Reach for the Stars Strategy Thread

Reach for the Stars
3rd of August 2017 - 8th of August 2017
Difficulty: Medium
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Quite a straightforward event. Plant crops and collect drops then mill them to donate.

Here's the FAQ :
https://board-en.farmerama.com/index.php?threads/reach-for-the-stars.28942/

And SOS thread:
https://board-en.farmerama.com/index.php?threads/sos-reach-for-the-stars-drop-items-lenses.28946/

For this event we have to grow this

Farsight Flower
Time: 6 hours
EP (2x2): 80
plantable on Main, Meadow, Magical Glade only
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Then Mill these

Telescope

Time: 15 minutes
Ingredients: 35 x Lenses, 650 Farsight Flowers
It can be produced in main mill only!
​

Take note of the long mill time and it being available in main mill. So remember to mill early and as often as you can. Nothing more frustrating than not being able to finish the event despite having enough crops & drops.

Total requirement: 20 telescopes
1. 700 lenses (drops)
2. 13000 farsight flowers (crops)
3. 300 minutes or 5 hours of milling time​

Spoiler: Constellation 1 - treasure chest

Spoiler: Constellation 2 - anchor

Spoiler: Constellation 3 - Seahorse

Spoiler: Constellation 4 - Dolphin

You can complete the 4 constellations simultaneously and in any order.​

Reaching for the Stars Magical Stalk Row
Gives: 30000 EP, 30000 TEP, 1 x Crate O' Stars
Cooldown time: 48 hours
Requires the 3 event items


We have a new crate!!!
Crate O'Stars

rewards 1 random item from the following choices:
1 x star, 2 x stars, 3 x stars, 10 x stars, 25 x stars, 50 x stars
(not to sound like a pessimist but I think I'm getting 1 star most of the time)


if you're feeling loaded with BB, you can get this special crate
Crate O' Gazing (cost 2 BB each)

Receive 1 random selection from the following choices:
25, 50, 100 or 1000 Farsight Flowers
5, 30, 60 or 100 Lenses
1, 2, or 3 Telescopes
1 x Stargazing deco item​

 

Thanks for doing the maths FarmerDelight. My first thought was, oh no, another grow and throw, more milling. Was about to actually ignore it all together ... I mean, I have 1,500 Stars. Why would I want a box on a regular basis that gave me more?

Then I saw the Golden Bananas ... they dazzled me! So I will do at least that constellation.

But as that has the CR, I will probably try to get the CR items too so it looks like I'm suckered in again!

I have set up an SOS thread, link below:

SOS Reach for the Stars Drop Items/Lenses

Please note, this will be my last SOS thread - I have been doing it for some years now and am finding that I have less and less free time for my farm so if there is anyone who would like to take the reigns, please feel free. If no-one wants to take it on, then maybe whoever needs help can post something in the appropriate area to get the ball rolling for each event.

Good luck everybody!

 

Thank you FarmerDelight for the strategy thread! Can you include the FAQ link to it so we can find it instantly?

Again an event back to back. I hope drop rate will be better this time...

I am sad to hear this but I understand. If you are sure you won't be able to create another SOS thread I can help out until you want to start again. It just doesn't feel right because you are the one for this but I know how difficult is to do everything in little time.

 

Thanks Arielh but I think I will not be returning to the helm of the SOS - sorry folks, but time is getting very precious. I only really "farm" this farm, the other two are barely ticking over - I am getting so I just log in for the freebies and gifting. I was doing other things like making PF but even that was becoming a chore so I am reducing my workload to make this farm more pleasurable.

The back to back events are really beginning to tell ... I wonder how long before I really do just let an event slide.

 

Sure thing! I knew I was missing something.

@illy1996 Oh no! Events will never be the same without your SOS threads

 

Thanks!

 

I wish more people would actually let events slide. If there's one thing everyone can agree on it's that there are a lot of events. This is both good and bad for farmers. Many of us seem hard wired to do everything we possibly can for the farm, without thinking if it's going to benefit us or our farms for the better in terms of both happiness and progress for our farm. This is when it becomes bad, we start to get burnt out and feeling like we are overworking our farms. The fact is this, we are overworking our farms and we can only blame ourselves because we're the ones who have "FOMO" (fear of missing out), otherwise known lovingly here on the forums as FOCD. This is why I suggest that all players evaluate events based on their own farm goals. Play in the events that look fun, or have a prize which will help you reach your farm goals.

