FarmVille player scammed out of $400 -- is Zynga really to blame?

Over the Memorial Day weekend, we reported on a FarmVille player who was scammed out of $400. Here's how it went down: The player received an instant message from a FarmVille 'friend' (or someone she thought was a FarmVille friend), which contained a link.

Contrary to common sense, the victim clicked on the link, and -- wouldn't you know it -- the other party snagged all of her credit card information. Soon she was out $400. Instead of blaming the person who send the link, this FarmVille player has pointed the finger at FarmVille creator Zynga, demanding that the company refund her stolen cash.

What do you think? Is Zynga to blame in this case? Sound off in our Lunchtime Poll below:

FarmVille scam: Is Zynga to blame?
Yes, Zynga should return all of her moneyNo way, Zynga is not to blame
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FarmVille: Another Birthday Gift comes to the free gifts page way too late

So, the FarmVille second birthday celebration may be long over, but it seems like Zynga forgot to release one of the free Birthday Gifts while it was still going on. You see, a fourth Birthday Gift has appeared on the game's free gifts page, but the gifts inside seem to just be re-releases of other things we've already been able to stock up on.

If, for whatever reason, you still want more Rainbow Apple Trees, Party Ducks, or Birthday Fireworks, you can once again send and ask for these mystery Birthday Gifts to/from friends. Here's the complete list of confirmed possible prizes, according to FVNation.

Durian Tree
Birthday Sheep
Arjuna Tree
B-Day Fireworks
Heart Teddy
Rainbow Apple Tree
Bottle
Party Duck

No Love Potions have been found so far, which lessens the value of these boxes even more, if we're being honest. There's no telling how long this gift will be available to send, so make sure to do so fast if you know of friends who still need any of these items.

What do you think of this newest Birthday Gift? Do you already have plenty of all of the items inside?

FarmVille Mexico Trees: Pink and White Plumeria Trees on sale for a limited time

If you're a tree farmer in FarmVille, or you just happen to love a good sale (c'mon, who doesn't?), you'll be happy to know that those two things have combined in FarmVille this evening, as Zynga has released two new trees in the limited edition Mexico item theme that are also on sale.

The Pink Plumeria Tree is the level one tree in this new pair, and it costs just 3 Farm Cash (down from the original price of 5 Farm Cash). As for its partner, the White Plumeria Tree, you can either skip purchasing it altogether in favor of earning one or more through Mystery Seedlings, or you can buy one for 7 Farm Cash, which is down from what will be its normal price of 10 Farm Cash.

While these trees are marked as being available in the game's store for the next two weeks, we can't imagine that the sale price will last that long, so make sure to shop fast to be guaranteed the savings. If you're interested in mastering these two beauties, the first star is available after 75 harvests, which falls in line with basically every other tree released in recent memory.

Will you purchase both of these trees while they're on sale, or will you still stick with just purchasing the Pink Plumeria and resorted to Mystery Seedlings for the White Plumeria tree?

FarmVille: Have fun in the sun with new Summer items

If you thought the Sand Castle would be the only mention of summer in FarmVille, think again. A whole set of limited edition decorations and animals has launched in the game's store this evening, and guess what? They're in a new Summer theme. Actually, saying that these items are entirely "new" might be a bit of a stretch, as some are re-releases, but there are plenty of truly new items for those keeping score. Here's a look at what's available.

Animals:

Hula Pig - 14 Farm Cash
Beach Ball Ewe - 15 Farm Cash

If you're wondering why the Ewe is so cheap, it's because it happens to be on sale for a limited time. The full price is 20 Farm Cash, so make sure to snag this one at a discounted price if you're at all interested. Also, the Hula Pig was originally released last July, so if you're an animal collector, make sure you don't already have one before shelling out the 14 Farm Cash for another.

Buildings:

Summer Cottage - 20 Farm Cash

This item is on sale too, down from what will be its normal price of 25 Farm Cash.

Decorations:

Beach Gnome - 10 Farm Cash
Beach Chair Set - 20,000 coins
Mini Beach - 16 Farm Cash
Surfboard - 10,000 coins
Surf Shack - 18 Farm Cash
Summer Swing - 100,000 coins

Take note: the Surf Shack, Surfboard and Mini Beach were all released previously in the game's Island Event, so watch out for accidentally purchasing duplicates. Also take note of the Beach Gnome's sale price - the price will increase to 15 Farm Cash in the future so shop now if you're interested.

Since this theme is borrowing so heavily from the previously released (and retired) Island theme, does this mean that we'll see other items make a return as well? Perhaps a few of the Tiki-themed huts or masks? We'll make sure to let you know either way, so keep checking back.

Did you already have all of these re-released items on your farm, or are you just picking them up for the first time now? Which other summer-themed items would you like to see make a comeback?

FarmVille Mexico Items: Aztec Duck, Beach Villa, Beach Rock Arch and more

While tonight may have seen the official launch of the Summer limited edition item theme in FarmVille, it also saw a continuation of the now long-running Mexico item theme. Tonight's release sees the addition of new animals, buildings and decorations to the game's store, on top of new trees and clothing items for your in-game avatar. Here's a look at what's available.

