Inside Social Games

Okay, this week, its all about Playfish’s latest title, Minigolf Party. This stellar little game lets you play rounds of miniature golf with your friends in some rather exotic and worldly locals. As with other Playfish games, players vie for the high score - but more than that, they also strive to unlock all the achievements and trophies they can. However, this task can be a lot more daunting than one might think - but don’t worry, that’s what we’re here for.

So it seems that a number of people struggle in finding what all of the trophies actually are. Well, here is a nice neat list for you:

• Welcome Badge - First full round of golf
• Lifetime Achievement - play more than 50 games of golf
• Hole In One! - Making a hole in one shot
• Coin Collector - collect more than 100 coins
• Coins? What Coins? - Five Coins or less collected on a full course
• Metal Detector - Collect all coins in a course
• Party Hat - Par on all holes in a course
• Professional - Under par on all holes in a course
• Birds Nest - Birdies or better on all holes in a course
• Where Eagles dare - Eagle or better in one hole
• Party Player - Have 20 friends playing
• Giving Golfer - Gift more than 20 items to friends
• Challenge Champ - Win more than 20 challenges against your friends
• Need A Towel? - Hit the ball in a pond 5 times
• Treasure Hunter - Find the secret treasure chest
• Enthusiast - Play more than 10 rounds of golf in 1 hour

Okay, now that you know what to look for, it’s time to get some tips on how to get those tougher ones.

Quite possibly, the two most asked about trophies are “Metal Detector” and “Treasure Hunter.” When going for these achievements, score can be of no concern to you, because you’re definitely not getting par while searching for these. Nevertheless, the Treasure Hunter trophy can be acquired on the Egypt course. If you look closely, you should notice a small, square block to the right of the Great Pyramid that is surrounded by four, orange flowers. That is your target. Beneath it is a hole that leads to the basement of the pyramid in which the treasure is hidden.

In order to access the hole, you first have to move the block. Notice how the Sphinx has a nose? Well, the real Sphinx’s nose is actually broken, as such, you will need to correct this “oversight.” Carefully line your ball up with the left foot of the Sphinx and launch the ball into its nose. This will open up the hole to the right of the pyramid. Now all you need to do is get the ball close enough to its base so you can ramp it into the hole. It is a tricky shot, but here is a video that should help you out.

Not only will finding this treasure get you the Treasure Hunter trophy, but it will put you one step closer to getting the Metal Detector trophy. That in mind, there are still a few hidden and tough coins to get. The most common ones that are missed come from Rome and France. In France, they aren’t hidden, just a pain to get because if you make one mistake, you will have to start over. The trouble spot is the last four coins by the Eiffel Tower. No real trick here except, play very soft positioning. If you hit the ball even the slightest bit too hard, the slope will slide the ball into the hole. This takes a very steady hand and patience as you will have to do it four times. Just gently nudge the ball to each coin and you will be fine.

Rome, on the other hand, requires less subtlety. In this course, the coins are hidden, so take a wild guess where. That’s right, they are in the Colosseum. If you notice, there are two collapsed columns in the middle of the course. The shorter one, is actually a ramp. Simply position the ball near it and give it a nice whack towards the roof of the Colosseum. Assuming you hit it hard enough, it should land right in the middle, collect the hidden coins and fly out onto the pizza at the end.

That should help you out in getting those trophies unlocked for yourself, but if you want to beat those high scores, you had better learn how to get coins in all the courses without sacrificing as many swings. It all comes down to practice and patience. Think about those shots, experiment with different methods, and slowly work your way up there. Good luck, and happy golfing.

Surprisingly enough, a lot of people are playing KickMania on Facebook to put the boot to their friends. One can only hope that this desire applies strictly to the game, and not some deep seeded roots within reality. How on Earth do people kick so far? Some of these coveted kicks are well over 200, even 300 meters.

