Web Puzzles

SANTA CLARA, CALIF. - Aeria Games, headquartered in Santa Clara, launched a new website Wednesday for its growing browser-based gaming fans.

The website, Aeria Now, displays a list of the company's browser-based MMO (Massively-Multiplay Online) games: Caesary, Lords Online, Pirate Galaxy along with Aeria Games popular Facebook App Poker Heroes.

Aeria Games Joins Growing Browser-Based Gaming

The latest development at Aeria Games marks a continuing trend among MMO game developers. Browser gaming is a hot new trend and and because of its relatively low cost of development compared to larger scale downloadable MMOs users are likely to see more gaming companies jump on-board with the idea.

The appeal of browser-gaming owes much of its growth to the Facebook gaming platform, which created a large mass of casual browser-based gamers, due to its wildly popular Apps such as FarmVille and Mafia Wars.

Browser Games Leave Facebook

Browser games appeal to casual gamers, mostly those who have spare time at work and stay-at-home moms, because they require no downloads. Browser games can be played on any computer with internet access.

Aeria Games took the casual gaming process one step further by removing Facebook from the equation. Users can now create an account with Aeria Games and log in directly on the Aeria Now website to play a selection of browser games.

Most Browser Games are Free-to-Play

Another advantage of browser-based MMOs is that most are Free-To-Play. Some, like Aeria Now's games, are based on the micro-transaction business model, in which users can play for free but are usually required to eventually purchased upgrades and other items to level up in the game. This gives players the opportunity to test out each game prior to spending money.

Latest Moves for Aeria Games

The move to launch Aeria Now is the latest move by Aeria Games to stay on top of the shifting MMO and gaming market. Recently, Aeria Games opened a branch in Brazil, its fourth branch worldwide, in order to respond to growing localization demands for online gaming.

"Aeria Games strives to be the world's premier destination for online entertainment, " J.T. Nguyen, COO for Aeria Games, said in an interview to IGN about the recent expansion. "Expanding is a goal that's not obtainable without the backing of a great community and support."

Aeria Games is based in Silicon Valley and was founded in 2006. Since then, the company has cultivated an online community of over 13 million members with its popular MMORPGs such as Shaiya and Last Chaos.

Since the inception of MMO gaming, there have been critics and champions of the genre. Many have claimed that the games are merely designed to extort money from players under the guise of providing a service or exaggerated grind fests that are meant to pad out an empty or shallow game. Perhaps one of the largest complaints of traditional gamers is that an MMO has no finite end and they do not wish to hear a story that will never end. However, this is not the fatal flaw of MMO gaming.

The Inherent Problem

One thing that cannot be denied about MMO gaming are technical limitations. This does not refer to graphics or computer specs. The free to play game Runescape requires very little processing power, but has been popular for years. No, the technical limitations which ultimately doom an MMO game is the server. For server's are held up by the company which made the game and only for as long as it is profitable. Eventually, even the longest running MMO will have to be shut down. They cannot last as long as even the oldest nes games.

The Server Problem

No matter how feeble the hardware, a game can live on through it's software. Emulation of nes, snes and countless other game systems has proven that much. As many as thirty years after their creation, software from nes games persist online, in databases, in cartridges, they have many sources and can be reproduced easily, as demonstrated with the Wii's Virtual Console.

MMO games however, can only exist as long as they are willed by the servers. Even if the software persists, the world will be gone and the players who populate the world with it. Offline games can exist through their software alone, however, when a server goes down, an MMO game is gone for good. Asheron's Call 2, the Matrix Online, and Tabula Rasa among others are canceled MMO's, which can never be revisited. The server's are down, with grand events to close out their life times. No matter how much MMO players may want to deny it, they cannot play the game forever.

