If you're a dog lover, and you also happen to play FrontierVille, you'll be happy to know that Zynga has partnered with BAD RAP to offer the BAD RAP Charity Crate in the game's store. BAD RAP is a non-profit organization looking out for the welfare of Pit Bulls, and if you'd like to help their cause, you can purchase a single crate from the store for 50 Horseshoes.



For that price, you'll receive either a Cow, Sheep or Ox, all of which have been given the "Canine" visual treatment (see above). With the current exchange rate on purchasing Horseshoes (many of you will see that the 40 and 75 Horseshoe packages are on sale), 50 Horseshoes costs around $4 US, with all of the proceeds (that's right, all - not just a percentage) going to support BAD RAP.



These crates will be available in the game's store for the next two weeks, giving you plenty of time to decide whether or not to purchase one - or three. It's unfortunate that you won't know which of the three animals you'll receive by buying a crate, but all three are cute in their own way, so we really can't complain too heavily. Besides, it's for a good cause!

Now that I have your attention, Zynga is hoping that the Rodeo draws your attention in FrontierVille as well, as they're offering some pretty great rewards for completing challenges in the new feature. Via a set of four new Rodeo Badges, you'll have a chance to walk away with 13 free Horseshoes, but of course, they won't come easy.

Each Rodeo Badge requires you to complete an increasing number of Rodeo Challenges. Here's the breakdown:



Rodeo Rookie - Complete 3 Rodeo Challenges - 100 XP, Carrot Treat
Rodeo Wrangler - Complete 50 Rodeo Challenges - Carrot Treat, 2 Horseshoes
Rodeo Pro - Complete 100 Rodeo Challenges - Carrot Treat, 4 Horseshoes
Rodeo Hero - Complete 200 Rodeo Challenges - Gold Buckle Sign, 7 Horseshoes

I told you - these Badges will likely take you quite a bit of time to unlock, but good things come to those who wait. Just make sure you're dedicated with the feature, and you'll eventually be able to lay claim to all of those Horseshoes yourself.

If there were any situation where it was most appropriate to let out a "yee-haw!" over a Facebook game, it'd be right now. The Rodeo Arena has landed in FrontierVille, and along with it a series of Rodeo Goals.

However, those Goals won't help you build the Rodeo Arena in the slightest, so allow us to help, thanks to FrontierVille Info. Not only that, but how's about a primer on how the new racing feature works? OK, we're done teasing--let's get right into it.


Building the Rodeo Arena isn't a far cry from other feature-rich buildings in the game, meaning you will need to ask your friends for lots of items. This building in particular requires:


•12 Round Pens
•1 Rodeo Lariat
•8 Clown Chaps
•8 Rodeo Dirts
•8 Bronco Chutes
•8 Racing Barrels

That's a whopping 45 items in all, which is especially daunting considering they all must be found through friends. To break it down, the top three items must be requested from friends directly, while the bottom three will be found by posting News Feeds on your friends' Walls. That single Rodeo Lariat has us guessing, however, that it may require you to add a new player to the game, which is quite the feat. (If that's the case, you could always make a phony Facebook account solely for this item and delete it later, but you didn't hear that from me.)


Anyway, once the Rodeo Arena is complete you can click it and select "Race" to dive right into this new mini game. A menu will appear, displaying your own Horses and their skills, which finally have a purpose--to race! Choose your best Horse, and pick a friend to race against based on their difficulty level. This is decided by either your Horses skills compared to the opponents, or simply by a basic metric like the opponents' skills.

However, a feature called "Cheers" can turn the tables. This allows players to request Cheers from their friends, which increase their Horse's chances of winning a race and last for 12 hours. However, it's unsure how heavily Cheers are weighed in races, as it would be pretty disappointing to have your hard-working Horse beat down by a cheering crowd rather than honest competition.

Before you head off to the FrontierVille Oregon Pioneer Trail forever, it's time for a good old rodeo send-off (hopefully not a naked one). Bess' Rodeo is almost ready to be put together, and the first information we have of it is simply a piece of promotional art and this official statement from Zynga: "This week we have some new things that should provide some excitement, like the brand new Rodeo, where you get to compete with your neighbors in barrel races and much more!" So, it looks like the feature will be here by the end of the week, and we'll have a full guide for you as soon as it arrives. So, prepare for a wild ride later this week in FrontierVille--seriously, have you ever been to a rodeo? They're downright frightening.

Another legendary frontier folk has entered the wild western land of FrontierVille, and this time it's Cordwood Pete. This dude was actually Paul Bunyan's younger brother, a lumberjack known for his inversely small stature compared to his massive brother. But onto the Goal. This Goal is simple enough, and results in an appealing reward, the Golden Axe. OK, maybe not the Golden Axe, but a gold one nonetheless.


1. Save Trees from Cordwood Pete:

•Chop 100 Trees
•Collect 15 Lemonade
•Have or craft 20 Fire

To chop the 100 Trees, you've been allowed to chop them both on your homestead or while on friend visits. This will save you a ton of Energy, and you'll get tons of Wood to craft those Fires. (I can't imagine how bare our homesteads are going to look after this.) To craft the 20 Fire, you will need to gather 140 Wood and 100 Cloth before you head to the Wagon, so make sure you visit friends to chop those Trees down.

As you do this, you must request from your friends, so do that while you gather materials. Complete these tasks and earn 750 XP, one Oak Tree and a Gold Axe, which provides five chops for every one Energy spent.

While FrontierVille has already thrown the majority of its first birthday celebration on Facebook (or has it?), it looks like Zynga has one more trick up their crafting development sleeves for players. The next time you login to the game, look out for the pop-up above, letting you know that you've just become the proud owner of a Dancing Bear!



