In Farmville, quite often, new items that are released in the Marketplace will be given as rewards upon completion of Quests later. Such is the case with the new Beach Ball Ram. It is an interesting pattern and one that most players who enjoy sheep breeding would like to acquire. There are ways of doing so apart from outright purchase, as lambs with a Beach Ball Ram parent who are adopted can 'carry' the pattern. The Beach Ball Ram, however, is an outright gift when a player completes one of the Quests in the sequence of the new Summer Quests. As the price of the Beach Ball Ram in the Marketplace is 30 FV Cash, the gift is a significant one in monetary terms.
Note that, with all the changes that Zynga recently made with respect to Breeding, only the Ram carries patterns in Farmville. Ewes and/or Sheep carry colours and tones.
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Saturday, July 16, 2011
New Crafting Silo Recipes
Farmville has been expanding almost too quickly in the past few months, with new options to craft goods from Recipes in a number of different buildings and locations. The original choice between Home Farm Crafting Spa, Winery or Bakery still is the first crafting option, unlocked when a player attains Level 25. In the English Countryside, however, obtaining a Pub no longer requires any steps or quests. You simply will be given one and told to get on with it now.
A Craftshop recently was introduced which could be constructed both on the Home Farm and on the English Farm or on the farm of your choice. A variety of new Recipes using Bushels from existing Crops were introduced with it.
The most recent option, introduced a couple of days ago, is the Crafting Silo. This is not a Crafting Building per se but as its name suggests, simply a Storage Silo for new Items that can be harvested from existing Animals or Trees. Among the new Items are Bags of Manure and Baskets of Fruits, such as Cherry, Lemon and Orange. Wool Bundles can be harvested from Sheep and Apple Wood can be harvested from any type of Apple Tree, including Chrome Apple Trees.
Items that can be crafted vary wildly from simple construction materials to a Swiss Cottage. In time, the new Crafting option could be fun, but at the moment, Storage Space in the initial Crafting Silo is extremely limited and every Item I obtain fills it, making it impossible to organise any Recipes yet. I therefore am scrambling to expand the Silo.
Like the Craftshop, a player can opt to place one on each farm. This doubles storage space from 10 to 20, but space for 20 items is insufficient when one finds that one can obtain six or seven Wool Bundles from a single Sheep Pen harvest.
Once a Silo has been upgraded, it will store 50 Items. If a Silo is upgraded on BOTH Farms, a player will have a storage capacity of 100 Items. There are no further upgrades beyond the first one. It definitely is beneficial to upgrade both Silos as quickly as possible.
Recipes that can be made using Bushels harvested from existing Crops and items stored in the new Craft Silo include:
Brick:
1 Rice Bushel
1 Rhubarb Bushel
2 Manure Bushels
Wooden Board
1 Cotton Bushel
1 Peanut Bushel
1 Apple Wood Basket
Nail:
2 Morning Glory Bushels
1 Pattypan Bushel
Beach Ball
2 Tomato Bushels
2 Cranberry Bushels
1 Grape Bushels
English Postcard
1 Lilac Bushel
2 Leeks Bushels
Lucky Penny
2 Leeks Bushels
1 Pattypan Bushel
Fuel Can
2 Wheat Bushels
2 Soybean Bushels
2 Wool Bundles
Bottle:
3 Aloe Vera Bushels
2 Field Bean Bushels
2 Milk Jugs
Shovel Set
3 Jalapenos Bushels
3 Double Grain Bushels
1 Lemon Basket
Watering Can Set
1 Maple Sugar Basket
2 Lilac Bushels
2 Peanut Bushels
Vehicle Part
3 Tomato Bushels
3 Aloe Vera Bushels
1 Cherry Basket
1 Scythe
1 Wool Bundle
2 Rye Bushels
2 Spinach Bushels
Love Potion:
4 Strawberry Bushels
4 Tomato Bushels
2 Cherry Baskets
Fertilise All
2 Manure Bags
4 Carrot Bushels
3 Chickpea Bushels
Farmhand
4 Cotton Bushels
3 Soybean Bushels
1 Cherry Basket
Arbourist
3 Peanut Bushels
4 Morning Glory Bushels
2 Orange Baskets
Animal Feed
1 Walnut Basket
2 Sunflower Bushels
2 Barley Bushels
Pine Fence I
4 Cranberry Bushels
3 Cotton Bushels
2 Orange Baskets
Pine Fence II
4 Jalapenos Bushels
3 Spinach Bushels
2 Maple Syrup Baskets
Stone Wall
5 Wool Bundles
4 Manure Bags
3 Milk Jugs
Stone Archway
2 Walnut Baskets
3 Sunflower Bushels
4 Tomato Bushels
Lamp Post
2 Cherry Baskets
4 Coffee Bushels
3 Peanut Bushels
Milking Stool
1 Milk Jug
2 Cornflower Bushels
2 Rice Bushels
Modern Table
8 Lilac Bushels
5 Rhubarb Bushels
2 Lemon Baskets
Horse Sculpture
4 Jalapenos Bushels
2 Manure Bags
3 Pink Aster Bushels
Swiss Cabin
4 Apple Wood Baskets
10 Black Tea Bushels
6 Spring Squill Bushels
Unlike Recipes that are completed in the Spa, Winery, Bakery or Pub, each of the Craftshop Recipes has its own timeframe. For example, I believe that a Stone Arch takes six hours to complete, but a Stone Wall takes only 30 minutes. Unlike the other crafting options, however, you can work on only one Recipe at any given time in the Craftshop.
