Part 6 – The best ways to play
There is a myriad of apps on Facebook that make it, not just a social networking site, but a hub where you can share games with your friends and family. Everything from Farmville to Bejeweled currently runs on Facebook’s app system – here are a few tips to jumpstart your play in some of the most popular games.
79. Farmville
Farmville is one of the most popular game apps on Facebook and allows you to run your own farm, grow your own (virtual) crops, tend animals and more. Its simplistic interface allows anyone to play easily. A similar game is Farm Town, but the mechanics are only slightly different.
80. Crops
Try to think about how often you check your Facebook – if you’re planting crops, make sure you’ll be able to come online to harvest them, or they are a waste of space and coins. As the more crops, you harvest and the more crops you plant has a relation to your level, planning your crops carefully will allow you to maximize your gameplay, and afford items you may need.
81. Harvesting
When you harvest your crops in Farmville they sell automatically – the same can be said for animals or trees. Farm town stores all of your harvests in a box and you can go to a market and sell them.
82. Vehicles and storage
As soon as you can, get a harvester, seeder, and tractor – they will allow you to manage much larger farms, but require fuel. You can save up coins to buy them instead of paying real money for Farmville cash. The same thing can be said for buildings – some are limited edition though, so can only be bought with cash.
83. Fuel
Fuel is used to run vehicles – but it’s finite and rechargeable. You can also buy fuel using cash, but larger farms use up fuel before you’ve finished your harvesting, plowing and planting, so remember that whatever you choose to do, you’ll have to still do some ‘manual’ work.
84. Is Farmville cash worth it?
Depending on many factors, including how competitive you are, and whether you want exclusive items, any app that allows you to buy special credits can be worth it. Don’t buy them if you’re a casual player though.
85. Collectables, and projects
Farmville has a mechanism to build things like stables – your friends' list has to send your component parts, and then you can build a stable, or expand your storage. This can be frustrating however if they need a lot of pieces. Patience will get you there, and until then keep posting about it every few days by clicking on the building and sharing via that box.
Bejeweled
Bejeweled is a tactical game of destroying germs. There is no ‘right way’ to play, but a couple of tips include:
86. iPhone app
Bejeweled’s iPhone app links with the game on Facebook (via connect) and allows you to post your score to Facebook. It is well worth the money, giving you four mini-games in one – and another way to play while you’re waiting somewhere without computer access.
87. Sign up for the competition
Bejeweled offers a free competition and includes the scores from your iPhone app in the updates on site – which allows you to simply join in on the draw, even when you’re not on Facebook.
88. Two different styles of game
Bejeweled onsite recently introduced special bonus crystals and more, giving another variation to the one-minute blitz style game. Using the ones that fit with your play style can maximize your score. Bejeweled on the iPhone hasn’t had these introduced yet.
89. Bejeweled posts
Bejeweled will post to your profile whenever you reach a points target – sometimes you’ll post a lot in a row, which can be annoying. If you’re planning on playing for a while, you can cancel posting (as you can with any other app) and post the last one. Your friends will appreciate this.
90. Mafia Wars/Vampire Wars
Both Mafia Wars and Vampire wars are basically the same game, with some minor variations – again, like Farmville, you can buy cash or credits to use in special parts of the game, but unlike Farmville, you don’t ‘grow’ crops or care for animals.
91. Finish jobs even if you’re leveled up
Mafia wars and vampire wars allow you to move onto another level (set) of quests, but you should stay on the lower level ones and complete them if you can – it’s a long process in most cases, but it does mean that you get extra skill points, and sometimes, in-game cash. Maxing out the completion also gives you cool titles and other stuff that you
can’t otherwise earn.
In VampireWars, you need to create minions to feed your powers – these powers can be bought and upgraded to do better things once a day (though it takes several days to increase them to each level). Keeping your minions to at almost three times the amount you need to pay, as when you get into fights, you will lose blood. In Mafia Wars, there’s a similar mechanism – you need to buy properties, and support your illegal items. When you fight, you lose
money. In Mafiawars you have to step back and collect your take – in VampireWars it’s automatic.
Once you’ve completed the jobs/missions, you should always try to fight – be careful to pick someone near your level, or you will most probably lose – beating people of your level and slightly lower will let you level up and win more cash/blood to level with.
Limited edition items are available in VampireWars by playing Akem’s Gamble and with Mandy’s wheel – both are either free or cost a little blood and have a cooldown. In Mafiawars there is a daily lottery and collections. Collections give bonuses and work a bit like talents – they drop every so often when completing jobs.
Other games
There is a myriad of other games that you can play, each based around the things that you like to do best – there are various designs of games, but most allow you to send gifts, and add friends to exchange ‘stuff’.
92. Adding friends
It’s important to remember that not everyone wants to play these games, so if you invite people, don’t do it constantly. If you’re new to Facebook, and your friends are inviting you, look out for those that play, and ask them to add you, or sign up and invite them.
93. Gifts
Sending gifts or elements from a game will also invite people to the game – so be careful who you send gifts too – they may have either blocked the game or will remove you as a connection. Similarly, you can only send one a day, so choose wisely – if a friend is completing a collection go for that.
94. Posting your achievements
Most games allow you to post your achievements, levels, or important milestones – if that’s all that makes up your feed, you may find that your friends complain – or don’t read anything you post at all.
95. Removing games
Like every other app, you can remove any apps that are interfering with your profile, or posting too often – you may find that your friends complain if it posts too often – if that happens, you can simply change the app’s posting privileges, or if you’re not playing at all, remove it by going to Account, application settings and hitting the X beside the game name.
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