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.

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.

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.