Come to think of it, there are probably plenty of you at work reading this right now with FarmVille loaded in another browser tab. We know, it's OK. (You're safe here, for now.)
To keep those of you from hitting the wanted ads again, about 21 percent of small businesses allow Facebook use, but at designated hours of the day. Think of it as recess all over again, but replace the tether ball matches with virtual cook-offs.
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Facebook updates formula for active users, player numbers plummet
Just before the weekend, Facebook threw everyone for a loop with a new approach to calculating just how "active" monthly active users are of its thousands of apps, namely social games. And as a result, the numbers of monthly active players of just about every Facebook game and developer have dropped significantly. And we say "significantly" because of Facebook's reasoning behind the change.
"Given that most apps work this way, we're changing our active user figures for Apps on Facebook to publicly report the number of users that authenticate with the app," Facebook's Rushi Desai writes. "We believe this shift from "visitors" to "authenticated users" more accurately reflects the usage of an application, and it brings our measurement methodology for apps into alignment with how we measure engagement on Facebook."
What Facebook is essentially saying is that it is no longer counting the users who visit an app or game's Canvas, but refuse to authenticate the app and leave the page before ever entering the game. Instead, Facebook will now only count the amount of users that actively log into the app or game per month.
CityVille MAU
The company goes on to say that the one-time drop will result in a perceived decline in the number of active users of its many social games and apps, but the number of users actually engaging with the apps is unchanged. But that's just it: Regardless of whether the same rough portion of players have been "actively engaging" with games like CityVille this month, this still means that nearly 20 million people merely visited the app in the last month and did not play the game. And that goes for not just CityVille, but Facebook games across the board.
This is certainly a positive change for all, as it promotes a more accurate measure of just how many players are actually playing these still-massive social games. However, the change reveals how many players are actually logging into these games every month as opposed to merely visiting. And no matter how you slice it, the numbers are smaller than previously imagined.
"Given that most apps work this way, we're changing our active user figures for Apps on Facebook to publicly report the number of users that authenticate with the app," Facebook's Rushi Desai writes. "We believe this shift from "visitors" to "authenticated users" more accurately reflects the usage of an application, and it brings our measurement methodology for apps into alignment with how we measure engagement on Facebook."
What Facebook is essentially saying is that it is no longer counting the users who visit an app or game's Canvas, but refuse to authenticate the app and leave the page before ever entering the game. Instead, Facebook will now only count the amount of users that actively log into the app or game per month.
CityVille MAU
The company goes on to say that the one-time drop will result in a perceived decline in the number of active users of its many social games and apps, but the number of users actually engaging with the apps is unchanged. But that's just it: Regardless of whether the same rough portion of players have been "actively engaging" with games like CityVille this month, this still means that nearly 20 million people merely visited the app in the last month and did not play the game. And that goes for not just CityVille, but Facebook games across the board.
This is certainly a positive change for all, as it promotes a more accurate measure of just how many players are actually playing these still-massive social games. However, the change reveals how many players are actually logging into these games every month as opposed to merely visiting. And no matter how you slice it, the numbers are smaller than previously imagined.
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Angry Birds on Facebook 'wouldn't make a lot of sense'
Angry Birds
Well, at least it wouldn't according to Facebook's brand new director of gaming partnerships Sean Ryan. During a panel at the Inside Social Apps conference in San Francisco, Calif., the new hire made some bold statements about what works on Facebook just three weeks into his new gig, according to TechCrunch. When asked to elaborate on why the ubiquitous Angry Birds wouldn't work on the platform in comparison to CityVille, Ryan said:
We don't bring anything to the table but it's still a great game. If you have a social game, we believe you should build it for us, that's what we do. If you have a single player game, it's not clear why you should build it for us, you should probably build it for other people. Folks like PopCap have been able to brilliantly take a downloadable game, which was Bejeweled and after a lot of work turned it into a social game. So you can do it, but there's not much point.
Plainly speaking, developers probably shouldn't bother porting single-player games to Facebook, but nothing is stopping them. I'm sure Angry Birds developer Rovio could figure something out. (Just look at what Frima did with Pocket God.)
