Tips and Tricks for Finding Good Neighbours

[SyddieSweetShop]

Because of the ridiculous new goal system, I've been seeing talks about types on neighbours all year. So, I decided to start this thread to share my tips and tricks to help YOU find good neighbours. Feel free to add yours too!!!

Hi, I'm Syddie and I've been playing Bakery Story since 2020 - the starting of Covid. I'm not that much of a long time player. However, during these couple of years, I've encountered a lot of different types of neighbours.

Here are some tips to finding good neighbours:

▪Lay down your rules: Its important that you leave your playing rules on your board. That way when someone looks at your board, they see it and if they don't like it, they'll simply leave and not add. Make sure to keep your board clear so they'll be able to see your rules, cause no one wants to scroll through 3 months of messages to see your ID. Newcomers obviously look for your ID to add you so keep a message letting them know your rules before adding you

Trick for this tip: Leave something that'll let you know if they read the rules. For me, all players can't just see my ID and not the rules. It's highly unlikely. Sadly, I have seen people do that. Apparently reading and comprehending is an issue in game. I know they didn't read - or rather chose to ignore my rules- because of their ID and star rating. If their own aren't matching my requirements, I know they'll just be another one of those neighbours who'd gift you goal after you stated 3 times you're ready for capp ;-; So, I don't add them.

▪Old people are better neighbours: some of you may think Janice who's 20 is more likely to play better than Julie who's 60. Gurlllll lemme tell you, no one reads your board, tells you sweet messages and prayers everyday than an old person. I love themmmm. Most of them have nothing to do so they're committed to a game where they can bake and chat. They're veryyy considerate and reads boards a lot. They aren't rude and don't bother you.

Trick for this tip: the easiest way to know who's old from who's not is definitely their username or message board. The way they talk. "Hello sweet dear, please send me basic parts tomorrow". Just an example. I'm aware not all old ppl are sweet and some bout that life, iykyk XD

▪How do they play: I used to add ppl via other's board. I'd see their post and that already tells me they're someone who posts on boards so they're most likely to read my board posts. Still, I advise you check their board too to know if they have "full" in it too much. That tells you if they're a regular player or every 2 days they're on.

Hope this helps :)

[DieFarm2]

The part with the old people is funny 😃 I am not sure about it. If somebody calls me sweety I rather think it is an US american 😌
That seems to be more of a cultural thing than a sign of age.
I am a European and if I write that I pray for someone, it means I really sit down and pray for the person, because of a need she has.

My way of finding good neighbors is:

- I write my playing style on my wall. I check other peoples playing style and see whether it fits together.

- I don?t add neighbors with a messy board. But I am interested in neighbors with a ?talkative? board. I like the social aspect of the game.

- I never add neighbors, who make rules what I have to do. The kind of people who write ?I only gift back, if you gift first? or people who expect me to check their bakery every day for their wishes.
I massgift and come along tipping later.

- I take time zones into consideration. It helps to ask neighbors where they are coming from.
My korean neighbors and I are usually not playing at the same time. When I come from work, my
american neighbors just got up.
So if I need something very urgently I send my material requests (if it is only one or two parts) to my english or German neighbors.
They are awake when I am. And never forget: it is only a game. Some people have lifes and are not constantly staring at their mobile.
I also explain where I am and what that means: my reset time is during my work time and I play after work. The five day goal starts at about 2am in the morning/night. I tend to sleep then.
People who are fanatic and expect me to wake up for a game, might not like me as a neighbor. 😎

- I removed quickly. In the beginning I did it with explanations or after asking several times for the right gift.
In the meantime I don?t say anything and just remove people who constantly send wrong gifts or disappear.
BUT: only if we are not on talking terms. I surly don?t throw out people, if we have more than just a copy and paste conversation.
If they go away for longer, I ask them to tell me when they are back.

After really being frustrated in the beginning, I am much more relaxed now. I can not change people, but I can decide what I want.
I get frustrated, when I faithfully deliver a cappuccino every day to a cappuccino player and as an answer I get a copy and paste message, asking for cappuccino.
Or getting messages from the same person every day that my gifts are maxed, when I knew they are not.
Removing people who frustrated me, was a big help to like playing 🙂

I don?t add newbies. Sorry to say that. But usually they did not find out yet, what all these parts in the gift list are for and randomly send just something they think looks good.
I tried to explain what the parts are for. Sometimes people appreciate it. But sometimes they are offended, because they think like in real life?never complain about a gift?.

I keep my neighborhood small. I can only receive 20 gifts per day and 20 material requests of mine can be answered.
So I don?t know why lots of neighbors should be better than just 20. In the moment I have 25, because some of my old neighbors are busy or have family affairs to look for and can not play so often.

It works well for me. And yes, I can complete the goals, if somebody is wondering.
But I only started goals on level 99. I tried on a lower level, but without all oven slots opened, it is much more stressful.

[SyddieSweetShop]

I don?t add newbies. Sorry to say that. But usually they did not find out yet, what all these parts in the gift list are for and randomly send just something they think looks good.
I tried to explain what the parts are for. Sometimes people appreciate it. But sometimes they are offended, because they think like in real life?never complain about a gift?.

