I think I'll keep playing forever. Why wouldn't I?
2010-12-01
An article in the WSJ about Angry Birds hints at the reasons why people (including me) love short games like this and tetris.
They require no dedication. You don't have to remember the story line, or complex controls like in other games. It is simple to play.
You can pick and up play in short bursts.
They are easily available on mobile devices.
Funny, amusing noises will appeal to people.
Positive reinforcement or encouragement, such as voices saying 'excellent' or graphics showing entry points. I remember this even from counterstrike, where your money would go up after each kill.
This comes with Windows Vista. I played 60 levels on novice and still hadn't died.
11 Jun, 2011
I've been playing Bejeweled Blitz on facebook. They've introduced a new Phoenix Prism, which is a wildcard gem, and when exploded it will destroy gems diagonal to it. I'm not sure how many of these gems you can get in one game, they keep reappearing. It is easier to reach the 8x multiplier with this gem. The owl at the end catches a feather and let's you reclaim some of coins. The cost of this Phoenix Prism is an expensive 75000. I also notice the cost of the Moonstones has gone up to 25000 from 10000, which is now the same as Cat Eyes. I prefer Cat Eyes and will not purchase Moonstones at this price.
07 Dec, 2011
This is another Facebook game, similar to memory but with mahjong tiles. My aim is to get a 3 star rating for each map, which can be quite difficult. Each time you complete a map you will be rewarded with coins. You can spend these coins on boosts. There are 4 types of boosts available. For getting a 3 star rating the Time Boost gives you another 15-20s to achieve the 3 star rating.
You are limited to 5 lives which replenish over time.
29 April, 2012
This is now the only daily facebook game I play. It has funny wall posts and cartoon like art. I am impressed technically by the speed of the flash application. The graphics are high quality and the response time is fast.
5th July, 2012
You can summon beasties using potions. Since there is a limit to the number of beasties that can randomly appearing during normal play, I summoned 5 of them in the corner of my realm, and left them alone. Now I do not get any more beasties appearing while farming.
If you employ the Duke, he will tend once per week. This is more than most of the randoms I get in my kingdom. Below is a list of buildings with the number of crew required. I use this to save up enough crowns to make sure the Duke can be employed for all positions. The Duke demands 6 crowns as payment to fill a position.
| Building | Crew Required |
| Barracks | 4 |
| French Tower | 10 |
| Guard Tower | 3 |
| Royal Chateau | 12 |
| Royal Inn | 5 |
| Royal Garden | 12 |
| Royal Spa | 8 |
| Unicorn Tower | 5 |
| Vault | 5 |
| Witch's Tower | 7 |
| Wizard's Keep | 9 |