When asked during the panel about what game he'd most like to see ported to Facebook, Ryan replied, "Civilization ... it's one of the best multiplayer games ever, and it's not yet on Facebook. Whenever there's a true multiplayer game that involves a lot of social interaction it arguably should be on our platform, because that's what we do." Mr. Ryan, we're happy to inform you that your dreams have already come true! In fact, they did almost a month ago. Come to think of it, you should probably give Sid Meier a ring.
[Image Credit: Video Games Blogger]
How do you think Angry Birds would do on Facebook? What single-player game do you want to see most on Facebook?
Well, at least it wouldn't according to Facebook's brand new director of gaming partnerships Sean Ryan. During a panel at the Inside Social Apps conference in San Francisco, Calif., the new hire made some bold statements about what works on Facebook just three weeks into his new gig, according to TechCrunch. When asked to elaborate on why the ubiquitous Angry Birds wouldn't work on the platform in comparison to CityVille, Ryan said:
We don't bring anything to the table but it's still a great game. If you have a social game, we believe you should build it for us, that's what we do. If you have a single player game, it's not clear why you should build it for us, you should probably build it for other people. Folks like PopCap have been able to brilliantly take a downloadable game, which was Bejeweled and after a lot of work turned it into a social game. So you can do it, but there's not much point.
Plainly speaking, developers probably shouldn't bother porting single-player games to Facebook, but nothing is stopping them. I'm sure Angry Birds developer Rovio could figure something out. (Just look at what Frima did with Pocket God.)
When asked during the panel about what game he'd most like to see ported to Facebook, Ryan replied, "Civilization ... it's one of the best multiplayer games ever, and it's not yet on Facebook. Whenever there's a true multiplayer game that involves a lot of social interaction it arguably should be on our platform, because that's what we do." Mr. Ryan, we're happy to inform you that your dreams have already come true! In fact, they did almost a month ago. Come to think of it, you should probably give Sid Meier a ring.
[Image Credit: Video Games Blogger]
How do you think Angry Birds would do on Facebook? What single-player game do you want to see most on Facebook?
Friday, January 6, 2012
Saints Row on Facebook: Beating Mafia Wars at a different game
When I noticed that Saints Row, the Grand Theft Auto-inspired gang busters game for consoles, was on Facebook, assumptions ran wild. Though, the one rang most loudly was, "Here comes another Mafia Wars." THQ and Punch Entertainment threw us a curve ball with Saints Row: Total Control on Facebook. Admittedly, it looks strikingly similar to Crime City, but what's more surprising the developer didn't play it safe and copy the most popular mobster social game out there. And it makes for a refreshing and mildly fun experience, even if the graphics look like something out of a late '90s flash game.
Let's just address the elephant in the room right away: This game does not look good. The artwork lacks detail much less style and the animations are far from smooth. In fact, there is little motion in this social edition of Saints Row to begin with. Worse off, the music becomes a bother minutes after logging in. Shoddy graphics and animations? Check. Annoying sounds and music? Check. That leaves one hopefully redeeming quality: gameplay.
Saints Row map
Redemption is yours, THQ and Punch Entertainment. Players assume the role of a gang leader in the miscellaneous city of Stilwater. It's your role to dominate neighborhoods by force and assert your ... badassery? Look, I can't say I understand gang mentality, but I can say that, somehow, this game is fun. Perhaps it's the fact that clicking on drive-by shooters to shoot them dead is mindlessly enjoyable. Tuning down your mind is something you'll probably need to do to draw some enjoyment from Saints Row, which can be difficult at times.
Back to the clicking. The majority of your actions boil down to either Thugs, another word for Energy, or weapons. Thugs are spent doing nearly every task and replenish over time, but weapons are required to attack and take over increasingly tougher territories on the isometrically displayed map. Of course, taking down wandering enemy gang members and taking over buildings awards you coins, yet spends Thugs. In other words, Saints Row embodies the eternal balance of risk versus reward--the more you do, the more you spend--of nearly every social game in existence.
