This list of 'things to do' is useful not only when you are part of an active Co-Op Job but whenever your Farm has the ability to trade Bushels at a Market Stall or more than one Market Stall.
First of all, it always is beneficial to have a Neighbour who is willing to work as an unofficial partner to grow Crops that you need for your chosen Craft. Unfortunately, you are limited to three Bushels from any specific Neighbour's Market Stalls, but you can choose Bushels from more than one Crop or all three from a single Crop. There is a little trick to this if you have a Neighbour with the same Craft that you have. When you have chosen three Bushels from any Neighbour's Market, you have the option to 'Share' a Bushel of the same type as the one chosen last. If you have taken more than one type of Bushel, always save the one that your Neighbour needs as the last to take, so that you will be able to Share one of those with him/her.
Before you begin to take Bushels from Neighbours or the Game Feed, look at your own inventory to make certain that you have sufficient space to store them. You are restricted to 100 Bushels irrespective of the number of Market Stalls that you own. You are limited to five Market Stalls, moreover. Whenever you find a Bushel for any Crop, it automatically will be displayed at one of your Market Stalls, unless all of them are displaying a different Crop. You therefore need to make certain that you have a Closed Market Stall or one that offers the same Crop BEFORE you begin to harvest any Crops, especially if the Crops you are going to harvest are a variety that you or your Neighbour needs. If necessary, shut a Market Stall in order to give yourself a venue for the Crop you are about to Harvest.
The next step to take BEFORE you harvest any Crop is to go to your Bushel inventory (accessed either through any of your Market Stalls or through your Crafting Building) to 'Use' a Bushel of the same Crop so that you will earn more Mastery points for that Crop.
The following appear to increase your chances of obtaining Bushels when you harvest your Crops:
1. Fertilisation
You can fertilise your own Crops using 'Fertilise All', a wonderful reward given randomly when you visit your Neighbours' farms or you can ask Friends and Neighbours to fertilise your Crops for you.
2. Crop Mastery
You earn Stars that represent the three Crop Mastery Levels for any Crop by harvesting specific totals of that Crop. There are three Levels and the higher your own Level, the better the chance of obtaining Bushels. With three Mastery Stars, for example, you are likely to obtain at least 4 Bushels when harvesting only 12 or 16 squares of the Crop. With no Crop Mastery, you may not obtain a single Bushel even when harvesting 100 squares. Crop Mastery is something you can begin to earn at Level 10. My post on preparing for Level 25 discusses the advantages of choosing a Craft before you actually are able to embark upon any crafting career. Go to your Inventory before you Harvest any Crop, therefore, to 'Use' a Bushel to increase the Crop Mastery Points gained from the Harvest of each square of that Crop.
3. Bees
Bees certainly are necessary for pollination of Crops, allowing you to unlock temporary pollinated Crops at the Marketplace. I believe that they improve the chances of obtaining Bushels as well, although I could be mistaken about this.
Although Co-Op Jobs do not require any Bushels or any specific Crop Mastery Level, it always is best to combine goals in Farmville and take a Job that will net you the Bushels you personally need for your chosen Craft.
There is a trick with respect to any Co-Op Job that can give you a good jump on the achievement of the requirement of total number of Bushels. This was taught to me by an old Harvest Moon friend of mine. What you do is plant almost your entire field with one or more of the Crops needed for the Co-Op Job you intend to Start/Join. Leave at least eight squares tilled but vacant!
When the Crops are fully mature, Start/Join the Co-op Job and then, BEFORE you harvest any of the ripened Crops, plant the squares that remain vacant with the same Crop. Once you have planted new seeds in the eight to twelve squares that you kept vacant, you can harvest the SAME NUMBER of ripened Crops. Do not harvest more Crops than you seeded, however, as they will not be counted towards the Co-Op total.
You see, you can trick the game into believing that the ripened Crops were planted during the course of the Job only if you seed an equivalent number of squares BEFORE you harvest the others. It is a little tedious perhaps, because you must alternate between Harvester, Tractor and Seeder again and again unless you have the new Combine machine but it can be worth the effort. After this initial cheat, you will be able to harvest the entire field the next time the Crops mature, obviously. It is only the initial harvest that has to be counted carefully.
Fertilisation Strategies:
'Fertilise All' will fertilise every tilled square on your field, whether or not Crops have been planted and even when Crops are fully mature. DO NOT WASTE YOUR FERTILISE ALL! Study your field before you use the item. If any of the Crops have been fertilised, harvest them and re-till the squares before you use the 'Fertilise All'. This is an important tip but easy to forget when one is involved in any harvest.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Preparing for Level 25
As soon as you reach Level 25 in Farmville, you will be offered your choice of Crafting Buildings, which either could be perceived as small factories or cottage industries. The three that are offered are: Spa, Winery and Bakery.
You will have been given a Market Stall long before you reach the point where you actually can USE the Bushels that you obtain when harvesting Crops. As you can store 100 Bushels, however, there is no reason why you cannot prepare for the moment when you launch your business at level 25 by deciding in advance which Craft to choose.
Note here that the Tractor will be unlocked at Level 12, the Harvester at Level 13 and the Seeder at Level 14. These vehicles will allow you to till the land, plant Seeds and harvest them much faster than before, as with any basic Farm Vehicle, you will be able to work four plots at a time.
To upgrade any Vehicle, you need to construct a Garage. Garages are unlocked only when you reach Level 22, but the basic Farming Vehicles should be sufficient until then.
It is at Level 20 that the Co-Op Jobs Option is unlocked, allowing you to join other Players to band together to produce specific totals of one or more Crops to satisfy a requirement for an imaginary customer.
Co-Op Jobs give you a number of rewards, including Coins and XP as well as adding to your Mastery of the Crops that you produce in the course of the job.
Gaining Mastery of Crops increases your chance of finding Bushels whenever you harvest those Crops. Bushels are what you need to complete Recipes when you reach Level 25 and choose your Craft.
With that in mind, knowing what Recipes will be available for each and the required ingredients may help immensely.
At each Craft, three Recipes will be available at Level 1. When you choose the Craft, the game will give you the necessary ingredients to prepare one item. At Level 1, you will have two 'tables' or slots where Items can be prepared.
Each time you increase the level of the Crafting Building, Slots or Tables will be added.
The three Recipes available for each of the Crafts at Level 1 are as follows:
Spa Cookbook, Level 1
Fresh Sachet
Ingredients:
3 Bushels of Pumpkins
3 Bushels of Cranberries
1 Bushel of Sunflowers
Floral Perfume
Ingredients:
4 Bushels of Blueberries
4 Bushels of Morning Glories
Relaxation Oil
Ingredients:
4 Bushels of Blackberries
4 Bushels of Morning Glories
Spa Cookbook, Level 2
At Level 2, the following will be unlocked:
Petal Sachet
Ingredients:
3 Bushels of Iris
2 Bushels of Sunflowers
1 Bushel of Peppers
Devotion Perfume
Ingredients:
3 Bushels of Blueberrries
3 Bushels of Lilacs
2 Bushels of Basil
Energising Lotion
Ingredients:
1 Bushel of Red Tulips
3 Bushels of Aloe Vera
3 Bushels of Blackberries
Spa Cookbook, Level 3
Restoring Candle
Ingredients:
4 Bushels of Green Tea
2 Bushels of Ghost Chilis
1 Bushel of Sunflowers
Lily of the Valley Soap
Ingredients:
1 Bushel of Lily
3 Bushels of Blueberries
3 Bushels of Morning Glories
Winery Cookbook, Level 1
Red Table Wine
Ingredients:
2 Bushels of Grapes
5 Bushels of White Grapes
White Sangria
Ingredients:
3 Bushels of White Grapes
2 Bushels of Sugar Cane
3 Bushels of Strawberries
Sweet Sake
Ingredients:
5 Bushels of Rice
3 Bushels of Cranberries
Winery Cookbook, Level 2
Dry Sake
Ingredients:
4 Bushels of Rice
2 Bushels of Green Tea
3 Bushels of Lilac
Fruit Wine
Ingredients:
3 Bushels of Raspberries
3 Bushels of Blueberries
2 Bushels of Sugar Cane
Spicy Tomato Juice
Ingredients:
3 Bushels of Tomatoes
1 Bushel of Pepper
3 Bushels of Carrots
Winery Cookbook, Level 3
Blackberry Wine
Ingredients:
3 Bushels of Blackberries
3 Bushels of Grapes
3 Bushels of White Grapes
Raspberry Wine
Ingredients:
3 Bushels of Raspberries
2 Bushels of Blackberries
2 Bushels of Grapes
Strawberry Cranberry Juice
Ingredients:
3 Bushels of Strawberries
2 Bushels of Raspberries
3 Bushels of Cranberries
Bakery Cookbook, Level 1
Pumpkin Bread
Ingredients:
4 Bushels of Pumpkins
4 Bushels of Wheat
Strawberry Shortcake
Ingredients:
4 Bushels of Strawberries
4 Bushels of Wheat
Spicy Muffin
Ingredients:
3 Bushels of Carrots
1 Bushel of Pepper
3 Bushels of Ghost Chilis
Bakery Cookbook, Level 2
Triple Berry Pie
Ingredients:
3 Bushels of Blueberries
3 Bushels of Blackberries
3 Bushels of Cranberries
Peanut Butter Cookies
Ingredients:
2 Bushels of Peanuts
3 Bushels of Rice
3 Bushels of Sugar Cane
Patty Pan Tart
Ingredients:
3 Bushels of Pattypan Squash
2 Bushels of Red Onions
3 Bushels of Rice
You will have been given a Market Stall long before you reach the point where you actually can USE the Bushels that you obtain when harvesting Crops. As you can store 100 Bushels, however, there is no reason why you cannot prepare for the moment when you launch your business at level 25 by deciding in advance which Craft to choose.
Note here that the Tractor will be unlocked at Level 12, the Harvester at Level 13 and the Seeder at Level 14. These vehicles will allow you to till the land, plant Seeds and harvest them much faster than before, as with any basic Farm Vehicle, you will be able to work four plots at a time.
To upgrade any Vehicle, you need to construct a Garage. Garages are unlocked only when you reach Level 22, but the basic Farming Vehicles should be sufficient until then.
It is at Level 20 that the Co-Op Jobs Option is unlocked, allowing you to join other Players to band together to produce specific totals of one or more Crops to satisfy a requirement for an imaginary customer.
Co-Op Jobs give you a number of rewards, including Coins and XP as well as adding to your Mastery of the Crops that you produce in the course of the job.
Gaining Mastery of Crops increases your chance of finding Bushels whenever you harvest those Crops. Bushels are what you need to complete Recipes when you reach Level 25 and choose your Craft.
With that in mind, knowing what Recipes will be available for each and the required ingredients may help immensely.
At each Craft, three Recipes will be available at Level 1. When you choose the Craft, the game will give you the necessary ingredients to prepare one item. At Level 1, you will have two 'tables' or slots where Items can be prepared.
Each time you increase the level of the Crafting Building, Slots or Tables will be added.
The three Recipes available for each of the Crafts at Level 1 are as follows:
Spa Cookbook, Level 1
Fresh Sachet
Ingredients:
3 Bushels of Pumpkins
3 Bushels of Cranberries
1 Bushel of Sunflowers
Floral Perfume
Ingredients:
4 Bushels of Blueberries
4 Bushels of Morning Glories
Relaxation Oil
Ingredients:
4 Bushels of Blackberries
4 Bushels of Morning Glories
Spa Cookbook, Level 2
At Level 2, the following will be unlocked:
Petal Sachet
Ingredients:
3 Bushels of Iris
2 Bushels of Sunflowers
1 Bushel of Peppers
Devotion Perfume
Ingredients:
3 Bushels of Blueberrries
3 Bushels of Lilacs
2 Bushels of Basil
Energising Lotion
Ingredients:
1 Bushel of Red Tulips
3 Bushels of Aloe Vera
3 Bushels of Blackberries
Spa Cookbook, Level 3
Restoring Candle
Ingredients:
4 Bushels of Green Tea
2 Bushels of Ghost Chilis
1 Bushel of Sunflowers
Lily of the Valley Soap
Ingredients:
1 Bushel of Lily
3 Bushels of Blueberries
3 Bushels of Morning Glories
Winery Cookbook, Level 1
Red Table Wine
Ingredients:
2 Bushels of Grapes
5 Bushels of White Grapes
White Sangria
Ingredients:
3 Bushels of White Grapes
2 Bushels of Sugar Cane
3 Bushels of Strawberries
Sweet Sake
Ingredients:
5 Bushels of Rice
3 Bushels of Cranberries
Winery Cookbook, Level 2
Dry Sake
Ingredients:
4 Bushels of Rice
2 Bushels of Green Tea
3 Bushels of Lilac
Fruit Wine
Ingredients:
3 Bushels of Raspberries
3 Bushels of Blueberries
2 Bushels of Sugar Cane
Spicy Tomato Juice
Ingredients:
3 Bushels of Tomatoes
1 Bushel of Pepper
3 Bushels of Carrots
Winery Cookbook, Level 3
Blackberry Wine
Ingredients:
3 Bushels of Blackberries
3 Bushels of Grapes
3 Bushels of White Grapes
Raspberry Wine
Ingredients:
3 Bushels of Raspberries
2 Bushels of Blackberries
2 Bushels of Grapes
Strawberry Cranberry Juice
Ingredients:
3 Bushels of Strawberries
2 Bushels of Raspberries
3 Bushels of Cranberries
Bakery Cookbook, Level 1
Pumpkin Bread
Ingredients:
4 Bushels of Pumpkins
4 Bushels of Wheat
Strawberry Shortcake
Ingredients:
4 Bushels of Strawberries
4 Bushels of Wheat
Spicy Muffin
Ingredients:
3 Bushels of Carrots
1 Bushel of Pepper
3 Bushels of Ghost Chilis
Bakery Cookbook, Level 2
Triple Berry Pie
Ingredients:
3 Bushels of Blueberries
3 Bushels of Blackberries
3 Bushels of Cranberries
Peanut Butter Cookies
Ingredients:
2 Bushels of Peanuts
3 Bushels of Rice
3 Bushels of Sugar Cane
Patty Pan Tart
Ingredients:
3 Bushels of Pattypan Squash
2 Bushels of Red Onions
3 Bushels of Rice
Friday, October 15, 2010
Free Upgrades and new Options in Farmville
When I play a game for the first time, I often misconstrue critical details, not having anything with which to compare my own experience. For example, I was playing Farmville on the day that the Crafting Option was introduced and was given a choice of three Crafting buildings. I was able to choose a Spa without paying anything. After this, when I accessed the Marketplace, I saw the other two Crafting Buildings for sale for 100,000 Coins. I therefore assumed (wrongly) that the price for a Crafting Building was 100,000 Coins.