The fact that there are so many events is good for players because it gives us options. If we choose to skip an event, we know that another event will come right after it. With multiple events going all month, there's always an event to do, and it's far healthier to realize we don't need to participate in every event.

I feel more people would be happier and feel more satisfied with their farms if they only played the events they really wanted to play. Farmers would have more stock in their barns, be more prepared for the events they do choose to play, and less pressured to finish events if they were to practice this self care tip of playing fewer events.

 

I admit to FOMO I had planned on skipping this event. Instead of reaching for th stars, I was going to play in the dirt

However, I am puzzled and intrigued by what BP might have in store for us that will ask for lots of stars. I would agree that we have events often so that if you miss one that gives EP/BEP cloud row, it isn't the end of the world. But when an event offers something new/unusual, it usually means something is coming. So....roll the dice and take the chance of not having enough stars and struggle to open whatever is coming or work hard for the next few days to give your farm a cushion? The flip side is not being prepared for Neon breeding event or giving up time to work on a quest or stocking the barn. Decisions.Decisions. Decisions.

 

That is a really good post, Decree. I hope people will take it to heart. You make a really good point that if we skip or miss an event, there will be another one, with likely as good rewards, right around the corner. Well said.

There is a lot of discussion about drops, and always has been. It is proven that if you farm with 2x2 plots, you will not, cannot, ever get enough drops. The use of 1x1 pretty much requires harvester, at least, for the vast majority of players, particularly as we get more and more playfields. The number of people who DO complete events, without the spending of real money (except on harvester functions) is proof that it CAN be done. I learned a long time ago that if I pull up everything and go for gold growing the event crops, my drops are going to lag behind. So now I keep about a hundred plots in trees, always, and grow long crops overnight, or event crops in comfort fields. My crops come along a little slower - but always my drops are commensurate with my crops.

The fact is, is that this is a game requiring strategy. The number of players who have been here upwards of three years is proof that this game offers something that keeps people around. But you can't expect it to be a game that can be "won" with checking in once or usually even twice a day. It's just not that kind of game. There are plenty of those out there, and most of us have played them, and put them aside, because it's human nature that if there's not a challenge, we lose interest. Too much challenge, we lose interest also - but as Decree says, it is partly up to us to set our own level of challenge.

Many of us have, over the years, had more than one farm. Very few people can continue to maintain multiple farms for a long period of time. It is simply too labor intensive. I think most of us have gone through what Illy describes. Some of us, myself included, have taken brief periods of time away from the game, or cut back to a single farm, or otherwise limited our involvement with the game. Again, it is up to the individual to set a play level that balances requirements with rewards. I hope that everyone who plays, can find that balance, and be happy playing. I for one am REALLY weary of the constant whinging that goes on, by players who then manage to complete things well in advance of the end of the event. When a person is posting the SAME negative comments over and over and over again, I just want to say, either quit the game, or change your play style, but doing the same thing over and over and over and expecting a different result is, I believe, the definition of insanity!

 

Perhaps if BP actually paid attention to our feedback and gave us a break between Events, more players would be happy and enjoy Events like we used to. Changing the format to something else besides crop and drop would also help, as we wouldn't have to keep destroying what we have worked so hard to create.

***So BP.... how about going back to the way it used to be - you remember - back when Events were just 3 days over the weekend, giving those who work a fair chance, too - and give us something that doesn't mean ripping up our farms!!***
That's when Events were EVENTS!!
...and they were fun!...
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My parent farm, farmlily3 (5+ years), and this baby farm did not do this Dice event. We took a break....and enjoyed it...relaxed 'down on the farm'...3 times a day!! I just Loooove my farms! And am now looking forward to Reaching for the Stars!!

As more and more of us get worn out from the excess of crop and drop, weeeek long events, and - as Decree suggested above - start choosing not to do so many events....it will have an effect on BP's bottom line. Perhaps then they will listen.....

Remember, the squeaky wheel gets the grease.

 

Now that I've discussed the strategy behind self-care and not overworking ourselves during events. Here is the step-by-step guide for my personal strategy that I promised another player I would post. I have also included some helpful hints about aspects of the event at the bottom of the post which I do not intend to take advantage of but will be very helpful to other playing styles.

