Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Oct 3, 2012: Mahjong Garden & Plants vs. Zombies Badge Challenges


Mahjong Garden Badge Challenge


Take a Hint Badge
Win a game using 2 hints or less 7 times this week! 
Win this badge plus 2000 Tokens!

Oh I LOVE "challenges" like this, especially when I have my helpful MahjGar Buddy by my side. Check this performance out:

Game Difficulty: Easy
Buddy Settings: Default
Tokens: 3,582 tokens earned
Time: 14 minutes
NOTES: None

Plants vs. Zombies Badge Challenge


To Arms Badge
Collect 1000 suns this week! 
Win this badge plus 2000 Tokens!
I love when Play Buddy releases new bots. And the newest just in time for badge Wednesday is Zombie Buddy. Here's how "noobie" did:

Game Difficulty: Survival
Buddy Settings: Select "Survival" option
Tokens: tokens earned
Time: minutes
NOTES: I noticed Zombie Buddy will plant sun creators in 1 row only so I worked *with* the Buddy by planting 2 rows in the back (yellow mushrooms at night; sunflowers during the day) also I would fill up EVERY spot with a plant if I saw any open (like the front closest to zombies). Then let the Buddy autoplay to collect suns and down zombies for a TEAM WIN! You have to finish the game (let them 'eat your brains') to see where you are in progress; I finished sometime in my second pass.

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Sep. 26, 2012: Puck's Peak & BOGGLE Bash Badge Challenges


Puck's Peak Badge Challenge


Flying Eye Badge
Get 9 Jackpot spins this week! 
Win this badge plus 2000 Tokens!

Puck's Peak has never piqued my interest so thank you Puck Buddy for completing my challenge like so:

Game Difficulty: N/A
Buddy Settings: Default
Tokens: 3,971 tokens earned
Time: 32 minutes
NOTES: Per Play Buddy's suggestion, I played on the purple level. The shortest games (jackpot spins) are 500m so definitely make sure this is selected in your game AND in the Buddy's options; the level will say 100/500 on these rounds.

BOGGLE Bash Badge Challenge


Groovy Speller Badge
Find 290 words of 4 letters or more this week! 
Win this badge plus 2000 Tokens!
I'm pretty good at BOGGLE Bash but I have to admit it's nice having Boggle Buddy around to give me the occasional necessary hint. With my Buddy's help the challenge was finished up like so:

Game Difficulty: n/a
Buddy Settings: Speed 5; Under "Solution sorting" select "Order by word length" and "Descending"
Tokens: 3,430 tokens earned
Time: 19 minutes
NOTES: By making the setting changes noted above I sped the input up a bit and made it so the longest letter words were played first since the badge requires a minimum of 4 letter words.

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Sep. 19, 2012: PoppaZoppa & Showbiz Slots Badge Challenges


PoppaZoppa Badge Challenge


Mash Up Badge
Find 39 eggs this week! (Clear the board to find an egg. Complete the game to check your progress.) 
Win this badge plus 2000 Tokens!

So this one's a doozy. Thank heaven for 7-11... I mean PoppZopp Buddy! ;-) Here's how my pal did, while I cooked up some breakfast:

Game Difficulty: N/A
Buddy Settings: Default
Tokens: 5,692 tokens earned
Time: 1 hour 23 minutes
NOTES: Since each round is timed and you must finish ALL rounds for progress to count, combined with scores and jackpot spins... well, get comfy (or get the Buddy) because there's nothing you can do to fast forward.

Showbiz Slots Badge Challenge


Action! Badge
Spin the reels to get 99 3-D glasses this week! 
Win this badge plus 2000 Tokens!
Didn't realize until the past couple weeks how many slot games there are. Can I just say YAY for Showbiz Buddysince it clicked 'spin' a gazillion times on my behalf and got my badge like so:

Game Difficulty: n/a
Buddy Settings: Default
Tokens: 8,350 tokens earned
Time: 26 minutes
NOTES: BEWARE: there is Showbiz Slots 2 and Showbiz 2 Buddy: make sure you're using the original of each! And player's completion time will vary since it's "luck 'o the spin" (good luck!).

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Sep. 12, 2012: Golf Solitaire & Double Deuce Poker Badge Challenge


Golf Solitaire Badge Challenge


Fore! Badge
Reach Par or better 29 times this week! 
Win this badge plus 2000 Tokens!

This morning's badge challenge provides an opportunity to do something else if you want, since Golf Sol Buddy can tackle the lengthy ordeal all on it's own like so:

Game Difficulty: N/A
Buddy Settings: Default
Tokens: 5,413 tokens earned
Time: 1 hour 6 minutes
NOTES: Play in a "Super Speedy" room first and foremost; in case you're wondering, you'll need to finish the entire 5-holes before progress is counted.

Double Deuce Poker Badge Challenge


Double Dealin' Badge
Win 590 tokens this week! 
Win this badge plus 2000 Tokens!
I'm glad I had Double Deuce Buddy since it saw a couple winning hands I didn't see (oops!) and thus helped get my badge quickly like this:

Game Difficulty: n/a
Buddy Settings: Default
Tokens: 2,165 tokens earned
Time: 11 minutes
NOTES: None.

