Game strategies

When farmers talk about "efficiency" in this game, they generally mean maximizing yield per unit of time. In other words, making the best use of the space we have in the time we're given.

What squigglegiggle said about there being no difference in net yield between one 2x2 and four 1x1s is true if you do not use any buffs. However, most farmers tend to use artisan products like carrot-apple chutney (CAC) when harvesting crops because it gives an extra 2 crops per plot regardless of size. That's why we generally say 1x1s are more efficient if you have enough seeds to cover all available fields in 1x1s, because why settle for 2 extra crops from a single 2x2 when you can get 8 extra crops from 4 1x1s (+2 crops per 1x1) in the same amount of space?

It's a little different for the first couple of rounds because we usually only get 5-10 starter seeds in a typical event and we need to build those up so that we have enough seeds to cover our fields with 1x1s. It takes at least 2 rounds to do that if you use everything that is available to you, maybe longer if you're very stingy with buffs and other resources.

Using the current event as an example, we get 10 seeds at the beginning of the event and 2 fields (main field and green meadow) to work with.

In round 1, you could plant those 10 starter seeds on 10 1x1s and get a total of 40 crops with CAC (4 crops per 1x1, with a net yield of 3 crops per 1x1), or you could plant those 10 starter seeds on 10 2x2s and get a total of 70 crops with CAC (7 crops per 2x2, with a net yield of 6 crops per 2x2). 2x2s are the clear winner here because it'll give you more crops overall compared to 1x1s in the same amount of time, and space is not an issue at this point. Going with 1x1s just means you end up with more empty land that won't help you progress any faster in the event.

If you apply Suzy's super-grow (SSG) to each of the 10 2x2s, you can get an extra 3 crops per 2x2, boosting the total number of crops to 100 at the end of round 1.

In round 2, you still want to focus on maximizing your yield per seed because while you have more seeds to plant, you still don't have enough to cover both fields in 1x1s. Here, it's better to plant all 100 seeds on as many 2x2s as you can squeeze in on both fields, then use up any remaining seeds on 1x2s and then 1x1s to fill in the edges. Since the main field and green meadow both have enough space for 44 2x2s, 5 1x2s, and 16 1x1s, that means planting your 100 seeds on 88 2x2s, 10 1x2s, and 2 1x1s between the two fields.

At the end of round 2, you should have 674 crops total if you used CAC. Space is now an issue because you only need 404 seeds to cover both fields since each field only has room for 202 1x1s, yet you have 674 seeds on hand. With CAC still active, a single harvest from mostly 2x2s with 1x2s and 1x1s on the periphery will only give you a net yield of 664 crops, whereas a single harvest from 1x1s will give you a net yield of 1212.

That's nearly twice the number of crops in the same amount of space and time! Therefore, 1x1s are more efficient.

However, when we have an event on the special event playfield where crafting buffs have no effect, then you should stick with 2x2s with 1x2s and 1x1s filling in the space along the edges. Since you are not getting any extra crops from plots of any size, it doesn't make a difference whether you use 2x2s or 1x1s here, but 2x2s are preferable because they will use up less manure.

I hope this clears up any confusion but if not, as -Mir85- said, feel free to ask more questions.

 

An even more thorough explanation! I haven't yet unlocked any of the artisan treats but I'll make sure to get to that since CAC makes such a big difference!
Thank you so much zerodegrees for devoting some of your time and effort to help a newbie like me out! This community is honestly amazing hahah <3 Everyone's so welcoming and willing to help other out an that really adds to the beauty of the game! I'm truly grateful for all your help and don't know how to repay you hahah
I hope you're doing well<3 Have a great day / night!

-Mir85- Thank you as well! There is honestly a few more questions about some things but they're irrelevant to strategies so I don't think it's the right for them here hahah

 

No problem.

It will be a while before you can make your own CAC but fortunately, you don't have to wait until then as they can be bought with CCs at the market in the Crafting Trade section. If you're low on CCs and don't have much to sell, send me an in-game message and I'd be happy to send you a few CAC to start you off.

I don't know what kind of questions you have in mind but if you don't want to post them here because they don't have anything to do with strategy, you can always start your own thread in the Game Related Chit Chat section.

 

Personally, I don't think it's worth the effort to work towards making your own CAC. As stated, you can buy at the market, but you also win it quite often from crates, events and FSQs, and neighbours can gift it to you. I've been playing for 10 years and never made my own CAC. I currently have 8 sitting in my inventory. Of course, if you use them every day that might be different. For me, though, I work towards other things. In doing so I collect quite a bit of money, which I can then use to buy CAC if I so choose.

Just my two cents worth!

 

Farm hubby Banjoman thought it would be a good idea to share the most efficient donation schedule for the The Fruit Market. My file is from 2018, but I don't think the values have changed much (if any). I usually just donate the wonderfruit we get as drops and nothing from my barn, but once upon a time, we all donated from our barns to get Farm coins as it was before we had all the options we have now to get them.