Shooting things rules
Players will eventually need to protect and maintain the neighborhoods they control and can hire friends to do it for them. This is the only social feature that's immediately noticeable. There doesn't seem to be any persistent competition between gangs of friends like in Mafia Wars, which is a severe oversight. Shouldn't a game about gangs embody and facilitate gang mentality? Regardless of whether you agree with gang mentality much less understand it, it's safe to assume that this is a feeling players want to experience vicariously when playing a gang game.
Frankly, Saints Row has plenty of shortcomings. While it's certainly differentiated itself from the industry leaders, it misses the point of gang games: competition. Sure, there's a sense of camaraderie in helping friends out. But where are the cutthroat rivalry and ruthless attempts at domination amongst players? Not to mention the presumably unintentional hilarity of your thugs aimlessly shooting at things, which counts as "taking over the neighborhood." There's no reason that a flash game in 2011 shouldn't look better than the first Grand Theft Auto. Despite all this, it'd be lying if I said that aimlessly shooting down passers by and slowly watching the neighborhood map turn purple wasn't fun.
Let's just address the elephant in the room right away: This game does not look good. The artwork lacks detail much less style and the animations are far from smooth. In fact, there is little motion in this social edition of Saints Row to begin with. Worse off, the music becomes a bother minutes after logging in. Shoddy graphics and animations? Check. Annoying sounds and music? Check. That leaves one hopefully redeeming quality: gameplay.
Saints Row map
Redemption is yours, THQ and Punch Entertainment. Players assume the role of a gang leader in the miscellaneous city of Stilwater. It's your role to dominate neighborhoods by force and assert your ... badassery? Look, I can't say I understand gang mentality, but I can say that, somehow, this game is fun. Perhaps it's the fact that clicking on drive-by shooters to shoot them dead is mindlessly enjoyable. Tuning down your mind is something you'll probably need to do to draw some enjoyment from Saints Row, which can be difficult at times.
Back to the clicking. The majority of your actions boil down to either Thugs, another word for Energy, or weapons. Thugs are spent doing nearly every task and replenish over time, but weapons are required to attack and take over increasingly tougher territories on the isometrically displayed map. Of course, taking down wandering enemy gang members and taking over buildings awards you coins, yet spends Thugs. In other words, Saints Row embodies the eternal balance of risk versus reward--the more you do, the more you spend--of nearly every social game in existence.
Shooting things rules
Players will eventually need to protect and maintain the neighborhoods they control and can hire friends to do it for them. This is the only social feature that's immediately noticeable. There doesn't seem to be any persistent competition between gangs of friends like in Mafia Wars, which is a severe oversight. Shouldn't a game about gangs embody and facilitate gang mentality? Regardless of whether you agree with gang mentality much less understand it, it's safe to assume that this is a feeling players want to experience vicariously when playing a gang game.
Frankly, Saints Row has plenty of shortcomings. While it's certainly differentiated itself from the industry leaders, it misses the point of gang games: competition. Sure, there's a sense of camaraderie in helping friends out. But where are the cutthroat rivalry and ruthless attempts at domination amongst players? Not to mention the presumably unintentional hilarity of your thugs aimlessly shooting at things, which counts as "taking over the neighborhood." There's no reason that a flash game in 2011 shouldn't look better than the first Grand Theft Auto. Despite all this, it'd be lying if I said that aimlessly shooting down passers by and slowly watching the neighborhood map turn purple wasn't fun.
Zynga to shut down Mafia Wars: Cuba on March 3 in new story arc
No, we didn't stutter. Mafia Wars: Cuba is going for good in less than a week, so clear out everything you can from there now before it's all gone. According to Zynga, the game's storyline is headed in a new direction and its oldest locale will be the center of it all ... sort of. It's where a new global criminal organization will begin its conquest to become to world's largest drug trafficker, and no one will be safe come March 3.