Animals:

Aztec Duck - 12 Farm Cash
Jaguar Cub - 12 Farm Cash

Pay special attention to both of these animals. If their prices seem lower than "normal," that's because both have been released on sale. While it would have been great to see a greater discount on both, they will both eventually cost 16 Farm Cash, so I suppose we have to take the slight savings where we can get it.

Buildings:

Beach Villa - 20 Farm Cash
Mayan Thatched - 250,000 coins

Again, this item is another that's currently on sale. The original price will be 25 Farm Cash, so hey - we've saved 13 Farm Cash so far (assuming you purchase all three of these items). That's at least enough for a few trees.

Decorations:

Mexico Beach - 4 Farm Cash
Mexico Beach II - 30,000 coins
Thatched Shelter - 50,000 coins
Mexico Beach IV - 30,000 coins
Mexico Cactus - 8,000 coins
Cactus Hedge - 5,000 coins
Beach Rock Arch - 3 Farm Cash
Mexico Beach III - 50,000 coins

These Mexico Beach items are similar to items like train tracks or mote pieces, in that they're pieces of a beach that can be put together for an optical illusion on your farm. It should be noted though that as of this writing, Mexico Beach II and III seem to be a bit bugged, and will show up as invisible in the game's store. You can view them full size by clicking on the Preview button, however, and they can be purchased as normal. As for the other items, Mexico Beach and the Beach Rock Arch are both on sale, down from their eventual prices of 7 and 5 Farm Cash each, respectively.

If you're having a hard time thinking of what to do with these items (especially if you're only purchasing those available for coins), remember that many of the Wild West items actually look perfect when placed alongside them. Combine those two themes into one larger area on your farm, and you'll really have something to impress your neighbors.

Have you been keeping up with the Mexico item theme in FarmVille? Do you have any decorating tips for your fellow farmers? Which of these items is your favorite?

CityVille: New Free Gift with City Cash purchase items now available

The "Free Gift with Purchase" has been updated in CityVille, giving players a chance to purchase one of three City Cash packages to receive not only said City Cash, but a free building, decoration, etc. in return. This offer has started rolling around to all players, so make sure to look out for it when you login.

With these sorts of promotions, there are a few ground rules to keep in mind: You will only earn one of the following three prizes by purchasing Farm Cash from the announcement menu that will appear in your game in the near future. Purchasing City Cash by clicking on "Adds coins & cash" will not reward you with any of these items, and this also doesn't apply to the redemption of Zynga Game Cards. Finally, you must be level six to receive these deals. Phew, now that that's out of the way, let's look at the new items up for grabs:

    $5 - 40 City Cash a Kitty Play Park (17% payout bonus)
    $20 - 179 City Cash and Beach Apartment Building (name may change)
    $50 - 465 City Cash and a Winery / Vineyard


Again, this offer will only be available for a matter of days or even hours once it rolls around to you, so plan ahead as to whether or not you're going to make a purchase. Is $50 a lot to ask for the third package? Absolutely, but if you've got the money to spare, and don't want to have to worry about running out of City Cash anytime soon, it doesn't hurt to keep it in mind.

Will you purchase any of these three packages when the offer rolls around to you, or would you rather save your money for when City Cash in general goes on sale?

FarmVille Sneak Peek: Add neighbors without being Facebook friends

Back at the end of July, Zynga launched a fan survey concerning potential new features to FarmVille, many of which dealt with expanding our neighbor lists without having to add dozens of complete strangers as friends on Facebook. Well, it turns out that that specific idea is currently being worked on, as a new loading screen tells us just that:

"Coming Soon: Farmville Friends! Add neighbors without becoming Facebook friends!"

If done correctly, this new feature will simply allow us to add as many active, friendly farmers as neighbors as we'd like, without having to open ourselves up for full-on Facebook friend requests. While many players have secondary accounts they use just for gaming, due to the lack of privacy they may feel when interacting with these random players, if you're the kind that has blocked off certain areas of your profile to these sorts of people, you won't have to anymore, which is a great thing!

Again, in theory, this new feature will allow us to retain all of the friendship perks we enjoy now, but I do wonder how news feed posts will be handled. That is, if Jane Doe posts a free Mystery Seedling, but is only a FarmVille friend and not a true Facebook friend, how will I be able to claim it, or will I be able to claim it at all? There's still a lot up in the air about this new ability, but it looks like it could be one of the more positive updates to hit the game in some time (I hope). We'll make sure to bring you more details on this new feature as we know more.

For now, let us know what you think of this future feature in the comments. Will you expand your FarmVille neighbors list by dozens of farmers, or just a few? What other Facebook games would you like to see this feature released for?

FarmVille Pic of the Day: Psannicolas1986's sprawling farm temple

Psannicolas1986's sprawling complex uses FarmVille's different terrain in combination with items and animals to create a wonderful and unique pattern. The surrounding sand dunes and Aztec ruins are definitely something I've never seen before and make for some incredible vistas. And if you look to the center, past the lovely tree arrangement, all you'll see is a couple of nursery barns and a dairy barn. But why keep just those buildings on the farm at all?

But now take a look at the black and white border, and you'll see that Psannicolas' temple is actually a giant dairy farm. There are dozens of belted cows, enough to make two walls around the central plaza! Psannicolas probably collects foals and raises them in those four nursery barns into adult cows. Not to mention, the trees and crop squares are also a source of profit. You folks know I love to see a farm that embraces function and form. Let's just hope Psannicolas has plenty of farm hands...

