New Release -- December 22nd, 2009 - UPDATE

[steelwitness48]

Here's an idea, been kinda thumbing through the forum..havent seen this yet..but, how about a PAY BUTTON..click the pay button after each job, whether harvesting or plowing get paid instantly. As far as the number of workers hired, I myself have seen this repeatedly, pretty silly i think..no concideration fo rthe hired hands, and it does seem to lag alot when working a farm. And ive seen alot of crops being left behind, why would this be with so many workers? As for the Fire button, would be a good idea. As for the game itself, its pretty fun..I'm on level 60 , got there in a short time. I'm hooked..please put it back the way it was..its way to slow now. I dont want ot lose interest in the game.:(

[DixieKaye]

First of all, thank you for listening to all of us. I do love this game. I would prefer to go back to the way it was. Thank you again and Merry Christmas!

[vhradice]

Please don't go back. I read through the post yesterday - all 30+ pages. The biggest conplaint was it was too slow. I beg to differ. I just plowed a 700+ farm in about 5 minues. It was a little slow getting started. Initialization took about 30 seconds. After that it was almost as fast as I could move my mouse and click. The biggest problem I had was moving the mouse while still holding down the button and moving the screen.

If you want to fix something - how about the connection lost problem. I was on and lost it twice doing the same field for a friend. What is the proper procedure to follow when the connection is lost to get back to the field I was doing when it happened? I have tried some things like clicking Save twice, disconnecting and reconnecting, waiting. All to no avail. I would like to hear from the developers the proper way. I have lost much time, coins, and XP because of this.
Thank you

[Franklyn]

I've just finished ploughing for someone. They had also hired another farmer to plough. The other farmer managed to plough about a third of what I had done in the same time. It was interesting to watch her jumping about all over the place. She was indeed very slow. But after I advised her she soon picked up speed. I think those that only ever knew the 'quick' way will be the ones that find the change slow. Those that have been playing a while have learnt how to be more efficient and therefore 'quick.'

[Travis (The Plower)]

Nah, you're wrong, I was always complimented on how fast I was at harvesting and plowing using the old queing method and have been complimented a few times today at how quick I've mastered the new method. It just takes skill and co-ordination.

Have ya noticed how many more people have posted in this latest thread that the new method is actually good???

They're the ones who've given it a chance and actually get it.

Nah, you are actually wrong. I get compliments on every job that I do and I think that this new update sucks!! Lack of skill and coordination is not why people are upset. They are upset because it is sooooo much slower this way than it was before the update. I was hired for a harvest job last night on a farm full of blueberries and I asked the farmer to hire other people to help me because I got so frustrated at how long it was taking me to harvest. I felt bad for the farmer who was waiting for me to harvest for her.

The new method is not "acually good". I think the new method is the the worst idea since Daewoo decided to build cars, LOL.

[Santa Claus]

I'm completely disappointed to learn you are changing it back. I really like it!

I've had issues for quite some time now with being hired to plow, after harvesting. I'm not able to do it at all. It takes SO much time to return to the farm. Yesterday, was the first time....in a long time, that I was able to be hired and return to the farm to plow, as quickly as every one else. Not to mention, the way it is now....people don't run you over! And yes, I lose coins and XP quite often. The current way, seemed to fix that.

I do like the idea of only being able to hire one at a time to harvest and another to plow. Is there any way you could do a trial run of that to see how it goes? Of course, you can expect some people to complain (those that like to hire 10 people for a small area) but I think overall, most would be pleased.

[picketree]

I think the new way is Great! The only prob is...there is no time for socializing...it is a constant click click...(like it tho)...and the only other prob is that u don't have the time(that we once had) to read and look at the advertising on the right...hhmmm, best consider that!!!
I wish you would leave it the new way myself, makes it a better game! Yes game! Too dog eat dog the old way. But everything is go,go,go in this world and u can give something, but u can't take away....Folks feel u are 'taking away'....this would have been great if it was the original way before the go go go .....Wished it could stay, but know it won't. Love u guys and thank u for the game!!!