In fact, you'll be downright kicked out. There is a new set of missions for players Level 18 and above available now with Cuba that involve combating this threat, but we doubt your mobs will succeed. If you need a hint, here is one wearing a chicken suit painted in red:
"A shadowy organization called the Neo-Imperium is secretly working to destabilize the current world order and control all criminal activities throughout the planet. The Neo-Imperium are attempting to overthrow the government and install a puppet leader to establish one of the biggest drug trafficking centers in the world. This is a warning to all Mafia crime bosses that Cuba is no longer safe."
You hear that? That means have fun with these missions now, but come March 2 you better collect from every property and empty your vaults and banks before the Neo-Imperium takes over. In fact, Zynga is hosting 5x Job Mastery right up until the city becomes grayed out in the travel options.
Not to mention a new loot item will drop from now through March 2 that might come in handy against these bullies. Oh, and you'll get an extra 10 percent cash payout if you complete the missions on time. Is that enough of a kick in the butt for you? Before you jump the gun, check out Zynga's full FAQ.
In fact, you'll be downright kicked out. There is a new set of missions for players Level 18 and above available now with Cuba that involve combating this threat, but we doubt your mobs will succeed. If you need a hint, here is one wearing a chicken suit painted in red:
"A shadowy organization called the Neo-Imperium is secretly working to destabilize the current world order and control all criminal activities throughout the planet. The Neo-Imperium are attempting to overthrow the government and install a puppet leader to establish one of the biggest drug trafficking centers in the world. This is a warning to all Mafia crime bosses that Cuba is no longer safe."
You hear that? That means have fun with these missions now, but come March 2 you better collect from every property and empty your vaults and banks before the Neo-Imperium takes over. In fact, Zynga is hosting 5x Job Mastery right up until the city becomes grayed out in the travel options.
Not to mention a new loot item will drop from now through March 2 that might come in handy against these bullies. Oh, and you'll get an extra 10 percent cash payout if you complete the missions on time. Is that enough of a kick in the butt for you? Before you jump the gun, check out Zynga's full FAQ.
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Facebook's New Game Canvas: Good renovations take time
Call it a work in progress, under construction, what have you. Facebook recently announced some changes to what it calls the Facebook Game Canvas, or the area in which you play your favorite Facebook games.
The company announced these changes hours after its new competitor Google+ Games launched, and frankly, this is still a work in progress. While the changes made will certainly improve the Facebook gaming experience in the long run, it unfortunately looks like there is much to do.
Oooh ... Widescreen
Yeah, the change to a widescreen format is likely the most welcome of changes to the Game Canvas. Playing games like Pioneer Trail and CityVille in a wider area allows players to keep track of the Ticker (sort of, but more on that thing later) while playing their games. Generally speaking, it's an impressive feat that makes far better use of any widescreen monitors' real estate.
Unfortunately, only a few games appear in the new widescreen format so far. Keep in mind, though, that Facebook did say it is working with developers to bring more games into the new format. This means that the change isn't exactly automatic, and Facebook needs to be a part of that process for whatever reason. Hopefully it doesn't take long for widescreen to become the new standard in Facebook games.
Facebook Game Canvas Widescreen
It's like CNN, but for Games
The News Ticker is the second major change to the Game Canvas, and while it's certainly impressive, its execution hasn't exactly been stellar. But let's get the bad out of the way and end on a good note: For one, the Ticker sits too high on the screen, propped up by those dastardly sidebar ads.
When playing a game, it's natural to scroll down the screen to fit the game content just right within the browser window exactly, no? Well, doing so nearly obscures the Ticker completely, forcing players to scroll up just to see what's up with your friends. And with the amount of white space beneath the ads, there should be enough room to slide things down. What's the point of having a constantly visible and interactive News Feed if you can't see it completely?
Facebook Game News TickerHowever, the Ticker does introduce a lot of neat ideas, like displaying the last four games you've played above the Ticker. Better yet, hovering over each game's icon reveals all of the notifications you have pending for that game. A fifth icon will always sit next to those four games, which gives you instant access to all of the games you've installed on Facebook and a way to quickly buy Facebook Credits.
Throw in the fact that clicking any game update or icon in the Ticker will launch you into that game immediately, without having to load the page over again, and you have a seamless, smooth experience jumping between games. And considering that's essentially the purpose of the Ticker--to notify you of your friends activity and allow you to join them--kudos, Facebook.