What do you think of Psannicolas' sprawling temple farm?

If you have an AWESOME FarmVille farm that you want to see featured on Games.com, please email a picture to editors@games.com, Include a few words about the inspiration for your design and maybe a few tips for people who need an assist!

Remodeling Buildings in CityVille: Everything you need to know

Well, will you look at that, Extreme Makeover has made it to CityVille. Zynga has introduced a brand new building to the game, the Remodeling HQ, and with it an interesting new feature. Once players have reached Level 15, they will be introduced to the new ability to remodel Residences.

This new function will give select Residences a new look and increase their bonuses like population boosts. If you're Level 15 or higher, the following Goal will appear in your game:

Paint the Town!

    Place and Complete the Remodeling HQ
    Remodel 5 Residences


The ability to place the new building will be included in the Goal's menu. Once it's placed, it will take 10 clicks to complete the foundation. However, it doesn't appear to require friends to finish like most new functional buildings.

Remodel options

Remodeled Residences CityVilleOnce the Remodeling HQ is complete, an arrow will appear above the select tool--click it to reveal a new mode: Remodel. Select the function to cause all Residences that are available for remodeling to appear with a floating icon. These are the Residences you can remodel now:

    Cozy Cottage
    Family Townhouse
    Country Home
    Terraced Brownstone
    Apartment Complex
    Timeshare Tower
    Bay Point Duplex


Surely, Zynga will introduce the ability to remodel more Residences later on. When you click on a Residence that can be remodeled, a menu similar to the old Build Menu will appear, displaying all the options there are to remodel your building. (Remodeling is handled per building, meaning remodeling a Cozy Cottage will apply to just that Cozy and not every one you own.) Most of these options cost mere Coins, but there are options available for City Cash, of course.

Hovering over each options will reveal what bonuses it provides, too.Once you select the new look, your building will appear with a scaffolding around it. The amount of clicks required to complete each remodeling job seems to vary, but each click will cost one Energy. The final click will reveal your new-and-improved Residence, new stats and all.

[Source and Image Credit: Zynga]

Check out the rest of our CityVille Cheats & Tips right here.

Have you tried out remodeling your Residences yet? What do you think of the new feature, and which Residences do you hope to remodel in the future?

Pioneer Trail Family Secret Goals: Everything you need to know

With the launch of the Halloween Hutch in Pioneer Trail, we see both Fanny Wildcat and Hank revealing dark secrets about their pasts. For one, Fanny is a vampire! Hank, on the otherhand, is a Werewolf, but how both could actually keep these things secret from each other (they are married, after all) is anyone's guess. Still, with this Halloween-themed event, we see two sets of goals being released, on top of the Halloween Hutch itself to tie things back together.

The first set of goals is a one-time-only deal, going along with the construction of the Halloween Hutch itself (if these goals don't appear in your list at the left side of the screen, open your Mission Select screen and scroll to the very end). Here are the details.

Fanny Has a Secret

    Harvest 20 Pumpkins
    Clear 10 Skulls on your Homestead or a Neighbor's
    Collect 10 Confession Letters


Even if you have Skulls on your own land, I'd highly suggest using your friends' Homesteads for this particular task, as you never know when you might need those extra skulls, specifically on your Homestead, sometime later on. Meanwhile, the Confession Letters are earned by posting a general request on your wall for all of your friends to see. Your friends will receive a Letter for helping you, so this should be one that's finished fairly quickly. Finishing this first goal gives you 100 XP, 500 coins and a Bloodberry Juice. This is one of the ingredients that goes into crafting a Vampire Potion.

Vampires Love Werewolves

    Clear 10 Grass with your Bat Following
    Collect 10 Hank Loves Fanny Cards
    Craft a Hybrid Potion with your Bat Following


Here's where things get a little complicated. Even though this Vampires Love Werewolves goal comes directly after Fanny Has a Secret, you won't actually be able to complete it without doing some repeatable goals first. There are two repeatable goals to tackle, and similar to the School House Upgrade feature, the more you complete these repeatable goals, the more prizes you will unlock.

Specifically, you'll unlock three prizes along the way. The first is earned after completing each goal just one time each. You'll unlock the Hybrid Potion, which allows you to turn yourself into a combination of Vampire / Werewolf. After completing each goal one more time (for four goals total), you'll unlock a "Family Moon Tree," representing Hank's end of the event. Finally, for completing each goal one more time (for a complete total of six goals completed - three of each), you'll unlock the Pet Bat. This one waits for your in your inventory, so just pull it out and you'll be able to go back to "Vampires Love Werewolves" to complete it.

Here are a look at the repeatable goals themselves.

Chronicle of a Vampire

    Craft 2 Vampire Potions
    Drink a Vampire Potion
    Tend 5 Tomatoes on a Neighbors' Homestead


Just ask a friend to plant Tomatoes and come by afterwards (even if the crops have already had time to wither), and this one should work out just fine. As for the Vampire Potions, they're crafted using twelve Bloodberry Juice and eight Glitter Powders each. When harvesting new Bloodberry Trees, you'll have a chance of earning Bloodberry Juice, while Glitter Powder can be gathered from friends. Finishing this first repeatable goal gives you 200 XP, a Family Secret Mystery Box and a Wolfnut Butter.