[hhunting]

Nah, you're wrong, I was always complimented on how fast I was at harvesting and plowing using the old queing method and have been complimented a few times today at how quick I've mastered the new method. It just takes skill and co-ordination.

Have ya noticed how many more people have posted in this latest thread that the new method is actually good???

They're the ones who've given it a chance and actually get it.

Actually, this new version was not as good as the old old version -- at least then you could stand at the head of a row and get all the ones below it. With the new version your avatar has to move every turn. I've been doing this a while and really did work this through several farms before posting. I don't have time to do this new version -- I had given up on FT because of the time required until the fast farming came into place. I LOVE this game and my daughter loves this game, but if it takes an hour to harvest and plow we won't be able to play. Thank you again to the devs for reverting to the previous version!

[momof9]

Joining the bandwagon here to say thanks for switching back to faster harvesting/plowing ..

I am ALL for only allowing 2 hires at a time no more than that . actually I never hire more than one for 2 reasons .. one it goes faster, and two it is exciting to get and give big jobs to help someone out with their points and coins.

Im a little confused by the wording on how you want to change the hire/plow amount of people .. you say

one to plow one to harvest .. would that mean that a hire could only do one or the other? I hope that is not the case .. I feel that the one who does all the harvesting for me should have the right to do the plowing too .. its a package deal ha!

thanks for all the hard work devs

[MrWrightAZ]

I do prefer the old way. I find it much more competitive, which is a good thing since this IS a game. However, in the interest of function, I believe it would be better to limit the number of workers to 2 or three. I have been on farms where 5 people are working and it just slows things down.

MrWrightAZ

[picketree]

i think the pay/fire button is a wunderful idea!!!!!

[Tyler45]

Great job developer team. I would rather have the old way back and lose coins/xp points :)

[ladyismad@yahoo.com]

Thanks for going back to the old version. At least now you can keep up with harvesting and plowing instead of having to catch up. I lost money and points. Happy Holidays to everyone.

[lost soul]

As one of the people who for a long time was losing coins and points I was so happy to see a new version of Farm Town. Last night and this morning was the first time that I did not have to leave a farm that I was working on due to lost coins and points. I think that what many people forget is that this is just a game. So many are rude and arrogant and complain about everything. I have also left farms that I was working on as others were just clicking everywhere and it does not matter how many crops there are they will follow you and start clicking all over the place once again. They are just greedy and I have no doubt that they were the ones with all the complaints about the new version as now they could not do this. I refuse to fight over crops and fields to plow ~ if it is that important to them then they can have them. I laugh when I read how some threaten to leave if the game is not changed back ~ why not just do it instead of threatening. The game would be a lot more fun without them. Nobody has a gun to their head so they are not forced to play. I am so tired of reading their posts and cannot believe how demanding they are considering that they are playing this game for free. I know that at some point today you will be going back to the old version of the game and I am a bit disappointed that all of those that complained got their way as I have no doubt that there were many like myself that like the new version. I guess the problem is that when you are happy with something you do not find the need to post it but when you are not that is the first thing that you do. I hope that a reasonable comprimise can be found.

[esflanag]

I used to pay to play POGO and cancelled my membership when I found FarmTown.. the only problem I have ever had, is that I never got my money (Farm Cash) on my original farm when they handed out the second round of funds. And no amount of postings got me any money. Finally bought my farm cash and have now gone back for a second round of buying Farm Cash.. (and still have not spent as much as my membership for POGO).

Love this game and I just go with the flow. If they change it for the good, then I enjoy it.. If they louse it up, then I just compensate and go back to whatever the majority wants.

As to limiting the number of people hired to do a job.. This STINKS.. we should be able to hire as many as we want.. I would prefer we find a way to FIRE the really lazy workers who don't harvest, but just stand around waiting to plow!

For those who are so uptight and counting coins and XP, I feel sorry for them.. they are losing sight of the fun of the game.. IT IS Truly A GAME!

No need for bugets, spreadsheets etc... Enjoy LIFE!





