FarmVille English Countryside Cheats and Tips: Sheep Breeding 101

Horse breeding has been a mainstay of FarmVille for some time, but Zynga's other favorite livestock, Sheep, has been largely ignored. Well, aside from being the game's mascot, but no more! Sheep Breeding is the next big thing in FarmVille's English Countryside. Thanks to FarmVille Freak, we have all the details to make your experiencing easing into this brand new feature an enjoyable one.

Here are the most important things to know about Sheep Breeding before touching down in EC:

        Breeding Sheep has the possibility of producing Lambs.
        Lambs can be named. You will be able to change the name of your Lamb when it's a baby or adult.
        Lambs will require that you feed them Baby Bottles if you want them to grow into a Ram or Ewe.
        You cannot transfer Sheep over from your original farm to the English Countryside.
        Sheep Breeding is random, with no deterministic outcome.
        Offspring is based on DNA of parents genetics, but is not fully predetermined.
        Combinations of patterned sheep is in the thousands or even millions range! There are many, many possibilities for patterns and colors of offspring.
        You do not know what a Lamb will look like when it grows up. They are mysterious like that, meaning that if you have a Grey Lamb it could grow into a Purple Star patterned Sheep.
        Males determine Lamb patterns.
        New breeding opportunity for farmers to specialize in such as a color or pattern.
        When your Lamb is fully grown, you will be given Love Potions in which you can share with your farming friends via the Facebook News Feed.


Sheep UK FlagAs you can see, Sheep Breeding will be complex in FarmVille EC. Players will receive five Sheep to breed upon entering the game or fixing up the Sheep Pen. Breeding takes place on a Sheep Pen that looks largely similar to Pig Pens currently in the game, but with less mud and slop. Of course, the Pen has a "Look Inside" option that allows players to micromanage 20 of their sheep, but that number can double with an upgrade.

Breeding the Sheep is as easy as picking two Sheep and selecting "Breed." Once your Sheep produce a Lamb, you will have the option to either keep it or give it away to your friends, presumably through a News Feed post. The potential combinations for your fluffy offspring is said to be in the millions.

[Source: FarmVille Freak]

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

Have you made any preparations for Sheep Breeding in FarmVille EC? What pre-game tips might you have to ready us for Sheep Breeding?

FrontierVille 37 x 37 Expansion: Get an early start for 185 Horseshoes

Taking a page from the FarmVille team, the folks behind FrontierVille's updates have decided to release the next land expansion - the Enormous or 37x37 land expansion - in the game, but only for premium currency. That's right - if you'd like a head-start on expanding your land to its current maximum, you'll have to pay Horseshoes to do it. It should be noted that a few pioneers have been given this opportunity in the past, but it appears that only now has the option been released on a widespread scale.
You can trigger the purchase of the 37x37 land expansion missions by clicking on the new border that has appeared around your Homestead. This will show you a pop-up like the one above, where you can spend the massive sum of 185 Horseshoes to start expanding your land early. We've been told that the expansion missions will be coming in full "soon," presumably for coins, but if you'd like expand now, rather than waiting, here's your chance.

For the record, 185 Horseshoes is the equivalent of around $23 US, with the current Horseshoe to dollar exchange rate. Whether or not that price is worth it, or not, will of course be up to you. If you know you'll purchase these missions early, and want a look at what to expect from them, check out our guide.

Will you unlock the 37 x 37 land expansion for Horseshoes, or will you wait until a coin option is available?

Games for iPad: Top 10 Racing Games

It may not look like it, but Apple's iPad is a speed demon in disguise. To unlock its potential, you'll need to download the best racers for the platform, transforming the innocent looking tablet into a high end muscle machine that can go from zero to 60 in seconds.

Turn on the iPad, step behind the virtual wheel and burn rubber.

1. Real Racing HD


If you prefer the new hotness, go with the superior Real Racing sequel. Part 2, otherwise known as car porn, ups the proverbial ante with an experience optimized for iPad 2, allowing for superior graphics. Beyond that, the game has 30 licensed cars, 15 locations, a ten plus hour career mode and YouTube support, allowing you to upload races within minutes. Don't even hesitate. Buy this now.

2. Asphalt 6: Adrenaline HD


We have to hand it to Gameloft. The company knows how to deliver an arcade quality racing experience on the iPad. Exhibit A- Asphalt 6: Adrenaline HD. This over the top and positively gorgeous video game has 42 cars, a plethora of tracks based on real world locations (Bahamas, here we come) and some of the most spectacular looking effects we've seen on the platform, like cinematic blur, bump mapping and real time reflections. We can't say enough positive things about this stellar App.

3. Need for Speed Hot Pursuit HD


We lost track of the hours we invested in the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions of this game, and the iPad edition is almost as addictive. Like its console brethren, Hot Pursuit lets you command the highway as local law enforcement or a speeding criminal. The developers even took a page from the popular Burnout series, allowing you to take down rivals en route to the finish line.