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Sep. 5, 2012: Claire Hart: Soul Searcher & Crossword Cove Badge Challenges


Claire Hart: Soul Searcher Badge Challenge


Sweet Admiration Badge
Find 90 Objects this week! 
Win this badge plus 2000 Tokens!

Challenge? What challenge? I only feel an easy breeze with Claire Buddy at my side. See:

Game Difficulty: N/A
Buddy Settings: Default
Tokens: 11,170 tokens earned
Time: 4 minutes
NOTES: So you can skip wasting 10 minutes like I did. :-) Do NOT use the individual buttons within the case to play but instead use "Start Case" and play through the ENTIRE episode to get credit; that means two COMPLETE cases (5 episodes each case).

Crossword Cove Badge Challenge


Chillin' Badge
Solve 49 down words without using hints or solves this week! 
Win this badge plus 2000 Tokens!
I love that Play Buddy updates badge bots when necessary; I remember the old version didn't do vertical words but this updated Crossword Buddy most certainly does and was able to fly through my challenge like so:

Game Difficulty: HARD
Buddy Settings: Default
Tokens: 2,000 tokens earned
Time: 5 minutes
NOTES: If you know you've already gotten 49 vertical words then press 'all done' to finish the puzzle early because you'll still get credit. ALSO playing in US rooms instead of UK gives MORE words.

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Aug 29, 2012: Swashbucks & WordJong Badge Challenges


Swashbucks Badge Challenge


Fire at Will Badge
Earn 2800 tokens this week! 
Win this badge plus 2000 Tokens!

Yay! New Buddy #1: Swashbuck Buddy! This game is eerily similar to 'Zuma'. Anywho, here's how it did on my badge challenge:

Game Difficulty: 3
Buddy Settings: Default
Tokens: 3,936 tokens earned
Time: 32 minutes
NOTES: Play on level difficulty '3', as it gets 150-250 tokens per game UNLESS your computer is slower in which case you probably need to change to level difficulty '1' which gets slightly less tokens but isn't too shabby (about 100-130 per game).

WordJong Badge Challenge


Om Badge
Get 68 wild tiles this week! (Win the game to check your progress) 
Win this badge plus 2000 Tokens!
Ohhhh yeah... new Buddy #2: Word Jhong Buddy! This latest auto performed like this:

Game Difficulty: HARD
Buddy Settings: Default
Tokens: 10,174 tokens earned
Time: 31 minutes
NOTES: None

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Aug 22, 2012: Family Feud & Panda Pai Gow Poker Badge Challenges


Family Feud Badge Challenge


Feudin Family Badge
Reach the fast money round 8 times this week! (Finish the game to check your progress) 
Win this badge plus 2000 Tokens!

Wow, getting to the fast money round is definitely a lengthy process (and downright impossible if you don't know the answers) so hip-hip-horray for Feud Buddy! Here's how it did on my badge challenge:

Game Difficulty: n/a
Buddy Settings: Default
Tokens: 6,312 tokens earned
Time: 56 minutes
NOTES: None

Panda Pai Gow Poker Badge Challenge


Rocket Rider Badge
Set off the bonus bet rocket at the top of the stairs 18 times this week! 
Win this badge plus 2000 Tokens!
Yay! I've been looking forward to an update for Pai Gow Buddy for a few months now so I'm very excited to have used this new and improved version which performed like this:

Game Difficulty: n/a
Buddy Settings: Default
Tokens: 6,570 tokens earned
Time: 34 minutes
NOTES: None

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Aug 15, 2012: Sock Hop Slots & Boardwalk Sea Ball Badge Challenges


Just an interesting observation about this week's badges: notice alllllll the EIGHTS!  I think Pogo meant for these challenges to be last week (Aug 8 aka 8/8).  ;-)

Sock Hop Slots Badge Challenge


Do Wop Ducks Badge
Earn 880 tokens this week! 
Win this badge plus 2000 Tokens!

ANOTHER slots challenge? Really Pogo?! Well thank goodness for has Sock Hop Buddy who'll spin and win for me. Check it out:

Game Difficulty: n/a
Buddy Settings: Speed '1'
Tokens: 1,725 tokens earned
Time: 27 minutes
NOTES: Once again it's luck 'o the spin (i.e. I hit a jackpot spin for 200 and someone else immediately hit 10k jackpot!). So good luck!

Boardwalk Sea Ball Badge Challenge


Duck Defense Badge
Roll 888 balls this week! 
Win this badge plus 2000 Tokens!
For whatever reason, I'm not so good at the controls on this game so I'm thankful for Boardwalk Buddy who was able to roll for me and knocked out the challenge like so:

Game Difficulty: n/a
Buddy Settings: Default
Tokens: 7,368 tokens earned
Time: 1 hour 2 minutes
NOTES: I actually finished about 5 minutes earlier (in the beginning of the last game) but you have to finish ALL the rounds of the game for the progress to count.

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Aug 8, 2012: First Class Solitaire and Monopoly Slots Badge Challenges


First Class Solitaire Badge Challenge


First Class Ride Badge
Earn 2000 tokens this week! 
Win this badge plus 2000 Tokens!