I keep my neighborhood small. I can only receive 20 gifts per day and 20 material requests of mine can be answered.
So I don?t know why lots of neighbors should be better than just 20. In the moment I have 25, because some of my old neighbors are busy or have family affairs to look for and can not play so often.


I totally agree with you here! The lowest level I add is 30. I've had experiences before with newbies and they were all bad. I think back to when I was new to the game and realise I must've been hell to deal with XD

I used to have 70+ neighbours. Now I have less than 40. The biggest issue I used to have with so much neighbours is the tipping. Every 3 hours, I was full. My bakery has always been small so therefore I couldn't receive much tips at the same time. Now I still have a small bakery, but the less neighbours make it better. I can receive 11 tips before I'm full. With a 3 am recent, that's no issue. When I wake up at 9 am, there's still space left for tips :)

[DieFarm2]

To be honest, I like tips, but if I am full I am full. I clear the tables when I play and that is it.
I have enough tables to keep the customers happy, but for me the decoration aspect of the game is nice.
I understand why people have lots of tables, but I rather have less tips, but more decoration.
There are usually about 24 seats taken whether you have 50 tables or just 24.
So I opt for just enough tables, but not too much.

But I have two neighbors who build pictures with the tables. They are great.

[sadieroo24]

The game has intensified! FOUR GOALS per cycle!!!

For this reason, getting the correct gift needed is imperative! (yes, I know you can delete unwanted gifts.) I am a BIG fan of sending the EXACT gift my neighbors need. (I don’t mass gift and cross my fingers!)

My number one suggestion: look for neighbors who post their wished gift in their messages AND/OR on their walls!!

Correct gifting! Number ONE for me! ((I like the suggestions listed in previous posts, too!))

[shortdanzr]

i'm different from you people. i have a LOT of neighbors. i mass gift and rarely tip. i don't expect people to tip. its nice. but definitely not necessary. with enough neighbors, i can accept what gifts i want and if it is not what i want, i just delete it and i have enough people who gift that eventually i will get most of what i want.

[DieFarm2]

i'm different from you people. i have a LOT of neighbors. i mass gift and rarely tip. i don't expect people to tip. its nice. but definitely not necessary. with enough neighbors, i can accept what gifts i want and if it is not what i want, i just delete it and i have enough people who gift that eventually i will get most of what i want.

May I ask whether you talk with your neighbors? I like the social aspect of the game and wonder how you do that with lots of neighbors?

[shortdanzr]

May I ask whether you talk with your neighbors? I like the social aspect of the game and wonder how you do that with lots of neighbors?

i don't. the reason i don't visit is that my tablet will crash after visiting a few neighbors. i don't have the time to talk to my neighbors. even for me to do anything at work, i have to use my own cell service and data. i can't use the work wifi.

[Jen4bee]

I love to see everyone?s different play styles. I am a very shy person and I have social anxiety so the message board on my game is just too much for me!! If someone comments a question I will go and answer or if they say something really sweet I want to thank them for. But honestly I cannot open that wall daily, it?s just too much for me.

I don?t like neighbors that are demanding and have lots of rules, I play for fun. I?ve been playing this game for well over 10 years, I can?t even remember when I started to be honest.

My Bakery name has my game ID in it so anyone can add me. I accept everyone who adds me. I try to tip daily because I like having 4 stars. I do have too many neighbors though (it stays around 100) so from time to time I will keep an eye on neighbors who are newer and the tables don?t clear and food goes rotten. They are the ones I delete first but I love giving new people a chance as that?s is how you get into the game and enjoy it right?

I?m also to the point where I?ve maxed experience, my profits are more than I?ll ever need to do anything in game and I?ve maxed out all the foods - so I play to do the new goals where there?s new foods to max out and that?s it. I have no desire to do a goal that makes old foods unless I really like the prize.

When it comes to gifts I try my best to gift what people gift me or if they ask for something specific but like I said the message board stresses me out so I avoid it. I would prefer if people didn?t spam my board with ?tng? but that?s their play style so I?m not going to tell them not to.

The last thing I will note is I do look at my recent activity and make sure to visit those accounts first when I go on my tipping errands.

[shortdanzr]

plus i have found since i started doing all the 5 day goals here on the message boards, i get a lot of people who request me as a friend. only a few people have i deleted as a friend.

[LightAndLove83]

The game has intensified! FOUR GOALS per cycle!!!

For this reason, getting the correct gift needed is imperative! (yes, I know you can delete unwanted gifts.) I am a BIG fan of sending the EXACT gift my neighbors need. (I don’t mass gift and cross my fingers!)

My number one suggestion: look for neighbors who post their wished gift in their messages AND/OR on their walls!!

Correct gifting! Number ONE for me! ((I like the suggestions listed in previous posts, too!))

I’ve heard every excuse in the book, but the funniest one is, “It’s just a game.” Thank you captain obvious, but that is a loose argument. Every game has a strategy and “rules” to the game. The only difference in this one is, you make your OWN rules, but there are some tricks that help.