Hi There,

We have been monitoring you feedback and most likely we will be reverting to the old version early tomorrow and try to find a better compromise.

One of the alternatives that we considered was to only allow one worker harvesting and one worker plowing on your farm at the same time. This was also suggested by several other users on the other thread, however we thought that was going to be even more problematic.

Please provide some feedback about this other alternative on this thread, or if you rather prefer the way it was before, unlimited hiring, faster work but more potential for collisions and lost coins/XP.

thanks

--Raul

[shadowfa11]

Hi There,

We have been monitoring you feedback and most likely we will be reverting to the old version early tomorrow and try to find a better compromise.

One of the alternatives that we considered was to only allow one worker harvesting and one worker plowing on your farm at the same time. This was also suggested by several other users on the other thread, however we thought that was going to be even more problematic.

Please provide some feedback about this other alternative on this thread, or if you rather prefer the way it was before, unlimited hiring, faster work but more potential for collisions and lost coins/XP.

thanks

--Raul

Thank you... you might want to consider limiting it to two or three. You also really need to look at load balancing or fixing the slow servers. I hired 3 people and 1 of them was working 200% faster than the other 2. Even if you can only que 10 fields in advance or withing in a set area.. like a 20 field square it would be better than what we have now.

[hamilob]

Having worked on a farm as a youth (and hating every second of the 28 days and 4 hours) I realize that even when doing your best work, something like the weather could prevent the farmer from planting and/or harvesting... so the farmer lost money, one could argue, lost the experience they would have gained HAD they done this. So, whenever I lost XP or coins... I took a deep breath, and figured it rained and washed the crops and my stuff (coins and XP) away. Nobody said a farmer's live was easy.

I just plowed and harvested for the first time under this method (new or old, I don't know which... new to me, but to others it seems like the old method (your documentation really needs to be improved IMHO... or I just need to find where it all is). Anyway... this is slow, I prefer fast... I'll take a deep breath, no body said a farmers life was easy.

And yes... as someone said. This is a game. I'll consider this 'hindrance' part of a farmers life... some farmers like it, some don't. Pretty realistic game, eh?

Keep on Plowing!

[weedville]

like that you reverted back to the new way even though the slower way had some advantages. my thought is can't there be a happy middle of the road between the two ? as stated in other posts maybe after you start in area you can get the speed but you can't hop around .

Also instead of limiting it to one worker just put a cap to how many people you can hire to harvest and plow. going to a farm with 20 people is over kill..... over all love this game and the improvements have been great .

[Wild]

The playing field wasn't leveled with the update; it was slowed down to a crawl to address the issue of lost XP/coins that may or may not happen frequently. Some seem to not understand the purpose of the update had nothing to do with the few Nazis on FT who want everyone to do exactly what they do and won't tolerate anything else but instead to address the XP/coin issue. The resulting slowness made a few happy and all the rest extremely PO'd.

Anyone who thinks that yesterday's harvesting/plowing was somehow "faster" than the days before is really doing something terribly wrong.

You are absolutely right that the update was not put into place to "level the playing field", but to address the XP/coin issue and that many seem to be missing that point (or they just don't care because they weren't losing XP/coins).

However, I do not believe that you are correct in saying that the majority of people did not like the update or that the update should be rolled back because of the "outcry".

As a player since the first month that the game was released, and as one of the first mods added when they added mods to the forum, my experience tells me several things:

1) Those with complaints about changes/upgrades/ etc are MUCH more vocal about telling the developers about their displeasure than those who like the updates/changes and happily go off farming and enjoying the game.

2) While the forum is here to collect data from the players and the developers have ALWAYS been VERY responsive to the feedback and suggestions that they get, there are those who scream, "I'm quitting" at the drop of a hat rather than offering constructive feedback. Ironically, most do not. They either get used to the "new way" and decide that they actually like it more once they give it a chance, or they take a "leave of absence", go try out some of the other games out there and eventually return because Farm Town offers a level of social interaction that other games do not and because the developers here are always making more and more changes and making the game better.

