Playfish/EA to kill My Empire, Hotel City, Who Has The Biggest Brain?, Geo Challenge, Word Challenge and Bowling Buddies by September 30, 20011


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perhaps the most shocking news that i read the other day was Playfish/EA will close down My Empire, Hotel City, Who Has The Biggest Brain?, Geo Challenge, Word Challenge and Bowling Buddies.

yes. you read it right. they will shut these games down by September 30, 2011. 6 games.

heres the official statement, (IS THIS EVEN A STATEMENT?) more like a FAQ to me.
1. My Empire, Hotel City, Who Has The Biggest Brain?, Geo Challenge, Word Challenge and Bowling Buddies are being retired

On September 30, 2011, Playfish will be taking My Empire, Hotel City, Who Has The Biggest Brain?, Geo Challenge, Word Challenge and Bowling Buddies offline and those games will no longer be available for play. We apologize for this unfortunate news and for any inconvenience it will cause, especially to those who are currently playing those games.


2. Why are these games being retired?


Regretfully, those games are no longer performing at a level at which we can continue to support them. As such, we made a decision to reallocate development resources to other Playfish games to ensure a continuation of the best gameplay experience possible. Playfish deeply values all of its game players and is dedicated to offering the most fun and engaging experiences across all of our current and future titles.


3. When will these games be taken offline?


Starting September 30, 2011, My Empire, Hotel City, Who Has The Biggest Brain?, Geo Challenge, Word Challenge, and Bowling Buddies will no longer be available to play on Facebook.


4. Who will this affect?


Only players of My Empire, Hotel City, Who Has The Biggest Brain?, Geo Challenge, Word Challenge, and Bowling Buddies will be affected. Players of other Playfish games will not be affected in any way.


5. What if I have an existing balance of Playfish Cash or game-specific currency (Empire Cash, Hotel Cash)?


You will still be able to continue to spend your game-specific currency in Hotel City and My Empire, but you will not be able to purchase more. You will need to spend it by September, 30.


If you still have a Playfish Cash balance, you can convert it using the Playfish Cash Converter in game. But remember, if you choose to convert in My Empire Cash or Hotel Cash, you must spend it before September, 30.


If you have additional questions, please contact Playfish Customer Service by completing a support request
(click here).

6. What will happen to the forums for these games?


Playfish will keep each game's forum live for the foreseeable future to give players a chance to check out and join other forums.


7. Where can I find more information and help?


If you have additional questions, please contact Playfish Customer Service by completing a support request
(Click Here).


If you are reading closely, we could see HOW GREEDY they are.they will let users spend there remaining Money in the game....

i was sad after knowing that these games will say goodbye. i played My Empire - its nice. i played Hotel City, and its excellent. (i will post screenshot of my hotel within the week.)

these games are actually good. the graphics are good. i somehow thought that the developers behind this games might be disappointed right now. 
imagine devoping a good game then it will just get killed.... im an aspiring programmer and i know how difficult to code this things.

if the problem was they havent got new players, then thats the job of there Marketing Department.
Oh wait, do they even have that?

i actually wondered why they will be shutting down Hotel City over Country Story... based from the data below, it has more Monthly Users compared to Country Story.

as we could see, Playfish Games are not significant at the moment.all of them are dropping. even Restaurant City and LOOK monopoly millionaires!
when players knew that they will shut down these games, there was a significant drop... somehow i think players like me are disgusted right now.



i didnt use my money on buying virtual items on these games... but i did spent a lot on Pet Society but i hate to think that someday, Pet Society will be gone as well.

Who to blame?
i think its all EA's fault. and of course it is Playfish's Fault as well.
1st why did Playfish allowed themselves to be bought when they are doing well?
2nd EA sucks.
3rd months after they merged, there was a dramatic change in there tactics, it became GREEDY and LAME.
4th EA sucks
lastly EA has bad luck.

since there tactic are shutting down games, i think that i WILL NEVER BUY ANY VIRTUAL GOODS in the future IT WILL GET KILLED ANYWAY.

are you disappointed?
 


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The Sims Social Relationship Types Guide


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This is a guide to the different types of relationship you can get, and how to. There are lots of things missing, but I'll add them over time. You guys can help too! let's make this a complete thing.

================================================== ===

~~0~~

[No Icon YET] -> Strangers: First status you'll have when you add a neighbor.
[No Icon YET] -> Acquaintances: After Introducing yourself.