It was only when I created another account and replayed the game that I discovered that many options will be available without cost when first unlocked. When a player reaches Level 25, he/she will be allowed to choose one of three Crafting Buildings: Spa, Winery or Bakery. There will be no cost. It is only if you wish to purchase ANOTHER Crafting Building that you will be charged for it.
It is at Level 10 that Crop Mastery and Collections are unlocked but your first basic Vehicle in the form of a Tractor is not unlocked until you reach Level 12. As a traditional Harvest Moon farmer, the idea of mechanisation was abhorrent to me, and Tolkien would have agreed as he despised the farming industrial revolution that transformed his beloved English countryside and polluted the environment. In Harvest Moon, your Character usually comes from a large urban environment and turns his/her back upon it to pursue traditional virtues in a small community where you become well-acquainted with every neighbour and seek not to achieve personal success at the price of the success of others but to work WITH your entire community to better the lives of all.
That notwithstanding, I actually was persuaded by a fellow Harvest Moon veteran to purchase a tractor and to be perfectly honest, the ability to use Tractor, Seeder and Harvester in Farmville transforms the entire game in a positive way. The Harvester is unlocked at Level 13 and the Seeder at Level 14, giving you motivation to work hard to increase your Levels as quickly as possible. Without any environmental consequences and ultimately the ability to conceal the rather unappealing hulking machines in a compact Garage, there are no real negative consequeneces of using the vehicles. Furthermore, as your Character frequently finds fuel in the soil when ploughing, it is better to be able to use that fuel!
With the vehicles, one can grow far more on the farm and this becomes extremely useful when the Crafting Option is unlocked. The Crafting Option really makes the game far more interesting as well. You actually grow Crops in order to USE them in creating items that can be traded for fuel at an unspecified Zynga market.
I really began to interact with Neighbours more once I had the Spa as one needs constant raw material to create the items. Neighbours grow different Crops and one has the ability to take 3 Bushels of any Crop or a combination of three Crops from any Neighbour's Market Stalls daily.
There are a number of strategies that one learns to employ once one reaches Level 25 and the Crafting Option is unlocked. I will discuss these in a separate post.
Similarly, when my Farmer reached Level 15 in my other game and obtained her first Bushel, she was given a Market Stall to place on her farm. At the Marketplace, the Market Stalls remained locked where the coin option was concerned, with a message that she had only 8 of the 10 Neighbours required to unlock one.
Here it is useful to note that Market Stalls do not increase storage capacity for Bushels. You can have only 100 Bushels at any point in time, irrespective of the number of Market Stalls you own. In my first game, I purchased a second Market Stall in the belief that it would increase storage capacity. All it does is allow you to 'sell' a second Crop if and when you obtain a Bushel.
Crop Mastery and Collections are unlocked at Level 10, but these have no Buildings linked to them.
The Co-Op Option is unlocked at Level 20, giving you the opportunity to earn Rewards in the form of extra coins and XP if you complete a Job successfully with or without any Neighbours. Co-Op Jobs essentially involve an imaginary customer who asks farmers to provide specific quantities of Crops for him/her. There is a time limit for success. If you complete the Job very quickly, you can earn a Gold Medal or a Silver one. Bronze is the default Medal earned if you simply complete the Job successfully.
Using the Co-Op option actually gives players a bit of structure in their farming as they are compelled to grow specific Crops once a Job is accepted. There is no taint connected with failure particularly, although you are given the option to publish these unhappy results to the world if you choose to do so. If you fail, you can retry the job or choose a different job or throw up your virtual hands and forswear Co-Op Jobs forever. As individualistic as I am by nature, I still tend to participate in the Co-Op Jobs for the Rewards. As there are Jobs that now are linked to the three Crafts, I moreover can increase my stores of Bushels for my Spa by accepting one of the Spa-related Co-Op Jobs.
It probably would be useful to mention the Beehive and the advantages of having a populated Hive on your farm. There appear to be no Level requirements to the Beehive. As with most new options, Beehives were given freely to active players but now must be purchased at the Marketplace for a fairly nominal sum.
A Beehive must be constructed unfortunately, which means that you must go through the usual process of begging for materials from Neighbours and other Farmers. In my innocence, I thought that the completion of the Beehive would allow me to house all the Honeybees collected over time in my Gift Box, but in fact, you must have a Queen Bee before any Honeybee will be allowed to enter the Hive.
Although the game will instruct you to find Queen Bees among the Flowers, they can be found when you are tending to Crops of any kind either on your own farm or on that of a Neighbour. Any Player who finds a Queen Bee can 'share' with other Players by posting the result. It therefore is not impossible to obtain a Queen Bee. My advice, however, to any new Player would be to find a notice of a Queen Bee that is being shared long before your Beehive is completed and stash her in your Gift Box for future use.
The actual effect of a flourishing Beehive, apart from the ability to harvest Honey, is the change of pollination. When pollination occurs, you will be able to find special pollinated Seeds in the Marketplace. Again, in my ignorance, I assumed that these Seeds once offered would be available always. In fact, it appears that they are available only for a day or so and then the Seeds offered will revert to the ordinary variety.
It was only when I created another account and replayed the game that I discovered that many options will be available without cost when first unlocked. When a player reaches Level 25, he/she will be allowed to choose one of three Crafting Buildings: Spa, Winery or Bakery. There will be no cost. It is only if you wish to purchase ANOTHER Crafting Building that you will be charged for it.
It is at Level 10 that Crop Mastery and Collections are unlocked but your first basic Vehicle in the form of a Tractor is not unlocked until you reach Level 12. As a traditional Harvest Moon farmer, the idea of mechanisation was abhorrent to me, and Tolkien would have agreed as he despised the farming industrial revolution that transformed his beloved English countryside and polluted the environment. In Harvest Moon, your Character usually comes from a large urban environment and turns his/her back upon it to pursue traditional virtues in a small community where you become well-acquainted with every neighbour and seek not to achieve personal success at the price of the success of others but to work WITH your entire community to better the lives of all.
That notwithstanding, I actually was persuaded by a fellow Harvest Moon veteran to purchase a tractor and to be perfectly honest, the ability to use Tractor, Seeder and Harvester in Farmville transforms the entire game in a positive way. The Harvester is unlocked at Level 13 and the Seeder at Level 14, giving you motivation to work hard to increase your Levels as quickly as possible. Without any environmental consequences and ultimately the ability to conceal the rather unappealing hulking machines in a compact Garage, there are no real negative consequeneces of using the vehicles. Furthermore, as your Character frequently finds fuel in the soil when ploughing, it is better to be able to use that fuel!
With the vehicles, one can grow far more on the farm and this becomes extremely useful when the Crafting Option is unlocked. The Crafting Option really makes the game far more interesting as well. You actually grow Crops in order to USE them in creating items that can be traded for fuel at an unspecified Zynga market.
I really began to interact with Neighbours more once I had the Spa as one needs constant raw material to create the items. Neighbours grow different Crops and one has the ability to take 3 Bushels of any Crop or a combination of three Crops from any Neighbour's Market Stalls daily.
There are a number of strategies that one learns to employ once one reaches Level 25 and the Crafting Option is unlocked. I will discuss these in a separate post.
Similarly, when my Farmer reached Level 15 in my other game and obtained her first Bushel, she was given a Market Stall to place on her farm. At the Marketplace, the Market Stalls remained locked where the coin option was concerned, with a message that she had only 8 of the 10 Neighbours required to unlock one.
Here it is useful to note that Market Stalls do not increase storage capacity for Bushels. You can have only 100 Bushels at any point in time, irrespective of the number of Market Stalls you own. In my first game, I purchased a second Market Stall in the belief that it would increase storage capacity. All it does is allow you to 'sell' a second Crop if and when you obtain a Bushel.
Crop Mastery and Collections are unlocked at Level 10, but these have no Buildings linked to them.
The Co-Op Option is unlocked at Level 20, giving you the opportunity to earn Rewards in the form of extra coins and XP if you complete a Job successfully with or without any Neighbours. Co-Op Jobs essentially involve an imaginary customer who asks farmers to provide specific quantities of Crops for him/her. There is a time limit for success. If you complete the Job very quickly, you can earn a Gold Medal or a Silver one. Bronze is the default Medal earned if you simply complete the Job successfully.
Using the Co-Op option actually gives players a bit of structure in their farming as they are compelled to grow specific Crops once a Job is accepted. There is no taint connected with failure particularly, although you are given the option to publish these unhappy results to the world if you choose to do so. If you fail, you can retry the job or choose a different job or throw up your virtual hands and forswear Co-Op Jobs forever. As individualistic as I am by nature, I still tend to participate in the Co-Op Jobs for the Rewards. As there are Jobs that now are linked to the three Crafts, I moreover can increase my stores of Bushels for my Spa by accepting one of the Spa-related Co-Op Jobs.
It probably would be useful to mention the Beehive and the advantages of having a populated Hive on your farm. There appear to be no Level requirements to the Beehive. As with most new options, Beehives were given freely to active players but now must be purchased at the Marketplace for a fairly nominal sum.
A Beehive must be constructed unfortunately, which means that you must go through the usual process of begging for materials from Neighbours and other Farmers. In my innocence, I thought that the completion of the Beehive would allow me to house all the Honeybees collected over time in my Gift Box, but in fact, you must have a Queen Bee before any Honeybee will be allowed to enter the Hive.
Although the game will instruct you to find Queen Bees among the Flowers, they can be found when you are tending to Crops of any kind either on your own farm or on that of a Neighbour. Any Player who finds a Queen Bee can 'share' with other Players by posting the result. It therefore is not impossible to obtain a Queen Bee. My advice, however, to any new Player would be to find a notice of a Queen Bee that is being shared long before your Beehive is completed and stash her in your Gift Box for future use.
The actual effect of a flourishing Beehive, apart from the ability to harvest Honey, is the change of pollination. When pollination occurs, you will be able to find special pollinated Seeds in the Marketplace. Again, in my ignorance, I assumed that these Seeds once offered would be available always. In fact, it appears that they are available only for a day or so and then the Seeds offered will revert to the ordinary variety.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Tips for playing Farmville
I have a love/hate relationship with Farmville although, after seeing 'The Social Network' at the cinema, I now understand that Farmville exemplifies ALL of the basic principles on which Facebook was founded. It is the ultimate social networking game, constantly chivvying the player to send Gifts to Neighbours and invitations to non-playing Friends.
It really wouldn't be a bad game were it not for the overload of prompts. Players (including me) often become annoyed by the nonsense Gifts that arrive in bulk for some limited 'collection' of items that can be found when ploughing your Field. There is far too much of THAT for any one, I believe.
In any case, I recently became enticed back to Farmville when a lost Himalayan Cat began to appear. As an owner of Himalayans, I could not resist. Art imitating Life in a big way!
Having immersed myself in the game again, I discovered the following: Farmville really isn't much fun until you reach Level 20. At Level 20, you can begin to craft items and sell them. You can join co-op jobs to deliver a specified total of Crops to an imaginary buyer.
Furthermore, unless you have at least 10 Neighbours, Farmville is rather lonely and difficult. Many purchases are unlocked only if the Player has 10 Neighbours. It may not sound like a hard goal to achieve, but the Neighbour aspect of Farmville is very glitchy. I tried to help a couple of new players obtain Neighbours in vain. The friends I solicited for help actually accepted the players as Neighbours but their names never were added! This occurred despite the fact that BOTH players accepted the Neighbour invitations.
In any case, here are a couple of tips from my own experience:
Although the game will tell you that you can send only one Gift per day to any Neighbour, the total actually is three. You have to wait a few hours, of course, before you will be able to send another Gift. The tip here involves the acceptance of Gifts from a single Friend. A prompt will appear with the gift advising you to send a 'Thank you Gift' in return. DO THIS ONLY WITH THE BEST ITEM THAT THE PLAYER HAS SENT IN THE CASE OF MULTIPLE GIFTS! Once you have sent a Thank-You Gift, you either have to wait eight hours before accepting the next one from the player or give up the opportunity to keep the Gift 'live'.
I will explain this further. As you only can send one 'Thank you Gift' in an eight hour period, if there are multiple Gifts from a single Player, accepting all of them will end the Gift process except for the one for which you chose to send a Thank you Gift'.
In other words, a Player sends you the following:
A Train Whistle
A Special Delivery
A Cow
The best of these Gifts is the Special Delivery as it will contain construction materials for your Current Building projects. Moreover, Special Deliveries ARE Special. The game issues an invitation to send them rarely. They do not appear on the regular Gift Page. If, however, you accept the Train Whistle first AND click on the invitation to send a Thank You Gift for that, then proceed to accept the Special Delivery and the Cow, the latter Gifts will be 'dead' in terms of being able to return them to the original sender.