Hank's Hankerin to Howl

    Craft 2 Werewolf Potions
    Drink a Werewolf Potion
    Tend 10 Pumpkins on Neighbors' Homesteads


Werewolf Potions are created using 12 Wolfnut Butter and eight Hairy Beakers each, with the Wolfnut Butter coming from Wolfnut Trees and the Hairy Beakers being gathered from friends. Finishing this second repeatable goal gives you a single Bloodberry Juice, 300 XP and another Family Secret Mystery Box. These boxes contain themed decorations like spooky bell towers, stone ground tiles and even an antique angel statue. Both Wolfnut and Bloodberry Trees can also be earned by opening these crates.

All told, these Family Secret goals may look pretty complicated, but once you get started are fairly self-explanatory in practice. Hopefully, by using our guide you'll be able to tackle all four with stride, and will be able to complete these repeatable goals enough times to finish this entire event off. You'll walk away with some pretty cool prizes in the process, so good luck!

Check out the rest of our Halloween 2011 coverage right here.

What do you think of these Family Secret goals? Do you like these goals more than those found in the game's Ghost Town event?

Pioneer Trail Halloween Hutch: Everything you need to know

For the past couple of days now, we've been told that Fanny Wildcat in Pioneer Trail had a deep, dark secret. This secret was apparently so foul that she couldn't even share it with her new husband Hank. However, with Halloween approaching, Fanny's been unnerved enough to finally come clean. The secret, while a bit far-fetched, will see the game's Halloween theme really taking a turn back to a focus on the Homestead.

If you're not too busy dealing with the evil Mayor in Ghost Town, you'll be happy to learn the following: Fanny Wildcat is a Vampire! While that's crazy enough (after all, why has she not burned to a crisp standing in the sun all of these months?), it looks like Hank might have a secret of his own, and it revolves around him howling at the moon. To unravel all of these mysteries, we're asked to build the Halloween Hutch, a building that looks a bit like a coffin when first placed on your land (fitting), but then turns into a spooky cupboard of such as it's built. It looks like you might need to collect different amounts of ingredients depending on your level, as I'm a fairly high level and have to collect more items than my friends (as an example). For your reference, I'm level 93, and must collect the folllowing:

    12 Grimoires
    12 Apothecary Shelves
    12 Preserved Lizards
    16 Mortar and Pestles
    16 Bunsen Burners
    16 Glass Beakers



Regardless of the quantity, the Grimoires, Apothecary Shelves and Preserved Lizards are earned through general news posts placed on your wall, while the other three items are earned through individual gift requests sent to friends.

Once the Halloween Hutch is complete, you'll be able to use it to craft Vampire and Werewolf potions, that will allow you to "try out Hank and Fanny's powers for yourself." In other words, you'll be able to craft potions that will then let you look like either a Vampire or Werewolf, depending on which one you choose. If you choose one side of the argument (since Vampires vs. Werewolves is a heated argument in pop-culture), and then change your mind, you'll need to wait four hours for your potion to expire, or, you can craft another potion (including a hybrid potion) to change your look to something else before the timer has expired.

To go along with the release of the Halloween Hutch is a series of goals. We'll make sure to give you a complete look at these goals just as soon as we can, so keep checking back!

Check out the rest of our Halloween 2011 coverage right here.

Are you excited to see yet another project to complete as part of Halloween in Pioneer Trail, or do you have enough to work on with simply completing Ghost Town?

Cafe World Sandwich Counter Goals: Everything you need to know

Cafe World already has a Pizza Oven, Pasta Maker, Coffee Machine, Drink Bar and much more, but apparently Zynga decided that we were missing one very important appliance - a Sandwich Maker. They've filled that hole this week with the launch of the Sandwich Counter, which will introduce you to a series of new recipes (sandwiches, of course), and a man named Sal who will help you through a set of goals to complete this event.

There are seven goals to complete in all - here's a complete guide to completing them all! (Note: all of the cooking tasks here should remain the same across all chefs' accounts, unlike past goal series where they varied).

Sal's Sandwiches!

    Place Sandwich Counter
    Serve Clubhouse Sandwich 15 Times
    Ask for 5 Sandwich Bread


Clubhouse Sandwiches take 18 hours to prepare. The Sandwich Counter, meanwhile, is a new appliance that you'll need to build from scratch with friends' help. You'll need to collect eight Sandwich Presses, 12 Sandwich Knives, 10 Carving Boards and 15 Condiment Bowls. The Sandwich Presses and Carving Boards are earned via general requests posted on your wall, while the other two items are earned through individual gift requests to friends.

Finishing this first goal gives you 100 coins and 100 Cafe Points.

Peanut Butter Jelly

    Serve Basil Finger Sandwiches
    Ask for 8 Peanut Butter Jars
    Ask for 8 Jelly Jars


Basil Finger Sandwiches take six hours to cook. The reward for this one, as you might have guessed, is a peanut butter and jelly sandwich recipe - the PBJ, for short.

Better with Bacon!

    Serve PBJ 20 Times
    Ask for 8 Vine Ripened Tomatoes
    Ask for 8 Thick Cut Bacon


Another recipe comes your way at the completion of this goal - the BLT sandwich.

Viva Cuba!