Although Play Buddy has Class First Buddy, I find that this particular bot works better with my assistance (I play right at the beginning and periodically in between to move cards faster) so here is how we did:

Game Difficulty: n/a
Buddy Settings: Default
Tokens: 4,105 tokens earned
Time: 1 hour 11 minutes
NOTES: Even on a "bum" game, place as many cards as possible into the finishing piles because when you do "new game" you'll get tokens for the cards that were moved there.


Monopoly Slots Badge Challenge

Heavy Medal Badge
Pass Go once this week! 
Win this badge plus 2000 Tokens!

I have a short attention span when it comes to clicking "spin" a million times so I'm grateful Nopoly Slots Buddynabbed my badge while I cooked breakfast. Here's how it did:

Game Difficulty: n/a
Buddy Settings: Default
Tokens: 10,260 tokens earned
Time: 44 minutes
NOTES: Keep in mind this is 'luck of the spin' and where your piece is on the board so your challenge completion might take more or less time and have more or less tokens.

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Aug 1, 2012: Sci Fi Slots and CLUE Badge Challenges


Sci Fi Slots Badge Challenge


Red Robot Badge
Get 280 red capsules this week! 
Win this badge plus 2000 Tokens!

280 capsules? No problem says Sci Fi Buddy. This easy breezy challenge was nothing but spin, spin, spin, spin and got finished up like so:

Game Difficulty: n/a
Buddy Settings: Default
Tokens: 10,724 tokens earned
Time: 1 hour 36 minutes
NOTES: None

CLUE: Secrets and Spies Badge Challenge


Losing a Tail Badge
Finish an episode within 20 minutes 2 times this week! 
Win this badge plus 2000 Tokens!
I could have spent an hour hunting down all the objects myself (I actually do enjoy Clue) but there is a fascination in watching Clue Buddy fly through the episodes and rack up the tokens like so:

Game Difficulty: n/a
Buddy Settings: Default
Tokens: 11,073 tokens earned
Time: 5 minutes
NOTES: None

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

July 25, 2012: Hog Heaven Slots, Bejeweled Twist & Bingo Luau Badge Challenges

Sistine Hog Badge
Earn 7,000 tokens this week! 
Win this badge plus 2000 Tokens!

SURPRISE! extra challenge added. No worries though because of Hog Heaven Buddy. Check it out:

Game Difficulty: n/a
Buddy Settings: Use ALL halos turned on
Tokens: 4,395 tokens earned (strange considering the badge was to win 7,000!)
Time: 9 minutes
NOTES: Seems like the game was embedded so it wasn't working in the US room so I used a UK room instead.

Bejeweled Twist Badge Challenge


Torch Bearer Badge
Create 1 fruit gem this week! 
Win this badge plus 2000 Tokens!

HA! This badge challenge was EASY! But that's probably because I had a little (okay a LOT) of help fromBejeweled Twist Buddy. Check it out:

Game Difficulty: n/a
Buddy Settings: Default
Tokens: 2,330 tokens earned
Time: 6 minutes
NOTES: None

Bingo Luau Badge Challenge


Opening Ceremonies Badge
Correctly cover 470 numbers this week! 
Win this badge plus 2000 Tokens!
I enlisted dauber champion Bingo Luau Buddy so I could get this challenged wrapped up like so:

Game Difficulty: n/a
Buddy Settings: Default
Tokens: 4,503 tokens earned
Time: 37 minutes
NOTES: Since covering numbers as quickly as possible is the goal, I recommend joining super-speedy blackout rooms (alone if possible).

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

July 18, 2012: Balloon Bounce & Jacks or Better Poker Badge Challenges


Balloon Bounce Badge Challenge


Hammer Time Badge
Inflate 4 or more giant balloons in a row 37 times this week! (Finish the game to check your progress) 
Win this badge plus 2000 Tokens!

Wowza, what a doozy! This is one of those games that has me bouncing off the walls (and not in a good way) especially with a challenge like this. So I'm thankful that Balloon Buddy helped me retain my sanity and completed the challenge like so:

Game Difficulty: Easy
Buddy Settings: Default
Tokens: 7,780 tokens earned
Time: 2 hours
NOTES: I tried it on 'beginner' at first but it seemed too easy - the balloons were so big that getting 4 'giants' in a row usually didn't happen.

Jacks or Better Badge Challenge


Easy Rider Badge
Win 170 hands this week! 
Win this badge plus 2000 Tokens!
There was nothing easy about this challenge 'til I enlisted the help of Jacks Better Buddy, this challenge got wrapped up like so:

Game Difficulty: n/a
Buddy Settings: Default
Tokens: 2,890 tokens earned
Time: 50 minutes
NOTES: Once again luck is a factor since there's no controlling what cards come out; the Buddy's holding strategy seemed right on point.

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

July 11, 2012: Word Whomp Whackdown & Slingo Ricochet Badge Challenges


Word Whomp Whackdown Badge Challenge


Nick of Time Badge
Find 700 words this week! 
Win this badge plus 3000 Tokens!

Whackdown Buddy is tried and true and cleaned this up as fast as possible:

Game Difficulty: Medium
Buddy Settings: Change speed to 'fastest'
Tokens: 7,927 tokens earned
Time: 30 minutes
NOTES: I changed from 'easy' to 'medium' game play level a couple rounds in because there are more words given on medium (but not more on hard than on medium as far as I could tell). Increasing the Buddy's play speed helped make things go quicker, too.

