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 facebookgames. Show all posts
Showing posts with label facebookgames. Show all posts
Monday, February 13, 2012
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.
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.
Thursday, October 6, 2011
UK online safety expert proposes Pet Society feature as dangerous to children
Playfish might want to take a break from its London headquarters and head to Wrexham for a chat with Charles Conway. Conway, a self-touted "online safety expert," has been making rounds in North Wales and North West England telling people that Pet Society is encouraging "stranger danger" in kids.
He alleges that the game exposes them to real-world contact with "murderers, rapists and pedophiles." While those passionate about Facebook games might want to write off Conway as a professional fearmonger, Conway may have a point, because he's actually played the game.
A professional web designer by trade, Conway runs the Clear as Crystal web firm. He then started the Scam Detectives website with his wife Christine in Jan. 2010, claiming "over a quarter of a million visitors around the world" since its inception. In March 2011, he released an ebook titled, "Scammers, Spammers & Social Engineers: A Scam Detectives guide to keeping your business safe online", available on the Amazon Kindle for $9.99. A month later, he wrote a tech column in Euro Weekly News. Lastly, Scam Detectives was also shortlisted for the 2011 Nominet Internet Awards in the category of "Making the internet safer", although it didn't win.
While Conway also names FarmVille, Mafia Wars, and CityVille in his lecture on Facebook games, he uses Pet Society's social features to build his strongest case. We've all known about the "Cafe" in Pet Society, a location in the game where everyone can go to show off their pets and their pets' homes.
Charles Conway Pet Society BunnyPig
Pet Society Go to ProfileBy being in the Cafe, you're bound to meet strangers. Even though all you can do once you get to another pet's home is some pre-set actions (e.g. hug, kiss, dance, laugh, and punch), there's also the option to visit the real Facebook profile of a someone you might not know at all. Conway demonstrated this by creating an avatar named "BunnyPig" to demonstrate to a group of foster care and social workers.
Because Facebook games require players to have lots of friends to earn virtual money and goods, Conway concludes that kids will be tempted to friend strangers. And in turn, he estimates that malevolent strangers can scope out kids who play the game. This "Go to profile" option is clearly a valid concern and does exist in the game.
So far, I could find no options within Pet Society to turn off this feature. However, Pet Society players can secure their Facebook profiles within the "Privacy Settings" menu beneath the "Account" tab on the Facebook home page. Just because a stranger can visit a kid's profile, doesn't mean a stranger will see much if their profiles are locked in Friends Only mode.
It's also entirely possible that this feature is only available for the adults who play the game. But as we've proven before, even if that is the case, kids under 13 years-old could still lie to Facebook about their age just to have a Facebook account.
In an ironic twist, Conway actually hosts several online games on his Scam Detectives website. However, these are simple Flash-based web games designed to teach and quiz players about online security. So there are no social elements involved in these games and they could be played anonymously.
(Editor's Note: This article and its headline was edited for clarity, and now clarifies how users can secure their Facebook profiles.)
[Hat-tip: PR Fire]
Is Charles Conway just another fearmonger? Do you think Pet Society players should be able to disable the Cafe? Share with us in the comments. 19 Comments
He alleges that the game exposes them to real-world contact with "murderers, rapists and pedophiles." While those passionate about Facebook games might want to write off Conway as a professional fearmonger, Conway may have a point, because he's actually played the game.
A professional web designer by trade, Conway runs the Clear as Crystal web firm. He then started the Scam Detectives website with his wife Christine in Jan. 2010, claiming "over a quarter of a million visitors around the world" since its inception. In March 2011, he released an ebook titled, "Scammers, Spammers & Social Engineers: A Scam Detectives guide to keeping your business safe online", available on the Amazon Kindle for $9.99. A month later, he wrote a tech column in Euro Weekly News. Lastly, Scam Detectives was also shortlisted for the 2011 Nominet Internet Awards in the category of "Making the internet safer", although it didn't win.
While Conway also names FarmVille, Mafia Wars, and CityVille in his lecture on Facebook games, he uses Pet Society's social features to build his strongest case. We've all known about the "Cafe" in Pet Society, a location in the game where everyone can go to show off their pets and their pets' homes.
Charles Conway Pet Society BunnyPig
Pet Society Go to ProfileBy being in the Cafe, you're bound to meet strangers. Even though all you can do once you get to another pet's home is some pre-set actions (e.g. hug, kiss, dance, laugh, and punch), there's also the option to visit the real Facebook profile of a someone you might not know at all. Conway demonstrated this by creating an avatar named "BunnyPig" to demonstrate to a group of foster care and social workers.
Because Facebook games require players to have lots of friends to earn virtual money and goods, Conway concludes that kids will be tempted to friend strangers. And in turn, he estimates that malevolent strangers can scope out kids who play the game. This "Go to profile" option is clearly a valid concern and does exist in the game.
So far, I could find no options within Pet Society to turn off this feature. However, Pet Society players can secure their Facebook profiles within the "Privacy Settings" menu beneath the "Account" tab on the Facebook home page. Just because a stranger can visit a kid's profile, doesn't mean a stranger will see much if their profiles are locked in Friends Only mode.
It's also entirely possible that this feature is only available for the adults who play the game. But as we've proven before, even if that is the case, kids under 13 years-old could still lie to Facebook about their age just to have a Facebook account.
In an ironic twist, Conway actually hosts several online games on his Scam Detectives website. However, these are simple Flash-based web games designed to teach and quiz players about online security. So there are no social elements involved in these games and they could be played anonymously.
(Editor's Note: This article and its headline was edited for clarity, and now clarifies how users can secure their Facebook profiles.)
[Hat-tip: PR Fire]
Is Charles Conway just another fearmonger? Do you think Pet Society players should be able to disable the Cafe? Share with us in the comments. 19 Comments
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