Why is this important? If your Friend sends you a Thank You Gift in return, the Gift will remain 'live' and you can send it back and forth indefinitely. If you are trying to complete a number of construction projects, this can be invaluable. A host of Train Whistles is not as useful. A host of Cows can be useful, but there is nothing special about them. They will appear on the Gifts Page regularly.
That is the first little Tip. The second involves Mystery Gifts. The game will urge you to send Mystery Gifts as 'they can contain fuel' but in fact, they can contain items that are far more valuable to a player. Although they may contain weird items such as Old Bikes or Owl Statues, they can contain Seeders and Harvesters as well! These items cost 30,000 Coins each.
In the early days of my involvement, I told one of my Harvest Moon friends that I wouldn't use machines in farming. I was a purist. Now, however, beyond Level 20 and involved in the crafting of goods, the machines are a godsend. If, therefore, you would like to have the farming machinery and don't have sufficient income for them, send Mystery Gifts to your Friends, so that they will return them to you.
It really wouldn't be a bad game were it not for the overload of prompts. Players (including me) often become annoyed by the nonsense Gifts that arrive in bulk for some limited 'collection' of items that can be found when ploughing your Field. There is far too much of THAT for any one, I believe.
In any case, I recently became enticed back to Farmville when a lost Himalayan Cat began to appear. As an owner of Himalayans, I could not resist. Art imitating Life in a big way!
Having immersed myself in the game again, I discovered the following: Farmville really isn't much fun until you reach Level 20. At Level 20, you can begin to craft items and sell them. You can join co-op jobs to deliver a specified total of Crops to an imaginary buyer.
Furthermore, unless you have at least 10 Neighbours, Farmville is rather lonely and difficult. Many purchases are unlocked only if the Player has 10 Neighbours. It may not sound like a hard goal to achieve, but the Neighbour aspect of Farmville is very glitchy. I tried to help a couple of new players obtain Neighbours in vain. The friends I solicited for help actually accepted the players as Neighbours but their names never were added! This occurred despite the fact that BOTH players accepted the Neighbour invitations.
In any case, here are a couple of tips from my own experience:
Although the game will tell you that you can send only one Gift per day to any Neighbour, the total actually is three. You have to wait a few hours, of course, before you will be able to send another Gift. The tip here involves the acceptance of Gifts from a single Friend. A prompt will appear with the gift advising you to send a 'Thank you Gift' in return. DO THIS ONLY WITH THE BEST ITEM THAT THE PLAYER HAS SENT IN THE CASE OF MULTIPLE GIFTS! Once you have sent a Thank-You Gift, you either have to wait eight hours before accepting the next one from the player or give up the opportunity to keep the Gift 'live'.
I will explain this further. As you only can send one 'Thank you Gift' in an eight hour period, if there are multiple Gifts from a single Player, accepting all of them will end the Gift process except for the one for which you chose to send a Thank you Gift'.
In other words, a Player sends you the following:
A Train Whistle
A Special Delivery
A Cow
The best of these Gifts is the Special Delivery as it will contain construction materials for your Current Building projects. Moreover, Special Deliveries ARE Special. The game issues an invitation to send them rarely. They do not appear on the regular Gift Page. If, however, you accept the Train Whistle first AND click on the invitation to send a Thank You Gift for that, then proceed to accept the Special Delivery and the Cow, the latter Gifts will be 'dead' in terms of being able to return them to the original sender.
Why is this important? If your Friend sends you a Thank You Gift in return, the Gift will remain 'live' and you can send it back and forth indefinitely. If you are trying to complete a number of construction projects, this can be invaluable. A host of Train Whistles is not as useful. A host of Cows can be useful, but there is nothing special about them. They will appear on the Gifts Page regularly.
That is the first little Tip. The second involves Mystery Gifts. The game will urge you to send Mystery Gifts as 'they can contain fuel' but in fact, they can contain items that are far more valuable to a player. Although they may contain weird items such as Old Bikes or Owl Statues, they can contain Seeders and Harvesters as well! These items cost 30,000 Coins each.
In the early days of my involvement, I told one of my Harvest Moon friends that I wouldn't use machines in farming. I was a purist. Now, however, beyond Level 20 and involved in the crafting of goods, the machines are a godsend. If, therefore, you would like to have the farming machinery and don't have sufficient income for them, send Mystery Gifts to your Friends, so that they will return them to you.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Unwanted Gifts in Farmville
After exchanging gifts a number of times with a Neighbour and receiving a large quantity of 'Bottles' I neither needed nor wanted, I realised a post on the subject might be in order.
I have written about this on my HarvestMoonForever site in a post comparing the Gift Options in various Facebook Games but perhaps Farmville needs a post of its own. In many of the games, one can accept a Gift and then immediately send a Gift back to the Neighbour who sent the first gift by pressing a button. Farmville provides this Option BUT the only Gift you are allowed to send back in these circumstances is the Item that you received.
When Neighbours do not communicate in any manner other than through Farmville Gifts, it is difficult to know if the Item that is being sent to you repeatedly is one that the Neighbour actually needs or if you both have become embroiled in an automatic 'give and take' business, essentially WASTING your allotment of Free Gifts for that individual by hitting the automatic Gift Return.
Rather annoyingly, Farmville makes its own Gift Suggestions. These pop up on your screen periodically, interrupting your important FARMING to suggest that you send a Mystery Gift to a Neighbour who has been 'working hard lately' (or words to that effect). Recently, Farmville has created a new Gem Collection and whenever you find a common Gem, suggests that you 'share' it with your Friends and Neighbours. This would be fine if the 'sharing' were posted in the Game Feed (and/or Wall) in the usual fashion, but instead, you are taken to a page that is similar to the Free Gift Menu where you are asked to target specific Neighbours and Friends for receipt of this Gem.
The problem here is that common gems tend to be those that EVERY ONE has found on his/her own Farm. You therefore are wasting your Gift allotment by sending a Gem that players probably have in their own collections.
A player who has been involved with Farmville for a long time informed me that a Gift can be sent every three hours to any designated player. In other words, if you are connected to Facebook and Farmville constantly throughout the day and night, you can send a total of 8 Gifts to the same player in any 24 hour period. This would be very useful if the player on the receiving end were building a Barn or Beehive or whatever, but it sometimes is difficult to remember what each Neighbour is doing at any given moment.
Player can request specific materials for their Building projects but those players, when they RECEIVE the Item they have requested, should not hit the automatic 'thank you gift' button to return the same item to you. This is in fact what occurred, I believe, with my Neighbour who now has sent at least 6 Bottles to me. I am going to put a stop to the endless give and take now. If she was building a Nursery, she surely has all the Bottles SHE needs now, and my Nursery was completed some time ago.
Nails, Bricks and Boards are building materials that are used in ALL construction projects. You therefore can send those safely to almost ANY Neighbour again and again, in the knowledge that they will be useful at some point.
Items that cannot be used usually bring little or no financial return when sold. The excess Thatch, a material that was used to build the Japanese Barn now sits collecting virtual dust in my Gift Box, in the forlorn hope that one day there will be another construction project for a building that requires thatching on the roof.
I have written about this on my HarvestMoonForever site in a post comparing the Gift Options in various Facebook Games but perhaps Farmville needs a post of its own. In many of the games, one can accept a Gift and then immediately send a Gift back to the Neighbour who sent the first gift by pressing a button. Farmville provides this Option BUT the only Gift you are allowed to send back in these circumstances is the Item that you received.
When Neighbours do not communicate in any manner other than through Farmville Gifts, it is difficult to know if the Item that is being sent to you repeatedly is one that the Neighbour actually needs or if you both have become embroiled in an automatic 'give and take' business, essentially WASTING your allotment of Free Gifts for that individual by hitting the automatic Gift Return.
Rather annoyingly, Farmville makes its own Gift Suggestions. These pop up on your screen periodically, interrupting your important FARMING to suggest that you send a Mystery Gift to a Neighbour who has been 'working hard lately' (or words to that effect). Recently, Farmville has created a new Gem Collection and whenever you find a common Gem, suggests that you 'share' it with your Friends and Neighbours. This would be fine if the 'sharing' were posted in the Game Feed (and/or Wall) in the usual fashion, but instead, you are taken to a page that is similar to the Free Gift Menu where you are asked to target specific Neighbours and Friends for receipt of this Gem.
The problem here is that common gems tend to be those that EVERY ONE has found on his/her own Farm. You therefore are wasting your Gift allotment by sending a Gem that players probably have in their own collections.
A player who has been involved with Farmville for a long time informed me that a Gift can be sent every three hours to any designated player. In other words, if you are connected to Facebook and Farmville constantly throughout the day and night, you can send a total of 8 Gifts to the same player in any 24 hour period. This would be very useful if the player on the receiving end were building a Barn or Beehive or whatever, but it sometimes is difficult to remember what each Neighbour is doing at any given moment.
Player can request specific materials for their Building projects but those players, when they RECEIVE the Item they have requested, should not hit the automatic 'thank you gift' button to return the same item to you. This is in fact what occurred, I believe, with my Neighbour who now has sent at least 6 Bottles to me. I am going to put a stop to the endless give and take now. If she was building a Nursery, she surely has all the Bottles SHE needs now, and my Nursery was completed some time ago.
Nails, Bricks and Boards are building materials that are used in ALL construction projects. You therefore can send those safely to almost ANY Neighbour again and again, in the knowledge that they will be useful at some point.
Items that cannot be used usually bring little or no financial return when sold. The excess Thatch, a material that was used to build the Japanese Barn now sits collecting virtual dust in my Gift Box, in the forlorn hope that one day there will be another construction project for a building that requires thatching on the roof.
Saturday, July 31, 2010
New Crafting Option in Farmville
Despite my sometimes jaundiced view of the rather aggressive commercialism of Farmville, it does have a multitude of endless interactions with the player and constant interfacing with other players as well. Lost Animals, Pregnant Sows, a Farmers' Market that offers Bushels of the Crops that you and your Neighbours grow as well as Co-Op Jobs are among the Options that appear whenever you play Farmville. Unfortunately, the Farmers' Market and Co-Op Jobs can be experienced only by players who have increased their Levels of experience. I now have tried both.
Between the Co-Op Job Option and the Farmers' Market Options, I personally find the Co-Op Jobs rather tedious, even when a Neighbour assists. Essentially, what is required is that you grow enormous quantities of a single Crop within a limited time period. If you do not have machines to till the field, sow the Seeds AND harvest the Crops, you will be forced to invest a substantial amount of REAL time in the venture, with very little reward really. You can earn a Bronze, Silver or Gold Medal and of course, you will earn whatever income and experience your Crops produce.
For my Co-Op Job, I chose to grow 1500 Red Tulips as I love Flowers. A Neighbour and Harvest Moon comrade very kindly added his effortst to mine. In all honesty, without his help, I could not have completed the Job and in fact, he was the MVP in this labour, supplying over 60% of the Red Tulips for the 'Wedding' organisers who contracted with us for the items. Annoyingly, some glitch in Farmville forced me to harvest the last 200 Tulips TWICE. I had completed the entire job and indeed, had re-tilled a number of plots when the game told me that the game had been 'enhanced' and forced me to reload. To my horror, when I did, I found that the 200 Red Tulips had regrown themselves magically and had to be harvested again.
You can choose between a number of different Co-Op Jobs but it appears that they all involve a task of growing and harvesting large quantities of a single Crop.
The Farmers' Market, on the other hand, has been invested with a Crafting Option that might prove interesting. When it first was announced, I was asked to choose between a Bakery, Winery and Spa. I chose the Spa, thinking that it would involve Flowers more than other Crops.
Actually, I suspect that the Recipes in all three Crafts require a wide variety of ingredients. As in games like Rune Factory, you need to raise your level of experience before you can make more than one Recipe.
So far, I have made 'Fresh Sachets' at my little Craft Cottage and sold a few to a Neighbour. Each time you make a Craft, your levels of expertise improve and the quality of the Goods will improve.
The Recipe for a Fresh Sachet is: 3 Pumpkin Bushels, 3 Cranberry Bushels, 1 Sunflower Bushel
What is interesting here is that you can 'buy' any Bushels you do not have from a Neighbour's Stall if he/she has them, which extends your potential to complete Recipes for Goods.
It is not as interesting as Grand Bazaar, or any other Harvest Moon or Rune Factory game, but it is a step in the right direction!
Later: The automatic option to make a choice between the three Crafting buildings no longer is given to players. I was rewarded by responding instantly with the gift of a free Spa, but now you must buy one or more of the three buildings at the Market. The Buildings are: Bakery, Winery and Spa. The three Buildings are available only at Level 25 and each costs 100,000 Coins, making me rather happy that I responded to the offer when I received it! You may not even see them at the Market if your levels are not high enough.
If you do not have a Market Stall, you cannot do anything with the option as it all works through the Market Stall. Now, at the Market Stall, there are new Menus that allow you to Use either Bushels or Goods or, when you choose Bushels, to Make Goods or Uss a specific Bushel as before simply to gain Mastery Points during harvests.
At Level 15, with a Market Stall, you can buy Goods now as well as Bushels from Neighbours. The 'Fresh Sachet' costs 1100 Coins. If you have a vehicle, you can trade the Fresh Sachet for Fuel. I was rather disappointed to find that this is the only way to use the Goods at present, although Farmville promises that there will be an option to acquire special items in future as well.
Between the Co-Op Job Option and the Farmers' Market Options, I personally find the Co-Op Jobs rather tedious, even when a Neighbour assists. Essentially, what is required is that you grow enormous quantities of a single Crop within a limited time period. If you do not have machines to till the field, sow the Seeds AND harvest the Crops, you will be forced to invest a substantial amount of REAL time in the venture, with very little reward really. You can earn a Bronze, Silver or Gold Medal and of course, you will earn whatever income and experience your Crops produce.