The Ticker even gives players the option to recommend new games that they find through messages that appear and read something to the effect of: "Would you recommend this game to a friend?" Clicking "Yes" posts a call out to your friends to join you in the game. It's an interesting way to reintroduce game discovery to Facebook, and gives players at least partial control over what separates the wheat from the chaff on the platform.
All in all, color this Facebook gamer impressed by the Game Canvas changes. However, some optimizations need to be made if Facebook wants to maintain its lead on competing platforms like Google+ Games, no matter how distant that lead is. The sooner more games are featured in widescreen, and the sooner that Ticker comes down into view next to our games, the better off Facebook gaming will be.
What do you think of the changes to the Facebook Game Canvas? What do you think still needs work, and do you think these changes are enough for Facebook to maintain its lead on the competition?
The company announced these changes hours after its new competitor Google+ Games launched, and frankly, this is still a work in progress. While the changes made will certainly improve the Facebook gaming experience in the long run, it unfortunately looks like there is much to do.
Oooh ... Widescreen
Yeah, the change to a widescreen format is likely the most welcome of changes to the Game Canvas. Playing games like Pioneer Trail and CityVille in a wider area allows players to keep track of the Ticker (sort of, but more on that thing later) while playing their games. Generally speaking, it's an impressive feat that makes far better use of any widescreen monitors' real estate.
Unfortunately, only a few games appear in the new widescreen format so far. Keep in mind, though, that Facebook did say it is working with developers to bring more games into the new format. This means that the change isn't exactly automatic, and Facebook needs to be a part of that process for whatever reason. Hopefully it doesn't take long for widescreen to become the new standard in Facebook games.
Facebook Game Canvas Widescreen
It's like CNN, but for Games
The News Ticker is the second major change to the Game Canvas, and while it's certainly impressive, its execution hasn't exactly been stellar. But let's get the bad out of the way and end on a good note: For one, the Ticker sits too high on the screen, propped up by those dastardly sidebar ads.
When playing a game, it's natural to scroll down the screen to fit the game content just right within the browser window exactly, no? Well, doing so nearly obscures the Ticker completely, forcing players to scroll up just to see what's up with your friends. And with the amount of white space beneath the ads, there should be enough room to slide things down. What's the point of having a constantly visible and interactive News Feed if you can't see it completely?
Facebook Game News TickerHowever, the Ticker does introduce a lot of neat ideas, like displaying the last four games you've played above the Ticker. Better yet, hovering over each game's icon reveals all of the notifications you have pending for that game. A fifth icon will always sit next to those four games, which gives you instant access to all of the games you've installed on Facebook and a way to quickly buy Facebook Credits.
Throw in the fact that clicking any game update or icon in the Ticker will launch you into that game immediately, without having to load the page over again, and you have a seamless, smooth experience jumping between games. And considering that's essentially the purpose of the Ticker--to notify you of your friends activity and allow you to join them--kudos, Facebook.
The Ticker even gives players the option to recommend new games that they find through messages that appear and read something to the effect of: "Would you recommend this game to a friend?" Clicking "Yes" posts a call out to your friends to join you in the game. It's an interesting way to reintroduce game discovery to Facebook, and gives players at least partial control over what separates the wheat from the chaff on the platform.
All in all, color this Facebook gamer impressed by the Game Canvas changes. However, some optimizations need to be made if Facebook wants to maintain its lead on competing platforms like Google+ Games, no matter how distant that lead is. The sooner more games are featured in widescreen, and the sooner that Ticker comes down into view next to our games, the better off Facebook gaming will be.
What do you think of the changes to the Facebook Game Canvas? What do you think still needs work, and do you think these changes are enough for Facebook to maintain its lead on the competition?
Monday, December 12, 2011
RockYou to cast Hooked into Facebook's waters next week [Exclusive]
Between Zoo World and Gourmet Ranch (among other titles), Facebook developer RockYou lays claim to over five million monthly active players. Hoping to add to that player base, we've received exclusive info from developers on the company's newest title--Hooked--set to launch in beta sometime next week.