    Complete the Sandwich Counter
    Serve BLT 20 Times
    Ask for 8 Cuban Bread Loafs


At the end of the this goal, you're given yet another sandwich, the Cuban Sandwich.

Ryeway Highway!

    Serve Cuban Sandwiches 20 Times
    Ask for 7 Rye Bread Loafs
    Ask for 10 Pastrami Slices


Yet again, you're given another recipe (as tends to be the case with new appliances - you're given a ton of recipes to cook in it) - the Pastrami on Rye sandwich.

Groovin' Reuben

    Serve Pastrami on Rye 20 Times
    Ask for 8 Sauerkraut
    Ask for 8 Corned Beef Slices


I'll give you one guess as to the prize for this goal... That's right, a simply Reuben Sandwich.

Sandwich King

    Serve Reuben Sandwich 20 Times
    Ask for 10 Ham and Turkey Slices
    Ask for 10 Sticks of Butter


Up until now, I had refrained from commenting on how Zynga was likely influenced to release sandwich-themed content by Food Network's "Next Food Network Star" show, but since the winner of the most recent season went on to have a show called "Sandwich King," I just can't hold it in any longer. And there, it's out of my system. For finishing this goal, you'll receive yet another sandwich - the Monte Cristo.

This marks the current end of the Sandwich Counter goals. However, if history tells us anything, we'll likely either see A) a second Sandwich Counter released in a few months, or B) more recipes released on the one we now have. That's been the case with other appliances in the past, and we'll make sure to let you know if that happens to be the case now. Keep checking back!

What do you think of this Sandwich Counter / Sandwich Maker goal series? What kinds of sandwiches did Zynga overlook in these goals? Do you have room for yet another appliance in your cafe?

CityVille Metro Marvel Items available for a limited time

An interesting trio of new items has been released in the CityVille marketplace this week, leaving us to think that perhaps the reason these three items were released on their own in such a small group, and with such an oddly named theme (after all, I don't personally find there to be anything "marvel" worthy about them) is that they'll be the last (or at least some of the last) items released in the game before it switches completely to Halloween. We've already seen some Vampire-themed goals release in the game, so perhaps that prediction isn't far off.

Either way, here's a look at the three items, two of which go for City Cash (so have that virtual - and real world - wallet ready)!

Sturdivant Tower

    Type: Residence
    Costs: 65 City Cash
    Population: 1,850 - 3,650 citizens
    Rent: 251 coins every eight hours


Skillets and Things

    Type: Business
    Cost: 7,400 coins
    Requires: 185 Goods
    Earns: 1,096 coins


CityVille School of Rock

    Type: Community Building
    Cost: 50 City Cash
    Adds 1,500 citizens to maximum population cap


Remember, if you're purchasing either the Sturdivant Tower or Skillets and Things business, the profits listed above are the absolute base amount that you can earn. Add some high-powered decorations to their surrounding areas as you could see your profits skyrocket with each collection. Just remember to have a constant supply of Goods coming into your town (through crops, ships or otherwise), as they'll go fast at 185 Goods a pop.

Regardless of which items you choose to purchase, you'll need to do some shopping fast. These three items will only be available in the store for two full weeks. Hopefully, by the time these items vanish from the store, we'll have arguably more exciting content to purchase in the form of Halloween decorations, and we'll make sure to let you know if that's the case.

Are you interested in purchasing any of these three items for your town in CityVille? Which ones?

Cafe World Fall Feast Amelia's Goals: Everything you need to know

While we already brought you the news of the Fall Feast Event in Cafe World, I'm now here with news that makes even this dedicated player shake her head in disbelief. Instead of just a single set of five goals comprising Amelia's entire portion of the game's Thanksgiving event, we've been given 25. Yes, with all of the Cook-A-Thon goals, and Fred's goals that have yet to released in this event as well, that couldn't possibly be enough for us to work on, so Zynga has disregarded almost every thread on the game's official forums, begging the developers to slow down on content and went ahead and released more. My own personal ranting aside, if you're ready to tackle this massive set of Amelia's Fall Feast goals, here's a complete guide to doing just that.

The Fall Feast

    Collect 3 Family China
    Place the Festive Table
    Serve 28 Dishes


To make matters a bit more complicated, this is a goal series where some of the dishes will be randomly generated for you. I wish I could give you the exact specifications for each and ever goal, but unfortunately, we can't. Sorry! Just check out our guide to building the Festive Table and then ask your friends for Family China and you'll do fine. Finish this goal and you'll receive 1000 coins, 100 Cafe Points and 5 Fall Feast Invites. These Invites give you a chance to win Cafe Cash in the game, so you'll win plenty of them throughout this event, if you decide to complete it.

Traditional Dish

    Collect 7 Cranberries
    Serve 24 Dishes
    Collect 4 Traditional Recipe Cards


These recipe cards serve as this event's "one-per-friend" item. If a friend responds to your request, they'll never be able to send you another Card throughout the rest of the event (at least, that's the rules so far). Once they accept, they'll show up at your dinner table in-game. If a friend ignores your request, or just misses it, you can resend every 48 hours, but again, you will not be able to send another request to someone that's already accepted. Finishing this goal gives you 2,000 coins, 200 Cafe Points and 10 Fall Feast Invites.

Keep it Spicy!