For my Co-Op Job, I chose to grow 1500 Red Tulips as I love Flowers. A Neighbour and Harvest Moon comrade very kindly added his effortst to mine. In all honesty, without his help, I could not have completed the Job and in fact, he was the MVP in this labour, supplying over 60% of the Red Tulips for the 'Wedding' organisers who contracted with us for the items. Annoyingly, some glitch in Farmville forced me to harvest the last 200 Tulips TWICE. I had completed the entire job and indeed, had re-tilled a number of plots when the game told me that the game had been 'enhanced' and forced me to reload. To my horror, when I did, I found that the 200 Red Tulips had regrown themselves magically and had to be harvested again.
You can choose between a number of different Co-Op Jobs but it appears that they all involve a task of growing and harvesting large quantities of a single Crop.
The Farmers' Market, on the other hand, has been invested with a Crafting Option that might prove interesting. When it first was announced, I was asked to choose between a Bakery, Winery and Spa. I chose the Spa, thinking that it would involve Flowers more than other Crops.
Actually, I suspect that the Recipes in all three Crafts require a wide variety of ingredients. As in games like Rune Factory, you need to raise your level of experience before you can make more than one Recipe.
So far, I have made 'Fresh Sachets' at my little Craft Cottage and sold a few to a Neighbour. Each time you make a Craft, your levels of expertise improve and the quality of the Goods will improve.
The Recipe for a Fresh Sachet is: 3 Pumpkin Bushels, 3 Cranberry Bushels, 1 Sunflower Bushel
What is interesting here is that you can 'buy' any Bushels you do not have from a Neighbour's Stall if he/she has them, which extends your potential to complete Recipes for Goods.
It is not as interesting as Grand Bazaar, or any other Harvest Moon or Rune Factory game, but it is a step in the right direction!
Later: The automatic option to make a choice between the three Crafting buildings no longer is given to players. I was rewarded by responding instantly with the gift of a free Spa, but now you must buy one or more of the three buildings at the Market. The Buildings are: Bakery, Winery and Spa. The three Buildings are available only at Level 25 and each costs 100,000 Coins, making me rather happy that I responded to the offer when I received it! You may not even see them at the Market if your levels are not high enough.
If you do not have a Market Stall, you cannot do anything with the option as it all works through the Market Stall. Now, at the Market Stall, there are new Menus that allow you to Use either Bushels or Goods or, when you choose Bushels, to Make Goods or Uss a specific Bushel as before simply to gain Mastery Points during harvests.
At Level 15, with a Market Stall, you can buy Goods now as well as Bushels from Neighbours. The 'Fresh Sachet' costs 1100 Coins. If you have a vehicle, you can trade the Fresh Sachet for Fuel. I was rather disappointed to find that this is the only way to use the Goods at present, although Farmville promises that there will be an option to acquire special items in future as well.
The Ugly Duckling in Farmville
Farmville may not be as obviously enchanting as Fantasy Kingdoms but I recently became aware of an option that is truly magical in this game. Sadly, because of my own prejudices against anything ugly or aesthetically displeasing, I was not able to experience it firsthand. The tale reflects very badly upon me but I will recount it nonetheless.
Within the last fortnight, I saw a posting by a Neighbour of a Lost Animal I never had encountered before. It was an 'Ugly Duckling'. I had encountered 'Party Ducks' and some other odd creatures such as the Groovy Cow but this was unlike anything else... The 'Ugly Duckling' was TRULY Ugly, with one enormous buck tooth hanging from its mouth. I did not wish to have a creature like that on my Farm and so passed up an opportunity for a magical and wonderful experience!
A friend of mine who plays Farmville DID adopt the Ugly Duckling, wondering if it would produce a Feather Harvest like the other Ducks. When it became 'Ready' yesterday, instead of an automatic Harvest, a pull-down menu appeared, offering him the chance to 'Transform' the Duck. Readers probably have guessed by now what occurs. The fact that I did not think of this when I first encountered the Ugly Duckling does not reflect well on some one who probably has read every fairytale and folktale in existence.
Yes, right before his eyes, the Ugly Duckling was transformed into a beautiful White Swan. I am kicking myself for not having adopted the Ugly creature, ashamed of my unkindness and envying my friend his acquisition of a glorious White Swan.
Incidentally, another Lost Animal I only encountered in the past week and was fortunate enough to be able to adopt is the White-Tailed Buck.
Within the last fortnight, I saw a posting by a Neighbour of a Lost Animal I never had encountered before. It was an 'Ugly Duckling'. I had encountered 'Party Ducks' and some other odd creatures such as the Groovy Cow but this was unlike anything else... The 'Ugly Duckling' was TRULY Ugly, with one enormous buck tooth hanging from its mouth. I did not wish to have a creature like that on my Farm and so passed up an opportunity for a magical and wonderful experience!
A friend of mine who plays Farmville DID adopt the Ugly Duckling, wondering if it would produce a Feather Harvest like the other Ducks. When it became 'Ready' yesterday, instead of an automatic Harvest, a pull-down menu appeared, offering him the chance to 'Transform' the Duck. Readers probably have guessed by now what occurs. The fact that I did not think of this when I first encountered the Ugly Duckling does not reflect well on some one who probably has read every fairytale and folktale in existence.
Yes, right before his eyes, the Ugly Duckling was transformed into a beautiful White Swan. I am kicking myself for not having adopted the Ugly creature, ashamed of my unkindness and envying my friend his acquisition of a glorious White Swan.
Incidentally, another Lost Animal I only encountered in the past week and was fortunate enough to be able to adopt is the White-Tailed Buck.
Friday, July 16, 2010
Advanced Farming Options: Collections and Crop Mastery
Collections
At Level 10, the Menu Box that displays the Icon of a Blue Ribbon will offer two different Menus. The first will be the Award/Ribbons Menu and the second will be the Collections Menu.
The Game information about Collections states that:
Find collectibles while Ploughing, Harvesting Trees and Animals and Fertilising Friends' Crops. Get Hints for where to find each collectible by mousing over its icon!
If you are lucky enough to find a Rare or Uncommon Collectible, you can share it with your friends!
Some collectibles can only be found from Gifts sent from your friends. Check back every day for new giftable collectibles!
When you find all Collectibles in a Set, you can turn it in for a reward of XP, Coins and Fuel!
Collections are divided into a number of different Sets. Each Set consists of 6 Items. Whenever you find an Item, you can publish the news to allow three of your Friends to 'collect' the same Item from your Wall. Whenever you complete a Collection Set, you will receive a Bonus and if you publish the news, your Friends can receive a Bonus as well. The Collection Sets are as follows:
Gardening Tools Collection
Country Kitcsh Collection
Button Collection
Bugs Collection
Butterfly Collection
Feather Collection
Items in Collections tend to be linked to specific activities, based on fairly logical 'real' considerations. Bugs, for example, tend to be found when you harvest Fruit from Trees.
Crop Mastery
Crop Mastery is based on the number of Crops that you harvest. In some cases, you must achieve Mastery of a specific Crop in order to unlock a Crop at a higher Level.
One Mastery Point towards a specific Crop is obtained whenever you harvest that Crop. You can increase the number of points by 'using' a Bushel from your Market Stall. See the section that deals with Market Stalls for details.
At Level 10, the Menu Box that displays the Icon of a Blue Ribbon will offer two different Menus. The first will be the Award/Ribbons Menu and the second will be the Collections Menu.
The Game information about Collections states that:
Find collectibles while Ploughing, Harvesting Trees and Animals and Fertilising Friends' Crops. Get Hints for where to find each collectible by mousing over its icon!
If you are lucky enough to find a Rare or Uncommon Collectible, you can share it with your friends!
Some collectibles can only be found from Gifts sent from your friends. Check back every day for new giftable collectibles!
When you find all Collectibles in a Set, you can turn it in for a reward of XP, Coins and Fuel!
Collections are divided into a number of different Sets. Each Set consists of 6 Items. Whenever you find an Item, you can publish the news to allow three of your Friends to 'collect' the same Item from your Wall. Whenever you complete a Collection Set, you will receive a Bonus and if you publish the news, your Friends can receive a Bonus as well. The Collection Sets are as follows:
Gardening Tools Collection
Country Kitcsh Collection
Button Collection
Bugs Collection
Butterfly Collection
Feather Collection
Items in Collections tend to be linked to specific activities, based on fairly logical 'real' considerations. Bugs, for example, tend to be found when you harvest Fruit from Trees.
Crop Mastery
Crop Mastery is based on the number of Crops that you harvest. In some cases, you must achieve Mastery of a specific Crop in order to unlock a Crop at a higher Level.
One Mastery Point towards a specific Crop is obtained whenever you harvest that Crop. You can increase the number of points by 'using' a Bushel from your Market Stall. See the section that deals with Market Stalls for details.
Friday, July 9, 2010
Farmhands and Arbourists
You may discover that your Animal population increases rapidly in Farmville, even if you never purchase an Animal from the Market. You can obtain a host of Animals by virtue of the Lost Animals option as well as Gifts from Neighbours, Rewards for your accomplishments and Rewards for the accomplishments of your Neighbours.
A Chicken Coop can house up to 20 Chickens. A Dairy Barn can house up to 20 Cows and 1 Bull. A Stable can house up to 20 Horses and a temporary resident in the form of the Wandering Stallion. Where do all the Ducks, Geese, Llamas and sundry other Animals go?
A Chicken Coop can house up to 20 Chickens. A Dairy Barn can house up to 20 Cows and 1 Bull. A Stable can house up to 20 Horses and a temporary resident in the form of the Wandering Stallion. Where do all the Ducks, Geese, Llamas and sundry other Animals go?
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Values and Uses of Animals in Farmville
Animals in Farmville fall into one of three general Categories. The first could be considered as Ranch Animals, but this Category would include Exotic Animals and any species that yields a product or income regularly. The second Category is that of Pets, and this definition in Farmville includes only those Animals who yield neither product nor income. Various breeds of Dogs tend to be the only Animals in the Pet Category. Other Animals that would be Pets in the real world, including Cats, should be defined in Farmville as Ranch Animals as a Cat yields a regular income whenever he/she is Brushed. The third Category would be Decorations. Although most Animals would not be defined as Decorations, the Carrier Pigeons would fall into the third Category as, although alive and indeed more mobile than most other Animals as they will fly without being prompted to do so, they do not yield Product, nor are they classified by the game as Pets.
Let me hasten to declare here that Farmville appears to be strictly vegetarian in nature, unlike some Facebook Farming Simulation Games that force a player to fatten specific Animals for slaughter. If, therefore, a player is a vegetarian, Vegan or Buddhist, he/she should have no moral qualms where Farmville Farming is concerned.
Ranch Animals, if they do not yield any specific Product, yield income through the act of interacting with them by Brushing them. Baby Animals, including Calves and Colts, will not yield Product but do yield income if you Brush them. Brushing follows a specific cycle in terms of time in the same fashion as any collection of Ranch Products.
In the Animal List, I have included both the Yield of the Animal and the price of the Animal if sold. Where very common Animals are concerned, the two often are equal, but in most cases, the value of the Animal itself is greater than the value of its Yield. Special Limited Editions are listed in a separate Category, as they will not be available after the time period for their Edition elapses.
Housing for Animals
There is a large selection of Buildings in Farmville. Some are Limited Editions but others are listed without restrictions in terms of time. Buildings can be ornamental or have specific uses. In general, the Buildings categorised as houses or homes are decorative in nature. Your Character cannot interact with them except to move them or sell them.
Other Buildings either are used for Farming, Animal Housing or Storage. In some cases, ownership of a Building with a defined use will unlock new options in terms of gameplay.
An early case in point is the Chicken Coop which allows the game to generate Mystery Eggs randomly based on the types of Chickens that are housed within. It is for this reason that I advise players to purchase a Chicken Coop as early as possible in the game.
Dairy Barn
The Dairy Barn serves as housing for any Cow in Farmville. Moreover, it will house one Bull as well. Bulls will not appear on the Menu at the Market and are Lost Animals that must be claimed. If you place a Bull in your Dairy Barn with your Cows, you can obtain valuable Bonuses, including Calves. You can claim more than one Bull, but you cannot house more than one in a Dairy Barn.
Stable
Unlike the Chicken Coop and Dairy Barn, a Stable when purchased is unfinished. You are obliged to purchase the skeletal outline of the Building and then to collect the Materials necessary to complete it. You can purchase the Materials for the Stable one by one, but most players prefer to receive these as Gifts from their Neighbours.
The price of the Horse Stable (unfinished) is:
Horse Stable
5000 Coins
The Materials required to complete the Horse Stable are:
10 Bricks
10 Harnesses
10 Horseshoes
10 Nails
10 Wooden Boards
Each of these Items costs 1 Farm Cash, which means that, should you choose the 'Complete' Option to finish the Barn immediately by purchasing all Materials from Farmville, the total Cost for Materials would be:
50 Farm Cash
The primary reason to own a finished Stable is in order to be able to collect the Wandering Stallion. As with the Bulls, the Stallion is a random 'Lost Animal' generated by Farmville, but unlike the Bull who can be kept outside if you do not own a Dairy Barn, you will not be able to place the Stallion if you do not have a finished Stable. As a matter of fact, you will not be allowed to 'Help' the Stallion by bringing it to your Farm unless you have a completed Stable.
If you have an unfinished Stable, the game may offer to give you some Materials,but I never actually received any of the Materials I was promised! There are a lot of glitches in Farmville, even after a year.
Even if you do have a Stable, the Stalliion will move on after a day or so to wander towards other fertile fields. He is unique in this respect.
Farmville's Description of the Stable is:
'If you have given the Wandering Stallion shelter for the night (or if you have a stallion in your stable), there is a chance your horses will produce a foal.