Hooked is the first title from RockYou's new studio in Redwood City, California, and it offers casino-style video poker and slots in the popular 60-second "blitz" gameplay format. The game's theme is an "undersea fantasy world" (just check out those adorable card fish in the logo), and it will offer various gameplay modes depending on each user's desired play style.
You'll be able to play in synchronous multiplayer, along with a solo mode. Both modes offer a variety of weekly leaderboards that will compare your stats to your friends. When the game launches in beta next week, early adopters will be given extra incentive to come back through "Tickets," which seem to be a type of currency that we'll be able to use on a variety of different features that won't yet be available at launch, but will come soon after release.
One feature we do know of however will be cross-platform capabilities, as a mobile version of Hooked will launch shortly after the launch of Hooked on Facebook. The specific mobile platforms weren't made clear to us, but we'll make sure to follow up with that as we know more. Looking forward to playing Hooked when it launches on Facebook? Check back with us next week as we'll hopefully be able to take a look at RockYou's new title in all of its underwater, animated glory.
Do you like 60-second, fast-paced gameplay setups, or do you enjoy games that aren't rushed, allowing you to really take your time?
Hooked is the first title from RockYou's new studio in Redwood City, California, and it offers casino-style video poker and slots in the popular 60-second "blitz" gameplay format. The game's theme is an "undersea fantasy world" (just check out those adorable card fish in the logo), and it will offer various gameplay modes depending on each user's desired play style.
You'll be able to play in synchronous multiplayer, along with a solo mode. Both modes offer a variety of weekly leaderboards that will compare your stats to your friends. When the game launches in beta next week, early adopters will be given extra incentive to come back through "Tickets," which seem to be a type of currency that we'll be able to use on a variety of different features that won't yet be available at launch, but will come soon after release.
One feature we do know of however will be cross-platform capabilities, as a mobile version of Hooked will launch shortly after the launch of Hooked on Facebook. The specific mobile platforms weren't made clear to us, but we'll make sure to follow up with that as we know more. Looking forward to playing Hooked when it launches on Facebook? Check back with us next week as we'll hopefully be able to take a look at RockYou's new title in all of its underwater, animated glory.
Do you like 60-second, fast-paced gameplay setups, or do you enjoy games that aren't rushed, allowing you to really take your time?
Monday, October 10, 2011
New study finds Facebook games might do the economy good
The Facebook Economy
The success of Facebook gaming goes beyond Facebook. Based on an economic impact study released today (courtesy of the University of Maryland), Facebook games, applications, and social plugins (e.g. "Like" buttons, fan pages, Facebook Connect, etc.) are responsible for adding somewhere from 182,744 to 235,644 full-time jobs, and $12.19 billion to $15.71 billion into the US economy.
Seeing that the Facebook platform has only been around since May 2007, the growth has been tremendous. The study cites Zynga as an example as the most successful venture on the Facebook platform, primarily thanks to hits like FarmVille, Mafia Wars, and Words With Friends. Zynga itself has 2,000 employees with the company valued at $15 to $20 billion. Whereas, Playfish was bought by EA for $300 million, and Playdom was bought by Disney for $763.2 million.
The study, created by professors of the Center for Digital Innovation, Technology, and Strategy at the Robert H. Smith School of Business, moves on from counting the numbers of direct employment to uncovering jobs indirectly created by Facebook apps. It then estimates the economic value of all those jobs, which means analyzing salaries and benefits. Still skeptical? They're calling it the "Facebook App Economy" and you can read all about it here.
[Image Credit: Visual Economics]
[Via SFGate]
Do you still think that Facebook games are a waste of money? Do you know anyone who's been able to make a living thanks to Facebook games? Add Comment
The success of Facebook gaming goes beyond Facebook. Based on an economic impact study released today (courtesy of the University of Maryland), Facebook games, applications, and social plugins (e.g. "Like" buttons, fan pages, Facebook Connect, etc.) are responsible for adding somewhere from 182,744 to 235,644 full-time jobs, and $12.19 billion to $15.71 billion into the US economy.