Slingo Ricochet Badge Challenge


Saved Again Badge
Make 140 slingos this week! 
Win this badge plus 2000 Tokens!
I'm feeling some dejavu here: Yay for a brand new Slingo Buddy! Here's the completion results for this brand new buddy:

Game Difficulty: n/a
Buddy Settings: Default
Tokens: 3,560 tokens earned
Time: 21 minutes
NOTES:So this is kind of a 'luck of the draw' situation... the Buddy can't control which numbers appear on the spin but it'll play any and all of 'em.

Wednesday, July 4, 2012

July 4, 2012: Ride the Tide & Lottso! Express Badge Challenges


Ride the Tide Badge Challenge


Riding High Badge
Earn 3,000 tokens this week! 
Win this badge plus 2000 Tokens!

Well Ride Tide Buddy got the job done. It's a process but it gets there:

Game Difficulty: N/A
Buddy Settings: Change bet to 'bet max'
Tokens: 3,790 tokens earned
Time: 51 minutes
NOTES: I changed the default bet 5 setting to 'max' to increase the amount of tokens won.

Lottso! Express Badge Challenge


Winning Smile Badge
Reach the 5th goal 3 times this week! 
Win this badge plus 2000 Tokens!
Yay for a brand new Lotso Xpress Buddy! Read my notes on the completion for this one:

Game Difficulty: n/a
Buddy Settings: Speed 1 / always play for mega lotso (see NOTES)
Tokens: 6,094 tokens earned
Time: 34 minutes
NOTES:So this is kind of a 'luck of the draw' situation... you'll need some lucky draws for certain balls AND some lucky guesses on the mega lottso card to boost the points enough to finish goal 5. To complete this challenge as quickly as possible, play WITH the Buddy. Here's the trick: turn ON 'always play for mega lotso' in its settings so you get your mega lottso card. Then turn it OFF so that it can acquire the points needed to COMPLETE the 5th goal (poorly worded by Pogo this week - reaching the 5th goal does nothing towards the badge; you have to reach 11,000 points thereby COMPLETING the round to get credit). ALSO when I saw it getting low on balls in goal 4 or 5, I'd make sure it collected any 'extra' spots AND if it was going to throw away balls (refill), I'd place them in any empty bonus slots.

Thursday, June 28, 2012

Jun 27, 2012: QWERTY & Claire Hart: Soul Searcher Badge Challenges


QWERTY Badge Challenge

Game Face Badge
Score a connection bonus 7 times this week! 
Win this badge plus 2000 Tokens!

Personally I love Quirty Buddy because I enjoy playing QWERTY and this Buddy is really a... buddy! Here's how we did:

Game Difficulty: Beginner
Buddy Settings: Default
Tokens: 7,925 tokens earned
Time: 33 minutes
NOTES: I actually played WITH Quirty Buddy using the 'scan' and 'solve' at a customized table (600 points to win) and selected from the list words that climbed towards the opponent so I could make connections quickly. And a 600 point game was perfect, as I'd win and finish the game the same time I made the connection. :-)



Claire Hart: Soul Searcher Badge Challenge

Haunted Portrait Badge
Finish one episode using 3 or less hints this week! 
Win this badge plus 2000 Tokens!

I had fun with the Quirty challenge but it did take a little while so it was nice to finish this challenge so quickly with Claire Buddy:

Game Difficulty: n/a
Buddy Settings: Speed 2
Tokens: 5,820 tokens earned
Time: 2 minutes
NOTES: None

Wednesday, June 20, 2012


Turbo 21 Badge Challenge


Yeehaa! Badge
Win 600 tokens this week! 
Win this badge plus 2000 Tokens!

With 21 Buddy's help, this badge doesn't get done any faster AND for a gazillion tokens. Check it out:

Game Difficulty: N/A
Buddy Settings: Default
Tokens: 7,829 tokens earned
Time: 2 minutes
NOTES: None

No Limit Texas Hold'em Badge Challenge


All In Badge
Win 16 hands this week! 
Win this badge plus 2000 Tokens!
Playing poker is boring to me so I'm glad NL Holdem Buddy allowed me to "set it and forget it":

Game Difficulty: n/a
Buddy Settings: Speed 3
Tokens: 2,000 tokens earned
Time: 57 minutes
NOTES: Play in a "just for fun" No Limit room so you can bet as much as you want and don't
lose all your tokens.

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

June 13, 2012: Lost Temple Poker & Amazing Adventures Badge Challenges


Lost Temple Poker Badge Challenge


Waiting to Bet Badge

Win 36 hands this week! 

Win this badge plus 2000 Tokens!



Sigh of relief: an quick and easy badge challenge, especially 
with Lost Temple Buddy's help:



Game Difficulty: Beginner 
Buddy Settings: Default 
Tokens: 2,375 tokens earned 
Time: 4 minutes 
NOTES: None

Amazing Adventures Badge Challenge


Inca Treasures Badge

Complete 2 missions this week! 

Win this badge plus 2000 Tokens!