3) The XP/coin problem HAS to be addressed and this was/is a viable solution to the problem with very little downside.

4) Limiting the number of people who can be hired is NOT a viable solution and WILL cost the developers droves of loyal, long time players who play the game for the social interaction (which is what separates us from "the competition") because they have - since the very beginning - liked being able to hire GROUPS of friends to do "harvest parties" and such. THOSE players are the ones who will stick around - as long as that part of the game is not taken away from them. Those who are only concerned with "getting it done fast", earning points and coins and leveling up will be the ones who will leave ANYWAY because there will never be unlimited levels and enough new stuff to buy to keep them engaged. They will "finish" and then move on to something else.

5) ALL of the people out there using cheat programs (bots) to do their farming WILL hate this new, latest release because it will prevent them from using those programs (which are in violation of the game's TOS anyway).

[hosob]

Let's go back to what we had yesterday. With what we have now, waiting for the avatar to move or catch up is a waste of time. At least before, once all the plots were marked and I could see that no more coins or XP were being added, I could just leave and go on about my business. Now I have to wait for the avatar to move and watch it tell me the he's busy. Give me a digital gun so I can shoot him. How about boxing him in with something so he doesn't move while I'm clicking on things.

What about being able to bring our tools with is to harvest or plow? Maybe use the farm owners tools and our fuel?

Back to the current situation, I have my doubts that "popular demand" played a very big part because I don't think you get input from the majority of the players. It's only a vocal minority that use the forum that has anything to say about it....and I'm only here now to ***** about the change.

[lizjfox]

I like this compromise. As farmers we have options. As farm hands we also have options. I personally like to straight-line in small blocks. The new automated clickers are spoiling it for those organized farmers like me. THat's why I have lots of wonderful buddies and neighbors. We all work well together! Merry CHristmas to all the hard-working programmers and graphic artists who try so hard to please everyone. Thank you. God bless you.

[Kelsey]

I would like to pop in and say that I LIKE the new update - besides the very first click which you have to wait for little avi to walk over to ... business as usual and it is awesome to see no progress bar waiting waiting waiting - done immediately, and I found that once I used it a bit, it was just as easy and will really save people a lot of hassle. I vote KEEP THE CHANGE! I also love the larger size objects - as someone who is legally blind, I can actually see them now! Yippee!

[esramelda]

I actually think by only letting one person plow or harvest at anyone time is an excellent idea..... I only ever hire one person at any one time... So I agree:D




Hi There,

We have been monitoring you feedback and most likely we will be reverting to the old version early tomorrow and try to find a better compromise.

One of the alternatives that we considered was to only allow one worker harvesting and one worker plowing on your farm at the same time. This was also suggested by several other users on the other thread, however we thought that was going to be even more problematic.

Please provide some feedback about this other alternative on this thread, or if you rather prefer the way it was before, unlimited hiring, faster work but more potential for collisions and lost coins/XP.

thanks

--Raul

[esramelda]

Please Please stop doing what you are doing, I am finding farmtown soooooo SLOW its doing my head in.... Why are you messing around with it:eek:

[jan1205]

Hi Raul...

Thank you to all you guys for the great game...I may have a suggestion that will work as far as hiring. Give everyone the option to hire two people to work at a time. I know I prefer to work by myself, just to avoid the arguments and having to work with someone who has a much faster computer than mine getting all the crops. So, when I hire people for my farm, I hire one person, and then ask them if they want help or want to do it alone.

Everyone really appreciates me asking and always chooses to do it alone...this way they get all the money, and they didn't have to fight anyone for the plots..I'd rather do a few big farms myself every night, than a bunch of farms filled with nasty people yelling at each other who are trying to take all the spots before someone else does....Some people hire alot of people to work, and its like being dropped into a piranha tank!

This is a great game, and its sad, I've lost a lot of good people I've met on here, because they just couldn't deal with all the fighting over the plots.....