Having more horses of a particular type means a higher chance of finding a foal of that type!
You also have a chance of finding a useful item when you tend to your stables so make sure to check every day!'
There is only a chance that the Wandering Stallion will result in the appearance of a Foal, however. Sometimes, his gratitude will take the form of an amount in Coins.
Let me hasten to declare here that Farmville appears to be strictly vegetarian in nature, unlike some Facebook Farming Simulation Games that force a player to fatten specific Animals for slaughter. If, therefore, a player is a vegetarian, Vegan or Buddhist, he/she should have no moral qualms where Farmville Farming is concerned.
Ranch Animals, if they do not yield any specific Product, yield income through the act of interacting with them by Brushing them. Baby Animals, including Calves and Colts, will not yield Product but do yield income if you Brush them. Brushing follows a specific cycle in terms of time in the same fashion as any collection of Ranch Products.
In the Animal List, I have included both the Yield of the Animal and the price of the Animal if sold. Where very common Animals are concerned, the two often are equal, but in most cases, the value of the Animal itself is greater than the value of its Yield. Special Limited Editions are listed in a separate Category, as they will not be available after the time period for their Edition elapses.
Housing for Animals
There is a large selection of Buildings in Farmville. Some are Limited Editions but others are listed without restrictions in terms of time. Buildings can be ornamental or have specific uses. In general, the Buildings categorised as houses or homes are decorative in nature. Your Character cannot interact with them except to move them or sell them.
Other Buildings either are used for Farming, Animal Housing or Storage. In some cases, ownership of a Building with a defined use will unlock new options in terms of gameplay.
An early case in point is the Chicken Coop which allows the game to generate Mystery Eggs randomly based on the types of Chickens that are housed within. It is for this reason that I advise players to purchase a Chicken Coop as early as possible in the game.
Dairy Barn
The Dairy Barn serves as housing for any Cow in Farmville. Moreover, it will house one Bull as well. Bulls will not appear on the Menu at the Market and are Lost Animals that must be claimed. If you place a Bull in your Dairy Barn with your Cows, you can obtain valuable Bonuses, including Calves. You can claim more than one Bull, but you cannot house more than one in a Dairy Barn.
Stable
Unlike the Chicken Coop and Dairy Barn, a Stable when purchased is unfinished. You are obliged to purchase the skeletal outline of the Building and then to collect the Materials necessary to complete it. You can purchase the Materials for the Stable one by one, but most players prefer to receive these as Gifts from their Neighbours.
The price of the Horse Stable (unfinished) is:
Horse Stable
5000 Coins
The Materials required to complete the Horse Stable are:
10 Bricks
10 Harnesses
10 Horseshoes
10 Nails
10 Wooden Boards
Each of these Items costs 1 Farm Cash, which means that, should you choose the 'Complete' Option to finish the Barn immediately by purchasing all Materials from Farmville, the total Cost for Materials would be:
50 Farm Cash
The primary reason to own a finished Stable is in order to be able to collect the Wandering Stallion. As with the Bulls, the Stallion is a random 'Lost Animal' generated by Farmville, but unlike the Bull who can be kept outside if you do not own a Dairy Barn, you will not be able to place the Stallion if you do not have a finished Stable. As a matter of fact, you will not be allowed to 'Help' the Stallion by bringing it to your Farm unless you have a completed Stable.
If you have an unfinished Stable, the game may offer to give you some Materials,but I never actually received any of the Materials I was promised! There are a lot of glitches in Farmville, even after a year.
Even if you do have a Stable, the Stalliion will move on after a day or so to wander towards other fertile fields. He is unique in this respect.
Farmville's Description of the Stable is:
'If you have given the Wandering Stallion shelter for the night (or if you have a stallion in your stable), there is a chance your horses will produce a foal.
Having more horses of a particular type means a higher chance of finding a foal of that type!
You also have a chance of finding a useful item when you tend to your stables so make sure to check every day!'
There is only a chance that the Wandering Stallion will result in the appearance of a Foal, however. Sometimes, his gratitude will take the form of an amount in Coins.
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Market Stalls in Farmville
The Farmer's Market
At some point in the early stages of your game, you may see the icon of a Bushel of the Crop you are harvesting float across your screen. When you reach Level 15 and this occurs, the game will prompt you to purchase a Market Stall. Without knowing what the purpose of this item is, you may ignore the prompt.
In fact, the Market Stall option is quite interesting and it can be profitable both in terms of income and experience.
A Market Stall can be purchased either with Coins or with Farm Cash.
The prices of a Market Stall are as follows:
Market Stall:
50,000 Coins
Market Stall
20 Farm Cash
The Farmer's Market
You will not be able to purchase your own Market Stall until you reach Level 15, nor will you be able to accept Bushels from other players until then.
Once you purchase a Market Stall, you can access the Farmer's Market through the Stall itself.
The little tutorial that can be accessed at the Market Stall gives the following information:
Each time you harvest a crop, you might find a bushel of that crop. When you find them, you get extra bushels for crop mastery! Crop bushes are used to speed up your mastery or XP progress, to unlock seeds that you can't yet buy in the market and to craft items in your Crafting Cottage. Coming soon!
Bushels you find are stored in your Market Stall. You can spend your bushels to boost your productivity on the farm! First click your Market Stall and select Farmer's Market, then click the 'My Bushels' Button, and then click the 'Use' button under the Bushel.
When you harvest a bushel, your market stall is set to sell those bushels for 24 hours. If you've mastered the crop, your stall will stay open longer. If you're already selling the crop, finding another Bushel will keep your stall open longer, too.
From your own Market Stall, you can see the Bushels your friends are offering. You can take up to 3 bushels from each friend. Just click the 'Get Bushels' button and start shopping!
In order to 'Use' the Bushel, you need to be growing the specific Crop and it needs to be ready for Harvest within two hours. Otherwise, there will be no effect whatsoever
Market Stalls are used both to store Bushels of specific Crops and to offer them to visiting Neighbours. If any Neighbour takes Bushels from your Stall, you will be rewarded. You can choose the form your Reward takes. You will be offered 10 XP, 4000 Coins or 15 Fuel. (?) Whenever you harvest a Bushel of a specific Crop, it automatically will go into your Market Stall and the Stall will open for business for 24 hours. There are ways to extend the time that the Stall remains open, but 24 hours is the normal time period.
Whenever you click on your Market Stall, you will have an option to access the Farmer's Market. Here you will be given the opportunity to see all the Bushels that your neighbours currently are offering. You can take three Bushels of any specific Crop from a Neighbour's Stall.
These Bushels can be used or shared with Neighbours. If you opt to 'Use' a Bushel that you have collected, you need to be able to harvest the same Crop on your own Farm within two hours in order to gain the benefit which is an increase in the Experience earned from the act of Harvesting that Crop. For example, if you choose to 'Use' a Bushel of Rice, you need to have Rice that will ripen within the next two hours and be able to harvest it before the time limit expires. Rice ordinarily gives +1 XP. If a Bushel of Rice is in use, however, each Rice square that you harvest will give you +2 XP.
Only one Bushel can be in use at any given point in time. If you have Bushels for more than one Crop that is ready to be harvested, you can use the corresponding Bushels sequentially.
If you have not reached Level 15 and attempt to collect a Bushel from a Friend's Wall, you will receive the following prompt:
Sorry! You need to get to Level 15 before you can visit a Farmer's Market and collect bushels! Would you like 20 XP from Farmville to help you on your way?
You therefore can claim a little reward of 20 XP even if you cannot collect the Bushel posted on a Neighbour's or Friend's Wall.
Garden Shed
The Garden Shed gives you the opportunity to save Flowers that you harvest to use as Decorations on your own land. If you love beautiful Flowers, you will enjoy this option tremendously. Unfortunately, the price is steep unless you have 10 Neighbours. There are no Level Requirements for purchase of a Garden Shed, incidentally.
The Garden Shed is described as follows:
Garden Sheds save Perfect Bunches hat you find while harvesting flowers. Use them to make decorative flower bouquets to put around your farm or share with friends! Your first Garden Shed comes with 10 rare bouquets as a special purchase gift!
The Garden Shed is a Building Item with two separate listings and prices:
Garden Shed
10 Neighbours Needed
Garden Shed
30 Farm Cash
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Farm Buildings in Farmville
There are a number of different buildings in Farmville. Some can be purchased in completed, usable form. Others must be constructed, after purchasing the bare skeletal frame. As with any item in Farmville, the price always is listed in one specific currency, either Farm Cash OR Coins. You cannot choose which currency to use if you want to purchase any item. Most buildings require no particular Level of experience but some have two prices, and in these cases, the option to pay with the second type of currency usually can be unlocked only if you have a specific number of Neighbours.
You will have a better experience with Farmville if you know the function that each building serves.
A Chicken Coop, as I have stated in other posts, should be your first purchase, as it will give both you and your neighbours the chance to collect items known as Mystery Eggs. The appearance of a Mystery Egg always is random but each Chicken added to your Coop gives you a better chance of finding one when you collect the Eggs. Rare breeds of Chickens in the Coop give you the chance of finding a rare type of Mystery Egg. Mystery Eggs must be 'used' in order to be hatched. Choose the Use Option when you find the Egg in your Gift Box, then place it on your farm. Once placed, you can click on it to choose the option to hatch it. A Mystery Egg can hatch a Chicken, XP points or Coins. Rare types of Mystery Eggs give you a chance of obtaining a rare breed of Chicken. Chickens are hatched fully grown, by the way, and will lay Eggs as soon as they reach the 'ready' state.
A Dairy Barn can house a total of 20 Cows. Any type of Cow can be placed in the Dairy Barn in Farmville. Oddly enough, Cows are not a very profitable Ranch Animal to own. Milk collected from Cows sells for only 6 coins. When all the Cows are housed in a Dairy Barn, you can collect the aggregate total in terms of the value of the Milk each one would have yielded if milked individually. The best reason for having a Dairy Barn, unless you have a Bull, is to keep all the Cows from cluttering your Fields.
Here are the sections of my Guide that deal with Farm Buildings:
Housing for Animals
There is a large selection of Buildings in Farmville. Some are Limited Editions but others are listed without restrictions in terms of time. Buildings can be ornamental or have specific uses. In general, the Buildings categorised as houses or homes are decorative in nature. Your Character cannot interact with them except to move them or sell them.
Other Buildings either are used for Farming, Animal Housing or Storage. In some cases, ownership of a Building with a defined use will unlock new options in terms of gameplay.
An early case in point is the Chicken Coop which allows the game to generate Mystery Eggs randomly based on the types of Chickens that are housed within. It is for this reason that I advise players to purchase a Chicken Coop as early as possible in the game.
Dairy Barn Housing for Cows
The Dairy Barn serves as housing for any Cow in Farmville. Moreover, it will house one Bull as well. Bulls will not appear on the Menu at the Market and are Lost Animals that must be claimed. If you place a Bull in your Dairy Barn with your Cows, you can obtain valuable Bonuses, including Calves. The prices of the Dairy Barn are given in another section of this Guide. You are limited to one Bull per Barn.
When you 'harvest' the Dairy Barn after a Bull has been introduced, you may find a Calf has been born. You will be alerted as follows:
Congratulations! A Baby Calf is born! This little critter is already eager to explore the world on its own.
Ask your friends to help?
If you agree to 'Share' the information, any one with access to your Wall can adopt the Calf. Calves cannot be housed in a Dairy Barn, but need their own Nursery Barn.
Nursery Barn
A Nursery Barn can house both Calves and Foals. If you do not have a Nursery Barn, any and all Calves and Foals that you own will be doomed to eternal childhood and you will be doomed to brush each of them individually to collect any rewards.
A Nursery Barn when purchased at the Market is a skeletal form, much like the Stable. You will need the following Materials to complete the Nursery Barn:
10 Bricks
10 Boards
10 Nails
10 Bottles
10 Blankets
As with the Stable, there is no option to click on a button to 'Complete' the Barn instantly. You can purchase the Materials one by one, however, if you are impatient or receive them as Gifts from Neighbours if you can persuade yourself to wait.
Stable Housing for Horses
Stable
Unlike the Chicken Coop and Dairy Barn, a Stable when purchased is unfinished. You are obliged to purchase the skeletal outline of the Building and then to collect the Materials necessary to complete it. There is no option to 'Complete' the Stable instantly by purchasing all required Materials at once, but you can purchase them one by one if you wish. Most players prefer to obtain the Materials as Gifts from their Neighbours.
The price of the Horse Stable (unfinished) is:
Horse Stable
5000 Coins
The Materials required to complete the Horse Stable are:
10 Bricks
10 Harnesses
10 Horseshoes
10 Nails
10 Wooden Boards
Each of these Items costs 1 Farm Cash, which means that, should you choose the 'Complete' Option to finish the Barn immediately by purchasing all Materials from Farmville, the total Cost for Materials would be:
50 Farm Cash
Note that the Option to Complete the Barn will be available until you have collected all Materials, which means that you can choose to activate it at any point.
The primary reason to own a finished Stable is in order to be able to collect the wandering Stallion. As with the Bulls, the Stallion is a random 'Lost Animal' generated by Farmville, but unlike the Bull who can be kept outside if you do not own a Dairy Barn, you will not be able to place the Stallion if you do not have a finished Stable. As a matter of fact, you will not be allowed to 'Help' the Stallion by bringing it to your Farm unless you have a completed Stable.
If you have an unfinished Stable, the game may offer to give you some Materials,but I never actually received any.
Even if you do have a Stable, the Stalliion will move on after a few days to wander towards other fertile fields. He is unique in this respect.
Farmville's Description of the Stable is:
If you have given the Wandering Stallion shelter for the night (or if you have a stallion in your stable), there is a chance your horses will produce a foal.
Having more horses of a particular type means a higher chance of finding a foal of that type!