Talk about a complete opposite time-frame and difficulty level 
compared to last week's challenges! Adventure Buddy made 
lightning fast work of this challenge:



Game Difficulty: n/a 
Buddy Settings: Default 
Tokens: 2,000 tokens earned 
Time: 7 minutes 
NOTES: None

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

June 6, 2012: High Stakes Pool & Mahjong Garden Badge Challenges


High Stakes Pool Badge Challenge


Color of Money Badge
Win 5 'Cutthroat' games this week!
Win this badge plus 2000 Tokens!

So while Pool Buddy is not an autoplayer, it sure did help
me out by showing where the ball was REALLY going to
go (Pogo's aim lines tried to sabotage me!). So here's how
I did with PB's help:

Game Difficulty: Beginner
Buddy Settings: Default
Tokens: 2,850 tokens earned
Time: 1 hour 24 minutes
NOTES: I found that my odds of winning greatly increased
when I broke the balls and got one in a pocket so I could
choose which color I wanted to be and could start winning.

Mahjong Garden Badge Challenge


Bamboo Dragon Badge
Complete 16 animals this week!
Win this badge plus 2000 Tokens!

So needless to say, after the pool challenge I was grateful to have an
automated MahjGar Buddy to nab the badge for me:

Game Difficulty: Easy
Buddy Settings: Default
Tokens: 8,396 tokens earned
Time: 42 minutes
NOTES: None

Thursday, May 24, 2012

May 23, 2012: Sushi Cat 2 & World Class Solitaire Badge Challenges


Sushi Cat 2 Badge Challenge


Gone Fishin' Badge
Eat 850 Sushi this week! (Win the level to earn progress) 
Win this badge plus 2000 Tokens!

I'm loving these 'saved by the bell' releases; Play Buddy just let loose Sushi Buddy in time for the badge and here's how it did:

Game Difficulty: N/A
Buddy Settings: Default
Tokens: 2,000 tokens earned
Time: 31 minutes
NOTES: The Buddy only plays levels 1-5 right now which was fine since it's so fast and easy.



World Class Solitaire Badge Challenge


Helping Hand Badge
Win 5 games with 300 or more tokens this week! 
Win this badge plus 2000 Tokens!

I actually choose to play WCS myself, but you can defer to Class World Buddy. I completed the badge challenge myself like so:

Game Difficulty: N/A
Buddy Settings: Default
Tokens: 3,945 tokens earned
Time: 41 minutes
NOTES: Once again some of this challenge is 'luck of the draw' since not all solitaire games can be won so completion times will vary. I recommend starting a new game if there is not a lot of movement on the inital board (i.e. only black cards); move and clear as many of these starter cards as possible before flipping through the deck and always make your priority getting cards off of piles / eliminating piles.

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

May 16, 2012: High Stakes Poker & Hearts Badge Challenge


High Stakes Poker Badge Challenge


Badge
Win 5 hands with trips or better! 
Win this badge plus 2000 Tokens!

Easy breezy thanks to HiStake Poker Buddy. Check it out:

Game Difficulty: Just for fun (play against Robots)
Buddy Settings: Turn on "Never fold starting hand" and "2's wild"
Tokens: 2,200 tokens earned
Time: 18 minutes
NOTES: If you want to win tokens and not lose them, play in the "Just for fun" tab (you still win jackpot spins); badge time will vary since it's luck of the draw (pun intended).

Hearts Badge Challenge


Badge
Shoot the moon 2 times this week! 
Win this badge plus 2000 Tokens!
Wowza am I THRILLED there's now an autoplaying Heart Buddy because not only do I NOT know how to play hearts, this challenge is by no means short as seen here:

Game Difficulty: Beginner (play against robots)
Buddy Settings: Default
Tokens: 2,000 tokens earned
Time: 2 hours 48 minutes
NOTES: IMPORTANT settings here to make the game go by faster: go into a room lobby and sit at a table so you can set the "Game over score" to 25 AND "End round early..." so games end faster (default is 100!). From what I understand, 'shooting the moon' is near impossible so expect it to take a long time; guess that's why Pogo only wants us to get 2!

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

May 9, 2012: Monopoly World & Zuma's Revenge Badge Challenges



Monopoly WORLD 

Challenge


Global Domination Badge
Pass Go 15 times this week!
Win this badge plus 2000 Tokens!

This is a game that one settles in for the long haul... unless ya
have Nopoly World Buddy like me. :-)
This gives plenty of time to fix breakfast while it gets the badge like so:

Game Difficulty: Speedy (play against Robots)
Buddy Settings: Default
Tokens: 3,950 tokens earned
Time: 42 minutes
NOTES: Checkmark the 'speedy dialogs' option at the bottom
of the game itself.


Zuma's Revenge Badge 

Challenge


Best Served Cold Badge
Activate 85 powerups this week!
Win this badge plus 2000 Tokens!

Another doozy but thanks to Zooma Buddy there's time for
cleaning breakfast dishes too!
Here's how it went:

Game Difficulty: n/a
Buddy Settings: Default
Tokens: 2,000 tokens earned
Time: 48 minutes
NOTES: None

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

May 2, 2012: Chess & Fortune Bingo Badge Challenges


Chess Challenge

Best Defence Badge
Win 5 games this week! 
Win this badge plus 2000 Tokens!

