How will our homesteads make the transition? Will all of our non-playing neighbors still be available to visit? Will we lose our quest progress? Luckily, Zynga has started compiling its own question and answer section on the game's official forums, and it does a decent job of filling in some of the blanks.
We're still working on bringing you our own guides to leaving the Homestead for the Trail, but for now, take a look at what Zynga has to say for itself.
What is The Pioneer Trail?
The Pioneer Trail is a brand new version of FrontierVille with additional lands to explore and challenges to overcome with some help from your neighbors.
What happened to FrontierVille?
It still exists! This expansion was so massive and the experience so completely new that we decided to re-name the entire game The Pioneer Trail.
Why do I need to install a new application to play?
Because of the fundamental differences in the new version of the game, plus the fact that we're fundamentally changing the name, we decided to move the game to an entirely new location. What this means essentially is that you'll be playing the same game, except that you'll have a new bookmark (called The Pioneer Trail, not FrontierVille and Facebook application ID to play from.
But what happened to my homestead? Can I even get to it anymore?
Yes you can! Nothing has changed as far as your homestead goes-it's still there and you still have complete access to it (it's just under the new game name The Pioneer Trail). Nothing has been lost and all of the data for everyone is still right there. You're not losing anything and your access will remain the same.
Will I even use my homestead anymore?
Of course! We will still be releasing a bunch of all-new features to your homestead, like the Chuck Wagon and the Bank, all of which you'll be seeing soon!
Can I delete my old bookmark for FrontierVille if I'm playing The Pioneer Trail?
Yes.
What happens if I keep trying to play FrontierVille?
When you try to play the old FrontierVille game you'll be re-directed to play the new Pioneer Trail game instead.
So what happens when I first play The Pioneer Trail?
You'll go straight to your homestead as normal. The entire homestead, all of your neighbors, everything is still there. However, there will be a "Travel" button on the bottom left of the screen you can use to start your adventure on the trail itself. You might also see a few pop ups referring to the trail.
If I start my adventure on the trail, can I then go back to my homestead?
Yes you can go back to your homestead at any time!
What's so special about being on the trail?
The trail adventure takes you and your family through a series of new maps and challenges to overcome. You earn Trail Points and Prize Tickets as rewards, which you can spend for cool prizes (that you can put on your homestead). You expend Trail Rations for energy, and you can invite your neighbors to help you out as members of your Trail Crew. You can also compete with your friends to see who has the highest overall score!
Is the trail itself just another homestead?
No it's not. It's a series of adventures you can go on, but you can always return to the homestead. Once you complete your travels on the trail, you can do it all over again for more rewards and better scores.
Essentially, this seems to announce the slow, but sure, elimination of all things related to the "FrontierVille" branding. In fact, my daily energy bonus email has already turned into a "Pioneer Trail" email, that looks and functions in the same way, but simply has another name.
Hopefully, as Zynga works to include more people in the Pioneer Trail transition, we'll all be given enough information to come to understand the entirety of the transition before any more confusion can occur. We'll make sure to bring you as much information as we can about the Pioneer Trail (in addition to our already detailed overview) as we know more.
[via - blog.games.com]