Discussions about Farm Cash

[FarmMeister]

Now, as far as the new system that Facebook forced the game makers to implement(so that they could get a bigger cut of the pie), I do think it does obfuscate, a bit, the issue of earning credits and their value to Farmtown.

However, on the flip side, it is actually a bit cheaper in real dollars to purchase farm cash now, using Facebook credits.

And, Facebook credits are usable in other games.

When I played Farmville, I earned a bunch of FV$ that I never used, because I stopped playing the game.

Overall, this probably works to the advantage of the players, and that nothing for FT's revenue stream.

[Annee H]

Where do you go to "earn" or take advantage of these marketing deals because I only have a buy cash tab? I do not have an earn cash tab.

[SkatterbrainKid]

There may be different ways to get to the section to earn Face Book credits but here is one:

In the upper right hand corner of your page where it shows how many Face Book credits you have, click on "More Info".

On the next screen, click on the blue button link at the bottom that says, "Get Credits".

On the next screen, click on "More Payment Options".

That screen will expand and you will see where you can check "Earn Credits". Chose that option, then press "Continue", and then the marketing partner offers will appear.

Note that under the previous system, these marketing partner offers were listed on the same page BELOW the section where you could purchase Farm Cash and Farm Coin with cash dollars via credit card, Paypal, etc. In my opinion, this new system has somewhat "buried" the marketing partner offers in more layers to get there. I also notice far fewer partner offers than before which limits selection, and so I ask, "Is this an IMPROVEMENT over the old system, or a scaling down on our options and the simplicity (without conversion factors to consider) of the previous system?"

[FarmMeister]

On FT, I have an Earn Cash button next to the Buy Cash button. Also, on the Buy Cash page, there is a really big green buttons that says "View Special Offers".

Finding these offers are not hard to do.

But, Slashkey had no choice in this, if they wanted to stay on Facebook; it was mandated by Facebook.

If you have complaints or suggestions related to the required use of Facebook credits for games that are accessed through Facebook, you may want to direct them to Facebook and Trialpay.

I do notice a difference in the offers; some for good and some for bad. I have not see the App of Day, which was nice for it both gave you FC and you sometimes found a new fun game to try; so I miss that. But, I think there may be less scam offers through this.

And, there are some surveys it appears you do multiple times. I just did something that involved google and searches.

I am neither a fan nor detractor of the Facebook credits. Once I have more experience with it, I will reserve that judgement.

[SkatterbrainKid]

To FarmMeister:

You say that next to your "Buy Cash" key in Farm Town you also have an "Earn Cash" key? And that on the page where one can buy Farm Cash, there is a big green button one can press to see Partner Offers to earn Face Book credits?

Neither of such buttons or keys appear on my Farm Town screens using either the Internet Explorer or the Google Chrome browser. Might there be different versions of Farm Town we are looking at? Which browser are you using? But let us not confuse other Farmers into believing these Earn Cash or Partner Offer buttons you refer to are seen universally. Something is going on with different versions of Farm Town, or perhaps browsers, or something else. I'm hoping someone who can shed more light on this topic will post here to illuminate the answer for all of us.

[Taz D]

Originally Posted by SkatterbrainKid

To FarmMeister:

You say that next to your "Buy Cash" key in Farm Town you also have an "Earn Cash" key? And that on the page where one can buy Farm Cash, there is a big green button one can press to see Partner Offers to earn Face Book credits?

Neither of such buttons or keys appear on my Farm Town screens using either the Internet Explorer or the Google Chrome browser. Might there be different versions of Farm Town we are looking at? Which browser are you using? But let us not confuse other Farmers into believing these Earn Cash or Partner Offer buttons you refer to are seen universally. Something is going on with different versions of Farm Town, or perhaps browsers, or something else. I'm hoping someone who can shed more light on this topic will post here to illuminate the answer for all of us.

I don't have the Earn Cash button either, but my wife does. Looks to me like it hasn't been rolled out to all servers yet, for some reason. However the explanation from Skatterbrainkid shows how to get to it if you don't have that tab yet on top of farm.

[JAS0643]

Originally Posted by SkatterbrainKid

Under the old system, if you took advantage of one of Farm Town's marketing partner's offer (i.e. buy ink online, buy shoes, get a credit card, etc.), Farm Town TOLD you upfront how much in Farm Cash that would buy you. And you as a Farmer knew how much Farm Cash you needed to get that new Facility or Power Tool you needed to stay current or competitive.