Can you say EASY?! And I say THANK YOU Chess Buddy!!! Take a gander at these results:

Game Difficulty: Beginner (play against Robots)
Buddy Settings: Set the timer on the Buddy to 1 minute instead of 5 and it will move much faster; also turn on the "start game w/ robots" option in the Buddy so it keeps playing against the computer.
Tokens: 2,954 tokens earned
Time: 9 minutes
NOTES: None

Fortune Bingo Badge Challenge

Bingo Reading Badge
Get 5 bingos this week! 
Win this badge plus 2000 Tokens!
So Fortune Buddy wrapped things up quickly like so:

Game Difficulty: n/a
Buddy Settings: Default
Tokens: 2,032 tokens earned
Time: 7 minutes
NOTES: To make this badge fly by chose the "Six Cards" tab under "Speedy Games" and enter an empty room so you're guaranteed all the bingos, all at once! IMPORTANT: STOP the Buddy's autoplay when it is 1 number away from a bingo on ANY card and fill in the remaining numbers; otherwise it will call "BINGO" on the first bingo and you'll have to play again.

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Apr 25, 2012: Casino Island Blackjack & Bejeweled 3 Badge Challenges


Casino Island Blackjack Challenge

Cowabunga King Badge
Use 'Up Your Sleeve' card 8 times this week! 
Win this badge plus 2000 Tokens!

This challenge was a doozy but were it not for Casino Island Buddy I probably would have been there all week. Here's how it worked out:

Game Difficulty: N/A
Buddy Settings: Default
Tokens: 4,280 tokens earned
Time: 1 hour 38 minutes
NOTES: Per the download notes, be sure to open a room from a lobby table in Internet Explorer and also make sure your "up your sleeve" option is selected in the Buddy. Other than that, it's all about luck and how quickly Pogo decides to deal you the "up your sleeve" card.

Bejeweled 3 Badge Challenge

Floating Castle Badge
Create 33 Flame gems this week! (Make sets of 4 gems to get them) 
Win this badge plus 2000 Tokens!

Wait until you get a load of these impressive Bejeweled Buddy stats!!!!

Game Difficulty: n/a
Buddy Settings: Default
Tokens: 2,650 tokens earned
Time: 8 minutes
NOTES: Can you say "WOWZA"?

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

April 18, 2012: Battleship & Hangman Hijinks Badge Challenge

BATTLESHIP Challenge


Pegs Away Badge
Use 40 power-ups this week!
Win this badge plus 2000 Tokens!


Yay for Battleship Buddy! I don't see how this challenge could be completed as quickly as this:


Game Difficulty: N/A
Buddy Settings: Default
Tokens: 4,552 tokens earned
Time: 32 minutes
NOTES: Choose the "Speedy" tab then you'll play against speedy robots.


Hangman Hijinks Badge Challenge


Rough Sketch Badge
Solve 20 bonus words this week! (Bonus words appear vertically)
Win this badge plus 2000 Tokens!


So Play Buddy caused me to pull a hijinks this morning with the new release of Hangman Buddy. And check out these stats:


Game Difficulty: Easy
Buddy Settings: Default
Tokens: 3,367 tokens earned
Time: 34 minutes
NOTES: If you're watching the bot play, sometimes you can speed things up on the bonus round by selecting a more obvious word (the Buddy seems to have a very extensive dictionary).

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Apr 11, 2012: Euchre & Poppit Sprint Badge Challenges

Euchre Badge Challenge


Euchre Man Badge
Win 4 games by 2 points or more this week!
Win this badge plus 2000 Tokens!


So Pogo's making up for last week's easy badges with a double hard one! I am so grateful to have Euchre Buddycomplete this looooooooong challenge like so:


Game Difficulty: N/A
Buddy Settings: Default
Tokens: 2,000 tokens earned
Time: 1 hour 36 minutes
NOTES: First, open your own room so you can change these table settings to make games go by faster: select 10 points to win and select TRAM. Now the rest is mostly luck since Jacks are the winning cards and if you get them is completely random.


Poppit Sprint Badge Challenge


Pop-a-lot Badge
Pop 8400 balloons this week! (Play in the Classic Sprint Mode)
Win this badge plus 2000 Tokens!


Yay! This badge was a breath of fresh air after Euchre. Check out the impressive Pop Sprint Buddy stats:


Game Difficulty: No difficulty
Buddy Settings: Default partial (but see notes)
Tokens: 7,903 tokens earned
Time: 23 minutes
NOTES: First, make sure you're on the regular Poppit Sprint with Spike; I started on the casual one (whoops). Also, by default the Buddy saves your coins which is sweet. But if you want the badge completed in HALF the time, select the 'Save' powerup option in the Buddy AND on the start screen choose the Triple Column and Chain Lightning powerups - they'll pop a gazillion balloons!

Apr 4, 2012: Blackjack Carnival & Word Whomp Badge Challenges

Blackjack Carnival Badge Challenge


Trumpet Shuffle Badge
Get 12 'Pair Square' side bets this week!
Win this badge plus 2000 Tokens!