Time is Fleeting

No matter how old, so long as the software exists a game can be reborn. The problem with MMO gaming, even if people do not want to admit it, is that time spent on them is gone for good. All that remains are the memory's of the game. In this way, time is fleeting, for even if the story of a game is great, such as the epic cinematic story telling of WoW, or even the simple, buggy storytelling of Asheron's Call, players will never be able to revisit it once gone.

In this way, MMO games are limited when compared to offline games. They may last for decades, but once they disappear they can never be revisited. A good book, a beloved film, and especially ancient games can be reproduced as long as the software exists. However, MMO games are built for the players and with the players. When the by and the with disappear, it is nothing at all.

Take Heart

This problem is one that many may not face for years. Everquest has endured since 1999, for over 11 years. There is no reason to despair or to be upset. A game is meant to be enjoyed. Even if all that is left are the memories of times spent with comrades, playing, raiding, and questing, this is not so bad a fate. Players who enjoy the game need not fear the end which will eventually come.

MMO games cannot persist as offline games do, mainly because of their player centric and money making needs. Despite that, like any game, they are meant to be enjoyed. They will not last forever, but sometimes the best things in life hit like a bolt of lightning and vanish with just as much speed.

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After learning the basics of the Castle Age Role Playing Game on Facebook, players might be interested to learn some more advanced strategies/basics about the game.

Heroes

Castle Age has 22 different heroes for the player to purchase. Each hero costs a different amount of money, and has a specific attack power, defense power, and bonus attribute. Most quests can only be completed with a certain hero active, but some can be completed with any hero. After a hero is used, it can be sold if not needed.

Heroes can be leveled up by being used for quests and battles, up to a maximum of level 4. This increases their attack, defense, and bonus. Some heroes have an upkeep fee, so the player must make sure they have enough income to cover the hero's upkeep cost.

For example, Sophia is the basic hero. At level 1, her attack power is 1, her defense power is 2, and her bonus attribute is that she increases the player's maximum energy by 1 point while she is active. When she is upgraded to level 4, her attack is 4, her defense is 5, and she increases the player's energy by 4 points.

Quest Worlds

There are currently 6 different worlds in Castle Age, each of which have 5 levels, plus a boss fight. The worlds are Land of Fire, Land of Earth, Land of Mist, Land of Water, Demon Realm, and Undead Realm. In order to unlock the boss fight, you must complete 4 out of 5 levels. In order to unlock the next world, a player must complete the first 3 levels.

Each level shows how much energy is used to complete it, and how much experience a player gets from completing it. In the first few levels, the xp received equals the energy used, for example, a quest uses 3 energy points and gives 3 xp. As the player progresses, they get more xp per energy from quests. The first level in the Land of Water, for example, uses 25 energy but gives the player 30 xp.

After completing the boss fight, several more levels are unlocked in each world. Each of the 5 main quests gets 2 sub-quests. Each quest, both main and sub, can be completed 4 times. A quest is completed once the meter gets to 100%. It varies how many attacks it will take to complete a quest. Once a quest gets to 100%, the player gets a bonus skill point to use however they want.

Monster and Boss Battles

Once a player has completed 4 quests in a world, they can complete the boss quest. They have a chance of receiving the orb necessary for summoning the boss fight. Boss fights last many hours or days, and most will require the player to ask their friends for help. Bosses are fought using stamina, and reward the player with a lot of gold and special items.

Collecting certain alchemy items can allow a player to summon monster fights, such as sea serpent fights. Sea serpents require that players use energy to defend and stamina to attack. Monster fights last even longer than boss fights. Players receive the items needed to summon from gifts from friends, quest rewards, and rewards from other fights. Some battles are epic and require many players to win.

Castle Age is a fun Facebook game that may take a while to catch on, but isn't very difficult. Players can interact with friends and fight epic monsters and dragons. For more information about the basics, please read Castle Age Role Playing Game on Facebook.

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When you initially start experimenting with Farm Town, it is extremely common to become overwhelmed with all of the countless features, and devote significant amounts of time towards features that aren't particularly going to contribute greatly to your success.