You also have a chance of finding a useful item when you tend to your stables so make sure to check every day!
Storage Buildings
Barns, if not described for a specific purpose, tend to be Storage Buildings. Very often, Limited Edition Barns will be offered as part of a Theme. The Japanese Barn is one such Storage Building.
Japanese Barn
Limited
Time Left: 9 Days
Cost: 5000 Coins unfinished
XP Gain: 50
Sell for 250 Coins
Japanese Barn
Limited
Time Left: 9 Days
Cost: 50 Farm Cash
Capacity: 20 items
Sell for 6000 Coins
Game Description of Bamboo:
Bamboo is used to build a Japanese Barn. You need a total of 10 Bamboo in order to build a Japanese Barn, along with 10 of each of the other components. You can get Bamboo as gifts or from the Market. Reed Thatch is used to build a Japanese Barn. You need a total of 10 Reed Thatch in order to build a Japanese Barn, along with 10 of each of the other components.
The complete list of items for the Japanese Barn are as follows:
10 Bricks
10 Reed Thatch
10 Bamboo
10 Nails
10 Wooden Boards
The 'other components' are basic Construction Materials that are used for any building project. If you are involved in the construction of more than one Building, whenever you receive any item that is a basic component, you will have a choice as to where to apply it.
If you wish to learn how close you are to completion, click on the Barn and choose: 'look inside'. A Menu will appear, showing how many of each item you have collected with options to buy or ask for more from friends. The last option in the menu for the Japanese Barn allows you to 'Complete Now' by purchasing all remaining items required outright. This option does not exist with respect to a Nursery Barn or Stable, although you can purchase each Item required one by one.
Each of these Items costs 1 Farm Cash, which means that, should you choose the 'Complete' Option to finish the Barn immediately by purchasing all Materials from Farmville, the total Cost for Materials would be:
50 Farm Cash
Note that the Option to Complete the Barn will be available until you have collected all Materials, which means that you can choose to activate it at any point. The Option to 'Complete Now' appears to exist only with respect to Limited Edition Buildings such as the Japanese Barn and the Beehive.
You will have a better experience with Farmville if you know the function that each building serves.
A Chicken Coop, as I have stated in other posts, should be your first purchase, as it will give both you and your neighbours the chance to collect items known as Mystery Eggs. The appearance of a Mystery Egg always is random but each Chicken added to your Coop gives you a better chance of finding one when you collect the Eggs. Rare breeds of Chickens in the Coop give you the chance of finding a rare type of Mystery Egg. Mystery Eggs must be 'used' in order to be hatched. Choose the Use Option when you find the Egg in your Gift Box, then place it on your farm. Once placed, you can click on it to choose the option to hatch it. A Mystery Egg can hatch a Chicken, XP points or Coins. Rare types of Mystery Eggs give you a chance of obtaining a rare breed of Chicken. Chickens are hatched fully grown, by the way, and will lay Eggs as soon as they reach the 'ready' state.
A Dairy Barn can house a total of 20 Cows. Any type of Cow can be placed in the Dairy Barn in Farmville. Oddly enough, Cows are not a very profitable Ranch Animal to own. Milk collected from Cows sells for only 6 coins. When all the Cows are housed in a Dairy Barn, you can collect the aggregate total in terms of the value of the Milk each one would have yielded if milked individually. The best reason for having a Dairy Barn, unless you have a Bull, is to keep all the Cows from cluttering your Fields.
Here are the sections of my Guide that deal with Farm Buildings:
Housing for Animals
There is a large selection of Buildings in Farmville. Some are Limited Editions but others are listed without restrictions in terms of time. Buildings can be ornamental or have specific uses. In general, the Buildings categorised as houses or homes are decorative in nature. Your Character cannot interact with them except to move them or sell them.
Other Buildings either are used for Farming, Animal Housing or Storage. In some cases, ownership of a Building with a defined use will unlock new options in terms of gameplay.
An early case in point is the Chicken Coop which allows the game to generate Mystery Eggs randomly based on the types of Chickens that are housed within. It is for this reason that I advise players to purchase a Chicken Coop as early as possible in the game.
Dairy Barn Housing for Cows
The Dairy Barn serves as housing for any Cow in Farmville. Moreover, it will house one Bull as well. Bulls will not appear on the Menu at the Market and are Lost Animals that must be claimed. If you place a Bull in your Dairy Barn with your Cows, you can obtain valuable Bonuses, including Calves. The prices of the Dairy Barn are given in another section of this Guide. You are limited to one Bull per Barn.
When you 'harvest' the Dairy Barn after a Bull has been introduced, you may find a Calf has been born. You will be alerted as follows:
Congratulations! A Baby Calf is born! This little critter is already eager to explore the world on its own.
Ask your friends to help?
If you agree to 'Share' the information, any one with access to your Wall can adopt the Calf. Calves cannot be housed in a Dairy Barn, but need their own Nursery Barn.
Nursery Barn
A Nursery Barn can house both Calves and Foals. If you do not have a Nursery Barn, any and all Calves and Foals that you own will be doomed to eternal childhood and you will be doomed to brush each of them individually to collect any rewards.
A Nursery Barn when purchased at the Market is a skeletal form, much like the Stable. You will need the following Materials to complete the Nursery Barn:
10 Bricks
10 Boards
10 Nails
10 Bottles
10 Blankets
As with the Stable, there is no option to click on a button to 'Complete' the Barn instantly. You can purchase the Materials one by one, however, if you are impatient or receive them as Gifts from Neighbours if you can persuade yourself to wait.
Stable Housing for Horses
Stable
Unlike the Chicken Coop and Dairy Barn, a Stable when purchased is unfinished. You are obliged to purchase the skeletal outline of the Building and then to collect the Materials necessary to complete it. There is no option to 'Complete' the Stable instantly by purchasing all required Materials at once, but you can purchase them one by one if you wish. Most players prefer to obtain the Materials as Gifts from their Neighbours.
The price of the Horse Stable (unfinished) is:
Horse Stable
5000 Coins
The Materials required to complete the Horse Stable are:
10 Bricks
10 Harnesses
10 Horseshoes
10 Nails
10 Wooden Boards
Each of these Items costs 1 Farm Cash, which means that, should you choose the 'Complete' Option to finish the Barn immediately by purchasing all Materials from Farmville, the total Cost for Materials would be:
50 Farm Cash
Note that the Option to Complete the Barn will be available until you have collected all Materials, which means that you can choose to activate it at any point.
The primary reason to own a finished Stable is in order to be able to collect the wandering Stallion. As with the Bulls, the Stallion is a random 'Lost Animal' generated by Farmville, but unlike the Bull who can be kept outside if you do not own a Dairy Barn, you will not be able to place the Stallion if you do not have a finished Stable. As a matter of fact, you will not be allowed to 'Help' the Stallion by bringing it to your Farm unless you have a completed Stable.
If you have an unfinished Stable, the game may offer to give you some Materials,but I never actually received any.
Even if you do have a Stable, the Stalliion will move on after a few days to wander towards other fertile fields. He is unique in this respect.
Farmville's Description of the Stable is:
If you have given the Wandering Stallion shelter for the night (or if you have a stallion in your stable), there is a chance your horses will produce a foal.
Having more horses of a particular type means a higher chance of finding a foal of that type!
You also have a chance of finding a useful item when you tend to your stables so make sure to check every day!
Storage Buildings
Barns, if not described for a specific purpose, tend to be Storage Buildings. Very often, Limited Edition Barns will be offered as part of a Theme. The Japanese Barn is one such Storage Building.
Japanese Barn
Limited
Time Left: 9 Days
Cost: 5000 Coins unfinished
XP Gain: 50
Sell for 250 Coins
Japanese Barn
Limited
Time Left: 9 Days
Cost: 50 Farm Cash
Capacity: 20 items
Sell for 6000 Coins
Game Description of Bamboo:
Bamboo is used to build a Japanese Barn. You need a total of 10 Bamboo in order to build a Japanese Barn, along with 10 of each of the other components. You can get Bamboo as gifts or from the Market. Reed Thatch is used to build a Japanese Barn. You need a total of 10 Reed Thatch in order to build a Japanese Barn, along with 10 of each of the other components.
The complete list of items for the Japanese Barn are as follows:
10 Bricks
10 Reed Thatch
10 Bamboo
10 Nails
10 Wooden Boards
The 'other components' are basic Construction Materials that are used for any building project. If you are involved in the construction of more than one Building, whenever you receive any item that is a basic component, you will have a choice as to where to apply it.
If you wish to learn how close you are to completion, click on the Barn and choose: 'look inside'. A Menu will appear, showing how many of each item you have collected with options to buy or ask for more from friends. The last option in the menu for the Japanese Barn allows you to 'Complete Now' by purchasing all remaining items required outright. This option does not exist with respect to a Nursery Barn or Stable, although you can purchase each Item required one by one.
Each of these Items costs 1 Farm Cash, which means that, should you choose the 'Complete' Option to finish the Barn immediately by purchasing all Materials from Farmville, the total Cost for Materials would be:
50 Farm Cash
Note that the Option to Complete the Barn will be available until you have collected all Materials, which means that you can choose to activate it at any point. The Option to 'Complete Now' appears to exist only with respect to Limited Edition Buildings such as the Japanese Barn and the Beehive.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Your Neighbours in Farmville
Although you can play Farmville in isolation, you will have more fun and a wider variety of experiences if you have Neighbours. You can invite any Facebook Friend to become your Neighbour and indeed, there always is an option to invite any Friend to participate in any Facebook game. Although I dearly would love to have more Neighbours, I personally am reluctant to bombard 'Friends' with invitations to join me in games on Facebook unless I feel they would enjoy the experience. I do have Friends who never would play a farming simulation game even at gunpoint. I would not annoy those friends with pointless invitations.
Facebook Games are very aggressive in their strategies to encourage you to obtain as many Neighbours as possible and Farmville is no exception. You can send one Gift per day to any Facebook Friend, whether or not that indiidual is involved with Farmville. Accepting a Gift will make the person a part of Farmville. Are there any reasons why an individual should not accept a Gift or invitation? I do not believe there are any negative effects whatsoever. The game will not contact you without your permission. If you find that you do not care for it, you can ignore it forever.
Accepting an Invitation to play and to become a Friend's Neighbour can benefit your Friend enormously even if you never play the game at all. Certain significant options are unlocked only if you possess a specific number of Neighbours, are willing to invest real money in the game (or wait patiently for a long time while you increase your income through gameplay). Expanding your Farm and obtaining a Dairy Barn for your Cows are two options that require specific numbers of Neighbours. You can perform a kindness to any Facebook Friend simply by agreeing to try Farmville and accepting your Friend as your Neighbour.
When a player has neighbours, he/she will be given the opportunity to visit their farms daily to perform little tasks and reap rewards. It is fun to see how other players have organised their Farms. Furthermore, when you are given a chance to feed a Neighbour's Chickens, you have the opportunity of finding a Mystery Egg. Mystery Eggs can hatch into rare and valuable Chickens or give you XP or Coins. It is one of the most delightful rewards of visiting Neighbours. You may find a Mystery Egg if you have your own Chicken Coop and collect the Eggs that your Chickens have laid, but the type of Mystery Egg that can be generated is based on the varieties of Chickens that are living in the Coop. The fact of the matter is that players who have high levels of experience are more likely to have rare Chickens in their Chicken Coops. It therefore is very much worth your while to visit all your Neighbours regularly to feed their Chickens.
As I explained in another post, there are two requirements for the option to feed a Neighbour's Chickens.
First of all, the Neighbour MUST have at least 5 tilled squares of land that have not been fertilised as the first option that is generated by the game is that of helping your Neighbour by fertilising five of his/her Crops. The game accepts an empty tilled square for this purpose so a good Neighbour always should till as many squares as possible, even if he/she does not have time to plant Seeds.
Once you have fertilised five squares, the option to Feed the Chickens will appear, but only if your Neighbour has a Chicken Coop. I advise all players to invest in a Chicken Coop as early as possible in the game so that they can participate in the Mystery Egg option and allow their Neighbours to participate.
Sometimes, when you visit a Neighbour, you will be given a little task to perform even before you are asked to fertilise the Crops. The task can be performed instantly and will result in a reward in the form of Coins. Unlike Animal Crossing, where you must pull up the Weeds on the land physically, one by one, in Farmville, any request to weed your Neighbour's land or chase away Raccoons is performed painlessly and instantly with a single click of the mouse.
Even if you have not obtained a specific Friend as a Neighbour in Farmville, the game will consider any Friend who has played Farmville as a potential Neighbour and will give you the option to visit him/her in order to perform these tasks. If you are looking for Neighbours, you are ore likely to have success in an invitation to some one who currently plays the game than some one who never explored it.
When you have Neighbours, provided always that they are willing to 'share' and 'publish' their Farmville accomplishments, you will be given a chance to obtain bonuses from them. The bonuses that you gain in this fashion usually are not large sums but every coin counts.
One of the better options shared by Neighbours is the ability to adopt 'Lost Animals'. While playing Farmville, the game may announce that a Lost Animal has wandered onto your farm. You will not be able to adopt this Animal yourself, but you can post the information on your Wall to give your Friends and Neighbours the option to adopt it. Lost Animals tend to be varieties that you cannot purchase at the Market. They include Llamas, Black Sheep, Ducks and odd varieties of ordinary Animals such as Groovy Cows and Party Ducks. You can collect Ranch Products from a Groovy Cow or Party Duck and a Dairy Barn will house a Groovy Cow or Pink Cow as easily as it houses ordinary Cows. It therefore always is a good idea to adopt a Lost Animal when you see an opportunity to do so.
