couch farmer
07-12-10, 07:37 AM
I?ve been asked the same question a lot recently. Can?t post long guidebooks on everyone?s wall, so will refer people here.
Basics
Every item has a coin value and an XP value. I?ll be referring only to crops (with a tiny reference to decorations in the last section). Coins are great, but to move up in the levels, you?ll need the XP. I?ve been asked what my ?secret? was. Simple ? the secret is: it?s all in the numbers.
Crop value - coins / XP
The specified coins/XP/time for an item is actually not the final number of coins or XP you?ll get for seeding it in your farm. You will need to consider the plowing of the ground as well. That?s 10 coins less, and 1 XP more than the given data. Time, too doesn?t take into account the plow-seed-harvest time. That?s only about 1-2 seconds per plot, but amounts to considerable time on large farms (was the 22X22 expansion really necessary? :)) and should also be considered carefully with the short-term crops.
Note that for crops growing for 1 day or more, the last day is actually 22 hours long. This is only one of MANY brilliant UI features the Farm Story has ? if you can only log on once a day at the same time, your crops will be ready and waiting for you, even if it took you several minutes to seed them the previous day.
So, considering the XP from all sources, short-term crops will always yield more XP points than crops taking longer to grow. The same is almost true for coins, with a few exceptions, so here?s a quick-list of crops from the most profitable to the less profitable:
Raspberry, Strawberry, Cranberry, pineapple, Squash (6 hours that yields more coins per day than 3-hour Cantaloupe, and 4-hour blackcurrent!) coffee (if you don?t have it yet, broccoli is great too), soy, okra, quinoa.
Note that there are no profitable 12 and 16-hour crops. Broccoli yields per plot at least as much as crops of this time period, and Soy yields much more. If you?re away for up to 15 hours, seed coffee/broccoli ? it won?t wither. If you?re away for longer, seed soy. Same goes for the beautiful rice. Can?t help it. If all you want is more coins and you?re away for 3 days or more, quinoa is a better choice.
Neighbours and watering
A watered plot will give 20 more coins and an extra XP when harvested. Note that both the coins and XP are lost if not reaching harvest (either selling it before harvest or letting it wither). Watering is a nice option and a good way to be nice to people, but if you have a ripe crop that has not been watered, don?t wait with the harvest (have actually seen people do it). One round of strawberries (5 minutes) or two rounds of raspberry (2 minutes) on the vacated plot will give you the lost coins and double the lost XP.
The watering option is more relevant for the longer-term crops than for the short-term ones. Even the best neighbours will not be able to cover a vast field of strawberries in 5 minutes. If you?re a heavy waterer/wateree (??) than these coins and XP should also be considered when deciding which crops to seed. For example, while one round of squash is marginally more profitable than two rounds of cantaloupes, with double the potential water, the cantaloupes become more profitable.
expansions
If you can expand, do it! No, seriously. If coins and XP are what you?re interested in, expand as soon as the option is available to you and you have enough coins. The bigger your farm is, the more crops you can grow, the more productive it is. Of course, better leave a few coins aside for plowing and seeding the new bought area, but even if you forget to put aside the coins for the seeds you want, don?t worry about it. Another great thing about this game is that you have very-short-term crops that cost nothing. Just seed-harvest a few rounds of raspberries, and you?re good to go. Moreover, even if you don?t have the coins to plow the ground (honestly!) Just come back to the farm after midnight Pacific, and you?ll get bonus coins that will keep you going (great UI experience. did I mention it?).
Skipping levels
Several of my neighbours have noticed that I skipped straight from level 72 to 75. To everyone who asked ? you did not imagine it. A good way to collect a lot of XP at once is to buy high-XP property. That?s what the remaining coins are for. Now, if you?re done climbing up the levels and you have the time to decorate (I don?t, at the moment :( ) then you can keep the stuff. Otherwise, sell it. The XP will stay with you. For that jump from 72 to 75, over 100 gazeboes paid with their lives. Of all the decorations, gazeboes, lantern and wood piles give the best XP/coins ratio. Of the crops, seeding and then selling rice gives a better XP/coins ratio, but that?s A LOT of rice to buy and sell to skip over the high levels.