Pre-Event Prep (20+ hours before the event starts):

• Replace ALL plots in Main, Meadow, and Magical Glade with my highest EP 20 hour trees. If you are new to the game, there are two options which can be purchased in the shop. Maple Tree and Elderberry Tree. Maple Tree is good for building BV, and Elderberry is good for gaining CC. I suggest the latter, because building up your resources using CC will help you in further events.
• By replacing all plots with trees you will give yourself a boost in event drops when the event starts, this is almost always needed by players as event drops are what hold everyone back from completion.

Step 1 (Start of Event): Harvest Trees planted during pre-event prep.
Step 2 (Start of Event): Remove Trees, replace with 2x2 field plots.*
Step 3 (Start of Event): Use Fruit Cake and White Innocence trade good items.
Step 4 (Start of Event): Plant 10 Event Seeds into the 2x2 field plots.
Step 5 (Start of Event): Use Super-grow (SG), Susie's Super-grow(SSG), and water on all ten 2x2 plots.
Step 6 (Start of Event): Plant seeds which will be completed before or at the same time as the event seeds, now water these plants. Do not do this until after you have used SG and SSG on your event plants.

Step 7 (First Harvest): Use Carrot-apple Chutney (CAC) then harvest plants.
Step 8 (Second Planting): Plant 90 event seeds into 2x2 plots.
Step 9 (Second Planting): Use SG, SSG, and water on all 90 plots.
Step 10 (Second Planting): Fill remaining plots with seeds which will be completed before or at the same time as event seeds and water them. Again, do not do this until you have used SG and SSG on your event plants.

Step 11 (Second Harvest): Harvest plants.
Step 12 (Third Planting): Replace all plots on Main, Meadow, and Magical Glade with 1x1 plots.
Step 13 (Third Planting): Plant 585 event seeds and use water.

Step 14 (Sowing waves 4-9): Repeat steps 11-13 every 4 hours and 48 minutes if possible. Always verify that you have CAC running before you harvest.

Here's a progress table for event crops:

Harvest	Event Crop Needed	Seeds Planted	Crops Harvested
1	13000	10	90*
2	12920	90	810*
3	12200	585	2340
4	10445	585	2340
5	8690	585	2340
6	6935	585	2340
7	5180	585	2340
8	3425	585	2340
9	1670	557	2228
10	-1		0

Step 15 (Post Event Crop Growing/Overnight Growing): I will be using a mixture of refined crops to increase my event drops. The crops which I use the most are: Roses, Raspberries, and Crop Squares. To learn more about why I use these crops, or to know more about how refining crops can benefit you and your farm please read THIS!

Step 16 (Milling Telescopes): After collecting both the number of crops and drops needed, mill the telescopes and complete the event.

Additional Notes about this event:

Harvest Steps 1 and 2 can be skipped for this event by using the add-on "Crate O' Gazing". Spending 64 BB will cost roughly the same as replacing the SG and SSG which you will use by completing steps 1 and 2. It will also give you additional event drops and save you approximately 4 hours of growing time. However, if you use this strategy, you must know that the table above will not be correct unless you are to obtain exactly 810 seeds from the crates, minus your starting seeds. Additionally, if you are considering buying these crates at all, it would be best not to wait. Do it at the start of the event as it will give you a faster start to growing the event crops. If your goal is to obtain the needed 585 seeds for a full harvest it will most likely cost less that 64 BB, which means it's cheaper than using SG and SSG on steps 1 and 2.

A precaution to farmers who are new to events:

This event is rated Medium. My experience tells me that Medium rated events can actually be Hard to even the most experienced players. This rating usually reflects the length of the event and the difficulty of obtaining event drops. Typically speaking, in order for most farms to complete this event without having to buy event drops their farmers must be extremely proactive about planting and harvesting, never leaving their farm idle. They may have a harvester activate (or coupons to use) through most of the event. Most importantly these farmers have the Living Legend Rune unlocked and a minimum trophy level of 28% or higher.