As with any Recipes List in Farmville, the order in which Recipes appear depends on the ingredients that a player currently possesses. A Recipe for which all ingredients are present will appear at the top of the list. Recipes for which no ingredients currently are held will be at the bottom. I have chosen to organise the list according to type, with construction materials at the top and complete items such as Swiss Cabin and Horse Sculpture last.
Note that there is an option to obtain 'Help' from other players in the new Craftshop. A player posts a request for Help on his/her Wall and the first four players that respond will be assumed to help with the next recipe. When a player has four helpers, he/she will obtain double the product. In other words, if crafting a Love Potion with four helpers, the player will obtain 2 Love Potions rather than 1. The helpers do not appear to gain any real benefit apart from the knowledge that they have acted as good neighbours.
A final note: Some of the Recipes given above are variations on Recipes that were released with the original Workshop. You no longer will be able to craft the item using the original Recipe now. A Love Potion formerly could be made using Strawberry, Tomato and Tulip Bushels. Now you must use Cherry Baskets instead of Tulip Bushels. (Actually, this is the 3rd variation on the Recipe for crafting Love Potions. The first was a Limited Edition Recipe in the English Countryside Pub!)
A Craftshop recently was introduced which could be constructed both on the Home Farm and on the English Farm or on the farm of your choice. A variety of new Recipes using Bushels from existing Crops were introduced with it.
The most recent option, introduced a couple of days ago, is the Crafting Silo. This is not a Crafting Building per se but as its name suggests, simply a Storage Silo for new Items that can be harvested from existing Animals or Trees. Among the new Items are Bags of Manure and Baskets of Fruits, such as Cherry, Lemon and Orange. Wool Bundles can be harvested from Sheep and Apple Wood can be harvested from any type of Apple Tree, including Chrome Apple Trees.
Items that can be crafted vary wildly from simple construction materials to a Swiss Cottage. In time, the new Crafting option could be fun, but at the moment, Storage Space in the initial Crafting Silo is extremely limited and every Item I obtain fills it, making it impossible to organise any Recipes yet. I therefore am scrambling to expand the Silo.
Like the Craftshop, a player can opt to place one on each farm. This doubles storage space from 10 to 20, but space for 20 items is insufficient when one finds that one can obtain six or seven Wool Bundles from a single Sheep Pen harvest.
Once a Silo has been upgraded, it will store 50 Items. If a Silo is upgraded on BOTH Farms, a player will have a storage capacity of 100 Items. There are no further upgrades beyond the first one. It definitely is beneficial to upgrade both Silos as quickly as possible.
Recipes that can be made using Bushels harvested from existing Crops and items stored in the new Craft Silo include:
Brick:
1 Rice Bushel
1 Rhubarb Bushel
2 Manure Bushels
Wooden Board
1 Cotton Bushel
1 Peanut Bushel
1 Apple Wood Basket
Nail:
2 Morning Glory Bushels
1 Pattypan Bushel
Beach Ball
2 Tomato Bushels
2 Cranberry Bushels
1 Grape Bushels
English Postcard
1 Lilac Bushel
2 Leeks Bushels
Lucky Penny
2 Leeks Bushels
1 Pattypan Bushel
Fuel Can
2 Wheat Bushels
2 Soybean Bushels
2 Wool Bundles
Bottle:
3 Aloe Vera Bushels
2 Field Bean Bushels
2 Milk Jugs
Shovel Set
3 Jalapenos Bushels
3 Double Grain Bushels
1 Lemon Basket
Watering Can Set
1 Maple Sugar Basket
2 Lilac Bushels
2 Peanut Bushels
Vehicle Part
3 Tomato Bushels
3 Aloe Vera Bushels
1 Cherry Basket
1 Scythe
1 Wool Bundle
2 Rye Bushels
2 Spinach Bushels
Love Potion:
4 Strawberry Bushels
4 Tomato Bushels
2 Cherry Baskets
Fertilise All
2 Manure Bags
4 Carrot Bushels
3 Chickpea Bushels
Farmhand
4 Cotton Bushels
3 Soybean Bushels
1 Cherry Basket
Arbourist
3 Peanut Bushels
4 Morning Glory Bushels
2 Orange Baskets
Animal Feed
1 Walnut Basket
2 Sunflower Bushels
2 Barley Bushels
Pine Fence I
4 Cranberry Bushels
3 Cotton Bushels
2 Orange Baskets
Pine Fence II
4 Jalapenos Bushels
3 Spinach Bushels
2 Maple Syrup Baskets
Stone Wall
5 Wool Bundles
4 Manure Bags
3 Milk Jugs
Stone Archway
2 Walnut Baskets
3 Sunflower Bushels
4 Tomato Bushels
Lamp Post
2 Cherry Baskets
4 Coffee Bushels
3 Peanut Bushels
Milking Stool
1 Milk Jug
2 Cornflower Bushels
2 Rice Bushels
Modern Table
8 Lilac Bushels
5 Rhubarb Bushels
2 Lemon Baskets
Horse Sculpture
4 Jalapenos Bushels
2 Manure Bags
3 Pink Aster Bushels
Swiss Cabin
4 Apple Wood Baskets
10 Black Tea Bushels
6 Spring Squill Bushels
Unlike Recipes that are completed in the Spa, Winery, Bakery or Pub, each of the Craftshop Recipes has its own timeframe. For example, I believe that a Stone Arch takes six hours to complete, but a Stone Wall takes only 30 minutes. Unlike the other crafting options, however, you can work on only one Recipe at any given time in the Craftshop.