Final words
There is no right way or wrong way to play Farm Story (except leaving profanities on ppl?s walls. ahha!) This is the way I?ve been playing so far, mainly because I?m impatient. I see beautiful farms out there at level 30-35, and I?m a little jealous. Will probably decorate my own farm as soon as Real Life relents its pressure a little. In the mean time, bought me a doggy. So be sure to give him a good petting if you?re around :)
Basics
Every item has a coin value and an XP value. I?ll be referring only to crops (with a tiny reference to decorations in the last section). Coins are great, but to move up in the levels, you?ll need the XP. I?ve been asked what my ?secret? was. Simple ? the secret is: it?s all in the numbers.
Crop value - coins / XP
The specified coins/XP/time for an item is actually not the final number of coins or XP you?ll get for seeding it in your farm. You will need to consider the plowing of the ground as well. That?s 10 coins less, and 1 XP more than the given data. Time, too doesn?t take into account the plow-seed-harvest time. That?s only about 1-2 seconds per plot, but amounts to considerable time on large farms (was the 22X22 expansion really necessary? :)) and should also be considered carefully with the short-term crops.
Note that for crops growing for 1 day or more, the last day is actually 22 hours long. This is only one of MANY brilliant UI features the Farm Story has ? if you can only log on once a day at the same time, your crops will be ready and waiting for you, even if it took you several minutes to seed them the previous day.
So, considering the XP from all sources, short-term crops will always yield more XP points than crops taking longer to grow. The same is almost true for coins, with a few exceptions, so here?s a quick-list of crops from the most profitable to the less profitable:
Raspberry, Strawberry, Cranberry, pineapple, Squash (6 hours that yields more coins per day than 3-hour Cantaloupe, and 4-hour blackcurrent!) coffee (if you don?t have it yet, broccoli is great too), soy, okra, quinoa.
Note that there are no profitable 12 and 16-hour crops. Broccoli yields per plot at least as much as crops of this time period, and Soy yields much more. If you?re away for up to 15 hours, seed coffee/broccoli ? it won?t wither. If you?re away for longer, seed soy. Same goes for the beautiful rice. Can?t help it. If all you want is more coins and you?re away for 3 days or more, quinoa is a better choice.
Neighbours and watering
A watered plot will give 20 more coins and an extra XP when harvested. Note that both the coins and XP are lost if not reaching harvest (either selling it before harvest or letting it wither). Watering is a nice option and a good way to be nice to people, but if you have a ripe crop that has not been watered, don?t wait with the harvest (have actually seen people do it). One round of strawberries (5 minutes) or two rounds of raspberry (2 minutes) on the vacated plot will give you the lost coins and double the lost XP.
The watering option is more relevant for the longer-term crops than for the short-term ones. Even the best neighbours will not be able to cover a vast field of strawberries in 5 minutes. If you?re a heavy waterer/wateree (??) than these coins and XP should also be considered when deciding which crops to seed. For example, while one round of squash is marginally more profitable than two rounds of cantaloupes, with double the potential water, the cantaloupes become more profitable.
expansions
If you can expand, do it! No, seriously. If coins and XP are what you?re interested in, expand as soon as the option is available to you and you have enough coins. The bigger your farm is, the more crops you can grow, the more productive it is. Of course, better leave a few coins aside for plowing and seeding the new bought area, but even if you forget to put aside the coins for the seeds you want, don?t worry about it. Another great thing about this game is that you have very-short-term crops that cost nothing. Just seed-harvest a few rounds of raspberries, and you?re good to go. Moreover, even if you don?t have the coins to plow the ground (honestly!) Just come back to the farm after midnight Pacific, and you?ll get bonus coins that will keep you going (great UI experience. did I mention it?).
Skipping levels
Several of my neighbours have noticed that I skipped straight from level 72 to 75. To everyone who asked ? you did not imagine it. A good way to collect a lot of XP at once is to buy high-XP property. That?s what the remaining coins are for. Now, if you?re done climbing up the levels and you have the time to decorate (I don?t, at the moment :( ) then you can keep the stuff. Otherwise, sell it. The XP will stay with you. For that jump from 72 to 75, over 100 gazeboes paid with their lives. Of all the decorations, gazeboes, lantern and wood piles give the best XP/coins ratio. Of the crops, seeding and then selling rice gives a better XP/coins ratio, but that?s A LOT of rice to buy and sell to skip over the high levels.
Final words
There is no right way or wrong way to play Farm Story (except leaving profanities on ppl?s walls. ahha!) This is the way I?ve been playing so far, mainly because I?m impatient. I see beautiful farms out there at level 30-35, and I?m a little jealous. Will probably decorate my own farm as soon as Real Life relents its pressure a little. In the mean time, bought me a doggy. So be sure to give him a good petting if you?re around :)