Size of Basket	Donation	Coins	Fruit/Coin
1S	20,000	1	20,000
2S	21,450	1	21,450
3S	23,005	1	23,005
1M	72,000	3	24,000
4S	24,673	1	24,673
2M	76,452	3	25,484
5S	26,462	1	26,462
3M	81,179	3	27,060
1L	224,000	8	28,000
6S	28,381	1	28,381
4M	86,199	3	28,733
2L	235,484	8	29,436
7S	30,439	1	30,439
5M	91,529	3	30,510
3L	247,558	8	30,945
6M	97,189	3	32,396
4L	260,250	8	32,531
8S	32,646	1	32,646
5L	273,594	8	34,199
7M	103,199	3	34,400
9S	35,013	1	35,013
6L	287,624	8	35,953
8M	109,581	3	36,527
10S	37,552	1	37,552
7L	302,368	8	37,796
9M	116,357	3	38,786
8L	317,871	8	39,734
11S	40,275	1	40,275
10M	123,552	3	41,184
9L	334,168	8	41,771
12S	43,195	1	43,195
11M	131,192	3	43,731
10L	351,301	8	43,913
11L	369,313	8	46,164
13S	46,327	1	46,327
12M	139,305	3	46,435
12L	388,248	8	48,531
13M	147,919	3	49,306
14S	49,686	1	49,686
13L	408,154	8	51,019
14M	157,066	3	52,355
15S	53,289	1	53,289
14L	429,081	8	53,635
15M	166,778	3	55,593
15L	451,080	8	56,385
16S	57,153	1	57,153
16M	177,091	3	59,030
16L	474,208	8	59,276
17S	61,297	1	61,297
17L	498,521	8	62,315
17M	188,042	3	62,681
18L	524,080	8	65,510
18S	65,741	1	65,741
18M	199,670	3	66,557
19L	550,951	8	68,869
19S	70,508	1	70,508
19M	212,016	3	70,672
20L	579,198	8	72,400
20M	225,127	3	75,042
20S	75,620	1	75,620
Total	11,051,207	240

 

During each harvest of refined chives from 3 main areas getting 6 x wooden mallets.






Well!!!

 

I'm not sure if anyone else does this, but I thought of a handy tip with manure during high crop events. When my manure pile has reached capacity, I put multiple units for sale in the market at the highest price I can. I use the market as a 'holding pen' for extra manure before I harvest multiple animal pens. Then I use what is in my manure pile on the event crops. After this, I return to the market and delete any manure that I have for sale to refill my pile. Of course, I only take back what I need to reach capacity again.

The only downside to this is if my manure gets sold and I can't delete/retrieve it. You do lose a bit of cc's but this is often a lot less than having to buy manure in the market when demand and prices are high.

For this current event, so far it is working a treat!

 

I have done this a few times but i hardly bother with it now because if i buy at current price there is cap to how much i can sell it for, but once it is sold hardly any profits to be made

Secondly the manure market has been changed several times over the years we can now only sell 100 manure per sale as i can only sell up to 10 offers

I would rather have bigger Manure holding in my barn, which can be extended from Magical Glade Tree using stars

Putting manure in holding pen with intention to cancel the sales to use this manure wont pan out well if price rises quickly, it is only good if price rise slowly but it always rise faster if event crops takes 6 to 8 hours to Grow

I dislike seeing lots of small offers of manure in the market as i like to keep my clicking as minimal as possible

 

I have a very fond memory of doing this years ago back-in-the-old-days. I was a premium player then so I could list twenty parcels of 600... non premium players could only hold 300 so they would be foolish to buy a pack of 600! I would even buy manure two days before an event where crops were over about six hours, and relist it for double! If it sold immediately, I still made 40% of my sale price (-50% to buy -10% commission) If it sold through the event I made more!

It was such fun but BP ruined it with the 100 limit on each parcel.
When I analyse this I feel that BP has exceeded it's promise to largely let market forces drive the market. Spoilers!​

 

If click on the FSQ tab, then click on the KEY for sorting, you will get a list of quests to get these. I'm wasn't sure if I was understanding the Q&A for this because others seemed so sure they weren't available, so please forgive me if this was not what you were asking.

 

Wow..! This place is full of information. I shuffle the forum everyday. I didn't discover this place or I missed it

Thank you very much for your advice dear @zerodegrees .. you are great

 

@illy1996 These abbreviations are killing me. What and where is FSQ?

 

FSQ: Farmer's Society Quests

 

Is there a guide somewhere (tips, tricks) on how to optimize power drill drops from Store Houses? Does it matter, how many trees/workshops/animal houses I have inside; if they are upgraded or not; the value of the species? Is it worth placing parrots and apple trees inside, because I can harvest them more often?