As with any Recipes List in Farmville, the order in which Recipes appear depends on the ingredients that a player currently possesses. A Recipe for which all ingredients are present will appear at the top of the list. Recipes for which no ingredients currently are held will be at the bottom. I have chosen to organise the list according to type, with construction materials at the top and complete items such as Swiss Cabin and Horse Sculpture last.
Note that there is an option to obtain 'Help' from other players in the new Craftshop. A player posts a request for Help on his/her Wall and the first four players that respond will be assumed to help with the next recipe. When a player has four helpers, he/she will obtain double the product. In other words, if crafting a Love Potion with four helpers, the player will obtain 2 Love Potions rather than 1. The helpers do not appear to gain any real benefit apart from the knowledge that they have acted as good neighbours.
A final note: Some of the Recipes given above are variations on Recipes that were released with the original Workshop. You no longer will be able to craft the item using the original Recipe now. A Love Potion formerly could be made using Strawberry, Tomato and Tulip Bushels. Now you must use Cherry Baskets instead of Tulip Bushels. (Actually, this is the 3rd variation on the Recipe for crafting Love Potions. The first was a Limited Edition Recipe in the English Countryside Pub!)
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Becoming King or Queen of your Castle in Farmville
The last destination on the Map in the English Countryside at present is a castle. With the final English Countryside Quest, you will receive a kingly gift in the form of an English Castle. More useful and empowering, you will obtain the right to share items between your two farms as well as that of growing any specific Crop on EITHER farm.
This solves many vexing problems as well as creating the need for new farming strategies.
The ability to access items from either farm and place them on either farm simply solves landscaping and breeding problems without creating the need for any new strategical consideration. It is with respect to farming itself that new strategies become useful.
On each farm, you have a limit of five Market Stalls, giving you the potential total of ten Market Stalls on both farms. Until you complete the English Countryside Quest, 'Home Farm' Crops can be grown only on the Home Farm and English Crops on the English Countryside Farm. Once you complete the final Quest, you can grow any Crop on either farm, as previously indicated.
Where Market Stalls are concerned, you benefit most if you do not duplicate Crops. In other words, there is no need to have a Market Stall on the English Countryside that sells Peppers if you have one on the Home Farm selling the same Crop. This may appear obvious, but there is so much multi-tasking now in FarmVille that a player needs to make certain he/she is farming in the most efficient fashion.
Incidentally, you no longer need to worry about taking Bushels for the Home Farm while on your English Farm or taking English Crops while on the Home Farm, even if you have not completed the English Quests. All Bushels now will be accessible irrespective of a player's current location. Furthermore, you need not be concerned as to the current location of neighbours. All Neighbour Crops will be accessible now irrespective of his/her current location.
Co-op Jobs remain the same at this point in time, but note that Crops planted and harvested on EITHER farm will count towards your required totals.
As far as Farm Aids are concerned, the Unwither Ring only can be placed and operated on the Home Farm. For the English Countryside, there is only the very unsatisfactory Unwither Clock that has to be activated every 30 days again with a fairly hefty payment in FV Cash.
My own advice is to steer clear of the Unwither Clock but to purchase the Unwither Ring if at all possible. Note that the Unwither Ring is available in the Marketplace only at certain points in time. It is available at the time of writing this post, on 29 June, but will vanish from the Market in two days.
The price of the Unwither Ring is 250 Farm Cash, which is a considerable sum in 'real money' but it lasts forever and its benefits are as considerable as the price. To be able to grow fast-growing Crops, in particular, without having to worry about harvesting them before they wither, is an enormous boon to a busy player.
The following tips are applicable solely to players who have an Unwither Ring and have unlocked the ability to share Crops and Items on both Farms.
If you have the Unwither Ring, it is wisest to grow all fast-growing Crops on the Home Farm and slow-growing Crops on the English Countryside. You lose nothing by doing so. After all, if you are the sort of player who harvests any Crop as soon as it ripens, you can do so even with the Unwither Ring in place. The advantage of this, of course, is to free you from any anxiety or need to watch the clock.
As previously indicated, Co-Op Jobs will recognise Crops planted and harvested on the English Countryside as well as those grown on the Home Farm now. If you are trying to obtain a Gold Medal, you may grow the same Crops on both Farms but if you do so, avoid duplication of Crops offered in the Market Stalls. There is no harm in offering the same Crop on both Farms, but no benefit to you either.