Well, there are a few secrets to share that those “ass-assins” use that might help you in your quest to own your very own collection of…we’ll stop. Anyway, you have to start with the basics, which means the more obvious tips: Start owning your friends. That’s right, in order to better kick asses, you need to own more people. Here’s the deal, the more you own, the more expensive (and more powerful) kicks become available. Assuming that you have done this already and have owned enough people to unlock the $1000 kick, then it comes down to a little bit of finesse.

The trick is timing, positioning, and explosives. First off, make sure you’ve owned 500 people so that you have access to the maximum of five explosive charges. These charges will allow you to detonate an explosion near the crash dummy as he or she reaches the ground and allows you to get some extra distance, but before that can come into play the initial kick has to be perfect.

KickMania utilizes a very well built physics engine to simulate the rag doll effect. That means that momentum, trajectory, power, and mass all come into play. With that in mind, some players say that the male dummy is the better choice because it has more mass, and more mass equals more momentum. While this isn’t written in stone, it is worth considering. Despite whether or not you choose to use a male or female dummy, you still have to be both very quick in reacting to the power meter and incredibly precise on your position. Before you do anything, try to position your foot near the dummy’s waist, just where the shirt and pants meet at a 45 degree angle. Once you’re ready, be prepared to react quickly to the power meter and attempt to kick at its highest apex for the greatest potential.

$1000 Kick: Check. Position: Check. Power: Check. Okay, so now comes the use of explosives. For $50 you can detonate a charge, but you will need a kick of at least 30 meters to even see the first one. These charges activate when you get close to them, and once near, you can press “spacebar” to set them off. This, however, is where timing is critical. Remember, that this game is a simulated physics engine, thus both angle and distance from the explosion are going to affect trajectory and momentum. If you detonate too far away, you will get little to no result. If you go too soon, you might send your target backwards. What you want to try and do is trigger the explosion at the last possible second so that it goes off before the dummy’s center of mass hits the ground and is at about a 45 degree angle to the right of the charge. Each well timed charge should get you an extra 30 - 50 meters on your total kick distance.

Markus Weischselbaum of KickMania describes it in a technical sort of way on the KickMania forums: “The direction of the boost vector is an imaginary line from the explosive charge towards the center of mass of the body….the force applied to the body is inversely proportional to the square of its distance from the explosion.”

There you have it. Before you even start going for those distance records, you’re going to have to earn all five explosives and that $1000 kick. Once you’ve done that though, it all comes down to position, power, timing, and practice. Finding that sweet spot for all three major elements of the game is pretty tough, but now that you know what to look for, it should make your endeavors a little easier to pursue. Best of luck fellow ass kickers, and remember to wear padded jeans.

“As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a gangster.”

- Goodfellas, 1990

Oh, such a great movie, and if you haven’t seen it, shame on you. There’s an attraction to being the bad guy; there always has been. Movies and games are a means to escape the every day, and being able to identify with the opposite side of the tracks is what makes media such as Goodfellas, The Godfather, Grand Theft Auto, and Saint’s Row so popular. However, none of these have ever had much of a social element to them (save for maybe the latest renditions of GTA and Saint’s Row). Social “bad guy” games are currently reserved for social networks, and with over a million monthly users, Mob Wars is a title in which you can not only rise through the ranks of the mob, but do so with plenty of friends.

The question is: How do you get up there? How do you make all that money? Well, while it may all be water under the bridge for the more veteran players, but there are some pretty good tips for players from levels 1-20 and how to get started. Alarmingly, these game tips are rather close to reality, so even if you don’t play the game, you might find some other uses.

Rule #1 of successful mobbing: Invest early and often as this will be your primary bankroll. That said, managing your finances early on is critical. While it may seem obvious you have to be very careful with what you purchase and should never buy more than what you absolutely need. Try not to be too frivolous and resist the urge to buy some of the really cool toys. You won’t need it for a long time (i.e. an armored Humvee). These items may be good, but they’re also expensive to upkeep and you can’t afford that risk yet. By the same token, however, you do want to spend a little extra on all real estate.

