On Being a Good Neighbour

Here is a link to the current 11 day Easter Quest:

Easter Bunny Gig Quest and Egg Collection Mission

Here is a link to the current Farm Beauty Contest Quest:

Easter Fortune Farm Beauty Contest

Here is a link to the new Seaside Plot Expansions:

Seaside Plot Expansions Requirements

Dear friends and fellow farmers,

I have been playing Family Farm Seaside almost from the day it was released, and through the years, I have noticed some positive changes but some very negative ones as well, especially in terms of the attitudes of players towards their neighbours and friends.  These negative attitudes actually are fostered, probably unintentionally, by the changes in the game itself, but they must be addressed.

The most negative change, in my opinion, is the expectation that EVERY farmer will visit EVERY neighbour on a daily basis.  The game rewards a farmer who makes a visit to a neighbour with cleaning gift boxes, Coins and XP (Experience Points) and, if the Neighbour has dishes in his/her Cooking Stand, a Cooking Stand Bag, provided always you have not exceeded your daily allowance in terms of how many Cooking Stand Bags you can collect.

That being the case, YOU receive rewards when YOU visit Neighbours.  If your Neighbours have invested real money in the game by purchasing premium Decorations, you will receive the BEST Cleaning Gift Boxes that can be obtained.  Your XP increases, your Coin totals will increase... why should this not be sufficient?

Family Farm Seaside was created as a farming simulation game.  In other words, the primary activity should be undertaken on your own farm.  Many people begin to play the game as a welcome temporary escape from real problems and issues in life, including terminal illnesses.  When their neighbours place pressure on them to make visits to THEIR farms, it ultimately can cause the player to quit the game completely, especially if he/she does not have the same amount of time, or wi-fi access that another player has.

We have lost far too many wonderful farmers in the past year especially due to social pressure placed on them by their neighbours.  As I mentioned before, this is partly the fault of the game, giving added inducements to make visits.  On the other hand, they now provide Batch Cleaning tickets that allow farmers to 'visit' a number of players without actually leaving their own farms.  The Batch Cleaning does not appear to function properly where the host farm is concerned.  I still use only 5 tickets at a time, as I have found that often any use of more causes a situation where the farms I visit do not see the results of my 'virtual' pet visit, nor reap the benefits of reciprocal cleaning boxes.  On the other hand, farmers should not try to pressure their neighbours into actual visits.

The game has become so large that for many devices, loading is a lengthy and slow process.  Glitches occur frequently.  Please do not make the game MORE difficult for your neighbours by trying to 'guilt' them into visits that they cannot make.

I was contacted by a wonderful woman some time ago who loved the game and used my site extensively.  She was one of the most enthusiastic players I have encountered in a long time.  Yesterday, I received a message from her as follows:  'I'm tired of the added stress of trying to keep buddies happy when I can't visit each day, and letting people down... is why I had to leave the last community.  I could not keep up with weekly tasks, so I am by myself again.  I used to play in doctor's office waiting rooms,  but don't even want to go back to them... just struggling so much right now.'

We are losing too many mid-level farmers, and even high level farmers who cannot cope with the influx of new options and added 'responsibilities and duties', whether it is the Community tasks or the onerous job of visiting 300+ neighbours on a daily basis.  Buddy demands can be even worse.  I am fortunate to have Buddies who never criticise me if I cannot visit daily, who continue to work with me as we both deal with our real life problems as well as the game.  Most of my 15 Buddies have been with me since the Buddy option was introduced.  A couple of these are inactive periodically because of medical issues.  I would no more consider deleting them than deleting myself from this game.

It is a GAME, farmers.  It is a farming game.  The number of compassionate, wonderful individuals I have met through the years far outweighs the short-sighted selfish gamers who make incessant demands and complaints about their neighbours' lack of visits and so on in Chat.  I know most of them probably do not even think about the emotional effect of their words on their neighbours.  Please, please consider the fact that every player has a different set of circumstances, whether in terms of the device used to play or his or her REAL life.   Try to encourage rather than discourage other players.  Try to understand every one has limitations of one kind or another.

In real terms, the most important goals in the game, in my opinion, are to obtain as many decorations as possible that are cleanable.  You can obtain Gold Box Decorations from the Cooking Stand Contests.  The Reward Decoration that is obtained with 4000 Votes is important.  The Avatar at 6000 is of little consequence really in comparison, so if you are a new farmer or lower level farmer, simply try to obtain a total from the four characters that will give you an ultimate total of 4000.  This can be done with a daily total lower than 190 from all four Characters.  The Reward Decoration is always a theme item in the following year...

The timed 11 day quests give you a final Decoration for Seaside that gives a Purple Gift Box.  Recently these Decorations have been featured in the current Beauty Contests so try to complete these Quests even if you do it from the Lighthouse after the time period expires.

Addendum:  I recently saw some game chat that mentioned HM. Freyashawk and questioned why any one should vote for my farm.  No, you have no obligation whatsoever, but it can take me up to four hours to write out a new post for any new option in the game.  That is NOT the amount of time it might take a very high level farmer to complete the Quest that is being logged, but it is the time it takes to write about it in detail with strategy tips, and to compile a Crop List and Batch Production List.  I always try to do the work myself, even if one of my administrators sends me information from her own Dutch group.  That sometimes allows me to complete initial Crop and Batch Production lists in advance of completing the actual question.  The exception is some of the untimed quests that were logged by another wonderful administrator, Kaye.  When she logs the quest, she is given credit for it, of course.

My site has information about every aspect of the game, representing over five years of voluntary, unpaid labour.  Obviously there are other resources and if you prefer those, fair enough.  I try to help farmers with the Farm Beauty Contests by sharing tips on how to maximise the Character votes.  Farmers vote for their buddies and friends... but there is a point where most players reach 6000 votes.  For 99% of farms, any votes above 6000 are simply wasted.  I only ask for votes for HM. Freyashawk because it is linked to this site, to a game help resource, and especially since I have had some serious health issues, it can make non-neighbours aware that I continue to be active, when HM. Freyashawk ranks in the top 10.  That having been said, I am deeply grateful for those farmers who do send their votes to my farm, repeatedly and loyally and I will try to keep the site updated for their sake and the sake of new farmers as well as any farmer who feels my posts help him or her.

As any Farm Beauty Contest nears the end, it becomes a struggle to rank in the top 10.... at this point, HM. Freyashawk has dropped, and any extra votes, if your buddies and other friends have reached their goals, are much appreciated.

A final note about the Farm Beauty Contest:  if you care about the rewards, you need to invest in some decorations.  That does not necessarily mean that you must buy the premium decorations, although it is the easiest way to maximise theme.  Make an effort, however, to maximise your farm's Character votes by having as many of the Theme items as possible.  Some always are rewards for prior Quests that often can be accessed from the Lighthouse.  Others appear in the Lucky Wheel.  You do need to log into the game every day during the contest to collect your votes as well.