4. Real Racing HD


No Gran Turismo on the iPad? No problem. You'll never miss Sony's real driving simulator, thanks to Firemint's Real Racing HD. This sim heavy speedster comes with a variety of licensed cars, detailed tracks and a variety of options, such as online multiplayer, leaderboards, vehicle customization and realistic engine sounds. This should be one of the first iPad games you buy.

5. Need for Speed Shift HD


Electronic Arts released a sweet version of NFS Shift on the App Store with iPad exclusive features, like eight new cars, physics based acceleration and manual controls. Test-drive these sexy mommas through 18 tracks set in such locations as Chicago, Tokyo and London, all the while marveling at the sweet cockpit view. Bottom line, you can't go wrong with this game.

Read the rest of the Top Ten iPad Racing Games on Modojo.

Modojo is a mobile games industry website, which primarily covers the iPhone games, iPad games, Android games and Windows Phone 7 games. Chris Buffa is the editor-in-chief.

Nintendo 3DS Causing Headaches?

Recently, Nintendo issued a warning against children under the age of seven using its Nintendo 3DS. Apparently, the handheld's 3-D feature can potentially impair their still-developing eyesight.

To combat this issue, the publisher displays a prominent warning on every game box. Of course, that didn't stop us from wincing as we read the user complaints rack up on Twitter about headaches and dizzy spells caused by the 3D-capable screen.

    aronlongoria: Got to play with a 3DS today. The 3D gave me a headache, so I hated it.
    SeanBamberger: Went to buy 3DS. Played demo 3DS. Felt really ill. Bottled it. Nintendo, why do you hate me now? It was the
    RiotBananas: Warning to everyone, if you're already ill and have a migraine, DO NOT play the 3DS with 3D on. Urgh.
    Scimac: Just had a quick play on a 3DS. Really not sure especially as I'm feeling a bit dizzy now.
    f1r3wire: Well I've just comfirmed I can't use the new 3DS as I can't see it's 3D either, it just makes me dizzy which isn't good right now.
    MikeMusings: Just played the 3ds, now I'm dizzy, imma hafta pass on this one
    Meshi_Kiyang: Just had a go on the new Nintendo 3DS and i was very impressed! dizzy but impressed
    Kartones: Today I played a Street Fighter IV match on the 3DS.The 3D effect is both amazing and a bit dizzy,but at least you can control or disable it
    laureninspace: Trying out the 3DS at best buy. Feeling more dizzy than impressed.
    AnthonyJGomez: I tried out Pilotwings at Best Buy yesterday on the Nintendo 3DS. The 3D made me dizzy, so I turned it off.
    AnselmGibbs: Playing Madden on the new Nintendo 3DS at work... I feel dizzy/cross-eyed now... It's available in stores this Thursday

There's a larger list of complaints compiled by the good folks at MaxConsole, and famed comic Penny Arcade takes a jab at the problem in their latest strip. Our own advice? Use the slider on the right of every 3DS to turn down or off the 3-D effects. It's OK to rely on that "boring" 2-D mode.

Modojo is a mobile games industry website, which primarily covers the iPhone games, iPad games, Android games and Windows Phone 7 games. Chris Buffa is the editor-in-chief.

Future Zynga Facebook, mobile games could be more sequels

At least Zynga chief creative officer Brian Reynolds is thinking about it. The design head of the company recently spoke with IndustryGamers and, when whether FarmVille English Countryside has sparked a trend within the company, Reynolds replied, "Well, it's so early in our industry, is it time to have sequels? I don't know. It sounds like something we might do." In fact, Reynolds appears to be a big fan of the sequel--just look at his previous work.

"It's never too late to do a sequel, by the way," Reynolds said to IndustryGamers. "It's not like we need to be quickly running for the sequels because you can do sequels even 10 years after the original game. The first Civilization sequel came out 5 years after the first one and the next one was 5 years after that. And we've only even been a company for 3 years."

And he has a point. Civilization still sells like hotcakes and it's been reiterated upon five times now. Not to mention the mobile releases and other rehashes over the years. Could Zynga employ the same strategy to remain relevant? While the company has already shown that it can successfully launch new properties (ahem, CityVille), the groundwork has already been laid out.

FrontierVille is surrounded on all sides by promised expansions with one recently receiving a mysterious update in its description. Mafia Wars constantly releases new content, and you could consider its new-and-improved mobile app an expansion. So, would it be in Zynga's benefit to succumb to "sequelitis?"

We've yet to see FarmVille's daily active player base stabilize as a result of the new expansion, nor has its monthly players grew dramatically. Granted, it's only been around for a week, but remember CityVille's meteoric climb? If anything is to decide whether more sequels are in the future for Zynga games, it is the numbers.