Seeing that the Facebook platform has only been around since May 2007, the growth has been tremendous. The study cites Zynga as an example as the most successful venture on the Facebook platform, primarily thanks to hits like FarmVille, Mafia Wars, and Words With Friends. Zynga itself has 2,000 employees with the company valued at $15 to $20 billion. Whereas, Playfish was bought by EA for $300 million, and Playdom was bought by Disney for $763.2 million.
The study, created by professors of the Center for Digital Innovation, Technology, and Strategy at the Robert H. Smith School of Business, moves on from counting the numbers of direct employment to uncovering jobs indirectly created by Facebook apps. It then estimates the economic value of all those jobs, which means analyzing salaries and benefits. Still skeptical? They're calling it the "Facebook App Economy" and you can read all about it here.
[Image Credit: Visual Economics]
[Via SFGate]
Do you still think that Facebook games are a waste of money? Do you know anyone who's been able to make a living thanks to Facebook games? Add Comment
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Facebook game lets you solve anagrams to save Canada's forests
True to its name, in order to play Donate2Play Media's first new game, Wordraiser, you're going to have to pony up some change. Wordraiser is an anagram game that has players make as many words as possible out of one word.
If you manage to guess the key word, you get to level up. After leveling up a few times, you'll be asked to buy "Karma Points" that enable you to play more games.
Donation packages range from $1 to $20 USD, where $1 USD equals 10 Karma Points, which is good for buying one game. But right now, it seems that there's nothing stopping you from playing as much as you want. We're not sure if this is a bug, as the game just launched during the previous weekend.
While Wordraiser is supposedly free-to-play, it's also the offspring of Donate2Play's partnership with The Ancient Forest Alliance (AFA), a Canadian grassroots organization devoted to finding the balance between forestry jobs and preserving British Columbia's ancient woodlands (defined as tree populations that are over 120 years old). So half of the money given to Wordraiser will be split between AFA and Donate2Play.
Gallery: Wordraiser
Lastly, there's a top ten high scores leaderboard that displays players' names followed by their levels, and two of AFA's founders, TJ Watts and Ken Wu, are currently on the board in ninth and third place, respectively. According to its Facebook page, Wordraiser currently has 202 monthly users.
Keep in mind, though, that Donate2Play is doing all the heavy lifting here, with no risk or prior investment from AFA. Outreach for the game is done via automatic Facebook wall posts. Players will also receive facts about British Columbian forests during load screens and photos of these forests by TJ Watt.
[Hat-tip: Times Colonist]
Click here to play Wordraiser on Facebook now >
Would you rather donate to a charity directly than through a Facebook game? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
If you manage to guess the key word, you get to level up. After leveling up a few times, you'll be asked to buy "Karma Points" that enable you to play more games.
Donation packages range from $1 to $20 USD, where $1 USD equals 10 Karma Points, which is good for buying one game. But right now, it seems that there's nothing stopping you from playing as much as you want. We're not sure if this is a bug, as the game just launched during the previous weekend.
While Wordraiser is supposedly free-to-play, it's also the offspring of Donate2Play's partnership with The Ancient Forest Alliance (AFA), a Canadian grassroots organization devoted to finding the balance between forestry jobs and preserving British Columbia's ancient woodlands (defined as tree populations that are over 120 years old). So half of the money given to Wordraiser will be split between AFA and Donate2Play.
Gallery: Wordraiser
Lastly, there's a top ten high scores leaderboard that displays players' names followed by their levels, and two of AFA's founders, TJ Watts and Ken Wu, are currently on the board in ninth and third place, respectively. According to its Facebook page, Wordraiser currently has 202 monthly users.
Keep in mind, though, that Donate2Play is doing all the heavy lifting here, with no risk or prior investment from AFA. Outreach for the game is done via automatic Facebook wall posts. Players will also receive facts about British Columbian forests during load screens and photos of these forests by TJ Watt.
[Hat-tip: Times Colonist]
Click here to play Wordraiser on Facebook now >
Would you rather donate to a charity directly than through a Facebook game? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
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