Under the NEW system, you are not told in the offer from the marketing partner how much Farm Cash you will earn. You are told how many Face Book credits it will earn you. And for the uninitiated, there is an inclination to just assume that one Face Book credit will equal $1 in Farm Cash.

But NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

There is a new CONVERSION ratio of Face Book Credits to Farm Cash which is not 1 to 1. And you are not TOLD what that conversion ratio is when you are offered the "deal" from the marketing partner to earn Face Book credits.

BUYER BEWARE

I' just spent $30 on a marketing partner "deal" that earned me 140 in Face Book credits. Then I discovered that because Farm Cash is sold only in blocks, the most I could use from my new cache of 140 Face Book credits was 99 credits which would get me $55 in Farm Cash, leaving me with 41 in remaining Face Book credits. But I can't used those 41 to buy more Farm Cash until I earn more Face Book credits to get to the first block purchase option. I would have gotten over twice as much in Farm Cash had I just purchased it outright versus spending money on a partner offer that I really did not need, at least at this moment.

Isn't this just a clever way for Farm Town to get Farmers to buy more things via manipulation of this Face Book to Farm Cash conversion ratio (that is not disclosed upfront at the purchase point) as well as a way to peddle the marketing partner's merchandise in ways that Farmer might not otherwise buy them? And by forcing Farmers to purchase blocks of Farm Cash versus individual increments, isn't this a ploy to get Farmers to spend their residual Face Book credits on other Face Book connected games or "deals"?

Do you feel ripped off by this new system?

If a persons looks at what they are doing before they do it there is no hidden conversion at all going on. One fb credit equals $.10 that is very easy to fine out if you just stop and look at what you are doing before you do it. People need to look before they leap, if you are going to spend real money on an offer you need to read everything closely and make sure you know what you are doing fist all the information is there and easy to find and understand.

Originally Posted by FarmMeister

Now, as far as the new system that Facebook forced the game makers to implement(so that they could get a bigger cut of the pie), I do think it does obfuscate, a bit, the issue of earning credits and their value to Farmtown.

However, on the flip side, it is actually a bit cheaper in real dollars to purchase farm cash now, using Facebook credits.

And, Facebook credits are usable in other games.

When I played Farmville, I earned a bunch of FV$ that I never used, because I stopped playing the game.

Overall, this probably works to the advantage of the players, and that nothing for FT's revenue stream.

Several people keep going on and on about how fb credit are cheaper then buying the fc out right, while that is technically true, the reality is it is only $.09 cheaper to use fb credits. WOW what ever will I do with that $.09 that I am saving. I don't even think that will buy me a piece of gum anymore.

[SkatterbrainKid]

In Response to Post by JAS:

While with exasperated tone you charge that the conversion ratio can be determined if the buyer would just "look", you are missing the main point and that is that the new system TAKES MORE STEPS to figure out just exactly what it is that you are getting when you spend real cash to get FB credits to in turn buy a package of FT cash offered at different tier levels.

The more user-friendly way would be for the Partner Offer to state the exchange rate (i.e. 140 FB Credits = 99 FT Cash + 41 residual FB Credits) in the actual offer versus assuming the buyer will take extra steps to figure it out for themselves. But they don't do that which is my point -- This could be simpler and more upfront if they would give full disclosure versus assuming people will figure these conversion rates in their heads (or just not care and end up spending more than they planned.)

This FB Credits for FT Cash system is new and looks similar to foreign exchange rates, and as anyone who travels knows, different merchants will charge you a different exchange rate in their store. So the question becomes whether the same FB Credits for FT Cash exchange rate is used for ALL the Partner Offers? Or does the exchange rate move around depending on which Partner is offering what?

That's a valid question, but if it is always a set exchange rate, then such rate should also be clearly posted at the top of the Partner Offers menu or somewhere so every Farmer who goes through this process doesn't have to navigate through numerous screens just to find a simple answer that the game designers could post upfront. People like to know the REAL price of what they are buying, calibrated in the currency they know best.