~~0~~


-> Friends: After becoming Acquaintances, do friendly interactions until your bar is full. Doesn't need confirmation.
-> Good Friends: After becoming friends, do friendly interactions until your bar is filled once again. A confirmation is nedded before the status changes.
-> Close Friends
-> Best Friends


~~0~~


-> Dating: After becoming Acquaintances or Friends, do romantic interactions until your bar is full. A confirmation is nedded before the status changes.
-> Going Steady: After being Dating, do romantic interactions until your bar is full. A confirmation is nedded before the status changes.
-> Inseparable


~~0~~


-> Awkward Friends: After becoming Acquaintances, do unfriendly interactions until your bar is empty. A confirmation is nedded before the status changes.
-> Sort of Friends: After becoming Awkward Friends, do unfriendly interactions until your bar is empty. Doesn't need confirmation.
-> Friendly Rivals: After becoming Awkward Friends(or Friends), do unfriendly interactions util your bar is empty. A confirmation is nedded before the status changes.


~~0~~
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The Sims Social Frequently Ask Questions: Currencies Navigation Bar


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Q: What are Simoleons, how can my Sim earn them and what can they be
spent on?


A: Simoleons are a currency that can be earned by your Sim in various ways, such as completing short tasks, progressing through quests or improving their skills. Use them to purchase items from the shop or whatever else you may find!




Q: What is SimCash, how can I get some and what can they be spent on?

A: SimCash can be bought with Facebook Credits anytime; use it to purchase valuable items from the shop, skip through missions and hire friends to help with building work!




Q: What are Social Points, how does my Sim earn them and what can they be used for?

A: Social Points can be earned by interacting with other Sims in various ways. They can also be used to purchase certain items in the shop!




Q: Energy; what is it and where can I get more?

A: Your energy allows your Sim to live! It refills all the time and Sims use it to various activities. To get instant boosts and refills, visit the Energy tab in the shop mode.




Q: Can I convert SimCash into Simoleons or Social Points?

A: Sure! Select the currency you want more of and take a look at the conversion options.






Q: What is XP and how can my Sim get more?

A: Progressing through the game, completing tasks and interacting with friends will increase your XP level. This unlocks additional features and more shopping options.
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UNFORTUNATE EVENTS IN THE SIMS SOCIAL. EPIC. FAIL. GAME.


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so after like days, i was able to find time to play this game.. i am very excited thats why i made sure that i have nothing to do for the next 3 hours.... i loaded the game and i find it really nice. :)
when the game was already loaded, i have alot of notifications! so i didnt accept any of them yet....

then there is another screen. i am so exciteddddddddd to create my Sim! i named it as Don Bass (probably the son of Chuck Bass of Gossip Girl hehe) and i chose the Geek Personality. i was shocked to know that i cant change the clothes......
then i was loaded in the Little Haven........
The Rest is History.



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The Sims Social is now LIVE!


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Since they had an epic fail launch the other day, it is safe to say that The Sims Social is now LIVE and ready to play. i am hearing reports that some people cant access the game. i have yet to play this game since i am busy at the moment, i will tr this one out tomorrow. :) for those who have played the game already, what is your thoughts about the game?

remember to LIKE our fan (located on the left side of the blog) page for news, tips/tricks and of course, our wall is OPEN FOR YOU GUYS who needs friends! :)
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The Sims Social is Live..... until it was put into Open Beta Maintenance


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i was unaware that 10pm last night (around 22 hours ago) the Sims Social is Live and playable. i saw some posts when i back read this morning.....

but when i tried it, it gave me an error message.. which pissed me off... :)

were you able to log in and play? so what are your first impressions?

hit the comments!
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EXCLUSIVE NEWS! The Sims Social "launch [is] just mere weeks away"


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Games.com News is reporting that The Sims Social "launch [is] just mere weeks away" we at The Sims Social Zone is excited about this GREAT news!

just weeks away... it means it will release THIS MONTH! :)

Libe Goad of Games.com was able to talk to John Earner, general manager of Playfish's London studio about this game.... belowis the full interview.

