A little late-night rumination that I wanted to share with you all. I often question the way I play my games, and even a non-competitive pasttime like tending my farm is no exception. When one of my new friends posted that they will not accept any gifts other than shed parts, I wondered why, but accommodated her request. Recently, however, she posted that she would now accept Dog Bowls, which got me thinking further about what prompted the change. Here is the result of my introspective evening
I am doing away with the daily part requests, perpetual "underground construction" tile on my farm, and accepting shed parts as gifts... And it is not only a relief, but I believe it is the more prudent choice. Here is the simple math for why "Coopers" may be the new "Shedies."
Tool Shed: 10,000 coins + 20 parts, for 1,100 xp
Chicken Coop: 100 coins for 35xp
Looking strictly at a coins-to-xp ratio, sheds are 100x the cost, for only about 32x the xp. *No parts required* - an unlimited number may be built when desired, as opposed to the maximum 2 sheds per day if a perfect return of 40 parts (10 each kind) between gifts and part requests are achieved.
There is a hidden cost, however. This requires more tapping per xp. Each Coop requires 4 taps (2 to buy, 2 to sell). 32 coops will require 128 taps, whereas one shed will only require about a fifth of that, after factoring the taps it takes to request parts.
If you are not averse to a little extra tapping, it is therefore more profitable experience-wise, to only accept dog bowls as a means to buying more coops. At 400 coins per bowl resale value, this earns 140 xp if the proceeds are put directly into coops. Compared to accepting a single shed part as a gift, this is by far preferable: a part is only 1/20th of a tool Shed (before even considering the coin cost) and therefore effectively equivalent to only 55xp per part.
So as far as gifts go, fine - all bowls... But I get 20 free part requests daily - am I to let those go to waste, unused? Well, in terms of coins, yes. If your goal is to gain xp, it costs more coins to turn those 20 parts into xp, than simply buying coops.
We all have our own way to play, and if you enjoy the interactive way that Shedies cooperate to advance, or prefer fewer taps and the slower pace for your xp, that is all jolly well. But if you are a mini/maxer and purport that sheds are king for power-leveling, consider hanging with Mr Cooper! Thanks for reading, neighbors!