[Profstout]

I like having the already harvest pop up.. but C'mon.. you took all the fun out of harvesting. As it is the $ incentive is to do your fields solo. The fun came from the clicking frenzy. It gave you some sense of competition, somewhere in the game. Plus, you can't see where your clicking because now your avatar is in the way, plus your tool. I understand that people get upset fighting over crops, but the easier way to fix that is to limit the # of people a person can hire to harvest/plow based on # of crops planted.. I Want my speed back!

[val upton]

I wondered what was going on last night, it was horrible, so glad it is changing back!!! other things that happened yesterday, I harvested my own fruit trees, but did not get the harvest in storage. ??? they just were gone. ? lost money after working job 2, then this morning came back to FT and money was back, but points were gone??? I hav e lost a lot of points along the way, but I am/ have not been sure if it was a correction, the program was doing, or just what. sometimes, its 4 pts, and some 2000. pts. most of the money is smaller amounts 200.00 to 600.00. I've also lost gifts. some of the times, it is the program hanging up and nothing goes thru. Think the thing as timed out a few times too.
I have not noticed, the tie in with a lot of workers and lost points. What I have noticed, is if there are a lot, meaning 8 or 10+ workers and usually on a smaller farm, that it slows the system up, and it crashes. I and others started telling peope they were hiring to many, and what it was doing, and it seemed to help.
I don't think, that more than one working at a time is bad, but I don't know the tech side of the program. I have always tried to go to an empty corner to work, and I think most people do, BUT you are going to have people who try to mess people up, and others who do nothing, and then yell to plow, when the harvest starts... Its just people and their diferences. Wether you like them or not. Some people talk to you, some take instruction, some do a good job, some are polite, some you like and others aren't/don't. You can not control everything, wether its this game or real life! Part of the point of this game is that you can interact with others, and that should not be taken away. It would make it like the other games.
I think, not hiring to many is something the players need instruction on, just like how to turn the trees and such off and on. Maybe make some of the "How to's" eaiser to learn.
Other item, I would like to have you think about changing is the neighbors. Not all of us, have 300+ people on our facebook, with a lot playing this game! So how do we get neighbors, ??? we have to accept someone we don't know, and thats ok, but then, they are on our facebook, with all the postings and info, that we might not want them to have, or want to know about them! Why can't it be set up to ok, some one that is playing, and not have them on our facebook as friends???
thanks for all your work! Val

[bradwill]

5) ALL of the people out there using cheat programs (bots) to do their farming WILL hate this new, latest release because it will prevent them from using those programs (which are in violation of the game's TOS anyway).

People who are to "cheat" will always found a way to cheat, regardless of any updates or upgrades. No different than new variants of computer viruses that are developed to get around existing anti-virus software.....it's a mentality that I find very self-defeating and asinine, but that's the reality. People spend inordinate amounts of time trying to find ways to cheat instead of just enjoying what they are doing.

As far as the general outcry of disgust, there may be a "silent majority" that feels differently, but I sure don't see it. In the marketplace and on farms all I see is the same complaints that were posted last night for 70+ pages or so when I last looked, especially from farmers on the higher levels that have full-sized farms or two farms. It's painfully too slow. The original way of harvesting was actually quicker than the 12/22 update because you could at least get in front of a row if you moved your avatar right and not have to move square-to-square. I guess some probably felt that was "unfair" also.

[Little Hoss]

Nah, you are actually wrong. I get compliments on every job that I do and I think that this new update sucks!! Lack of skill and coordination is not why people are upset. They are upset because it is sooooo much slower this way than it was before the update. I was hired for a harvest job last night on a farm full of blueberries and I asked the farmer to hire other people to help me because I got so frustrated at how long it was taking me to harvest. I felt bad for the farmer who was waiting for me to harvest for her.

The new method is not "acually good". I think the new method is the the worst idea since Daewoo decided to build cars, LOL.

You obviously don't get it. I'm a FAST WORKER, and I can harvest or plow a farm just as fast (if not faster) with the new update as I could before. It just takes a bit of Skill, Co-Ordination and Stratedgy. Unlike the old way.

