Here’s the latest podcast, get your Lexilicious and FarmVille fix!

Some Highlights:

• Additional Levels after 70 (No ETA)
• Additional Land Expansions after 24×24 (No ETA)
• 24×24 Coming SOON (Must be a fan on FarmVilles fan page for early access!)
• Special Event for hitting 10 Million Fans
• Sendable Gifts will make a return
• Chicken Coop “changes”

Transcript Via the wonderful Shiori (as always!)

Hey, farmers, welcome once again the official FarmVille podcast. My name is Lexilicious and I am the FarmVille Community Manager. As per usual, we are going to be going over some of our newest releases, you guys are all going to get a sneak peek of things coming to FarmVille in the near future, and I will be answering some user-submitted questions about FarmVille for everyone. This week I have some very exciting news for you guys in the “coming soon” segment of our podcast, so make sure you listen carefully for some very important information. Alright, so let’s go ahead and get started with discussing some of our new releases.

This week was absolutely jam-packed with new features and content. On Tuesday, we released a new giftable Cashew Tree and a new animal mystery box that contains never-before-seen animals. This mystery box can be purchased from the market for 20 Farm Cash. In addition to this, we also released the new Need for Seed and Cat Lady achievement.

However, I think one of the most important new features that was released is Zynga’s Relief Fund for Haiti. In this event, players will be able to purchase special White Corn from the market. 100% from all purchases will go to Zynga’s Haiti Relief Fund, and directly to those suffering from the earthquake in Haiti. In addition, players have the option to donate 25, 55, or 240 Farm Cash to Zynga’s Relief Fund. White Corn costs 10 coins to plant, yields 125 coins when harvested, and you will gain three experience points for planting it. White Corn takes six hours to grow, and will never wither. After purchasing the White Corn, all donors will recieve a one-week license to plant them. This means that users are able to plant White Corn in unlimited amounts for seven days only. Once you have purchased a new license, a giftable flag will become available to you. Just click on the gifts page to send one to your friends. You will also get a special gift with your purchase, so make sure to lend a helping hand to those in need.

In addition to this event, the new Collections feature has made its way to FarmVille. You can now collect items by doing various tasks around your farm to earn special rewards. At level 10 you will receive a pop-up stating that you are now able to find collectable items. The collections menu is located as an extension of the achievements menu. The collections menu features four different sets of collection items. You have a random chance to find these items via specific routine activities, such as plowing, harvesting from trees and animals, fertilizing, and some can even be gifted. When an item is found in-game, a message will appear above the neighbor bar alerting you to the item that was found, what set it belongs to, and how many more items you need to complete the set. As items are collected during the game, they are gathered in the collections menu. When uncommon or rare items are found, you are given the opportunity to post a feed to your wall that will allow five of your friends to get the same item. When at least one of each of the items in a set is collected, you can trade that collection in for 250 experience points, 5,000 coins, or five tanks of fuel. You will be able to hold a maximum of ten of each collectable item, and can trade in collections as many times as you have a full collection available. Following the reward, you’re able to post a feed alerting your neighbors of your achievement. Any friend that clicks on this feed within 24 hours will receive a random collectable from the same set that was completed. Gifting collectables can be done via the free gifts page, where a single collection’s item will appear in the first slot of free items. The gift that is available is changed after a period of two days.

So far, it seems like you guys have been having a lot of fun with this new feature. As with any of our new big releases, we want to hear your feedback. If you have any opinions you would like to share about the new Collections feature, please make sure to visit the official FarmVille forums and let us know what you think.

We also released a bunch of new country flags this week: the Austrian, Greece, Swedish and Norwegian flag can all be purchased for Farm Cash from the market. We also have some very cool new buildings, including the new Bed & Breakfast, the Post Office, and the General Store. Some new Peace-themed limited edition items are now available in the market, with the new giftable Durian Tree, and a new Peace Flag.

And last but not least, the Crunchies Award decoration is now available. This decoration is not like any that you guys have seen before. Last week, FarmVille won the Best Social Application of 2009 thanks to your support. In celebration of this award, we’re giving you guys this new decoration for free! However, the coolest part about this Crunchies Award is that it will award you 10% the difference needed for you to reach your next level. Just think of it as our way of saying thank you.

So, that’s about it for new releases this week. That being the case, it’s time for our user-submitted questions segment. Our first question is from BadKittySpot. BadKitty wants to know what my favority animal is in real life. Well, Kitty, my favorite animal is actually quite unusual. My favorite animal is a sloth. Call me crazy, but I think they’re absolutely adorable. I also admire their ability to be so talented at something I wish I could do all day – you know, sleep.

Our second question is from EBUS. “Lexi, what do you like most about working for Zynga?” Well, to be honest, the first thing that comes to my mind is all of the awesome free meals we get. I also love being able to work for a company that is pet friendly. It’s awesome to be able to see dogs running around the office all day. Aside from that, one of my most favorite things about working at Zynga is the opportunity I got to work on such an amazing game like FarmVille. I feel honored to be a part of history with all of you.

And, finally, our last questions are from Jessi82. “Will level 70 really be the last level of the game, or are you guys working on new levels in the near future?” Well, Jessi, the answer to your first question is yes, we are indeed working on adding additional levels for our players in the future. Jessi’s second question is about land expansion. “Is the 24×24 land expansion definitely the last or may we hope for something even bigger after that?” I’m happy to let you guys know that we are working on adding additional land options for all of you in the future. I can’t let the cat out of the bag as to when, but the 24×24 won’t be the last option for additional land.

And I think that’s about it for our user-submitted questions this week. Firstly, I would like to thank everyone who has participated so far. If you are interested in participating in the segment and have a question about the FarmVille team you would like answered, please feel free to check out the official FarmVille forums for more information. Alright, well, I think it’s time for the part of the podcast you guys have been waiting for. It’s time for a sneak peek as to what is going to be coming your way in the near future.

Well, we might as well start this one off with a bang. Guys, I’m very excited to announce that the 24×24 land expansion will be released in the near future. However, farmers, I want you to listen closely: anyone who is a fan on our official fan page will be getting access to the 24×24 land expansion early. If you are not a fan, make sure to hurry on over to the FarmVille fan page, and become a fan for early access to the 24×24 land expansion. We will also be having a very special event in the coming weeks in celebration of hitting 10 million fans. I’m not gonna give too much away, because I don’t want to spoil the surprise, but make sure to keep an eye out for this event coming your way soon. Uh, sendable gifts will be making a return soon, along with some very cool changes to the Chicken Coop.

Alright, guys. Well, that’s about it for this week. Um, my name is Lexilicious, and thank you all so much for listening. Remember, guys: head on over to the official FarmVille fan page and become a fan while you can. I will see you guys next week. Happy farming, everybody!