    Collect 6 Family China
    Serve 32 Dishes
    Spice 3 of your Neighbors' Dishes


The rewards for this goal are the Cream of Mushroom ingredient and 15 Fall Feast Invites.

New Fall Tastes

    Collect 6 Traditional Recipe Cards
    Collect 8 Fresh Green Onions
    Serve 20 Dishes


Reward: 2000 coins, 200 Cafe Points and 20 Fall Feast Invites

Setting the Table

    Collect 9 Family China
    Complete the Festive Table
    Serve 40 Dishes


Reward: Cranberry Chutney recipe, 100 Cafe Points and 50 Fall Feast Invites

Additional Guests

    Collect 6 Family China
    Serve 15 Dishes
    Serve 20 Dishes


Reward: 1000 coins, 100 Cafe Points and 5 Fall Feast Invites

Sage Advice

    Collect 7 Chopped Sage
    Serve 24 Dishes
    Collect 4 Traditional Recipe Cards


Reward: 2000 coins, 200 Cafe Points, 10 Fall Feast Invites

New Ingredients

    Collect 8 Family China
    Serve 32 Dishes
    Spice 3 of your Dishes


Reward: Spicy Sausage ingredient and 15 Fall Feast Invites

Fresh Fall Dishes

    Collect 5 Traditional Recipe Cards
    Collect 8 Fresh Mushrooms
    Serve 30 Dishes


Reward: 2000 coins, 200 Cafe Points, 20 Fall Feast Invites

Pass the Potatoes

    Collect 10 Family China
    Ask for 8 Potatoes
    Master Cranberry Chutney to Level 2


Reward: Mom's Mashed Potatoes recipe and 50 Fall Feast invites

Friendly Recipes

    Collect 5 Traditional Recipe Cards
    Serve 20 Dishes
    Serve 28 Dishes


Reward: 1000 coins, 100 Cafe Points and 5 Fall Feast Invites

Cook for Friends

    Collect 7 Cornbread Stuffing
    Serve 24 Dishes
    Collect 8 Family China


Reward: 2000 coins, 200 Cafe Points and 10 Fall Feast Invites

Rice is Nice

    Collect 6 Traditional Recipe Cards
    Serve 32 Dishes
    Spice 3 of your Dishes


Reward: Rice Pilaf ingredient and 15 Fall Feast Invites

Setting the Mood

    Collect 9 Family China
    Collect 8 Candlestick Holders
    Serve 24 Mom's Mashed Potatoes


Reward: 2000 coins, 200 Cafe Points and 20 Fall Feast Invites

Candle Collection

    Collect 6 Traditional Recipe Cards
    Collect 8 Holiday Candles
    Master Mom's Mashed Potatoes to Level 2


Reward: Sweet Potato Pie recipe and 50 Fall Feast Invites

Extended Holiday

    Collect 6 Family China
    Serve 20 Dishes
    Serve 28 Dishes


Reward: 1000 coins, 100 Cafe Points and 5 Fall Feast Invites

Fall Harvest

    Collect 7 Sweet Corn
    Serve 24 Cakes
    Collect 6 Traditional Recipe Cards


Reward: 2000 coins, 200 Cafe Points and 10 Fall Feast Invites

Holiday Spices

    Collect 8 Family China
    Serve 32 Dishes
    Spice 4 of your Dishes


Reward: Apple Cider ingredient and 15 Fall Feast Invites

A Personal Taste

    Collect 6 Traditional Recipe Cards
    Serve 20 Taste Lab Dishes with Rice Pilaf
    Serve 24 Dishes


Reward: 2000 coins, 200 Cafe Points and 20 Fall Feast Invites

Going Green

    Collect 3 Family China
    Ask for 8 Cheddar Wheels
    Master Sweet Potato Pie to Level 2


Reward: Green Bean Casserole and 50 Fall Feast Invites

Fall Feast Finale

    Collect 6 Family China
    Serve 20 Cassava Cakes
    Serve 28 Dishes


Reward: 1000 coins, 100 Cafe Points and 5 Fall Feast Invites

Recipes Galore!

    Collect 7 Fresh Zucchini
    Serve 24 Dishes
    Collect 5 Traditional Recipe Cards


Reward: 2000 coins, 200 Cafe Points and 10 Fall Feast Invites

Mmmmm Bacon!

    Collect 8 Family China
    Serve 30 Dishes
    Spice 5 of your Dishes


Reward: Bacon ingredient and 15 Fall Feast Invites

New Creations

    Collect 7 Traditional Recipe Cards
    Serve 20 Taste Lab Dishes with Bacon
    Serve 24 Dishes


Reward: 2000 coins, 200 Cafe Points and 5 Fall Feast Invites

Holiday Upgrades!

    Collect 10 Family China
    Master Green Bean Casserole to Level 2
    Serve 40 Dishes


Reward: Mystery Prize (likely a 50% Lighting Stove) and 50 Fall Feast Invites

As of this writing, this is just the "Amelia's Goals" portion of the Fall Feast Event, but as you can probably tell from the prizes above, the goals themselves are split into sections. If you look into your game and see "I of V," trust me, the rest of these goals come later in different parts. Whether you're ready to dive into this massive event or not, the time is ticking down, and your choice will ultimately be made for you. If you're interested in filling out your Cookbook with every dish possible, then start plugging away at these goals. If not, feel free to go back to working on the Cook-A-Thon instead.

