What Zinga Got Right with FrontierVille

Zinga seems to release a new Facebook game every season or so. FrontierVille is the latest offering from the Facebook gaming empire, and the developers seemed to just improve upon their already successful formula. While many are quick to criticize the offerings from Zinga, they obviously have done something right, and FrontierVille, while new, already has dedicated followers. Here's a quick rundown on what they improved upon.

1. Challenges: The challenges in FrontierVille take it away from the mere farming platform of FarmVille and add an extra element to the game. Now you just aren't planting crops for mastery or coins, you have other ideas in mind. You need to plant wheat to get a spouse or build a barn to have a child. There is more depth to the game as a result. The challenges come fast and steady which keeps the gamer coming back for more.

2. Collections: The popular collecting game style in Treasure Isle caught on with a force, and Zinga was not oblivious to the attraction it held. Now, in FrontierVille you can collect treasures to gain everything from new livestock to food for energy. The extra bonus is that you can "re-vault" these collections and regain the prizes. So, keep trying for those flax oils and snake skins!

3. Energy Drains: It's not just about grinding or a competition to see who can stay online the longest. You can only do so much before your energy runs out. Want to clear the whole land and plant 50 acres of peas? Then you should probably head back to FarmVille. Here you have to balance your food gathering with your energy level. You may want to plant 30 plots of clover, but you might not be able to harvest them all if you only have 19 counts of energy ready. This extra dimension ads an extra challenge to the game. Much like Mafia Wars, you have to balance your tasks with your energy.

4. Friend Visits: Visits are worth more on FrontierVille then on any other Zinga game. They can add up to challenge completion, earn you coins, allot you more energy and even provide you with crafting supplies. But, they are not infinite. You have to build your reputation to gain more profitable visits each day.

5. Requests: Unlike other Zinga offerings which can cloud up your front page with request after request from well-meaning friends, FrontierVille establishes a limit. You can only send a request every so often and there is a strictly enforced time limit. All of our Friends Lists are sighing in relief!

All of these add up to a game with more depth then any other offerings from Zinga. There is less of a chance of burn out as FrontierVille remains fresh after hours of play.