This solves many vexing problems as well as creating the need for new farming strategies.
The ability to access items from either farm and place them on either farm simply solves landscaping and breeding problems without creating the need for any new strategical consideration. It is with respect to farming itself that new strategies become useful.
On each farm, you have a limit of five Market Stalls, giving you the potential total of ten Market Stalls on both farms. Until you complete the English Countryside Quest, 'Home Farm' Crops can be grown only on the Home Farm and English Crops on the English Countryside Farm. Once you complete the final Quest, you can grow any Crop on either farm, as previously indicated.
Where Market Stalls are concerned, you benefit most if you do not duplicate Crops. In other words, there is no need to have a Market Stall on the English Countryside that sells Peppers if you have one on the Home Farm selling the same Crop. This may appear obvious, but there is so much multi-tasking now in FarmVille that a player needs to make certain he/she is farming in the most efficient fashion.
Incidentally, you no longer need to worry about taking Bushels for the Home Farm while on your English Farm or taking English Crops while on the Home Farm, even if you have not completed the English Quests. All Bushels now will be accessible irrespective of a player's current location. Furthermore, you need not be concerned as to the current location of neighbours. All Neighbour Crops will be accessible now irrespective of his/her current location.
Co-op Jobs remain the same at this point in time, but note that Crops planted and harvested on EITHER farm will count towards your required totals.
As far as Farm Aids are concerned, the Unwither Ring only can be placed and operated on the Home Farm. For the English Countryside, there is only the very unsatisfactory Unwither Clock that has to be activated every 30 days again with a fairly hefty payment in FV Cash.
My own advice is to steer clear of the Unwither Clock but to purchase the Unwither Ring if at all possible. Note that the Unwither Ring is available in the Marketplace only at certain points in time. It is available at the time of writing this post, on 29 June, but will vanish from the Market in two days.
The price of the Unwither Ring is 250 Farm Cash, which is a considerable sum in 'real money' but it lasts forever and its benefits are as considerable as the price. To be able to grow fast-growing Crops, in particular, without having to worry about harvesting them before they wither, is an enormous boon to a busy player.
The following tips are applicable solely to players who have an Unwither Ring and have unlocked the ability to share Crops and Items on both Farms.
If you have the Unwither Ring, it is wisest to grow all fast-growing Crops on the Home Farm and slow-growing Crops on the English Countryside. You lose nothing by doing so. After all, if you are the sort of player who harvests any Crop as soon as it ripens, you can do so even with the Unwither Ring in place. The advantage of this, of course, is to free you from any anxiety or need to watch the clock.
As previously indicated, Co-Op Jobs will recognise Crops planted and harvested on the English Countryside as well as those grown on the Home Farm now. If you are trying to obtain a Gold Medal, you may grow the same Crops on both Farms but if you do so, avoid duplication of Crops offered in the Market Stalls. There is no harm in offering the same Crop on both Farms, but no benefit to you either.
Friday, June 10, 2011
Self-Sufficiency and the Philosophy of Farmville
Lately, Farmville has been awash with Quests of all sorts, from the continuing saga of the English Countryside to new Craftshop Quests and the 2nd Anniversary Birthday Celebration of the game itself.
We often discover things about ourselves when playing games such as Harvest Moon and Farmville, the sort of games that are open-ended and allow individual choices on the part of the player. I did not really discover anything NEW about myself, but certain personality traits have been reinforced in playing Farmville, Fantasy Kingdoms and Rune Factory.
For a start, I definitely am a creature of habit who likes to return to a place that is familiar and a place that becomes increasingly invested with memories and pleasurable visual encounters. In other words, if I create a beautiful montage or corner in a Kingdom or on a farm, it pleases me to return to it to discover it anew each time I play the game. Memories, of course, are not merely memories of the actual game, but memories from real life of events that occurred during the period that I played the game. Certain Harvest Moon games have extremely poignant memories attached to them because of the fact that the game brought me consolation and necessary distraction at times of personal tragedy or great physical agony. It therefore would make no sense for me to destroy and then reconstruct a farm or kingdom completely unless I never was happy with it.
The second trait that is both good and bad is that of being of an inveterate packrat. I am as much a packrat in Harvest Moon and Farmville as I am in real life. It disturbs me greatly to lose items that are invested with significance. Other 'useful' items are saved for the chance that they may be needed in the future. The latter trait is one I could modify somewhat without too much damage to the psyche. After all, one can purchase a new box if one needs to send a parcel. One needn't save old boxes... (That habit was born when I sold dolls, and it actually made sense then, but I now am beginning to jettison boxes that are not being used.) In Farmville, I recently have begun to 'clean house' a little as well, because of lack of space and a packed inventory.
Farmville has changed immensely since the early days when I had one little farm instead of two large estates and very few neighbours to help me complete Quests or even construction projects. In the past year, I have become 'friends' with many of my Neighbours, people I met through Farmville, Lovely Farm and Fantasy Kingdoms. In that sense, Facebook as a social network can be very positive.