[Via Zynga]

Check out the rest of our Thanksgiving coverage right here.

What do you think of Amelia's Goals in the Fall Feast Event? Do you think Zynga releases too much content too quickly? Have you stopped playing the game because of it?

FarmVille: Win early access to Winter Wonderland through new contest

If you're like me, you're probably eagerly counting down the days and even minutes until you can step your virtual feet into FarmVille's fourth farm, the Winter Wonderland. Similar to a setup with the Lighthouse Cove, Zynga is taking advantage of your excitement by offering a contest to some very lucky farmers - 50 of them, to be exact - who will be given early access to the Winter Wonderland farm for winning a new "Winter Wonderland Escape" caption contest being held on the game's forums.

This caption contest presents you with the image above, or a duck that finds himself in a precarious situation under the snow. You'll have the option of writing up to two sentences that describes the picture, and, as Zynga says, "captures the essence of the characters." You can interpret that however you'd like; just make sure that your entry is clever and family-friendly and you'll have a chance to win!

The winners of the contest will be chosen by the FarmVille team and will be announced on Saturday, November 26. This sets up a pretty convenient time frame, if you think about it. Could it be that these lucky winners will receive access on the 26, and then the entire farm will open up to everyone on December 1? Either way, this contest is free to enter, and you really have nothing to lose, so why not take a shot at it? If you do win early access to Winter Wonderland, make sure to let us know how it is!

Will you try to win early access to Winter Wonderland via this caption contest, or will you wait until it becomes freely available to all players instead?

CityVille Stumpfords Mini Golf Goals: Everything you need to know

The Stumpfords may have come back from their family vacation in CityVille, but that doesn't mean they're ready to give up on fun altogether. In fact, they want to throw a little family competition by taking to the virtual, and miniature greens of the putt-putt golf course. You'll be there along the way, completing tasks and earning themed rewards as the Stumpfords fight amongst themselves for supremacy.

Par for the Course

    Ask for 10 Parking Cards
    Collect from the French Restaurant 16 Times
    Harvest 24 Eggplant Crops


Ok, so these three tasks don't really pertain to golfing specifically, but here's the kicker: whoever wins this round of miniature golf gets to pick where the entire family goes for lunch. At least now, we understand all of these references to food! For the record, Eggplant takes just one hour to grow, and you can earn those Parking Cards by asking your friends via direct friend requests. Finishing this first goal gives you the Monkey Golf decoration, which is a piece of a putt-putt course. It gives a 12% payout bonus to surrounding homes and businesses.

Meal Ticket

    Ask for 10 Lockers
    Collect form the Noodle Shop
    Harvest 8 Wheat Crops


Wheat takes 2.1 days to finish, so I suppose we should be happy that there doesn't appear to be a time limit on finishing these goals (as of this writing). Waiting all of that time for the Wheat to grow also gives you a chance to gather the 10 Lockers, which is done by posting a general wall post to your news feed that asks all of your CityVille neighbors to help at once. Finishing this goal gives you the Holland Hole in One, another piece of the golf course that offers a 12% payout bonus. It was originally available in the store for 135,000 coins.

Mini Me

    Ask for 10 Golf Balls
    Collect form the Burger Joint 20 Times
    Water Neighbor Crops 8 Times


Keep an eye on the term here: you'll need to water crops in your friends' cities, not unwither them or harvest them. Just make sure you find some crops that are currently growing before you start clicking and you'll finish in a snap. Doing so gives you the Pirate Putt Putt item, a golf course piece that normally cost 27 City Cash and offers a 27% payout bonus.

Icing on the Cake

    Ask for 10 Hot Wings
    Collect from Community Buildings 8 Times
    Harvest 24 Carrot Crops


It doesn't appear to matter which Community Buildings you collect from, and as you likely already have more than eight completed in your town, just collect the profits from eight different buildings to quickly finish this task. Meanwhile, Carrots take eight hours to grow. For finishing this final goal in the Stumpfords Mini Golf series, you'll receive the Big Play Brewery, a business that requires 335 Goods, and generates 1,781 coins. It normally cost 46 City Cash, so that's actually a pretty great final prize for completing a goal series that wasn't exactly difficult.

I don't know about you, but if we continue to receive such nice prizes from goals in CityVille, I'll be one happy mayor. What about you?

[Via CityVille Wiki]

Well, what do you think of these Stumpfords Mini Golf goals in CityVille? Will you stop what you're doing to finish these four goals first?

CityVille Pet Show Timed Goal: Everything you need to know

If there's one thing we know about the character Ruth in CityVille, it's that this woman loves her pigeons. That's true to such an extent that she's decided to enter her pigeons into the local pet show. This is done through a new timed goal called "Pet Show" (or, just "Best in Show," if you prefer), and it must be completed in just 24 hours to receive the best prizes. Here's a look at what you'll need to do:

    * Get 12 Pet Shampoos
    * Collect 12 Times from any Zoo enclosure
    * Collect 12 Dubai Shipments


If you have multiple Zoo habitats in your city, just make sure you collect from all of them at once to maximize your points. You can collect from them every few hours, so if you have four habitats (for example), you'll only need to collect from each one three times. While you're waiting, you can send off for Dubai Shipments which take 12 hours to return, and can also gather the bottles of Pet Shampoo, which is accomplished via a general news item posted to your wall.