Blackjack Buddy is a beautiful thing - it made my morning by knocking this challenge outta the park like so:


Game Difficulty: N/A
Buddy Settings: Side Bet: Pair Square / Random Betting
Tokens: 4,422 tokens earned
Time: 27 minutes
NOTES: Be sure to change the Buddy's options to select 'Pair Square' because I wasted a few minutes not realizing that I had to side-bet to get the credit.


Word Whomp Badge Challenge


Curb Appeal Badge
Find 12 or more words in a game 10 times this week!
Win this badge plus 2000 Tokens!


And I thought Blackjack Buddy did good... Whomp is definitely the winner this week. Okay so how often do we get two easy badges in a row?! Pogo must be off their rocker this week but that's fine by me, especially with how fast Whomp Buddy completed things for me (oh yeah, guess THAT's why the badge was so fast and easy! lol):


Game Difficulty: 2
Buddy Settings: Default
Tokens: 6,990 tokens earned
Time: 14 minutes
NOTES: None.

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Mar 28, 2012: Dice City Roller & World Class Solitaire Badge Challenge

Dice City Roller Badge Challenge

Green Fuzz Badge
Place 234 dice this week!
Win this badge plus 2000 Tokens!


With the help of Dice City Buddy this challenge flew by on the breeze. Here's how it happened:


Game Difficulty: N/A
Buddy Settings: Default
Tokens: 3,012 tokens earned
Time: 24 minutes
NOTES: To get this badge in under 1/2 an hour like I did, choose the 'No Auctions' room so you don't waste time on that extra round. And actuall you might complete yours faster if you get lucky with the dice (I had a few rounds where not all the dice could be placed).


World Class Solitaire Badge Challenge

Aces of Aces Badge
Earn 2,300 tokens this week!
Win this badge plus 2000 Tokens!


Oh thank heaven for Class World Buddy because playing enough games to get over 2k tokens is no easy chore! Here's how the Buddy did:


Game Difficulty: No difficulty
Buddy Settings: Default
Tokens: 4,882 tokens earned
Time: 53 minutes
NOTES: This bot is a bit quirky (looks a tad different/outdated from the newer bots so maybe a re-do is planned) so I found it helpful to play the very beginning and very end and let it sort through the middle. Also, this badge can go faster depending on luck: the luck of the draw of cards and the luck of the size of your jackpot spins.

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Mar 21, 2012: Checkers & Spades Badge Challenges

Checkers Badge Challenge

Bib Badge
Convert 13 single checkers into Kings this week!
Win this badge plus 2000 Tokens!


I love quick badge challenges! So thanks, Checkers Buddy for making it quick and painless. Here's how it did:


Game Difficulty: Beginner tab - play against Robot
Buddy Settings: Default
Tokens: 4,383 tokens earned
Time: 21 minutes
NOTES: The sad thing is that this could have been completed faster *if* the Pogo game allowed more than 1 king on the board at a time. I tried this myself to be sure (while watching the bot play I was thinking to myself 'why don't you make more Kings since you have checkers enough to do so...). So if you know of a trick to allow more than 1 King, make sure to turn it on or play at that table.


Spades Badge Challenge

Number Fun Badge
Win 32 hands this week!
Win this badge plus 2000 Tokens!


Can you say LUCKY? Play Buddy JUST NOW turned the Spades bot - once just a counter thing - into an autoplaying Spade Buddy (YAY!!!). Check out this data:


Game Difficulty: No difficulty - played against computer under "Beginner"
Buddy Settings: Default
Tokens: 5,144 tokens earned
Time: 1 hour 29 minutes
NOTES: I have no clue how to play spades but if you do, there's a chance you can use the bot to your advantage by playing with it so the badge challenge is completed quicker.

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Mar. 14: Beaker Creatures and Blooop Badge Challenges

Beaker Creatures Badge Challenge

Pot O Gold Badge
Win 10 Jackpot Spins this week!
Win this badge plus 2000 Tokens!


Beaker Buddy knocked this one out of the park! Check out these stats:


Game Difficulty: Easy
Buddy Settings: Default
Tokens: 8,440 tokens earned
Time: 16 minutes
NOTES: Make sure to choose the 'easy' difficulty since you only need to fill up 3 beakers of apx. 100 points to reach the Jackpot Spin.


Blooop Badge Challenge

Vortex Badge
Make 30 matches of 4 or more discs this week!
Win this badge plus 2000 Tokens!


I don't know about you, but this game is definitely not on my favorites list! Thankfully Bloop Buddy came to my rescue and got my badge like so:


Game Difficulty: No difficulty - played against computer under "Beginner"
Buddy Settings: Default
Tokens: 3,350 tokens earned
Time: 36 minutes
NOTES: Create your own game in the 'Beginner' tab so that you can set the game points to '10' (this makes end of round jackpot spins/tallies less frequent) then change it back to '3' when you near 26-29 matches towards the badge (so you don't play longer than you have to).

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

March 7, 2012: Tri-Peaks Solitaire & Texas Hold'em Poker

Tri-Peaks Solitaire Badge Challenge

Tomb of Kings Badge
Earn 3500 tokens this week! (Earn a Jackpot Spin to check your progress)
Win this badge plus 2000 Tokens!