It is interesting to see how the characters of other people are displayed not only by their choice of games but by the way they behave when they play a game. Many individuals are quite happy to play both social games that involve assistance to Neighbours and combat games that require hostile actions towards their Neighbours. Others play only one type of game, either bored by the idea of sending gifts to Neighbours or put off by the idea of confronting them in combat.
I personally dislike online combat games. If I wish to take out my aggressions on some one, I would rather do it unilaterally against a computer-generated enemy. I loved the early Lord of the Rings games for handheld systems and consoles because my enemies there were devoid of any positive traits and could be slain without any hesitation or regret. I hated everything that Sauron represented and found his minions hideous for the most part. I therefore took pleasure in destroying them.
When enemies are attractive physically or are human beings or animals, it is more difficult for me to slay or destroy them. The games I really found I disliked were those that required the destruction of neighbouring civilisations, whether or not they were computer-generated or built by Neighbours. I do not like to leave smoking devastation behind me and I truly hate to return to my own civilisation to find it in ruins.
In any event, to return to the subject of Farmville, it was one of my first experiences of playing a game where success REQUIRED Neighbours and assistance to and from other people. When one is not playing the game actively, requests from Neighbours can be a trifle annoying, but one needs to remember that those same Neighbours gave assistance when one required it! When one is playing a game actively, Neighbours who respond to requests in a timely fashion are invaluable and it actually kind of restores faith in humanity to some extent. It is a sort of kindness, even if the items that are given are 'virtual' and have no real value.
In this context, it has horrified me to discover how greedy and thoughtless some players can be. There are wonderful players who share their valuable Trees and Animals by posting them on their Walls freely to every one. The greedy Neighbours who take every single Tree when some one posts more than one and who never post a 'thank you' in return are more common than one would like to think. Again and again, I have seen pleas from generous Farmers for their Neighbours to make a simple response of 'Like' when they take something so that other players are not disappointed when they click on the Item only to discover that it is gone.
I am going to write another article on Facebook gaming protocol soon because I do think some players are merely ignorant or thoughtless and have not considered the significance of their actions when they take three Items instead of one from a Neighbour's Wall and leave no comment to thank the giver.
Today, when I was harvesting my Crops on my Home Farm, I realised that the centre core of the Farm has not changed much in a year. In that central space, I grow all the Ingredients needed for my favourite Spa Recipe, which is 'Farmer's Frenzy Perfume'. Many player make their lives easier by concentrating on Recipes that require only two or three Ingredients. I, of course, make my life as complicated as possible, by making the Recipe that requires the largest number of Ingredients!
Actually, I have a passion for Flowers and Perfume, so Farmer's Frenzy Perfume was a natural choice. It is a Recipe that is unlocked only when the Spa is fully upgraded to Level 5. I therefore spent many months looking at it longingly, striving mightily to make enough money and create sufficient items to unlock it and to be able to purchase the last upgrade with Coins that I had earned through my own labours. It uses ingredients that require a fairly decent level of experience as well.
One can purchase Bushels from Neighbours, of course, and doing so is an important part of gameplay, but I like to be able to supply all the ingredients for my perfume myself if Neighbours do not provide them in their Market Stalls.
A favourite Flower of mine is the Iris and unlocking the Iris as a Crop represented another important milestone in my Farmville experience. I still reserve one plot on my Home Farm for Irises simply because they are so lovely. I remember the days when I had not unlocked the Iris but needed it as an Ingredient. I would wait impatiently for some one else to grow them so that I could obtain Bushels from another Player's Market Stall. In the early days, I had only one Neighbour who ever grew Irises and she did so only occasionally. Later, I had a Neighbour who grew the ingredients for the Petal Sachet Co-Op Job consistently.
There is a vintage British comedy about self-sufficiency and farming. In England, it was entitled, 'The Good Life'. When aired in the States, it was given the title, 'Good Neighbours'. When I first began to play Farmville, I thought it would be an exercise in self-sufficiency, an attempt to grow everything oneself that one might need. In fact, self-sufficiency is the antithesis of the Farmville philosophy. The entire focus of the game is sharing, whether it is Bushels, Animals or unique Items.
We often discover things about ourselves when playing games such as Harvest Moon and Farmville, the sort of games that are open-ended and allow individual choices on the part of the player. I did not really discover anything NEW about myself, but certain personality traits have been reinforced in playing Farmville, Fantasy Kingdoms and Rune Factory.
For a start, I definitely am a creature of habit who likes to return to a place that is familiar and a place that becomes increasingly invested with memories and pleasurable visual encounters. In other words, if I create a beautiful montage or corner in a Kingdom or on a farm, it pleases me to return to it to discover it anew each time I play the game. Memories, of course, are not merely memories of the actual game, but memories from real life of events that occurred during the period that I played the game. Certain Harvest Moon games have extremely poignant memories attached to them because of the fact that the game brought me consolation and necessary distraction at times of personal tragedy or great physical agony. It therefore would make no sense for me to destroy and then reconstruct a farm or kingdom completely unless I never was happy with it.