If you want to do well, however, it's quite important to get your priorities straight when first starting out. While there are multiple ways to generate money in Farm Town, the most prominent way is definitely through the harvesting of crops. Therefore, when playing Farm Town, your number one priority should definitely be the crops.

Maximize the Amount of Area Available for Harvesting

One common mistake that players often make is planting their crops too far apart. By planting your crops far apart, you are actually cutting your total harvesting area in half. By default, when you plant crops, there is a plot of land in between each plowed plot. Countless users are fine with that, and just leave the empty land there. By getting rid of the space between crops, however, you can literally double the amount of area that you are able to harvest.

To do this, select the icon of the wrench. Then, simply hit the box that says “remove spaces between fields”. Sadly, this will only apply to future crops, so you'll have to bulldoze your current crops if you would like to move them closer together.

Increase the Speed at Which You are Able to Farm

Another way to add to productivity is to increase the speed at which you plant seeds or plow fields. When you plow in different directions, your avatar often has to meander around to reach the different areas. Using all of this effort moving around the field costs more time, and you will plow significantly more efficiently if you plow without moving. To change this, click from the top right to the bottom left. By doing so, you will plow without moving, and therefore will save a significant amount of time.

Focus on the Right Crops

One more significant blunder that countless users frequently commit is emphasizing the wrong crops. Numerous users will dedicate effort harvesting crops including pineapple or pumpkin, solely due to the fact these foods taste delicious in real life. If you hope to get the most you can out of your crops, however, you should focus on the crops that return the most yield. Out of all the crops, the ones that are clearly most worth planting are the raspberries.

Due to the fact that raspberries can be made so quickly, you can make a huge amount of them over the course of a day. No other Farm Town crop will provide you with nearly as much experience as raspberries. Due to the fact that the seeds can be bought for extremely cheap, they also return the most money as well. Rather than spending your time on tons of crops that don’t provide significant amounts of money or experience in return, invest all your time in to planting raspberries.

Conclusion

While there are numerous critical features to building a great farm, few are more important than the physical crops you produce. By spending a reasonable amount of effort getting the maximum you can out of your crops, your farm will develop a lot more successfully, and you will be that much closer to helping it reach its maximum potential.

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Facebook Mafia Wars has a new added territory for expansion, Moscow. Players can now expand into Moscow and set up shop. The first thing players will notice is that they must choose a Russian side when they enter Moscow. Players can choose between Vory and the Mafiya. However, without understanding the traits of each the choice is made blindly.

Researching the history of the Russian Mafia is not an easy task. Most information gleaned is through forums where it is shared anonymously. Cameldog is one such forum that contains a lot of discussions on the history of the Vory and the Mafiya. The history of two sides reveals much about the codes they live and work by.

The Code of the Vory

Choosing the Vory makes players belong to a tightly knit group that is very similar to a real family in many senses. The Vory stick closely together, helping each other and depending on each other and teaching each other what they know and bring to the family. Members of the Vory are willing to defend each other to the point of taking blame for other’s crimes when necessary.

Choosing Vory is choosing to be part of a unified group of thieves and robbers who live by the unity of that strength and taking what they need to survive and flourish without invoking violence unless it is absolutely necessary. The Vory code is not one to be taken lightly.

The Russian Mafiya

Choosing the Russian Mafiya is more traditional and much more violent than the Vory. They are a wide reaching group of organized crime lords just as the American Mafia is. The Russian Mafiya is known for being powerful and dangerous.

The Russian Mafiay fights to win and uses whatever methods are necessary, regardless of bloodshed. They do jobs that include trafficking and more violence than the Vory. They don’t live by a code of honor and so are not as bound together in unity as the Vory.

Which Side to Choose?

Based on the basic descriptions of the two sides the main difference in the sides in terms of game play will be in the job assignments. The Vory jobs will be less violent than those of the Mafiya. However, both sides will have robbing and other criminal tasks to accomplish in order to level up.

