How far can I go...

without spending REAL money on this game? I have fun, but I never get as far as other people in events, I always only have a few PF, rarely any pheromones, few BB, etc.
I should add, on my main farm I'm level 74, and level 48 Bahamarama. I see people at much lower levels talking about how much PF, breeding animals, etc they have, and I have no idea how!
Any tips?

 

Hi shodack78,

I've been a player since October 2010 and have not spent a dime of my RL money on the game.
Now, in this time I have taken a few hiatuses, so that may in part contribute to my poor progress, but I'm currently a level 79, nearly 80, player.

For sure, I could have progressed much further if I'd spent my RL money on this game. I could harvest more by using the harvester, I could buy more with extra BB, I could have more EP givers, more PF, more breeding animals, etc etc etc.

Another thing to note is that I've only recently opened up my second artisan trade, and did so by buying it with Renzo chips.

I guess, without trying to make this too long, that what I'm trying to say is: to progress, you do not need to spend any of your RL money on anything. Everything can be opened or unlocked with your ingame currency and effort. However, it depends on how quickly you want to progress, how successful you want to be etc. I don't always finish events, but sometimes I do, so it's not impossible.

The point is, you can get as far as anyone else, just not as quickly.

 

Thank you squiggle! It's good to know I'm not alone!

 

You're welcome! If you ever need any tips re making your way in this game without throwing your RL money into it, feel free to drop me an IGM - lord knows I've racked up enough ideas these past 4 years!

 

Hi shodack78

I agree with what Squiggle said, but I wanted to add a bit of my own experience, as well. I am level 79 (almost 80), and level 99 on the island. I've been playing since May of this year, and I have never spent any real money on the game. I can't watch videos, so I can't earn BB's that way. It's certainly possible to level up faster when you can use BB's to buy event baskets, PF, etc, but I can't spend the money, so I've learned a few tricks since May. You're already level 74, so you might already know these tips, but here are my thoughts anyway:

1. Make PF in the mill. Constantly. Regular feed can be bought with CC's, but PF can only be bought with BB's or real money. So it makes sense to use your mill time for PF, right?

2. Watch the costs in your market. I've learned there are certain times of day when prices in my market are high, and when they are low. So, I sell when prices are high, and buy when they are low. Also pay attention to the cost of breeding animals, especially if you're trying to save your PF...it can make a lot more sense to buy the animal than to breed it. Prices skyrocket during Baby Boom (kind of like how prices in stores go up during the holidays)...so buy your animals after baby boom is done, when you can get them cheaper. That being said, if you are going to breed, only do so during Baby Boom.

3. Don't underestimate the warm community we have here. I have made some great friends playing this game, and while I am thankful first and foremost for the friendships themselves, I do have to say that they've helped me advance quicker than I would have otherwise...both in terms of their advice, and their generous gifts. Getting CAC before an event, a tiki timer while trying to grow island crops, ZAB to gain more EP, etc...all these things have helped me immeasurably.

Other than that, just remember that it's not a race! Others might have advanced quicker, but they might always be on the edge of bankruptcy, you never know! It's not a race, it's not a competition. The only goal is to have fun.

 

Exactly as steph said. And there is a certain degree - actually, a large degree - of contentment that can be gained from working hard for what you earn.

 

I also played for a year without spending RM. I didn't get as far as Steph, but that was because I didn't bother much with finding out how the game works, and how to play it well. Having a good strategy will get you further than you think After learning more, I decided to start all over again

Real money is overrated when it comes to events. The key thing to growing all the crops is growing them on 1x1s using carrot apple chutney (CAC). You should try to get a steady income of CC, then you will be able to buy CAC in the market. It is also often rewarded in events.

Now, growing crops on 1x1s manually, is really too much clicking. So the one great thing you can get for RM is the harvester. But it really helps to save harvester coupons and harvester rewards from the FSQ for events. If you can get BB from the cinema, there is also often harvest helper days during events were you can buy 48h seeder+harvester for 14BB.

Happy farming!

 

You are not alone I haven't spent real money on this game too!
Like squigglegiggle said you can get as far as anyone else, just not as quickly. You need to be patient
I can assure you that I finish the most of the events like everyone else but not as fast as everyone, but the result is the same isn't it?

 

I started in Summer of 2011 and now have five farms. At first I did them all manually. After a year I forked out and paid for harvester etc when it was half price for this farm only. Last year I plucked up courage to tell Hubby I wanted to spend money on all the farms for harvester etc and he agreed. Well, he had been on holiday to Australia, Vietnam and this year to Cuba so I thought I was owed a treat too! I think the crunch came when I spent all day during events hand harvesting and seeding and watering all those 1x1 plots. No sooner had I finished the fifth farm, than the first farm was ready again. (that's why I LOVE 8 hour crops) I spend a small amount on secret seedlings etc but limit what I spend. Yes it is slower not to spend any money but it is completely possible. This farm is level 92 and the others are about level 88/89. I don't use the markets much and rarely buy anything there except CAC (got one for 33,000 yesterday!) The harvester just helps me to farm quicker but not necessarily progress more quickly as that depends on how many times a day you are able to play.
Squiggle is right, you can progress without spending real money, and unlike some 'free' games, you do not suddenly have to wait hours, days or weeks for more lives to progress. The icing on the cake is the wonderful community we have!

 

Thanks everybody, the advice and support is so appreciated!
I just recently started reading the forum and have found it very helpful. (But it's also where I see how fast people do things while I plod along! )
And in the last two events, when I don't have all the breeding animals, etc to finish events, I have really started taking advantage of the market, and finally have made some good CCs! Before this my CC level basically stayed level all the time, I'd make a little, spend a little, etc.
Watching the market is tough, since I'm only able to spend about 2 hours in the evening playing. I'm learning though!

 

Wow, so many people not spending real money? I am also one of them.

I spend a lot of BBs. Since I do not spend Real money, how do I get BB? I love to watch movies to earn BBs. If you think that watching movies will waste your time, read the forum while waiting for the movie to end. That's how I spend my time while the movie is being played.

When there are events, the market price of manure will increase and that's the part when I *love* to sell manure. During events, the manure price will increase, allowing me to earn many CCs. I also love to complete Naomi Camel's farmhouse orders to earn many ep and cc but at the same time I will lose a lot of fruits. To solve this problem, instead of buying fruits from market, I bought more trees.

This is my opinion on how to earn CCs and BBs.

How do I earn more ep?
That should be an easy thing for you.
Use crafting trade and pets!

For pets you can get dragon from renzo's fair but it will take a long time.