The second trait that is both good and bad is that of being of an inveterate packrat. I am as much a packrat in Harvest Moon and Farmville as I am in real life. It disturbs me greatly to lose items that are invested with significance. Other 'useful' items are saved for the chance that they may be needed in the future. The latter trait is one I could modify somewhat without too much damage to the psyche. After all, one can purchase a new box if one needs to send a parcel. One needn't save old boxes... (That habit was born when I sold dolls, and it actually made sense then, but I now am beginning to jettison boxes that are not being used.) In Farmville, I recently have begun to 'clean house' a little as well, because of lack of space and a packed inventory.
Farmville has changed immensely since the early days when I had one little farm instead of two large estates and very few neighbours to help me complete Quests or even construction projects. In the past year, I have become 'friends' with many of my Neighbours, people I met through Farmville, Lovely Farm and Fantasy Kingdoms. In that sense, Facebook as a social network can be very positive.
It is interesting to see how the characters of other people are displayed not only by their choice of games but by the way they behave when they play a game. Many individuals are quite happy to play both social games that involve assistance to Neighbours and combat games that require hostile actions towards their Neighbours. Others play only one type of game, either bored by the idea of sending gifts to Neighbours or put off by the idea of confronting them in combat.
I personally dislike online combat games. If I wish to take out my aggressions on some one, I would rather do it unilaterally against a computer-generated enemy. I loved the early Lord of the Rings games for handheld systems and consoles because my enemies there were devoid of any positive traits and could be slain without any hesitation or regret. I hated everything that Sauron represented and found his minions hideous for the most part. I therefore took pleasure in destroying them.
When enemies are attractive physically or are human beings or animals, it is more difficult for me to slay or destroy them. The games I really found I disliked were those that required the destruction of neighbouring civilisations, whether or not they were computer-generated or built by Neighbours. I do not like to leave smoking devastation behind me and I truly hate to return to my own civilisation to find it in ruins.
In any event, to return to the subject of Farmville, it was one of my first experiences of playing a game where success REQUIRED Neighbours and assistance to and from other people. When one is not playing the game actively, requests from Neighbours can be a trifle annoying, but one needs to remember that those same Neighbours gave assistance when one required it! When one is playing a game actively, Neighbours who respond to requests in a timely fashion are invaluable and it actually kind of restores faith in humanity to some extent. It is a sort of kindness, even if the items that are given are 'virtual' and have no real value.
In this context, it has horrified me to discover how greedy and thoughtless some players can be. There are wonderful players who share their valuable Trees and Animals by posting them on their Walls freely to every one. The greedy Neighbours who take every single Tree when some one posts more than one and who never post a 'thank you' in return are more common than one would like to think. Again and again, I have seen pleas from generous Farmers for their Neighbours to make a simple response of 'Like' when they take something so that other players are not disappointed when they click on the Item only to discover that it is gone.
I am going to write another article on Facebook gaming protocol soon because I do think some players are merely ignorant or thoughtless and have not considered the significance of their actions when they take three Items instead of one from a Neighbour's Wall and leave no comment to thank the giver.
Today, when I was harvesting my Crops on my Home Farm, I realised that the centre core of the Farm has not changed much in a year. In that central space, I grow all the Ingredients needed for my favourite Spa Recipe, which is 'Farmer's Frenzy Perfume'. Many player make their lives easier by concentrating on Recipes that require only two or three Ingredients. I, of course, make my life as complicated as possible, by making the Recipe that requires the largest number of Ingredients!
Actually, I have a passion for Flowers and Perfume, so Farmer's Frenzy Perfume was a natural choice. It is a Recipe that is unlocked only when the Spa is fully upgraded to Level 5. I therefore spent many months looking at it longingly, striving mightily to make enough money and create sufficient items to unlock it and to be able to purchase the last upgrade with Coins that I had earned through my own labours. It uses ingredients that require a fairly decent level of experience as well.
One can purchase Bushels from Neighbours, of course, and doing so is an important part of gameplay, but I like to be able to supply all the ingredients for my perfume myself if Neighbours do not provide them in their Market Stalls.
A favourite Flower of mine is the Iris and unlocking the Iris as a Crop represented another important milestone in my Farmville experience. I still reserve one plot on my Home Farm for Irises simply because they are so lovely. I remember the days when I had not unlocked the Iris but needed it as an Ingredient. I would wait impatiently for some one else to grow them so that I could obtain Bushels from another Player's Market Stall. In the early days, I had only one Neighbour who ever grew Irises and she did so only occasionally. Later, I had a Neighbour who grew the ingredients for the Petal Sachet Co-Op Job consistently.
There is a vintage British comedy about self-sufficiency and farming. In England, it was entitled, 'The Good Life'. When aired in the States, it was given the title, 'Good Neighbours'. When I first began to play Farmville, I thought it would be an exercise in self-sufficiency, an attempt to grow everything oneself that one might need. In fact, self-sufficiency is the antithesis of the Farmville philosophy. The entire focus of the game is sharing, whether it is Bushels, Animals or unique Items.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Multitasking in Farmville and Common Errors
'Multitasking' is a word that has become a part of our vocabulary since the advent of personal computers. It is a word that describes activities that span two worlds for the most part: a technical world through interaction with a computer or other device and interactions with the 'real world' or 'outside world'. Sometimes these two worlds overlap.