I also think it is bogus to leave Farmers stuck with FB Credits in an exchange transaction that they can't really use until they buy more to level up to the minimum purchase tier which is 49 FB Credits to get 25 FT Dollars. In the transaction I experienced, I spent $30 in a Partner Offer for 140 FB Credits which qualified me to purchase no more than 55 FT Dollars with 99 FB Credits since the next package of 120 FB Dollars required 199 FB Credits, or 59 more FB Credits than I had just bought (i.e. 199 - 140 = 59). So with my left over 41 FB Credits, I can't buy any more FT Dollars until I come up with another 8 FB Credits to reach 49 FB Credits, qualifying me for the minimum FT Dollar purchase of a package of 25 for 49 FB Credits. But just like I don't like carrying around residual foreign currency I can't really use, I don't want a bunch of residual FB Credits burning a hole in my pocket to spend elsewhere but Farm Town since that's the only FB connected game I play.

And that exchange rate at 1.96 FB Credits to the FT Dollar (or $0.20 per FT Dollar) at Tier 1 is more expensive than the exchange rate I originally bought into which was 1.80 FB Credits (or $0.18) to the FT Dollar at Tier 2. Splitting purchases between tiers is expensive and confusing, which is my point.

This is a PROGRESSIVE exchange rate system, i.e. the more FT Dollars you buy, the cheaper they are in terms of real dollars spent. And that is confusing enough when you have to convert real dollars to FT Dollars. But now add another layer of FB Credits in order to get from real dollars to FT Dollars, and you have not just complexity, but room for manipulation of the exchange rate (i.e. real dollars to FB Credits) between Partner Offers.

My point is that it doesn't smell like a square deal to me and has turned trying to figure out what I'm buying into a semi-complicated foreign exchange transaction -- and that's WORK now...not FUN. This game is supposed to be about FUN. I think either the designers have gone too far in making a scheme more complex than it needs to be, or the SlashKey people don't have enough pull with the Face Book people to keep Farm Town SIMPLE for Farm Town players.

But for purposes of full disclosure, here is a table of the conversion rates between real US dollars (cents) and Face Book Credits (FBC) and Farm Town Dollars/Cash (FTD), based on the 4 packages of FT Cash or Tiers offered:

Tier 1: 25 FTD = 49 FBC = $4.99 which is 1.96 FBC or 20 cents per FTD

Tier 2: 55 FTD = 99 FBC = $9.99 which is 1.80 FBC or 18 cents per FTD

Tier 3: 120 FTD = 199 FBC = $19.99 which is 1.66 FBC or 17 cents per FTD

Tier 4: 250 FTD = 1.60 FBC = $39.99 which is 1.60 FBC or 16 cents per FTD

Now everyone memorize this table and be prepared for a quiz at next class session (smiles).

Hope this clarifies my point AND provides insight as to real conversion prices.

[JAS0643]

Originally Posted by SkatterbrainKid

In Response to Post by JAS:

While with exasperated tone you charge that the conversion ratio can be determined if the buyer would just "look", you are missing the main point and that is that the new system TAKES MORE STEPS to figure out just exactly what it is that you are getting when you spend real cash to get FB credits to in turn buy a package of FT cash offered at different tier levels.

The more user-friendly way would be for the Partner Offer to state the exchange rate (i.e. 140 FB Credits = 99 FT Cash + 41 residual FB Credits) in the actual offer versus assuming the buyer will take extra steps to figure it out for themselves. But they don't do that which is my point -- This could be simpler and more upfront if they would give full disclosure versus assuming people will figure these conversion rates in their heads (or just not care and end up spending more than they planned.)

I have not read your whole post and I don't really care to. If the buyer looks and see that 1 fb credit is not equal to one fc which is easy to do if you go to buy fc from the game. You can click on buy without having to buy anything. You will quickly see that one fb credit has a value of $.10 not one fc. Ft did not make this change fb made them and other apps switch over to using fb credits which means that the reward system that was in place before can no longer be used to get fc. If you are going to spend money on an offer when you don't really need that item at this time you need to make sure you are getting a good deal for your money. If you are not getting a good deal for your money then look at other offers or buy the cash out right. It really is that simple. Even under the old offers I only spent money 2 or 3 times for offers and it was money I was going to be spending anyway I just took advantage of an offer to get fc.


This is from the fb help center about fb credits.

How much can I redeem a Facebook Credit for?

One Facebook Credit is currently valued at $0.10 USD ($1.00 USD = 10 Facebook Credits). Facebook redeems Facebook Credits at the rate of $0.10 per Credit, minus a service fee of $0.03 per Credit redeemed.

[slv53]

I have 126 FB credits and want to use them on my Farm Town account. How can I transfer them to FT? Any help is very appreciated!!!