LIKE US IN FACEBOOK (LINK ON THE LEFT SIDE) BECAUSE STARTING TOMORROW, WE WILL RELEASE SOME MAJOR SCREENSHOTS STRAIGHT FROM THE GAME ITSELF.

sims play tricks


What is both the most helpful and most horrific thing you can do to a friend in The Sims Social?
Generally you can do nice and helpful things for friends, and horrible things only to enemies. There's nothing worse than having your food stolen or fake spiders placed in precarious places, I find. As for being helpful to friends, players can clean your bathroom, repair broken items, and even do some gardening around your house.




LIKE US IN FACEBOOK (LINK ON THE LEFT SIDE) BECAUSE STARTING TOMORROW, WE WILL RELEASE SOME MAJOR SCREENSHOTS STRAIGHT FROM THE GAME ITSELF.

Do you have the option to 'Dismiss' or reject what your friends have done to your Sims or their house?
No, but then nor can players do any permanent damage to your place. Any negative actions are fun and cosmetic. Relationships in The Sims are predominantly a game helping one another and positive interactions. Even rivalries, frenemies, and the other negative relationships in our game are in good fun and meant to be between friends.


sims social facebook preview
How often can you visit friends' Sims and do nice/naughty things for them?
As often as you like! Activities are accomplished using an energy system, but we provide bonus energy each day for each unique friend you visit to help you out.

How exactly does the whole romance thing work? What if you don't' want random people coming in and smooching on your Sim -- is there a way to restrict that? (That could get creepy fast).
There are three relationship paths in The Sims: friends, enemies, and lovers. Major relationship milestones like dating require a two-way handshake between players. It takes two to tango, so to speak.
sims social facebook preview
What about making WooHoo in the game? How does that work? (I assume that requires two consenting Sims, yes)?
WooHoo requires two Sims to be in a romantic relationship path: dating or further. Even then, you can only ask your Sim to, you know, WooHoo with their significant other. Whether they actually do it is up to them. Like traditional Sims games, Sims have a mind of their own. Our platform constraints require that mind be a bit smaller and less complex, but the general idea of a player assuming the role of god and sim playing role of fickle human subject still applies.


LIKE US IN FACEBOOK (LINK ON THE LEFT SIDE) BECAUSE STARTING TOMORROW, WE WILL RELEASE SOME MAJOR SCREENSHOTS STRAIGHT FROM THE GAME ITSELF.

Other games -- like FrontierVille, FarmVille -- also let you see what your friends do when they visit your version of the game -- how is this feature different in The Sims Social?
Friend visits are a longstanding social gaming feature staple. Where The Sims Social differs from its social gaming predecessors is that the game now creates meaningful and varied relationships between players' Sims, just like in real life. You don't just have neighbors - you have girlfriends and frenemies and BFFs. Depending on the nature of your relationship, the nature of each visit and what you can do during a visit, is different and certainly more meaningful.


LIKE US IN FACEBOOK (LINK ON THE LEFT SIDE) BECAUSE STARTING TOMORROW, WE WILL RELEASE SOME MAJOR SCREENSHOTS STRAIGHT FROM THE GAME ITSELF.

When a friend becomes an 'enemy" or you become an 'enemy' -- how does that change the game experience at large? Once you're deemed an enemy, can you work your way back toward being a friend in the game?
You can always work your way back, but you can't erase the past. Two Sims who used to date are ex-lovers (awkward!). Relationship statuses create new interaction options not available in other relationships.

sims social preview
Like the regular Sims -- can your Sim die in The Sims Social?
You never know. Generations is something we continue to spend a lot of time talking about for down the road. Remember, we're just getting started at launch. It could add replayability to the game. The flip side is that with a free-to-play business model, players aren't a fan of the virtual stuff they spend real money on going off and dying on them. It's a manageable problem, but not an easy one. The story of the Sims franchise is something like this. The Sims 1: They live. The Sims 2: They die. The Sims 3: they can explore a world beyond their house. The Sims Social: Back to "they live," but they live with your real friends. Our platform and our audience require us to simplify the game in some respects, but allow us to enrich it in others due to the social nature of the game. Also, our game is a service. We can travel along a similar journey as the PC and console gaming Sims franchise have done via frequent updates. We're just getting started.

LIKE US IN FACEBOOK (LINK ON THE LEFT SIDE) BECAUSE STARTING TOMORROW, WE WILL RELEASE SOME MAJOR SCREENSHOTS STRAIGHT FROM THE GAME ITSELF.
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