While this game can be fun to play, I'm so glad Tripeak Buddy is available for badges like this since the only way to earn tokens is to complete games and 3,500 tokens is a LOT of games. That said, here's the stats:


Game Difficulty: No difficulty - played against computer
Buddy Settings: Default
Tokens: 6,317 tokens earned
Time: 1 hour 14 minutes
NOTES: Basically just have to play the game (or let the Buddy do it), and hope Pogo smiles upon you to give you favorable card placement.


Texas Hold'em Poker Badge Challenge

Urban Cowgirl Badge
Win 13 Hands with Two Pair or better this week!
Win this badge plus 2000 Tokens!


If you're like me and poker is just not your game, then you can earn the badge like me too (use Texas Holdem Buddy). I'm not a good judge about how fast or slow this game can be won, but here's how the Buddy did:


Game Difficulty: No difficulty - played against computer under "Limit" / "Just for Fun"
Buddy Settings: Default
Tokens: 2,330 tokens earned
Time: 1 hour 36 minutes
NOTES:As far as I could tell the same amount of time will pass regardless of type of room chosen, although if you don't want to risk losing a lot of tokens (like me), play against robots under the 'limit' and 'just for fun' tabs just to be safe.

Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Feb. 29, 2012: Super Dominoes and Dice Derby Badge Challenges

Super Dominoes Badge Challenge

Tile Train Badge
Win 8 games this week!
Win this badge plus 2000 Tokens!


Play Buddy offers Super Domino Buddy for this challenge and I'm so glad because as strange as it may sound, I don't know how to play this game! Even so, I was impressed with this beautiful auto.


Game Difficulty: No difficulty - played against computer
Buddy Settings: Default
Tokens: 7,203 tokens earned
Time: 1 hour 11 minutes
NOTES: DON'T click the 'play against robots' on the initial screen because it requires 500 game points to win. Instead, do what I did to speed things up: go to a room lobby, sit at a table and set the game to 250 points AND select 'Limited animations' so the games progress faster. Even so, luck is still a factor because it all comes down to how the bones fall so to speak.


Dice Derby Badge Challenge

Golden Dice Badge
Finish 230 laps this week!
Win this badge plus 2000 Tokens!


Well Derby Buddy is a blast from the past because it looks nothing like the Buddies I'm used to. But don't let appearances fool ya - it completed the badge as quickly as is possible and had no hiccups.


Game Difficulty: Default
Buddy Settings: Default
Tokens: 8,575 tokens earned
Time: 2 hours 20 minutes
NOTES: Sheesh, 230 laps is no joke. To speed things up a bit more, select the '9-lap' course before clicking 'play against robots' so that 9 laps (instead of 6) go by before the jackpot spin and final round which take up unnecessary time.

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Feb. 22, 2012: Pinochle & Penguin Blocks

Penguin Blocks Badge Challenge

Air Express Badge
Complete 70 rounds with a profit of $1 or more per round this week!
Win this badge plus 2000 Tokens!


Boy was I excited to see Penguin Buddy on the PB website this morning because it wasn't in existence a few days ago! Here's how it did:


Game Difficulty: 'Easy'
Buddy Settings: Increased speed to '1'; all else default
Tokens: 4,311 tokens earned
Time: 45 minutes
NOTES: I tried the 'Medium' level as well but it seemed to take longer since more food needed to be collected to earn the $1+

Pinochle Badge Challenge

Premier Virtuoso Badge
Create 10 Pinochles this week!
Win this badge plus 2000 Tokens!


Play Buddy offers Pinochle Buddy for this challenge BUT oh how I wish this already autoplayed (coming soon, I'm told from PB support), as I have no clue how to play Pinochle! Instead it's a hand tracker for the Pino pros who play this game for fun (yay for them I suppose! lol).


Game Difficulty: No difficulty - played against Robots
Buddy Settings: Default
Tokens: 0 tokens earned
Time: 15 minutes
NOTES: I chose to NOT get this badge yet - I have no idea how to play Pinochle and my feeble attempt of 15 minutes against the computers after reading 'how to play' left me dazed and confused... I'll wait for my Buddy!

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Feb 15, 2012: Phlinx & Mini Golf Madness

Phlinx Badge Challenge

Sphlinx Play Badge
Drop 3600 stones this week!
Win this badge plus 2000 Tokens!


I used the beautiful Phlinx Buddy for this challenge and here's its stats:


Game Difficulty: Beginner level because the puzzles are simplified and finish sooner
Buddy Settings: Default
Tokens: 8,841 tokens earned
Time: 2 hours
NOTES: Sometimes faster is better (like when you want to farm tokens) but definitely use the default '2' speed for this challenge; it seemed like the '1' speed - while much faster - was not as smart which seemed to result in faster decision making causing less stones to drop.

Mini Golf Madness Badge Challenge


A-maze-ing Challenge Badge
Complete 8 18-hole courses under par this week!
Win this badge plus 3000 Tokens!


Thanks to Mini Golf Buddy I got this badge much faster than on my own. Stats are as follows.


Game Difficulty: 'Warm Up' course - Full course (front and back 9)
Buddy Settings: Default
Tokens: 7,620 tokens earned
Time: 35 minutes
NOTES: Easily achieved this badge and got 8/18 holes in 1 every time