“It’s called a gift for a reason.” Yes, it’s called a gift, but the reason doesn’t matter and I feel its nomenclature is inconsequential. Actually, we transact in the game. Goods for services. If I went to a store and ordered a hammer, but was given a screwdriver, I’d give the screwdriver back and clarify I wanted a hammer. If they still insisted on giving me a hammer, I’d do business elsewhere. My book case requires a hammer!

By not gifting your neighbor what they need (or refusing to), you’re hijacking their game play. It’s rude at the very least and manipulative at worse.

All that said, I do not begrudge players that like to play however they like to play, but if they don’t care to be helpful, then we probably won’t make good neighbors.

On a side note: I don’t freak out if someone makes a mistake. They happen. I can’t ask people to be perfect - nobody is, but dialing it up a notch is highly preferred.

So, I agree. The game has gone all gonzo, and we need the parts we request more then ever. Players are complaining they can’t finish goals. What are we doing here if we aren’t going to win decoration to display in our bakery and restaurant. That’s the shtick right? The only game so far where you can be creative and they have made it almost impossible to do that. :(

Anyways, I digress…if you need a good neighbor who will gift you what you need, post to your wall with my needs, play daily, and play goals, and you’re willing to do the same, hit me up. I love players who like to make the game fun and worth playing.

Tootles!

[Sprinklessweettreats]

You are more than welcome to add me Sprinklessweettreats and marianasbakery1o1 Im a silent player and I gift goal parts and answer requests several times through out the day. Also on restaurant story

[Barcelonacakes]

Anyone feel free to add me too. I always gift and answer requests, I don?t always tip though

[nodama]

I've been playing this game since sometime in the first year it was out. My own personal play style has changed over the years but here are some of the things I've learned:

1. Higher level players are more likely to stick around AND know more about the game. I prefer level 99 players but will generally accept level 90+.
2. OP is right, it's not 100% the case, but in general middle aged and older players are usually friendlier and all around better neighbors.
3. As already said post on your wall what gifting and tipping style you prefer. Visit random people and post your preferred style on their wall and offer to be neighbors if compatible.
4. If you're a non-tipper and need to pick up new neighbors visit the Community tab, scroll down and specifically look for low star people to visit, post that you're a non-tipper, what your gifting style is and ask if they want to be your neighbor. Conversely look for max star people if you want tipping neighbors.
5. If you add someone and find your gaming styles aren't compatible because they didn't read your wall or whatever you can send them a polite "sorry our gaming style isn't compatible, I wish you luck!" kind of note and simply remove them. Nothing says you have to keep neighbors you don't vibe with.

The ultimate trick I've found that has brought the most success to me personally however was to join a group that coordinated their efforts....

I'm part of a group with very specific rules that we developed to make it easier for us all to work towards goals. I won't say "complete" as that no longer seems feasible for many players. :( We keep track of player activity so that if someone ghost quits we can remove them from our neighbor list. Or if someone is out temporarily we announce it so people know not to go to that neighbor with requests. We only allow current long goal gifts (most players already have parts for the shorter goal ovens and/or they require fewer so people can request them), we never gift food. The parts gifting strategy has changed over time as the goal styles have changed. Daily gifting/accepting requests is required but tipping is not. People are free to have as many outside group neighbors as they like. Some folks like myself don't really socialize much and never tip, others do socialize/tip with like-minded group members. So we all get our preferred game style on that front.

It may seem strict to have rules like monthly check-ins and what you're allowed to gift but as a result we have a group large enough to receive all the goal parts we need each day from a known active neighbor list. We're flexible as can be on many things and stricter on a few. As a result we've had a great core group of neighbors for several years now in both Bakery and Restaurant. I've gradually lost almost every single neighbor I had that wasn't part of the group over the last few years but the group has continued on strong. We lose people at roughly the rate we gain new ones.

[DieFarm2]

The game has intensified! FOUR GOALS per cycle!!!

For this reason, getting the correct gift needed is imperative! (yes, I know you can delete unwanted gifts.) I am a BIG fan of sending the EXACT gift my neighbors need. (I don?t mass gift and cross my fingers!)

My number one suggestion: look for neighbors who post their wished gift in their messages AND/OR on their walls!!

Correct gifting! Number ONE for me! ((I like the suggestions listed in previous posts, too!))

As I wrote, I massgift. But that doesn?t mean my neighbors don?t get what they need.
Most of them are cappuccino players.
Some play goals. Two prefer basic parts. And one is building ovens with specific basic parts in the moment.
So the other basic parts player get what she needs, too.
With the amount of goals: The majority of my goal playing neighbors write on my wall what they want.
Two don?t really care, because they don?t take goals too seriously.
One keeps copy and paste goal release times, which is helpful.

Massgifting doesn?t mean everyone gets the same gift. But I don?t do what I did in the beginning: scrolling back and forth for gifts.
I massgift the cappuccino, usually the 14 day goal parts (we all kind of follow the same pattern?first goal parts until Friday and then second goal parts) and basic parts.

Only the five day goals sometimes need some scrolling.

The good thing about a small neighborhood is, that I usually know by heart how everyone is playing.