If you can finish this goal within the first 24 hours, you'll receive the Gold Trophy, 10,000 coins, 3,000 Goods and a Poodle Statue decorative item for your town. If you can't finish within the first day, but finish within 72 hours, you won't receive the Poodle Statue, but you will earn a Silver Tophy, 2,300 coins and 1,200 Goods. Finally, if you finish the goal at any point after the first 72 hours, you'll receive a Bronze Trophy and 1,200 Goods.

Remember, while you are timed once you start the goal, there doesn't appear to be any time limit for when you need to start it. That is, you are only placed on a time limit once you manually start the countdown in your game. Feel free to ignore it entirely until you're truly ready before beginning and you'll still have the full time available to you to finish (and a better chance of actually doing so).

What do you think of the Pet Show Timed Goal? Have you already started it in your game, or are you waiting for a better time before you take on a time-sensitive goal? Sound off in the comments.

Pioneer Trail End of Summer Sale offers 50% off Horseshoes and more

If you thought that 40% off Horseshoes purchased when redeeming a Zynga Gift Card was a good deal, try this one on for size. As part of the Pioneer Trail "End of Summer Sale," you can now take 50% off all Horseshoe purchases for a limited time. Leave it to Zynga to tell us about these things at the last minute, but you only have a few hours to take advantage of this Horseshoe deal, and a few others (for your reference, this sale places 170 Horseshoes in a package for $10, as an example).

Other items are on sale as well, including Mystery Animal crates from a variety of themes (including winter and Halloween) that are priced at 30% off, bundles of Critter Milk, Chunky Chow and Fuzzy Blankets at 40% off, and even Wedding Gift and Poker Card packages being 40% off as well.

Of course, this deal applies only to those items that you'd purchase with Horseshoes, and not anything coin-related, but it also includes the ability to purchase Beef Jerky (permanent boosts to your maximum energy) or Badgers, which are a limited edition animal. All in all, if I had to personally judge which item was the most valuable, I'd say the Beef Jerky for 16 Horseshoes is definitely something that's more worthwhile than not. Think about it - you'll be able to raise your maximum energy, allowing you to do more tasks in a single sitting and make progress faster. Purchase more than one Beef Jerky and you'll really be in business.

Again, though, you won't have much time to splurge on these items, or the Horseshoe packages proper, before the sale ends at midnight tonight (Eastern time). I wouldn't be surprised if Zynga extended the sale beyond this point to make more money, but if not, you've been warned!

Will you purchase any of these End of Summer Sale items? Which ones? Sound off in the comments.

FarmVille: Halloween Black Belgian horse available for coins

If you're a Horse collector in FarmVille, you'll likely be happy with the following news: a new Horse called the Black Belgian is now available in the game's store for coins. However, unless you've been saving up, you may not be able to afford its high price tag. How high? How does the million coin mark sound to your wallet? Good? Then you're just fine, as that's its exact price.

Interestingly, this Black Belgian horse is marked in the Halloween limited edition item theme, but it doesn't do anything to scream "Halloween" other than being black. Still, I suppose this gives Zynga a way to bring more attention to it in the store, as its part of the theme that will only last for a limited time. The Black Belgian will only be available for the next two weeks, but you'll receive one heck of a bonus for purchasing it: 10,000 XP.

At that point, you can either place the Horse into your Horse Paddock to be able to collect from it once daily, or you can keep it outside on display and collect from it once every three days. Remember, if you store it, you have a chance to breed a Black Belgian Foal, which would of course be even more limited. Whatever the case, make sure to head into the store sooner, rather than later, if you have any interest whatsoever in purchasing one of these expensive Horses for your farm(s).

Will you purchase the Black Belgian Horse for the whopping price tag of 1 million coins? Sound off in the comments.

FarmVille: Lighthouse Cove land expansions on sale for "select users"

Just what makes someone a "select user?" We're not exactly sure, but if you're even remotely interested in expanding the size of your land in FarmVille's Lighthouse Cove farm, and aren't afraid to spend some Farm Cash to do so, you'll be happy to know that "some" users are being offered the ability to do so at a discount. So far, these are the sale expansions, with their prices:

Harbor Homestead (18x18) - 40 Farm Cash (down from 50)
Oceanside Farm (20x20) - 50 Farm Cash (down from 60)
Seaside Farmland (22x22) - 60 Farm Cash (down from 80)

Unfortunately, that seems to be where the discounts stop for now. It could be that different users have different selections of expansions on sale in their own games, but as the Lighthouse Cove currently supports up to the 32x32 size (the Waterfront Land expansion), this 22x22 cutoff is pretty low. Still, by the time you reach that point, you'll have already shelled out 150 Farm Cash, so maybe that's enough (for now).

Again, the game's loading screen [pictured] says that these sale prices are only available for "select users," but I haven't personally come across anyone that doesn't have the option to expand with sale prices. That's not to say this is a lie, but I'd simply make an educated guess that more people have the ability than not. After all - Zynga wants your money, so why not release the sale to more users to entice them to actually spend some? Either way, this sale isn't going to be around forever, so make sure to browse through the Farm Aides section of the store soon to see if the sale prices are available to you.

Do you have the sale prices on Expansions in your store? Will you take advantage of any of the sale prices? Sound off in the comments.