Many individuals profess themselves adept at multitasking but in fact, there are problems even when one attempts to interact simply with the 'real world' and a computer task or tasks simultaneously. I find that the most common errors, however, are part of computer multitasking and in particular, multitasking within the confines of a computer game.
As Farmville has become more detailed and sophisticated, multitasking beocmes vital, even when one simply is harvesting crops on one farm. For a start, there are TWO farms now: the Home Farm and the English Farm. One must maintain awareness of crop growth in both farms, unless one uses the 'Pause' option to halt the passage of time in one farm while visiting the other. I never use that option, nor do many of my friends. When both farms run simultaneously, Orchards continue to move torwards readiness as do Stables and other Animal buildings. With crop growth in both farms, one can make more Recipes in the Pub and the Home Farm Craft of Winery, Spa or Baksery.
Running two farms means that one constantly needs to refuel by purchasing Craft items from other players or making Craft items and using them. With only one Farm, I had 200 items to use at any given point in time and never ran out of fuel. With two farms, I have to be more aware.
This brings me to a very common failure in the multitasking process. If a player runs out of fuel in the middle of a harvest, he/she must FIND fuel somewhere. For me, it is a matter of going into my Pub or Spa to buy and/or use Items made by other players or myself...
As soon as I enter my Craft building, however, I am assaulted by new tasks. I am told that a Recipe has been upgraded through purchase of an item by other players. I then see the Items that are 'ready' to be completed and perform that task. Once that is done, I see the Recipes that can be made with the Bushels I have and ones I can obtain from Neighbours...
Sidetracked, I finish the items that are ready and obtain Bushels for the Recipes that can be made. I then complete as many Recipes as possible. By the time I have done this, I often have forgotten my original reason for accessing the Craft building!
Best case scenario:
I return to the field to find a half-harvested row of Crops. I then must return to the Craft menu to Buy Goods and Use Goods, trading them for fuel. If nothing else interrupts me, I then can return to the field to complete the harvest.
Worst case scenario:
I forget why I ever entered the Craft menu and log out of Farmville without ever completing the Harvest, remembering only that I had harvested my Crops initially. Often I do not return to my farm until those forgotten Crops have withered...
Multitasking in Farmville now involves so much more than planting and harvesting Crops. There are the Orchards filled with Trees from which Mystery Seedlings can be harvested and grown. There is Sheep Breeding and Pig Breeding. There are the regular English Countryside Quest sequences and special Quest sequences that are time-restricted, such as the current Lady Gaga daily Quests.
Remembering always that this is nothing more than a virtual farm and that, apart from farmville, one DOES have a real life, however impoverished it may be on occasion.
Many individuals profess themselves adept at multitasking but in fact, there are problems even when one attempts to interact simply with the 'real world' and a computer task or tasks simultaneously. I find that the most common errors, however, are part of computer multitasking and in particular, multitasking within the confines of a computer game.
As Farmville has become more detailed and sophisticated, multitasking beocmes vital, even when one simply is harvesting crops on one farm. For a start, there are TWO farms now: the Home Farm and the English Farm. One must maintain awareness of crop growth in both farms, unless one uses the 'Pause' option to halt the passage of time in one farm while visiting the other. I never use that option, nor do many of my friends. When both farms run simultaneously, Orchards continue to move torwards readiness as do Stables and other Animal buildings. With crop growth in both farms, one can make more Recipes in the Pub and the Home Farm Craft of Winery, Spa or Baksery.
Running two farms means that one constantly needs to refuel by purchasing Craft items from other players or making Craft items and using them. With only one Farm, I had 200 items to use at any given point in time and never ran out of fuel. With two farms, I have to be more aware.
This brings me to a very common failure in the multitasking process. If a player runs out of fuel in the middle of a harvest, he/she must FIND fuel somewhere. For me, it is a matter of going into my Pub or Spa to buy and/or use Items made by other players or myself...
As soon as I enter my Craft building, however, I am assaulted by new tasks. I am told that a Recipe has been upgraded through purchase of an item by other players. I then see the Items that are 'ready' to be completed and perform that task. Once that is done, I see the Recipes that can be made with the Bushels I have and ones I can obtain from Neighbours...
Sidetracked, I finish the items that are ready and obtain Bushels for the Recipes that can be made. I then complete as many Recipes as possible. By the time I have done this, I often have forgotten my original reason for accessing the Craft building!
Best case scenario:
I return to the field to find a half-harvested row of Crops. I then must return to the Craft menu to Buy Goods and Use Goods, trading them for fuel. If nothing else interrupts me, I then can return to the field to complete the harvest.
Worst case scenario:
I forget why I ever entered the Craft menu and log out of Farmville without ever completing the Harvest, remembering only that I had harvested my Crops initially. Often I do not return to my farm until those forgotten Crops have withered...
Multitasking in Farmville now involves so much more than planting and harvesting Crops. There are the Orchards filled with Trees from which Mystery Seedlings can be harvested and grown. There is Sheep Breeding and Pig Breeding. There are the regular English Countryside Quest sequences and special Quest sequences that are time-restricted, such as the current Lady Gaga daily Quests.
