New Release -- October 20th, 2009

[Ferretlady]

Originally Posted by carmenfarmin'

yes but if you don't buy them you can only use 1Xplow. If I don't want them, in essence,
I am stuck Having to plow with 1Xplow. So if I want to plow my own farm without new
expensive tools it will take me as long as it did when i did not have ten neighbors.
I am level 30. I worked hard to get to use 4Xplow. But now am forced to pay or go back
to the way I did when had small farm and didn't have the privilege to use new 4Xplow.
Now all of that hard work is for nothing if I simply don''t want to buy. Also no incentive
to hire from market, friends, or neighbors. No difference between using new expensive
tools or hiring others. Anti Social. Thought Farm Town was for social interaction and fun.

Carmen, it sounds like you're having some unexpected problems, as what you're describing does not seem to be how the tools are meant to work. If that's what is happening to you, you may need to report your problems in wherever the "official" thread on the new tools is.

I still can plow 4 plots at a time, the same as I could before, even though I do NOT have the new plowing tool. Not buying the Plower machine did *not* remove my ability to do 4 plots at a time, or revert it back to one only?

Also - regarding hiring others -- in my experience, you DO still get paid additional when someone else harvests for you. If you choose to use the Harvester machine to do your own farm, you can harvest faster for yourself , but you still make the same pay that you did previously without the tool. You are still doing the harvest yourself so you still get the same DIY pay as you did before, rather than the 'bonus' pay that you do get when you hire someone else

Your hired help is still harvesting the same way they always did - the new tools have no effect on them - and you still get the same pay for 'hired-hand' crops as you always did before. The tools only apply to *you* when you are doing your own work on your own farm - then you get the same pay/charge as you always did when working your own crops - it just makes it a bit easier during the times you choose to do your own work.

(Or at least that's how it is supposed to work - if you're experiencing otherwise, it sounds like you're having some problems that shouldn't be happening)

I don't think it will hurt the social aspect of the game, as most people WANT that bit of extra money for harvest, or lower cost for plowing, so they will still hire others to work for them most of the time. But the tools will come in handy *sometimes*. I like to hire others as much as possible, but sometimes my buddies/neighbors aren't around, or maybe I just need to hurry & get it done, don't have time to talk... on those occasions, having the machines to make things faster when I *choose* to do my own farm will help out a lot. No, I won't make as much money as if I hired someone and/or it will cost me more to plow than if I'd hired someone -- but once in a while, due to real life getting in the way (grin), expedience/convenience takes priority. Most of the time, I'll still be hiring my friends when possible, but I appreciate the add'l options that the machines give me when I *can't* hire someone else.

IMO, it has added one more choice, not taken away choices. If I have a crop to harvest, now I have 3 options --- 1) hire someone else & make more money from my crops, 2) do it myself without tools, one square at a time, (making less money) or a new choice 3) do it myself with the tools & do it much faster than before (still making less money than if I hired someone). The extra speed will be very handy on *some* occasions, as I outlined above, when dealing with a limited amount of "game-play time" takes priority over the coins earned.

There were times before that I just left my crops sit & possibly die because I didn't have much time to play. But now, I can fly in & get the fields turned over in much less time when/if I *need* to. Won't be doing that all the time - but rather than just ignoring the game when my life is busy, now I can keep up with my farm even on some of my hectic days. But I'll still be playing "socially" as much as ever on 'normal' days when I'm not tied down w/ other stuff.