The most important thing to remember is that once a side is picked in the first chapter of Moscow it is not possible to go back and change it.

Mafia Wars players can find other cheats and strategies on forums and in other articles throughout the Internet.

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Diner Dash is a popular PC Arcade game that follows young Flo in her quest to build a successful chain of restaurants. The game is a combination of strategy, arcade, and time management. Players progress through 50 increasingly challenging levels, upgrading their restaurants and moving on to new restaurants as the tasks progress.

Family Game

Diner Dash has not violence, no mature themes and no strong language. Game play is suitable for all ages, although younger players may have trouble when the levels become more difficult. The graphics are colorful and play progresses quickly enough through the various levels to remain interesting. The music is repetitive but not too irritating.

Game Interface

Tasks are completed with the mouse in a simple point and click play mode. Click and drag customers to a table, click on the table when they’re ready to order, click on food and then a table to serve. Although the interface is simple, play becomes very challenging in the higher levels as players must struggle to complete numerous tasks in a limited time frame. Players can succeed by meeting minimum daily earning requirements or earn bonus points and a gold star for the level if they surpass expectations.

Game Options

Diner Dash is limited to two play modes, Career and Endless shift. In Career mode Flo must fix up each restaurant as she earns rewards through each shift. Flo can earn upgrades to the restaurants in each shift and players get to choose their decorating and upgrade options. In Endless shift, Flo can serve tables forever in one restaurant which gives players a chance to practice their point and click play and time management skills.

Purchase Options

Diner Dash can be purchased on CD-Rom or Downloaded from numerous game sites. Average price is $19.99, but the demo version is offered for download with a 60 minute time limit. The game can sometimes be found on sale in computer stores like Fry’s and Best Buy for $9.99 or less.

Diner Dash is an addicting and challenging game yet extremely simple to learn. The reviews for it by players on the web are stellar. Yahoo Games users rate it an average 4 ½ out of 5 stars, with over 32,000 users rating it. The 60 minute demo versions provide just enough time for the player to get addicted and want to buy. Overall it’s definitely worth the $20 price tag.

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Left 4 Dead 2 is the sequel to Left 4 Dead, the post-apocalyptic zombie FPS developed by Valve Software. Left 4 Dead 2 enhances its predecessor with new special infected, guns, campaigns, melee weapons, weapon attachments, characters, a new competitive game mode called Scavenge, and a new difficulty level called Realism mode.


Valve also updated the AI Director to increase the difficulty, meaning players must work together with greater cooperation and teamwork to take down the horde. Below is a list of achievements to unlock for Left 4 Dead 2, along with a few avatar rewards players can earn to trick out their Xbox 360 avatars.