Remembering always that this is nothing more than a virtual farm and that, apart from farmville, one DOES have a real life, however impoverished it may be on occasion.
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Sheep Breeding Finally Realises its Potential
Many of us who had adopted or bred exotic Sheep on our farms were severely disappointed when they began to produce a multitude of White Rams and Ewes, losing every vestige of the unique qualities of the parents. As time passed, however, Farmville began to release Rams and Ewes that possessed some of the same qualities, such as colour-change or a face masque.
Today, Farmville added a breeding prediction window to the Pigpen and the Sheep Pen. Whenever you choose a Ram and Ewe for breeding purposes, a little window will open above them showing ALL the potential results. Arrows beneath the Ram and the Ewe both allow you to change the Breeding Couple to see how potential results will be affected. You therefore now are able to see not only what exotic types CAN be produced but the chances of producing a 'dud' or all-white Ram or Ewe.
This is extremely helpful as well as exciting. Players who lost interest in sheep breeding probably will have their passion for the sport rekindled now.
For me, the breeding result window finally answers a lot of questions. Although some qualities can skip a generation, others will be lost when breeding occurs. Colour is a quality that can skip a generation evidently. An orange and yellow Ram therefore may produce a Green and Yellow or Green lamb if one of HIS parents was Green. All-white or Dud Rams and Ewes sadly appear to lose all ancestral qualities and therefore do not add to the gene pool when bred.
It appears that some unique qualities are 'stronger' than others. The masque or coloured patch over one eye is a very weak or recessive gene and the chances of producing it are not great. Moreover, it does not appear to skip generations in the way that colour can. If, therefore, a Ram or Ewe with a patch produces a solid Ram or Ewe, the solid Ram/Ewe when bred will not produce a lamb with a patch under any circumstances. I am basing this solely on my own research, however, and would be delighted if some one can refute this!
Other special qualities include stars, dots, two-tone, colour-change and camouflage. Using two camouflage parents who each sport different colours can produce some amazing results. Remember, however, that the position of the pattern does make a difference. I produced some solid sheep from two camouflage parents simply because they had the same colour in the opposite position!
Today, Farmville added a breeding prediction window to the Pigpen and the Sheep Pen. Whenever you choose a Ram and Ewe for breeding purposes, a little window will open above them showing ALL the potential results. Arrows beneath the Ram and the Ewe both allow you to change the Breeding Couple to see how potential results will be affected. You therefore now are able to see not only what exotic types CAN be produced but the chances of producing a 'dud' or all-white Ram or Ewe.
This is extremely helpful as well as exciting. Players who lost interest in sheep breeding probably will have their passion for the sport rekindled now.
For me, the breeding result window finally answers a lot of questions. Although some qualities can skip a generation, others will be lost when breeding occurs. Colour is a quality that can skip a generation evidently. An orange and yellow Ram therefore may produce a Green and Yellow or Green lamb if one of HIS parents was Green. All-white or Dud Rams and Ewes sadly appear to lose all ancestral qualities and therefore do not add to the gene pool when bred.
It appears that some unique qualities are 'stronger' than others. The masque or coloured patch over one eye is a very weak or recessive gene and the chances of producing it are not great. Moreover, it does not appear to skip generations in the way that colour can. If, therefore, a Ram or Ewe with a patch produces a solid Ram or Ewe, the solid Ram/Ewe when bred will not produce a lamb with a patch under any circumstances. I am basing this solely on my own research, however, and would be delighted if some one can refute this!
Other special qualities include stars, dots, two-tone, colour-change and camouflage. Using two camouflage parents who each sport different colours can produce some amazing results. Remember, however, that the position of the pattern does make a difference. I produced some solid sheep from two camouflage parents simply because they had the same colour in the opposite position!
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
New Lady Gaga Quests in Farmville
Whatever one may know or feel about Lady Gaga, the new Gagaville Quests in Farmville offer an opportunity to obtain Coins and some interesting Items. Furthermore, the Limited Edition Gaga Crops actually can be used to create Recipes in the Pub as well as the traditional Home Farm Crafts of Bakery, Spa and Winery.
The Gaga Crop Recipes are:
Winery:
Crystalmist Wine
Ingredients:
2 Bushels of Crystals
3 Bushels of Sugar Cane
2 Bushels of White Grapes
If you are a fan of Lady Gaga, you can obtain a preview of her new album by visiting Gagaville and performing her little Quests every day. Even if you are not a fan, you can perform the Quests and obtain the Items. I am a great lover of minerals and Crystals, so have been very pleased by the appearance of a Crystal Garden in the Marketplace. Gaga Items and Crops, incidentally, can be grown in either Farm.
The Gaga Crop Recipes are:
Winery:
Crystalmist Wine
Ingredients:
2 Bushels of Crystals
3 Bushels of Sugar Cane
2 Bushels of White Grapes
If you are a fan of Lady Gaga, you can obtain a preview of her new album by visiting Gagaville and performing her little Quests every day. Even if you are not a fan, you can perform the Quests and obtain the Items. I am a great lover of minerals and Crystals, so have been very pleased by the appearance of a Crystal Garden in the Marketplace. Gaga Items and Crops, incidentally, can be grown in either Farm.
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