The other significant benefit of having Neighbours it he ability to exchange Gifts on a daily basis. One free Gifts can be sent to any Friend each day. When you choose this option, you will be taken to a special Menu that lists the items that can be sent as Gifts. Here, your own Level of experience will dictate the Gifts that have been unlocked. Some Gifts are more useful than others. If you wish to help a Friend who is starting a farm, you probably should choose to send Animals or Fruit Trees rather than decorations. By accepting a Gift, a new player can obtain items he/she otherwise could not be eligible to have in terms of his/her own level of experience.
Facebook Games generally are based on the concept of sharing and this is a positive social attribute. Even if the items are virtual rather than real, the idea of sending a Gift that a Friend may want or need for his/her farm is a method of outreach and communication. It may be partly selfish in that the Gift always is accompanied by a message requesting a Gift in return, but even so...
Two of the options in Farmville that are linked to the number of Neighbours you have are the ability to expand your farm and the ability to purchase a Dairy Barn.
There are two options to purchase a Dairy Barn as follows:
Dairy Farm
Cost: 20 FC
Harvest in 1 day
XP Gain: 100
Sell for 500 Coins
Dairy Farm
Locked until you have 8 Neighbours
XP Gain: 100
Sell for 500 coins
20 FC or Farm Cash is more difficult to obtain than 500 Coins. Each Level that you advance may be worth 1 FC but the primary method of obtaining Farm Cash is by purchasing it with real currency. The values of Farm Cash and Coins in terms of U.S. currency are as follows:
Farm Cash and Coins
310 Cash costs $50.00
240 Cash costs $40.00
115 Cash costs $20.00
55 Cash costs $10.00
25 Cash costs $5.00
70,600 Coins cost $40.00
33,300 Coins cost $20.00
15,800 Coins cost $10.00
7,500 Coins cost $5.00
5 Farm Cash therefore is worth $5.00 and 1500 Coins are the equivalent of 1 Farm Cash. The actual prices of the Dairy Barn in both cases are equal but you usually can earn 5000 Coins faster than you can earn even 1 FC. It therefore is to your benefit to obtain at least 8 Neighbours as quickly as possible in order to be able to house your Cows. Cows take quite a lot of space on your Farm if you do not have a Barn for them, although you can collect Milk from them individually in the same way that you can collect Eggs from Chickens individually. I do believe that the Mystery Egg option only is generated if you collect Eggs from a Chicken Coop but need to confirm that.
Facebook Games are very aggressive in their strategies to encourage you to obtain as many Neighbours as possible and Farmville is no exception. You can send one Gift per day to any Facebook Friend, whether or not that indiidual is involved with Farmville. Accepting a Gift will make the person a part of Farmville. Are there any reasons why an individual should not accept a Gift or invitation? I do not believe there are any negative effects whatsoever. The game will not contact you without your permission. If you find that you do not care for it, you can ignore it forever.
Accepting an Invitation to play and to become a Friend's Neighbour can benefit your Friend enormously even if you never play the game at all. Certain significant options are unlocked only if you possess a specific number of Neighbours, are willing to invest real money in the game (or wait patiently for a long time while you increase your income through gameplay). Expanding your Farm and obtaining a Dairy Barn for your Cows are two options that require specific numbers of Neighbours. You can perform a kindness to any Facebook Friend simply by agreeing to try Farmville and accepting your Friend as your Neighbour.
When a player has neighbours, he/she will be given the opportunity to visit their farms daily to perform little tasks and reap rewards. It is fun to see how other players have organised their Farms. Furthermore, when you are given a chance to feed a Neighbour's Chickens, you have the opportunity of finding a Mystery Egg. Mystery Eggs can hatch into rare and valuable Chickens or give you XP or Coins. It is one of the most delightful rewards of visiting Neighbours. You may find a Mystery Egg if you have your own Chicken Coop and collect the Eggs that your Chickens have laid, but the type of Mystery Egg that can be generated is based on the varieties of Chickens that are living in the Coop. The fact of the matter is that players who have high levels of experience are more likely to have rare Chickens in their Chicken Coops. It therefore is very much worth your while to visit all your Neighbours regularly to feed their Chickens.
As I explained in another post, there are two requirements for the option to feed a Neighbour's Chickens.
First of all, the Neighbour MUST have at least 5 tilled squares of land that have not been fertilised as the first option that is generated by the game is that of helping your Neighbour by fertilising five of his/her Crops. The game accepts an empty tilled square for this purpose so a good Neighbour always should till as many squares as possible, even if he/she does not have time to plant Seeds.
Once you have fertilised five squares, the option to Feed the Chickens will appear, but only if your Neighbour has a Chicken Coop. I advise all players to invest in a Chicken Coop as early as possible in the game so that they can participate in the Mystery Egg option and allow their Neighbours to participate.
Sometimes, when you visit a Neighbour, you will be given a little task to perform even before you are asked to fertilise the Crops. The task can be performed instantly and will result in a reward in the form of Coins. Unlike Animal Crossing, where you must pull up the Weeds on the land physically, one by one, in Farmville, any request to weed your Neighbour's land or chase away Raccoons is performed painlessly and instantly with a single click of the mouse.
Even if you have not obtained a specific Friend as a Neighbour in Farmville, the game will consider any Friend who has played Farmville as a potential Neighbour and will give you the option to visit him/her in order to perform these tasks. If you are looking for Neighbours, you are ore likely to have success in an invitation to some one who currently plays the game than some one who never explored it.
When you have Neighbours, provided always that they are willing to 'share' and 'publish' their Farmville accomplishments, you will be given a chance to obtain bonuses from them. The bonuses that you gain in this fashion usually are not large sums but every coin counts.
One of the better options shared by Neighbours is the ability to adopt 'Lost Animals'. While playing Farmville, the game may announce that a Lost Animal has wandered onto your farm. You will not be able to adopt this Animal yourself, but you can post the information on your Wall to give your Friends and Neighbours the option to adopt it. Lost Animals tend to be varieties that you cannot purchase at the Market. They include Llamas, Black Sheep, Ducks and odd varieties of ordinary Animals such as Groovy Cows and Party Ducks. You can collect Ranch Products from a Groovy Cow or Party Duck and a Dairy Barn will house a Groovy Cow or Pink Cow as easily as it houses ordinary Cows. It therefore always is a good idea to adopt a Lost Animal when you see an opportunity to do so.
The other significant benefit of having Neighbours it he ability to exchange Gifts on a daily basis. One free Gifts can be sent to any Friend each day. When you choose this option, you will be taken to a special Menu that lists the items that can be sent as Gifts. Here, your own Level of experience will dictate the Gifts that have been unlocked. Some Gifts are more useful than others. If you wish to help a Friend who is starting a farm, you probably should choose to send Animals or Fruit Trees rather than decorations. By accepting a Gift, a new player can obtain items he/she otherwise could not be eligible to have in terms of his/her own level of experience.
Facebook Games generally are based on the concept of sharing and this is a positive social attribute. Even if the items are virtual rather than real, the idea of sending a Gift that a Friend may want or need for his/her farm is a method of outreach and communication. It may be partly selfish in that the Gift always is accompanied by a message requesting a Gift in return, but even so...
Two of the options in Farmville that are linked to the number of Neighbours you have are the ability to expand your farm and the ability to purchase a Dairy Barn.
There are two options to purchase a Dairy Barn as follows:
Dairy Farm
Cost: 20 FC
Harvest in 1 day
XP Gain: 100
Sell for 500 Coins
Dairy Farm
Locked until you have 8 Neighbours
XP Gain: 100
Sell for 500 coins
20 FC or Farm Cash is more difficult to obtain than 500 Coins. Each Level that you advance may be worth 1 FC but the primary method of obtaining Farm Cash is by purchasing it with real currency. The values of Farm Cash and Coins in terms of U.S. currency are as follows:
Farm Cash and Coins
310 Cash costs $50.00
240 Cash costs $40.00
115 Cash costs $20.00
55 Cash costs $10.00
25 Cash costs $5.00
70,600 Coins cost $40.00
33,300 Coins cost $20.00
15,800 Coins cost $10.00
7,500 Coins cost $5.00
5 Farm Cash therefore is worth $5.00 and 1500 Coins are the equivalent of 1 Farm Cash. The actual prices of the Dairy Barn in both cases are equal but you usually can earn 5000 Coins faster than you can earn even 1 FC. It therefore is to your benefit to obtain at least 8 Neighbours as quickly as possible in order to be able to house your Cows. Cows take quite a lot of space on your Farm if you do not have a Barn for them, although you can collect Milk from them individually in the same way that you can collect Eggs from Chickens individually. I do believe that the Mystery Egg option only is generated if you collect Eggs from a Chicken Coop but need to confirm that.
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Crop Lists in Farmville
The following is a preliminary list of the Crops that can be purchased in Farmville with their Level Requirements, Cost, XP Gain and their value when harvested. In Farmville, if you have not unlocked an item yet, you will not be given access to any details other than the Cost and the Level requirement.
Limited Crop Seeds:
Daikon
Limited
Time Left: 11 Days
Cost: 65 Coins
Harvest in 8 Hours
XP Gain: 1
Sell for 133 Coins
Wasabi
Limited
Cost: 200 Coins
Unlock at Level 42
Cupcakes
Limited (Ends 1 July)
Cost: 25 Coins
Harvest in 8 Hours
XP Gain: 1
Unlock at Level 5
Sell for 60 Coins
Ordinary Crop Seeds:
The following are available at Level 1 when you first begin to play:
Strawberries
Cost: 10 Coins
Harvest in: 4 Hours
XP Gain: 1
Sell for 35 Coins
Available at Level 1
Wheat
Cost: 13 Coins
Harvest in: 12 Hours
XP Gain: 1
Sell for 61 Coins
Available at Level 1
Peanuts
Cost: 20 Coins
Harvest in: 16 Hours
XP Gain: 1
Sell for 78 Coins
Unlock at Level 1
Soybeans
Cost: 15 Coins
Harvest in: 1 day
XP Gain: 2
Sell for 63 Coins
Unlock at Level 1
Eggplant
Cost: 25 Coins
Harvest in: 2 Days
XP Gain: 2
Sell for 88 Coins
Available at Level 1
List of Crop Seeds that are unlocked by the Level you achieve:
Lilac
Cost: 35 Coins
Harvest in: 10 Hours
XP Gain: 1
Unlock at Level 4
Sell for 75 Coins
Squash
Cost: 40 Coins
Harvest in: 2 Days
XP Gain: 2
Sell for 121 Coins
Unlock at Level 4
Pumpkins
Cost: 30 Coins
Harvest in: 8 Hours
XP Gain: 1
Unlock at Level 5
Sell for 68 Coins
Unlock at Level 5
Artichokes
Cost: 70 Coins
Harvest in: 4 Days
XP Gain: 2
Sell for 204 Coins
Unlock at Level 6
Rice
Cost: 45 Coins
Harvest in: 12 Hours
XP Gain: 1
Sell for 96 Coins
Unlock at Level 7
Raspberries
Cost: 20 Coins
Harvest in: 2 Hours
XP Gain: 0
Sell for 46 Coins
Unlock at Level 8
Daffodils
Cost: 60 Coins
Harvest in: 2 Days
XP Gain: 2
Unlock at Level 8
Sell for 135 Coins
Cotton
Cost: 75 Coins
Harvest in: 3 Days
XP Gain: 2
Sell for 207 Coins
Unlock at Level 9
Cranberries
Cost: 55 Coins
Harvest in: 10 Hours
XP Gain: 1
Sell for 98 Coins
Unlock at Level 10
Bell Peppers
Cost: 75
Harvest in: 2 Days
XP Gain: 2
Sell for 198 Coins
Unlock at Level 11
Peppers
Cost: 70 Coins
Harvest in: 1 day
XP Gain: 2
Sell for 162 Coins
Unlock at Level 12
Morning Glory
Cost: 60 Coins
Harvest in: 12 Hours
XP Gain: 1
Sell for 123 Coins
Other Details: September's Flower
Freyashawk's Birthflower
Unlock at Level 13
Aloe Vera
Cost: 50 Coins
Harvest in: 6 Hours
XP Gain: 1
Sell for 85 Coins
Unlock at Level 14
Red Tulips
Cost: 75 Coins
Harvest in 1 day
XP Gain: 2
Unlock at Level 15
Sell for 159 Coins
Unlock at Level 15
Pineapples
Cost: 95 Coins
Harvest in 2 Days
XP Gain: 2
Sell for 242 Coins
Unlock at Level 15
Pattypan Squash
Cost: 65
Harvest in 16 Hours
XP Gain: 1
Sell for 160 Coins
Unlock at Level 16
Blueberries
Cost: 50 Coins
Harvest in 4 Hours
XP Gain: 1
Sell for 91 Coins
Unlock at Level 17
Watermelon
Cost: 130 Coins
Harvest in 4 Days
XP Gain: 2
Sell for 348 Coins
Mastery:
Unlock at Level 18
Grapes
Cost: 85 Coins
Harvest in 1 Day
XP Gain: 2
Sell for 270 Coins
Mastery:
Unlock at Level 19
Tomatoes
Cost: 100 Coins
Harvest in 8 Hours
XP Gain: 1
Sell for 173 Coins
Mastery:
Unlock at Level 20
Pink Roses
Cost: 120 Coins
Harvest in 2 Days
XP Gain: 2
Sell for 254 Coins
Mastery:
Unlock at Level 20
Potatoes
Cost: 135 Coins
Harvest in 3 Days
XP Gain: 1
Sell for 345 Coins
Mastery:
Unlock at Level 21
Carrots
Cost: 110 Coins
Harvest in 12 Hours
XP Gain: 1
Sell for 200 Coins
Mastery:
Unlock at Level 22
Coffee
Cost: 120 Coins
Harvest in 16 Hours
XP Gain: 2
Sell for 243 Coins
Mastery:
Unlock at Level 23
Corn
Cost: 150 Coins
Harvest in 3 Days
XP Gain: 2
Sell for 380 Coins
Mastery:
Unlock at Level 24
Sunflowers
Cost: 135 Coins
Harvest in 1 Day
XP Gain: 1
Sell for 315 Coins
Mastery:
Unlock at Level 25
Ghost Chili
Cost: 80 Coins
Harvest in
XP Gain:
Sell for
Mastery:
Unlock at Level 26
Cabbage
Cost: 140 Coins
Harvest in
XP Gain:
Sell for
Mastery:
Unlock at Level 27
Green Tea
Cost: 105 Coins
Harvest in
XP Gain:
Sell for
Mastery:
Unlock at Level 28
White Grapes
Cost: 245 Coins
Harvest in
XP Gain:
Sell for
Mastery:
Unlock at Level 29
Black Berries
Cost: 75 Coins
Harvest in
XP Gain:
Sell for
Mastery:
Unlock at Level 29
Red Wheat
Cost:
Harvest in
XP Gain:
Sell for
Mastery:
Unlock at
Lavender
Cost:
Harvest in
XP Gain:
Sell for
Mastery:
Unlock at
Sugar Cane
Harvest in
XP Gain:
Sell for
Mastery:
Unlock at
Peas
Cost:
Harvest in
XP Gain:
Sell for
Mastery:
Unlock at
Yellow Melon
Cost:
Harvest in
XP Gain:
Sell for
Mastery:
Unlock at
Onion
Cost:
Harvest in
XP Gain:
Sell for
Mastery:
Unlock at
Broccoli
Cost:
Unlock at
Lilies
Cost:
Unlock at
Acorn Squash
Cost:
Unlock at
Asparagus
Level 37
Purple Poppies
Cost: 200 Coins
Unlock at Level 38
Giinger
Cost: 170 Coins
Unlock at Level 42
Cucumber
Cost: 290 Coins
Unlock at Level 43
Iris
Cost: 400 Coins
Unlock at Level 45
Basil
Cost: 300 Coins
Unlock at Level 48
Lemon Balm
Cost: 230 Coins
Unlock at Level 50
Oats
Cost: 225
Unlock at Level 53
Posole Corn
Cost: ?