What's it matter anyway? The Devs have already decided to give in to the people who like the easy way.

(That Daewoo joke was a good one lol)

[free1indeed]

I personnally like the changes. Keeps from having to race to get anything when there are too many hired.:):)

[Kelsey]

You are absolutely right that the update was not put into place to "level the playing field", but to address the XP/coin issue and that many seem to be missing that point (or they just don't care because they weren't losing XP/coins).

However, I do not believe that you are correct in saying that the majority of people did not like the update or that the update should be rolled back because of the "outcry".

As a player since the first month that the game was released, and as one of the first mods added when they added mods to the forum, my experience tells me several things:

1) Those with complaints about changes/upgrades/ etc are MUCH more vocal about telling the developers about their displeasure than those who like the updates/changes and happily go off farming and enjoying the game.

2) While the forum is here to collect data from the players and the developers have ALWAYS been VERY responsive to the feedback and suggestions that they get, there are those who scream, "I'm quitting" at the drop of a hat rather than offering constructive feedback. Ironically, most do not. They either get used to the "new way" and decide that they actually like it more once they give it a chance, or they take a "leave of absence", go try out some of the other games out there and eventually return because Farm Town offers a level of social interaction that other games do not and because the developers here are always making more and more changes and making the game better.

3) The XP/coin problem HAS to be addressed and this was/is a viable solution to the problem with very little downside.

4) Limiting the number of people who can be hired is NOT a viable solution and WILL cost the developers droves of loyal, long time players who play the game for the social interaction (which is what separates us from "the competition") because they have - since the very beginning - liked being able to hire GROUPS of friends to do "harvest parties" and such. THOSE players are the ones who will stick around - as long as that part of the game is not taken away from them. Those who are only concerned with "getting it done fast", earning points and coins and leveling up will be the ones who will leave ANYWAY because there will never be unlimited levels and enough new stuff to buy to keep them engaged. They will "finish" and then move on to something else.

5) ALL of the people out there using cheat programs (bots) to do their farming WILL hate this new, latest release because it will prevent them from using those programs (which are in violation of the game's TOS anyway).

Hear Hear!!

[lilbitcrazzy17]

I do not like the idea of only one person harvesting/plowing, because it will greatly minimize the available jobs.Not only will it decrease available jobs, there are some days where i just don't want to click ALL those squares and want help. I think that there should maybe be 2/3 people.

[SunnyD]

Have they reverted the plowing and harvesting back to the old way yet?? haven't been to the market to find out... not looking forward to finding out that way lol ..... thanks

[Efwis]

Have they reverted the plowing and harvesting back to the old way yet?? haven't been to the market to find out... not looking forward to finding out that way lol ..... thanks
as of your post they have not changed it back yet. but the day is still young.

[Wolftrack]

MY HATS OFF TO THE PROGRAMMERSThis new format is great
I've posted a number of times recently about trashers coming into farms and hygrading or just randomly clicking all over the place including right where your working, even if theres a ton of other field
As Little Hos Stated It just takes a bit of Skill, Co-Ordination and Stratedgy
I've noticed these "Trashers" are having a heck of a time in a field because they can't just randomly click all over the place with out having to wait for their guy to catch up if they jump more than one square at time
Theres nothing that's going to be fool proof, and there are always going to be people that whine over the smallest changes or perceptions they have
This board is full of those people (I've read quite a few on this thread alone)
I would preffer to have a few glitches and keep the TRASHERS at bay than to go back because a few people don't like change
I will put it out there for those who absolutely HATE CHANGE and constantly whine about it...
!!!Get a checker board!!!