Don't let this rather scary image fool you - this bear is just out to have a good time, and he can be found in your inventory. Actually, I take that back, party animal or not, he looks downright insane! Also, be aware that the bear is a bit large, so you won't want to place him just yet, if you're already struggling for space on your Homestead. Unfortunately, the Bear doesn't really anything except animate in a fun little jig, but it's a novel item to say the least. Plus, I definitely won't argue with free. There's no telling if the Dancing Bear will be given away after today, or if it's only for a limited time, so make sure to head to your Homestead sooner, rather than later, to claim yours before he dances his way out of the game.

That's the thing about Legends, they're never forgotten. And how could Zynga forget Davy Crockett, only the most famous frontiersman of all? Luckily, he's the subject of the next FrontierVille Legends Goal, a self-titled, timed (10 days from start) venture into the woods to off some bears and grizzle up in honor of the grizzliest dude around, Davy Crockett.

1. Davy Crockett:

•Clobber 20 Bears
•Collect 15 Coonskin Caps
•Collect 3 Daily bonuses from the Cabin


It's a shame, really, that Zynga would require us to find 20 Bears and clobber them immediately after having to chop an equal amount of trees, thanks to Cordwood Pete. Looking past that move, I would recommend buying some more Trees from the Market (sorry guys, best thing I can think of)--the Pines are only 350 a piece.


While you sort out that mess, you must collect 15 Coonskin Caps, which you can probably already guess are from friendly help requests. Then, collect from the Cabin three times and this Goal is finito completo. For that, you will be rewarded a Bear Cart (?), 750 XP and 500 Coins.

I can almost hear the immense amount of emails soaring across the Internet to Zynga HQ, furious that the company allowed lesser FrontierVille players to skip an entire series of Goals. (The nerve!) FrontierVille Info has found that the company is now allowing pioneers that have yet to complete the Hankerin' for Fanny Goals to skip them entirely. This way they have a shot of tackling the Plannin' the Big Day Goals in time for ... something?

Anyway, players might find Fanny on their homestead upon logging in with an exclamation mark hovering above her head. Click it, and she will offer for you to skip the series of Goals entirely, and for her to propose herself. Now, that's a woman who doesn't mess around! For doing this, you will receive 1,000 XP, 1,000 Coins and a decoration. But more importantly, you will have instant access to the most recent Hank and Fanny Goals in the game.


The big question that this news raises has nothing to do with the annoying debate of elitists doing the work vs casual players reaping the easier rewards. Rather, why exactly is Zynga pushing players along at this very moment? My personal guess is that the Fanny and Hank Goals are the final Goals to be released before the developer pushes out the Pioneer Trail expansion. Keep those fingers crossed.

While the Pioneer Trail may still be a few days, or even weeks away from launching in FrontierVille, the team at Zynga has been so gracious as to share with us a version of the Trail Map, showing us where we'll be traveling once we leave the Homestead.

As you can see from the map above, we'll leave the Homestead heading southwest, and it looks like our first stop will take us to Beaver Valley and a bridge. It's sad that this map appears to be incomplete, as there are no other trail markings letting us know what will happen to us once we enter the unmarked brown section at the bottom (I suppose that would spoil all of the fun). Either way, the specific mention of Beavers in Beaver Valley leaves us to wonder if this is where we'll do some hunting. Could our pioneers survive off of Beaver meat for the rest of their journey on the trail?


The Zynga team had this to say about the map, but it doesn't really add much that we didn't already know:

Go West, youngins, and discover a whole new world of adventure on the Pioneer Trail! You and yer crew will encounter natural wonders, ornery critters, stout-hearted travelers and a shifty drifter or two! Get ready, a brand new frontier soon awaits!
Either way, any information is better than no information at all, so we'll continue to update you about any and all things Pioneer Trail related as news becomes available.

What do you think of this Trail Map? Could this be the completed map, or are there many things on the left side that haven't been marked yet? Sound off in the comments.

As you might have guessed, the Stinky Herbs are earned by asking your friends to send them to you. If you don't have enough clear space on your land to grow Wildflowers, remember that turning in the Manure Collection gives you a free Wildflowers that can be placed out of your inventory and onto your land. Finishing this goal for the Doctor rewards you with 2,000 coins, a Skeeter Ointment and a Polka Dot Tent

Moving on, we're introduced to the Soldier, who needs help fixing his gun in "Mathilda the Rifle."

The Preserving Salts are earned by asking your friends to send them to you. Finishing this goal gives you 1,000 XP, a Roasted Mallow and a Pioneer Stew pot

After this, the Doctor appears and asks for our help in "Pioneer's Scourge."

Pine Cones are a collection item, while you'll need to ask your friends for the Canteens. For helping out the Carpenter, you'll not only unlock his portion of the story, but you'll also receive 1,000 coins, a Nature Journal and a Girly Tent.

Next, we move onto helping the Hunter in a goal called "Mountain Goat Jerky."

To see a complete look to building the Pioneer Camp, check out our guide. Your rewards for finishing this first goal are 500 XP, Flint and a Blue Tent. This Flint, along with the first reward of all of the remaining goals, goes to the Pioneer Campsite Collection, which offers you a Sleeping Bag for Two for finishing it (check out our guide for all of the info).

While you're busy building your Pioneer Camp to house some weary travelers in FrontierVille, don't forget that this feature has actually opened up a series of six new goals for you to complete. These goals see you helping up to five different travelers, with each traveler giving you a special, rare item for helping them, along with unlocking part of the in-game story concerning the upcoming Pioneer Trail expansion, which will launch soon.



Let's start with the very first goal, called "Make Camp:"