Never, ever buy it one item at a time. The game implements an increasing cost mechanic every time you make a purchase, so you want to buy real estate in sets of 10 so they cost less in the long run. Buying in bulk is almost always cheaper regardless of where you are in life. However, if you cannot afford a full set of 10, just be patient until you can. By no means should you sell smaller real estate in order to buy bigger ones as you will, once again, loose money. Cubicle Denizen has a pretty good spreadsheet that can help you find the best investments with the highest return if you want more details.

Okay, so now you know how to make the wisest investments, but how do you get that extra money? Well, for starters, you can hunt for what are called “pigeons” or players that don’t bank their money. Obviously, the game isn’t meant to be played constantly, so at one point or another everyone is a pigeon at some point, the trick is to find them. It may seem cruel to clean them out, but that’s one of the ways the game is played, and it’s a quick way to earn a ton of cash. However, take precautions against being one yourself. You have to boost your defensive stats early and often so you won’t have to worry about banking quite as much. If they are high enough, while you may still get beaten and killed, you won’t have to concern yourself with losing too much (if any) of your hard “earned” cash.

So what stops them from doing the same thing to you? Nothing, but that’s not the only way to get significant cash. Now it comes down to play style. There are two methods to utilize here, one is to make more friends and build your mob, but the other is to fight, fight, fight, which sounds a lot more fun. Fighting is one of the faster ways to get money, and due to the high rate of regeneration, you probably won’t need to add more than three stamina until later levels.

However, you still have to pick your targets wisely. Here’s a compound trick in finding a good target: First, look for anyone that has a casino on their property as that means they’ve got plenty of income to “share” with you. Next, find one that has lost a lot. Sound unlikely? Not really. Such a target is most likely a “clone account” on Facebook, which means they will most likely not defend their boss, and in turn, earns you around $70,000 each attack. At this point, save the link and repeat attacks until they go to the hospital (of course, make sure your weapons are enough to win first).

That leads to one final tip: If you ever find yourself in the hospital, take advantage of it. You know how when you play Monopoly and everyone has hotels up? Where is the best place to be? That’s right, jail. You run no risk of losing money while in there. The same goes for the hospital. You can still do business there, and at worst, get punched in the face, but you can’t be attacked, so keep that in mind.

So there you have it. While it may not help the most advanced players, this should be enough to get you a decent start. Invest wisely, spend wisely, search for pigeons and clones, and always take advantage of the hospital. While it may not make you The Godfather, it can put you that much closer. There are also some very interesting discussions, such as this one, on the web regarding strategy and further tips for improving your mob. Good luck, and happy mobbing.

So you want a bigger brain, do you? With people scoring well over 5,000 or even 7,000, one has to wonder how they do it. How did they get so good? How can you get better?

As most of you know, the game is made up of various mini-games that are meant to test different aspects of your brain, and the scores from each make up your “brain size.” As such, in order to get better, you have to practice all these different games, but if you play the classic version, you get them at random, which leads to a very basic tip.

Most of the top scorers have the Pro version of Who Has The Biggest Brain?, which allows them to select the mini-games they are best at, thus automatically improving their score. Of course, it’s not quite that simple. There are, in fact specific tricks you can employ for each mini-game.

The first category is for analytical ability. One of the possible mini-games you might come across here is “scales.” In this game you have to identify which object is the heaviest in a group. It starts simple enough with only one scale, but that number begins to grow as the rounds pass. However, there are some basic rules you can follow to speed up you analysis. Spend little time in the first rounds, if the object is on the bottom of the scale or at equilibrium with multiple objects, it is heavier. That alone will get you to the later rounds in 10 or so seconds.

Once you get multiple scales, though, you have to look at the image as a whole and not each individual one. Scan over the objects on the screen using your peripheral vision and if you see two of the same one at the top, they are not the heaviest, but if you see two or more on the bottom, then they most certainly are. This should get you at least 600′ish points if you practice, but if you’re looking for 1000+, you’ll have to get faster at the end rounds, in which case you can follow one rule: While not 100% accurate, the heaviest item will either be the most common item on the bottom scales or the least common, with only one or two objects on the bottom.