[Roozter]

It's wrong for people to assume that those who do not like the old, old way are greedy, inconsiderate, selfish, jump all over the place, don't give it a chance, etc, etc!
I always harvest/plow in a straight line preferably top to bottom, left to right. Jumping around is a waste of time and inefficient due to the erratic cursor movement. I try to go to an unused area and not to crowd anyone out.
If I feel there are too many workers I just thank the farmer and leave...there's always another job.
I try to be polite and considerate even if others are not. Sooner or later you will run into that person again. Plus, it pays off because people ask to be buddies or neighbors and that makes it more fun and interesting.
Yes, I have a good computer and pretty fast connection which I sacrifice to pay for, so why should I be penalized for those that do not (particularly if they are content to work at a slower pace)? "Equalizing" the playing field is like "dumbing down" our public schools...playing to the lowest common denominator shouldn't be the goal, but to encourage improvement even if it is "just a game"!
For me the issue is time...I work, commute, have family, etc. and already put many hours into this...if some "improvement" adds more time commitment I just may not be able to continue even though I enjoy it very much. I'm sure there are lots of other people in the same boat.
So please, THINK, before you spout off about the rotten characteristics of your fellow farmers...

Roozter

[The Farmers Hot Daughter]

I started playing months, and months ago. I have my addiction to this game at an acceptable level. lol I have continued to enjoy it more and more as the game has been given updates such as; being able to harvest and plow faster rather than having to wait for each field to complete before moving on. ( This is what happened today when I got on today) :confused:

It's to slow.... I found with the new changes it offered me the opp to play and not be stuck at the game for hours and hours. I still played but enjoyed not being stuck at one field for 1.2 hr or more. The was the game was a few days ago was awesome.

You won't be able to please everyone, but we as farmers should be able to decided if we want to hire 1 person to harvest to hiring 6. Same goes with plowing. I should be able to decide how many I want to hire or not. Those who don't like to work with more than themselves are selfish for not wanting to share the work and should let ppl know in the market that they prefer to work alone. That will solve thier problems.

Oh,, one more thing. I would love to be able to have the option to fire people one you hire them. Some are very selfish and make it difficult for others once on the field. Just a thought. It's a game, and in games sometimes you die, so I think it's only fair that you can be fired. lol let's try it out. Please, please put the game back to how it was 2 days ago.:p

[Wild]

Have they reverted the plowing and harvesting back to the old way yet?? haven't been to the market to find out... not looking forward to finding out that way lol ..... thanks

as of your post they have not changed it back yet. but the day is still young.

A word of caution here.... they did not say that they WERE going to change it back, they said "most likely we will be reverting to the old version" and since making that announcement many more have expressed the desire to leave it the way it is, so we are not sure what will happen at this point.

[becca's digs]

I fully concur with sassy kathy. she couldn't have said it any more eloquently. new harvest+plow=bad, hiring up to farmer, you can get stuck with some real slooughs that way, though i usually use my buddy list.
thank you for a great game, and thank you for heaaring us. look forward to getting on later (as of right now it's the same) and finding it back to it's previous state.

thank you very much and happy holidays!!

[lmoreno58]

I like the older version yea even with this new one you just did there still was the ones doing all over the place but the older version even though for some reason mine was slow and till the coins caught up with the harvest i had to wait for it to switch over to plowing oh well i would rather have that. This new one is terrible slow especially the plowing one at a time. Dont know what the answer is seeing you have a small farm and they hire like 10 which is rediculous so i just leave :p:) they need to realize you dont get anything extra for hiring that many. Maybe limit it but not to 1 or 2 maybe more but not 10. Why cant you figure out why when we harvest it has to wait for the coins to catch up before it switches over to plowing!

[CAY]

There were a couple things I liked about the Dec 22nd update. It's alright with me if you change it back, though I would've liked more time to try it out. What I've noticed during my brief experience with it was that plowing this way is in fact slower. I always work in straight lines, but I used to be able to click two rows in the time it now takes to do one. However, harvesting in this way seems very speedy if you again work in straight lines and are working alone. It is slower than the previous way when working with other farmers. Finally, let me say that I would not like a limit on how many workers can be hired. Such a change would take versatility out of the game, which is part of what makes Farm Town stand apart. A month ago I was losing xp whenever I was hired, but in the last few weeks this has been corrected and I haven't noticed any lost xp or coins from the queuing process. Thanks for listening to feedback :)

[johnross]

I like the new version better. You just to "save" your work.