Left 4 Dead 2 Achievements List

• (15) A Ride Denied - Kill a Jockey within 2 seconds of it riding on a Survivor
• (15) A Spittle Help From My Friends - Spit on a Survivor that is being choked by a Smoker
• (15) Acid Reflex - Kill a Spitter before she spits
• (15) Armory of One - Deploy an ammo upgrade and have your team use it
• (15) Back in the Saddle - Jockey ride at least two Survivors in a single life
• (15) Beat the Rush - Get a medal in Survivor Mode using only melee weapons
• (15) Burning Sensation - Ignite 50 Common Infected using incendiary ammo
• (15) Chain of Command - Kill 100 Common Infected using the chainsaw
• (15) Cl0wnd - Honk 10 Clown noses
• (15) Club Dread - Kill a Common Infected with every melee weapon in the game
• (15) Fried Piper - Burn a Clown leading at least 10 Common Infected with a Molotov
• (15) Fuel Crisis - Force a Survivor to drop a gas can during overtime
• (15) Gong Show - Prove you are stronger than Moustachio
• (15) Great Expectorations - Hit all Survivors with a single acid patch as the Spitter
• (15) Head Honcho - Decapitate 200 Infected using a melee weapon
• (15) Hunting Party - Win a game of Scavenge
• (15) Level a Charge - Kill a Charger while he is charging using a melee weapon
• (15) Long Distance Carrier - Grab and carry a Survivor over 80 feet as a Charger
• (15) Qualified Ride - Ride a Survivor for more than 12 seconds as a Jockey
• (15) Robbed Zombie - Collect 10 vials of Boomer vomit from infected CEDA agents
• (15) Scavenge Hunt - Prevent opponent team from collecting any gas cans during a Scavenge round
• (15) Septic Tank - Hit a Tank with a Bile Bomb
• (15) Stache Whacker - Prove you are faster than Moustachio
• (15) Strength in Numbers - Form a team and beat an enemy team in 4v4 Versus or Scavenge
• (20) Bridge Burner - Survive and complete the Parish campaign
• (20) Cache and Carry - Collect 15 gas cans in a Scavenge round
• (20) Crass Menagerie - Kill at least one of each Uncommon Infected
• (20) Dead in the Water - Kill 10 Swampy Mudmen while they are in the water
• (20) Dismemberment Plan - Kill 15 Infected with a single blast of the grenade launcher
• (20) Gas Guzzler - Collect 100 total gas cans in Scavenge
• (20) Gas Shortage - Cause 25 gas can drops as one of the Special Infected
• (20) Heartwarmer - Leave the saferoom to defibrillate a dead teammate in Versus Mode
• (20) Meat Tenderizer - Grab and smash a Survivor into the ground for 15 seconds as a Charger
• (20) Midnight Rider - Survive and complete the Dark Carnival campaign
• (20) Price Chopper - Survive and complete the Dead Center campaign
• (20) Ragin' Cajun - Survive and complete the Swamp Fever campaign
• (20) Rode Hard, Put Away Wet - Ride a Survivor and steer them into a Spitter's acid patch as a Jockey
• (20) Scattering Ram - Smash through the entire enemy team in a single charge as the Charger
• (20) Weatherman - Survive and complete the Hard Rain campaign
• (30) Bridge Over Trebled Slaughter - Cross the bridge finale in less than three minutes
• (30) Confederacy of Crunches - Finish a campaign with just melee weapons
• (30) Guardin' Gnome - Rescue Gnome Chompski from the Carnival
• (30) Shock Jock - Revive a total of 10 dead Survivors with the defibrillator
• (30) Sob Story - Pass the Sugar Mill and reach the safe room without killing any Witches
• (30) Tank Burger - Kill a Tank with only melee weapons
• (30) The Quick and the Dead - Revive 10 total incapacitated Survivors while using adrenaline
• (30) Violence in Silence - Pass the impound lot and reach the cemetary safe room without tripping any alarms
• (30) Wing and a Prayer - Take no damage at the crashed airliner while defending
• (35) Still Something to Prove - Survive and complete all campaigns on Expert
• (35) The Real Deal - Survive and complete a campaign on Expert with Realism mode enabled

Left 4 Dead 2 Avatar Rewards

• Bull Shifters (Ellis's) Shirt - Win 10 games of Versus to earn this avatar shirt
• Depeche Mode (Rochelle's) Shirt - Rescue the Gnome from the Dark Carnival
• Left 4 Dead 2 Shirt - Win 10 games of Scavenge to earn this avatar shirt
• Med Kit - Beat all campaigns (any difficulty) to earn unique avatar reward
• Zombie Hand Shirt - Kill 10,000 infected to earn this avatar shirt

Left 4 Dead 2 Achievements and Avatar Rewards Conclusion

Achievements have always been great for bragging rights, but avatar rewards take things to an all new level. Do you have the dedication to unlock them all?

Interested in more Left 4 Dead 2 coverage? Then be sure to check out the Left 4 Dead 2 Demo Impressions of 4-player Co-op.