After you’ve gotten past the analytical game, it’s time to calculate (ugh… math…). Sorry folks, but there aren’t many “rules” here that can help you get around math. However, there are a few tricks beyond simply memorizing your multiplication tables all over again. So one of the games is “missing number” in which you do basic math: First and foremost, use the number pad, don’t use the mouse. Not only is it faster, but there’s a neat little trick for the game.

You see, if you have the right answer, it will check off instantly, but if it is wrong, you have a second or so to fix it. If you use the number pad, you can type in a number, and if the check mark doesn’t appear, you can press “delete” to change the number until you get it right. For example, if you have “12×7=” (which is 84), you can type the ‘8′ then 1, hit delete, 2, hit delete, etc. until it checks as correct. If you are quick enough you won’t get it wrong. Nevertheless, spending too much time on this trick eats up precious seconds that you will need for your score. Also, most of the answers are fairly similar, but presented in different ways (i.e. 3×5 is the same as (2+1)x5) so once you recognize those patterns, you will get even faster.

Next up is memory, and this one can be tough. One game that you might come up against is “shape order” which consists of being shown an order of shapes, and then having to emulate said order from memory. Basic memory techniques are what most use here. Consider when you would study for tests in high school (assuming you did). Was it not easier to remember things you said aloud? The same concept applies to this game.

Your brain processes audio data far faster and efficiently than the visual counterpart, and this habit alone will do wonders for your score. Also consider short one-syllable words, or familiar phrases common to you. The average human brain cannot hold many things within its short term memory for long, but by shortening the words or relating them to something familiar, the chances of retention are exponentially greater. As for the later levels, you will need to do the same thing, but apply the idea to sets of two or three. Once you get used to it, you will find it is much faster to remember three sets of two than it is recalling six individual images.

Now that you’ve made it this far, its time for some fun visual processing. “Asteroids” is one of the cooler mini-games in this section, where the game play is simply removing asteroids from play based on the numbers or letters printed on them. The object is to remove them from the least value to the greatest value. It’s pretty simple to do this one: All you need to do is create groups in your mind.

For numbers, group negatives and group positives. For letters, break the alphabet into sections (i.e. A - L). This creates a hierarchy in your brain and gives your thoughts a clear path to follow automatically rather than you having to think about it. Remove the asteroids that fall into the lesser sections, then move to the next section. Also, a number of players on this Facebook discussion thread found it useful to zoom out while in this game, making it easier to see everything on the screen and allowing for less mouse movement and greater accuracy.

That should give you at least a little bit of ammunition for you next crack at Who Has The Biggest Brain? There are a total of 12 different mini-games, so there are a lot more tricks to be learned. Nevertheless, these tips won’t get you that high score right away. Those people that have the 7000cm brains have put in a lot of time and practice, but most of them have probably used methods like these to get better. Of course, is you want to learn a little more, you can always check out the WHTBB Discussion Board or this handy site and mingle amongst your fellow brains. Good luck.

So you aren’t the Geo Challenge wiz you hoped you would be? One wonders how some people get those super high scores in these sort of games, but the fact of the matter is, most of them are not super geniuses. The sad truth is there are a number of people that do actually cheat using “bots” that automatically recognize items and basically play the game for them.

No, you’re not going to find that out here. Playfish, in fact, looks for this sort of thing and if caught… well, let’s just say you won’t be playing too much anymore. Nevertheless, there are some useful tips you can use to get better at the game.

Seeing as how the game is, technically, educational, you could always study. Ah, but where is the fun in that? In this sort of game, you sometimes need to be patient and other times quick. There is absolutely no trick that you could learn to get that high score right off the bat. Sorry, but that’s impossible (unless you have a PhD in geography).

The first game is Suitcase Shuffle, in which you’re looking to find the corresponding flag for its country. Here’s the deal: If you don’t know, just wait and be patient. Yes, you will loose time, and in turn possible points. However, as time passes the choices are narrowed down. Doing this will allow you to focus on a more limited number of images and your brain will be able to process it better. Don’t rush. If you do so, you won’t give yourself any time to fully recognize the name and flag, and next time you play, you’ll get it wrong again. This is one of the easier challenges, so make sure you focus the patterns so later on you can get as many points as possible.