Unlock at Level 54 when Corn Mastered
Bamboo
Cost: 420 Coins
Unlock at Level 60
Saffron
Cost: 365 Coins
Unlock at Level 64
Clover
Cost: 325 Coins
Unlock at Level 70
Amaranth
Cost: 220 Coins
Unlock at Level 76
White Roses
Cost: ?
Unlock at Level 80 with Pink Roses Mastered
Forget-Me-Not
Cost: 725
Unlock at Level 90
Level 4 no you can buy Squash, Lilac, Peach Tree, Rest Tent, Crate: Able Farmer, Level 4, farmville gave him a Hay Bale
Resale Values:
Duck: 75 Coins
Party Duck: 75 Coins
Llama: 95 Coins
Cow: 15 Coins
Chicken: 20 Coins
Sheep: 35
Orange Tabby: 150 Coins
Plum Tree: 17 Coins
Cherry Tree: 11 Coins
Maple Tree: 15 Coins
Peach Tree: 25 Coins
Orange Tree: 21 Coins
Falling Blossom Tree: 300 Coins
Decorations:
Rest Tent: 50 Coins
Chicken Coop: 470 Coins
Horse Stable unfinished: 280 Coins
Hale Bale: 5 Coins
Harvests:
Maple Harvest: 26 Coins
You start with 225 Coins and 5 dollars
Crops:
6 plots tilled
1 crop ready to harvest, Eggplant
in two others, strawberry and eggplant 50% grown
15 Coins cost to till 1 square
At Level 1:
Wasabi
Level 42 needed
Limited
200 Coins
Cupcakes
Limited
Level 5
25 Coins
Cupcakes
Limited
Cost: 25 Coins
Harvest in:
XP Gain:
Unlock at Level 5
Strawberries
Cost: 10 Coins
Harvest in: 4 Hours
XP Gain: 1
Sell for 35 Coins
Available at Level 1
Eggplant
Cost: 25 Coins
Harvest in: 2 Days
XP Gain: 2
Available at Level 1
Sell for 88 Coins
Wheat
Cost: 13 Coins
Harvest in: 12 Hours
XP Gain: 1
Available at Level 1
Sell for 61 Coins
Soybeans
Cost: 15 Coins
Harvest in: 1 day
XP Gain: 2
Available at Level 1
Sell for 63 Coins
Peanuts
Cost: 20 Coins
Harvest in: 16 Hours
XP Gain: 1
Unlock at Level 1
Sell for 78 Coins
Squash
Cost: 40 Coins
Harvest in:
XP Gain:
Unlock at Level 4
Lilac
Cost: 35 Coins
Harvest in:
XP Gain:
Unlock at Level 4
Pumpkins
Cost:
Harvest in:
XP Gain:
Unlock at Level 5
Artichokes
Cost: 70 Coins
Harvest in:
XP Gain:
Unlock at Level 6
Rice
Cost: 45 Coins
Harvest in:
XP Gain:
Unlock at Level 7
Raspberries
Cost:
Harvest in:
XP Gain:
Unlock at Level 8
Daffodils
Cost: 60 Coins
Harvest in:
XP Gain:
Unlock at Level 8
Cotton
Cost:
Harvest in:
XP Gain:
Unlock at Level 9
Cranberries
Cost:
Harvest in:
XP Gain:
Unlock at Level 10
Bell Peppers
Cost: 75
Harvest in: 2 Days
XP Gain: 2
Unlock at Level 11
Sell for 198 Coins
Peppers
Cost: 70 Coins
Harvest in: 1 day
XP Gain: 2
Unlock at Level 12
Sell for 162 Coins
Morning Glory
Cost: 60 Coins
Harvest in: 12 Hours
XP Gain: 1
Unlock at Level 13
Sell for 123 Coins
Aloe Vera
Cost: 50 Coins
Harvest in: 6 Hours
XP Gain: 1
Unlock at Level 14
Sell for 85 Coins
Pineapples
Cost: 95 Coins
Harvest in 2 Days
XP Gain: 2
Unlock at Level 15
Red Tulips
Cost: 75 Coins
Harvest in 1 day
XP Gain: 2
Unlock at Level 15
Sell for 159 Coins
Pattypan Squash
Cost: 65
Harvest in 16 Hours
XP Gain: 1
Unlock at Level 16
Sell for 160 Coins
Blueberries
Cost: 50 Coins
Unlock at Level 17
Watermelon
Cost: 130 Coins
Unlock at Level 18
Grapes
Cost: 85 Coins
Unlock at Level 19
Tomatoes
Cost: 100 Coins
Unlock at Level 20
Pink Roses
Cost: 120 Coins
Unlock at Level 20
Potatoes
Cost: 135 Coins
Unlock at Level 21
Carrots
Cost: 110 Coins
Unlock at Level 22
Coffee
Cost: 120 Coins
Unlock at Level 23
Corn
Cost: 150 Coins
Unlock at Level 24
Sunflowers
Cost: 135 Coins
Unlock at Level 25
Ghost Chili
Cost: 80 Coins
Unlock at Level 26
Cabbage
Cost: 140 Coins
Unlock at Level 27
Green Tea
Cost: 105 Coins
Unlock at Level 28
White Grapes
Cost: 245 Coins
Unlock at Level 29
Black Berries
Cost: 75 Coins
Unlock at Level 29
Introduction to Farmville on Facebook
Farmville is one of many farming simulation games on Facebook but possibly is the most popular. Celebrating its first year Anniversary, it probably has developed enormously since its inception.
In terms of actual farming, the options are very simple. You arrive in Farmville with 225 coins and 5 Farmville dollars with six tilled plots. One plot is filled with Eggplant that is ready to be harvested. Strawberry and Eggplant in two other plots are 50% grown. It costs 15 coins to till one square.
Your first objective obviously is to harvest the Eggplant. You then should till a few more plots and go to the Market to buy seeds.
In the lower right corner of your Farmville screen, you will see six boxes with icons. The first is an arrow and this represents a multi-tool. It is the one that you use to move items or harvest Crops ad other items, including Trees, Animals and Animal Barns that are 'ready'. The second icon is a hoe, and obviously this is the tool to use in order to till plots on your field. The third icon represents a delete tool. You can delete tilled ground if you wish to put it to a different use. Items on the other hand should be sold instead of deleted if possible. The fourth icon depicts a show ribbon and this is where your collections are listed and stored. More of that later. The fifth icon is the Market where you purchase items, including Seeds, Animmals, Buildings and Decorations. The sixth and final box is your Inventory Gift Box, where Gifts that have been sent to you are kept until you either use or sell them.
The goals of the game itself are to generate more players and to persuade them to spend real money on virtual items. The goals of a player are to obtain as many upgrades and items as possible and preferably to do so without being forced to spend real money. The creators of any of these online games try to strike a happy balance between the two conflicting goals by allowing you to send and receive free gifts as well as rewarding you for your accomplishments on your farm. If you are going to spend real money on the game, do so judiciously by buying items that you cannot gain through other methods.
Farming in Farmville and other Facebook farming simulation games is time-specific where Crops are concerned. Unlike Harvest Moon farming, Crops in Farmville are not season-specific, but there is a limited amount of time that they can be expected to survive once they are ready for harvest. There is a Limited Item in the form of the 'Unwither Ring' that when placed, will prevent your Crops from withering but the cost of this Limited Item is 250 Farm Cash, the equivalent of $40.00 and as a Limited Item, it is offered only a few days before it disappears from the Menu at the Market. Although you may lose quite a few 'valuable' Crops in Farmville without the Unwither Ring when you are unable to log into Facebook to play the game, the cost of the item is rather steep. I certainly could not afford one myself.
An explanation of currency in general in Farmville and the prices at the Market may be useful at this point. There are two kinds of currency in the form of Farm Cash and Coins. Both can be earned through your actions in the game itself, but it is easier to earn Coins than Farm Cash. There are items at the Market that can be purchased solely with Farm Cash, however. In some cases, the same item will be offered with a price in Farm Cash and a price in Coins but this is not often the case in Farmville.
In terms of Farm Cash, you begin the game with 5 FC and each time you increase your experience by one Level, you earn 1 Farm Cash.
Some farm buildings can be purchased in skeletal form for a specific number of coins or as finished buildings with Farm Cash. When purchased in skeletal form, you will be given a specific list of items that you must obtain in set quantities in order to construct the building.
For example, there are a number of buildings that can be used for storage of items as well as other buildings. A Limited Japanese collection at the Market that included a Japanese Barn provides an example of the way the option operates. You can buy the skeletal version of this Bar or the finished building. The prices are as follows:
Japanese Barn
Limited
Unfinished
Time Left: 9 days
Cost: 5000
XP Gain: 50
Sell for 250 coins
Japanese Barn
Limited
Time Left: 9 days
Cost: 50 Farm Cash
Capacity: 20 items
Sell for 6000 coins
In Farmville, unlike Farm Town, another Facebook farming simulation game, you can harvest Ranch Products from Animals without housing them. You therefore can place any number of Cows, Sheep and Chickens on your Farm without purchasing a Barn or Chicken Coop. There are advantages to the purchase of Ranch buildings, however.
As far as a Chicken Coop is concerned, each Farm is limited to a single Coop but the purchase is very straightforward. The price is:
Chicken Coop
Cost: 5000 Coins
Harvest in 1 Day
XP Gain: 50
Sell for 250 Coins
Chickens are one of the items that can be sent to Facebook Friends and Farmville Neighbours as a Free Gift. You are limited in the number of Gifts that you can send to a single individual in the course of one day. The game itself will inform you that you can send only one item to any person each day but it sometimes is possible to send a gift to an individual every three hours.
As soon as you can afford to do so, you should purchase a Chicken Coop. 20 Chickens can be housed in a Coop, but that is not the primary reason why you should have one. After all, you could allow your Chickens to roam freely throughout the Farm. The reason why you should invest in a Coop is linked to your Neighbours and their capacity to visit you to help you on your Farm.
Once each day, a Neighbour can visit and expect to obtain an option to fertilise your Field. Five bags of Fertiliser will appear on the left side of your screen. Click on a tilled square to fertilise it. When you have used all five of the bags, you may receive an option to feed your Neighbour's Chickens if he/she has a Chicken Coop. A bag of Chicken Feed will appear in the top left corner of your screen. When you click on it, the game will scroll to the location of the Chicken Coop.
Although you earn coins when you help neighbours and sometimes ribbons and awards as well, the best reward potentially is an item known as a Mystery Egg. If, while feeding a Neighbour's Chickens, you find a Mystery Egg, it will be sent to your Gift Box. When you find it there, choose the option to 'Use' it. You then will be able to place it on your field in the same manner as you place any item. Click on it then to 'Open it'. Mystery Eggs can hatch Chickens, XP or Coins. They can hatch unusual and valuable Chickens apart from the ordinary White Chicken that you can receive or send as a Gift.
Your farm may appear to be quite large when you first begin to play Farmville but in fact, once you begin to purchase buildings and decorations, you may wish to upgrade to a larger size of field. In this, you are best served if you are able to obtain some neighbours as many of the farm upgrades have two prices. The lower price usually has a specific requirement in terms of the total number of Neighbours that you have.
It is when you wish to purchase Animals, Buildings and Decorations that you most likely will discover there are additional requirements in terms of the total number of Neighbours you have acquired. Where Crops are concerned, unlocking a new Crop usually is simply a matter of your experience Levels.
A screenshot of a farm showing Cupcake Crops and a Llama:
Screenshots of two Buildings under construction,a Horse Stable and a Japanese Barn. The Menu for Materials for the Japanese Barn is shown here as well:
Crop Lists and other Menu Lists will be given in a separate post.
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