Final Note:
I do recommend that all players try to complete this event. As @puppiesnponies points out, the fact that they are giving out a CR which awards Stars (and quite a bit too) is very odd, and extremely rare. My guess is that BP has listened to suggestions and plan on releasing additional sets of Menagerie, Manufactory, and Arboretum. Even if they do not release an additional set of these buildings, there are still plenty of uses for Stars, especially for our newer farmers.

 

This is great information, Decree!! Thank you so much!! (Going to prepare farm now...!!)

 

Personally, I am skipping this quest & concentrating on the Neon Pens quest coming up. I really want those pens!codyj #44475068

 

Due to my moving I have skipped the last 2 events and I survived! and the move too! 1st Thanks
illy1996 for the giving of your valuable time, it is time for you to enjoy your farm again!
2nd Thanks to ALL the wonderful strategy posters here who keep us very well informed!
I am ready to do this event! Good luck and "Happy Farming"!

 

Thanks. It is my hope that all who choose to participate in this event receive enough help so that they can complete this event and collect its CR as it will provide a lot of benefit for players, especially the newer players who are still unlocking runes on the tree.

In addition to advice I'd also like to provide new players with some consumable items. If there are any players who are struggling to afford CAC for this event please send me an IGM. I have set aside a handful for donations, I have to limit this because I need to send my neighbors their lenses as well. Please note, this is not intended for anyone who just wants a free CAC, it is meant to help those newer players who have not been able to establish a consistent revenue stream and therefore lack a reasonable bank of CC's.

 

Well, I'm running two farms and this is my busiest time of year in real life (for those who might not know, I sell my wares at an actual Farmer's Market, plus I'm now vice-chair of the board of directors for that farmer's market). So I looked over the FAQ for this event and then came here to find our discussion has gotten quite serious.

I do wish that BP would slow up a bit on the events - give us more than a day's break between events. One 2-3 day stretch every month where we could just catch up on our farming would be really appreciated by this farmer. But, I have noticed that lately, at least one event every month seems to be structured so that we can catch up on our farming. These last event and now this one, too, don't use bahamarama at all, so we can at least keep those fields going as 'normal'...

I run two farms because my first farm is through BigFish - and without this farm, I couldn't come here and post at all. I couldn't run two farms without the harvester function. Most of the time, I don't spend money on events and I do just fine. Getting it done just in time is okay by me. Not finishing, but being happy with the rewards that I received for getting as far as I could is pretty okay, too.

So, now, back to the topic at hand... strategy. I am going to "tweak" my farms' set up just a bit from the dice event - I left quite a few trees out on two fields, so will go down to bare bones on those this time around...the event crop takes the same amount of time as the last event...this is doable if the drop rate is good. Long term crops overnight are a must to help with the drop rate as a 6 hour crop just doesn't yield many drops. I do appreciate the little 'crate o' gazing'...I have a few BBs on this farm so will be investing in a few of those.

Overall, I think this one is doable - I just wish that pirate monkey wasn't so evil looking. Or is it just me that thinks that?

 

Compared to regular Mainland crops, the Event crop provides double EP and thus is worth growing:

On a 2x2 field:

Pumpkin (5:58h) - 36 EP
Snowdrop (6h) - 39 EP
Event crop (6h) - 80 EP

Thanks @Decree for summing up again how it works.
For preparation I rarely use trees as my experience is those give way lower drops as long term crops on 1x1s. Usually I use Rose Hip, Spelt, Barley or Rye. With short time event crops I tend to start with just 2 fields (402 plots and 2 owls) dedicated to Event crops and 1 field with long time growing crops (15hrs +) and some menageries and manufactories. This way I gather drops more in line with the event crop and will be able to start milling at my convinient times without meeting all requirements first.

PS. I also noticed from aug 8 - aug 17 there will be Events held which DO NOT require any crop or drop or milling item! And it won't be till aug 24 before we'll need our fields for Event crops again. PHEW!!

 

One thing I'll like to add, if you have extra event crops after the event, it is better to donate it to country fair quest to upgrade your trophy rather than waiting for the script to convert them to EP/CC

 

ooh, FarmerDelight... I wonder if I can donate leftover dice? I had a lot of them. Gonna go check right now!

 

Have got 20hr trees out all the time around the edges of my fields ...but these don't seem to be good at getting drops for me
And have put out spelt on all three fields
Thank you For the maths Farmer delight and thank you Habalala and decree