The next challenge is Map Mayhem, and suffice to say, most people struggle with this one over all the others. Being patient and waiting for the map to zoom out sometimes helps, but it’s not always worth it. You are only presented with one image at a time, and since it is essentially a silhouette (which is the fastest recognizable feature to the human eye), you don’t need to focus on it for as long as you would a flag that has multiple features. Also, if you don’t know that part of the world, seeing more of the map isn’t going to help you very much, and will only succeed in wasting time. Furthermore, even if it does help you, when you’re going for the high score, you can’t wait to see that anyways… Your best bet is to scan the choices and try and take in that shape. The game has a tendency to repeat missed answers and you will slowly begin to draw that correlation between shape and name. Of course if you want to take it slow and study the shapes, go ahead, it really just comes down to preference.

Last up is City Blitz, and this is your money maker. Logically, one would think cities are harder than, say, flags, but you can often discern where a city is from by how it sounds. Of course, this method eats up a lot of time, so it’s all right to use it the first couple of tries, but when you start working for that high score, it’s better to guess immediately (react, don’t think) - just click anywhere if you don’t immediately know the answer. The game pauses when the correct pins come down, and that visualization of where the pin is actually going leaves an impression in your mind whether you notice it or not. You’ll begin seeing the patterns through this method and eventually see the pin, in your mind’s eye, move to the location when you see the name.

That’s really all this game comes down to. Don’t look for specific names or flags. Look for patterns. Your brain is able to recognize a pattern or shape ten times faster than pulling up a name or location. These tips will help you develop those pattern recognition skills, but it will be up to you to perfect them. The better those skills get, the faster you will become, and you’ll be racking up speed bonus points and adding more time to the clock in no time. While it does sort of come down to “practice makes perfect,” you need to remember, that if you don’t practice right, perfection won’t come. Regardless, at least the practice is fun.

A lot of people are interested in cheats for Pet Society. Sorry to say though, that there are no true cheats for Playfish’s Pet Society. Nope, there is no “god mode,” no infinite happiness, no unlimited coins, and no key press combinations of any sort during the start screen. However, that’s not to say there aren’t any tricks you could learn.

In a game like Pet Society, being able to cheat would virtually destroy the entire point of the game, and if you’re intending to cheat, be aware that Playfish is taking measures against it. Nevertheless, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t look for ways to better your avatar from more experienced players in a more “legal” fashion.

A common question people have is how do I earn a lot of money? Somehow, there are players that have multiple rooms, the most expensive items, and still have plenty to spare. So how do the rich do it?

Yes, you can clean and play with your pet, and you can run your daily races and try to win, but this is a social game, and what better way to earn money in a social game than… well, be social. The number one way to earn some extra cash in Pet Society (aside from flat out buying it) is to have friends (lots, and lots, and lots of friends). Most of the rich veteran players have over 100 different friends in their society, and this equates to lots of time spent grooming, feeding, and bathing those pets for money.

Too mundane you say? Well, another option is to earn those “Paw Points” and level up to unlock those new features and items. If you’ve heeded the above advice and have a number of friends, pick one that you know you can trust and send them the most expensive item you have as a gift. Sending gifts earns you a hefty portion of Paw Points, and once they receive it, have them send it right back (next, rinse and repeat). Now you both earn a little something and don’t loose anything.

However, if you do intend to utilize this particular method, you should be aware that like any other game, Pet Society is not free of bugs. There have been user reports of occasionally losing items via this method so proceed at your own risk. With that said, there have also been reports of this method accidentally duplicating sent gifts. Sometimes you’ll get lucky, sometimes not.

Of course, this is only the tip of the iceberg as far as this game goes. With a constantly growing and active community, there are always more tricks to learn, and forums to join. If you want to learn more, or just meet some new players, definitely check out Pet Society Chatter. It’s a great source of tips, strategies, contests, and an overall friendly and active community.