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Shaw
05-22-10, 11:25 AM
**IMPORTANT... this guide is (as of yet) unfinished.

PREFACE: This guide is an attempt to explain how to make money and gain experience as fast as possible in the game of Farm Story. It does not contain comprehensive lists of information pertaining to purchasable items, nor does it offer advice as to how you are most likely to enjoy playing the game.
The author is not privy to all pertinent information concerning game mechanics, and this guide relies heavily upon 'common sense' assumptions.

**WARNING... there will be some simple math involved in ready this guide.

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Hello, and welcome to my Farm Story guide! I've very recently purchased this highly entertaining app on my iPhone, and I've noticed a few things in my playing experience that I'd like to share. I'm going to take my best shot at being succinct and helpful; so, let's get started!

First things first, I'd like to answer the proposed question before explaining my conclusion. To farm the greatest amount of money and experience in the shortest amount of time, you should:

1. Stick to crops, and avoid trees/animals. Trees yield only small profits, and take a very long time to pay themselves off. Both trees and animals preclude experience gains, since you aren't able to plow the land underneath them.
2. Avoid excessively decorating your farm. After all, decorations take up space that you could use for valuable farming.
3. Think ahead before you take a break from farming. Don't leave an empty farm. Instead, plant the most valuable crop item that has a timer corresponding to how long you'll be away.

If you want to make money and gain experience as fast as possible, then you should repeatedly plant either Raspberries or Strawberries, making sure to harvest them diligently, and re-plant ASAP. Otherwise, refer back to #3 above.

Read on for a more detailed explanation...

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Here is the section with some simple mathematics. I'm not going to complete the equations for every item in the game, but I will explain how the basic formulas work. Also, based on my advice above, I'm only going to be looking at crop items. In order to do so, we need to consider each plant as a group of variables, as follows:

E = Expense (coins) $
R = Revenue (coins) $
X = Experience (points) #
T = Time (hrs) #

For example, Corn looks like this:

E = 35
R = 115
X = 4
T = 24

Now, to figure out how quickly Corn will boost your funds and farm level, we apply some logic:

R - E = Profit
P / T = Profit per unit of Time (in hours)
X / T = Experience per unit of Time (again, in hours)

Using these three equations, we see that Corn is worth 3 coins an hour, and roughly 0.21 points of experience. In comparison, Strawberries are worth 240 coins, and 12 experience points every hour. If you apply the same math to every item in the game, you'll see how Strawberries and Raspberries are the most valuable. In fact, you'll probably decide that Raspberries are more valuable than Strawberries. But wait, let's take it one step further...

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Consider that, while you tap away at your field, the game keeps track of pending jobs (such as plowing or planting). As near as I can tell, it takes roughly half a second for the game to plow one square of land. Therefore, if you were to begin with a 10x10 patch of dirt, before plowing, it would take at least 50 seconds to plow every square. Add another 50 seconds for planting, and you can effectively add another minute and a half to your crop's grow time. That means that, where Raspberries and Strawberries were once set apart in value, they are much closer. This is owing to the fact that 100 seconds more than doubles the variable 'T' for Raspberries, while it only increases 'T' for Strawberries by a fraction. This means that, once your farm is 13x13, Strawberries and Raspberries become almost equal.

The equation looks like this:

Modified Time = (Time + (Farm Size / 60)) / 60

So, if your farm is 13 x 13 (or, 169 squares), then the time of Raspberries is actually closer to 3.82 minutes, which yields 15.72 experience each hour, and 157 coins. With the same math, Strawberries are found to yield 15.35 experience each hour, and 154 coins. And now we see how the two are relatively equal in terms of value. It all depends on how hard you want to work.

Shaw
05-22-10, 11:26 AM
**RESERVED... for when I get around to writing more of the guide.

Farmer Elle
05-22-10, 05:04 PM
If you have a life and can't plant strawbs and raspberries 24/7 then the next best thing to do is:

plant broccoli twice a day - earns 570 coins per plot per day
plant cabbages 3 times a day - earns 450 coins per plot per day
plant blackcurrants 4 times a day - earns 420 coins per plot per day

Shaw
05-22-10, 11:12 PM
Modified Time = (Time + (Farm Size / 60)) / 60


Bump... new info above.