[Via GamesIndustry.biz]

[Image Credit: VentureBeat]

Would you still be interested in Zynga games if the next few releases were sequels? What is the likelihood that this is the direction the company will head in?

FarmVille Mystery Seedlings become Wych Elms; next stop Market?

The Mystery Seedlings have changed in FarmVille once again. Once planted in either an Orchard or plain grass, the enigmatic baby trees now grow to become Wych Elms, FarmVille Freak reports. However, the chance at receiving a Wych Elm appears to be random, but unlocking the new, rare tree will give players the chance to share it amongst their friends.

For a little trivia, the Wych Elm, also known as the Scots Elm, is a large deciduous tree is the only native Elm to the British Isles. (Zynga will sneak in any reference to the English Countryside it can.) Trees first appearing as Mystery Seedlings is usually a good sign of their future appearance in the Market. We bet you hope you're one of the luck ones either way now, huh?

[Image Credit: FarmVille Freak]

Have you received this new tree via either sharing or from a Mystery Seedling? When do you think it will hit the Market and, more importantly, what price are we talking here?

Nintendo 3DS: Everything You Need To Know

Nintendo 3DS came out two days ago, and numerous websites (including this one) have posted negative articles concerning headaches, the price and lackluster sales. It's a ridiculous amount of criticism. You'd think Nintendo 3DS was made by Muammar Gaddafi.

Well, we're lucky enough to own the shiny new portable, and there's plenty to love. After spending hours on games like Nintendogs + Cats and Pilotwings Resort, we've grown very fond of the system, and wanted to highlight a few of the good things that make 3DS a worthwhile investment.


Nintendo First Party Comes Through Yet Again

Everyone talks about "Mario this," and "Zelda that." You know what? Pilotwings Resort is strong enough to make the wait for one of Nintendo's premiere characters bearable. We've spent hours on the game, both in Mission Mode and Free Flight, and it's amazing how much the "one more time" bug hits you. We've racked up lots of flight time with the plane, rocket belt and hang glider, and the innovative vehicles that show up in later levels are clever and fun. The game also has a ton of unlockables, practically daring you to try and put it down before you hit three stars across all modes.

Also, don't mind what Metacritic says, Steel Diver is a lot of fun. You have three game types, gyroscope support and some cool 2-D underwater missions. It's worth a purchase.


Lastly, Nintendogs + Cats is a system seller for anyone who is an animal lover. We already have two animals frolicking in our Japanese-style apartment (there are others you can try out, too), and the magic is even more evident with the clean 3-D effects. Our dog, Kiwi, is already racking up the wins, vanquishing other, lesser canines in Frisbee and lure competitions, and the obedience trials are a blast, using augmented reality, voice recognition and 3-D to make a true emotional connection with these virtual creatures.

Third Parties Show Up Big

Haters always talk about how third parties fail to deliver on Nintendo platforms, but this time, companies showed a ton of support. Lots of third party games achieved massive sales, with Super Street Fighter IV: 3D Edition dominating the charts. Meanwhile, games like Ghost Recon Shadow Warrior and Ridge Racer 3D deliver memorable gameplay experiences that will have Nintendo 3DS owners happily occupied for a long time.


3-D Is Awesome

We get headaches from eating too much ice cream, but that doesn't mean ice cream kills. There are reports of Nintendo 3DS causing headaches, but people forget that, like everything in life, 3-D (and ice cream) is best in small doses.

Besides, unlike a PlayStation 3, which requires a system, 3-D enabled HDTV and crazy-looking glasses, all we have to do with 3DS is, you know, look at the screen and get magical 3-D. Some people can't stop complaining about things as cool as 3-D without glasses. We find it absolutely fascinating.

Augmented Reality Is As Good As 3-D

The Nintendo 3DS Augmented Reality found in Nintendogs, Face Raiders and AR Games trumps the 3-D effects. In fact, when showing off the system to family and friends, we were surprised to hear the "oohs and ahhs" coming from the Archery mini-game. Seriously, the coffee table transformed into a video game. Amazing stuff.

Other Awesome Things

Pedometer that unlocks Nintendo 3DS Play Coins? Nintendo 3DS StreetPass ushering in a new way of interacting with other gamers? Play Coins to purchase new games within the system? Nintendo 3DS 3-D Camera? Sound effects editor? We could go on.

In this day and age of instant gratification, everyone wants the latest fad, but sometimes, people need to stop to smell the proverbial roses. Or, in this case, play Nintendo 3DS. Give it a look and let the haters hate. We'll strap on our rocket belt and head for the blue skies of Wuhu Island, away from all that noise.

Modojo is a mobile games industry website, which primarily covers the iPhone games, iPad games, Android games and Windows Phone 7 games. Chris Buffa is the editor-in-chief.