[Efwis]

A word of caution here.... they did not say that they WERE going to change it back, they said "most likely we will be reverting to the old version" and since making that announcement many more have expressed the desire to leave it the way it is, so we are not sure what will happen at this point.
i'm sorry wild, but i have to disagree with you on this. as stated when you go to the game

Hello Farmers! In order to minimize lost XP/coins we did some changes to the way the game works when you are hired, but we are restoring the old version sometime today due to popular demand. Thanks.

[Lara]

I have no real problems with the new way and didn't find it particularly slow

[ms cindy]

Just adding my little opinion here. I dont have a problem with the new updates, and i had no problems before the updates. Whichever version becomes the final outcome is fine with me. However, please please please, DO NOT limit the amount of players one can hire to work a farm. That would drasticly change the dynamics of the game. The social aspect is what makes it fun to play, and what distinguishes it from other games.
I fully trust the developers to make wise choices over the next couple of days

[SunnyD]

Umm when you first start the game you do get this message:


Hello Farmers! In order to minimize lost XP/coins we did some changes to the way the game works when you are hired, but we are restoring the old version sometime today due to popular demand. Thanks.

so yes they said they are reverting back to the old way........

A word of caution here.... they did not say that they WERE going to change it back, they said "most likely we will be reverting to the old version" and since making that announcement many more have expressed the desire to leave it the way it is, so we are not sure what will happen at this point.

[NanaSpeaks]

I like the update released 12/22/09. It took only a few minutes to realize my avatar will go to each square as I click it. If you plow and harvest there is no problem if you don't jump all over the place. It does stop other farmers from jumping from one corner to another and down the middle trying to claim the entire field. Why not let the update stand for a few weeks so members can adjust? Unfortunately the ones who are happy with the update often fail to reply and only the whiners are heard. If you lose members of FarmTown please realize no one is paying and it makes more room on the server for the players willing to adjust to changes.

[archerb55]

there needs to be a change from the old way that is true, however this change is not the answer either. i am a fast worker and work in a consistant pattern, the server time out is a big problem and when you work fast after a bit the counters stop counting so you have to slow down for it to catch up again. but this new idea in its present for is not viable either. when moving from the start to an area of the field to begin your work it takes forever for the avatar to get there and you can't go more than one click until it does. same problem when you finish one patch and go to another way too slow getting there...... the enlarged icons are aggravating especially since your avatar goes with the clicks now. the good thing about this new way is that these people that like to come in and just randomly start clicking away (and i think they do this to make others mad) to refine their technique. as far as a limit on hiring i think some limit is needed. what that limit is i am not sure. 3 to harvest and 2 to plow max ? i have worked farms where i have actually counted 25 workers...... that is rediculous it loads up the servers and i find that that is when i lose xp or coin or freeze up.... changes need to be made and this try is not the right answer

[sunide]

One of the (many) ways, Farmtown is better than 'Ville - WAS game speed.

Please don't limit to being able to hire only one person per harvest/plow. maybe 2/each... 3 at a max. For people with large farms, only being able to have 1 person harvest will be a huge time constraint....

[pickle@windstream.net]

I didn't like the new way to harvest and plow until I used it a little. Now, I love it. PLEASE DON'T GO BACK TO THE OLD WAY. THIS ALLOWS EVERYONE THE SAME OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE COINS AND POINTS. NOT JUST THE FAST ONES. ONCE YOU LEARN THE TECHNIQUE IT WORKS GREAT.
THANKS FOR ALL YOUR PLANNING AND HELPING MAKE THE GAME BETTER!!!

[Roedolf]

The new format is really very anoying and I loose even more points now and it waist a lot of time.
When I am hired to harvest or plow I can not see what has already been done so I click away only to find that when the Xp calculates that it states "Already done" This waist a lot of effort and is extremely anoying. Then the server for some reason disconects and I loose all my coins or xp points.
The fact that the so called "Harvest hoppers" are prevented from clicking all over the show is a good idea. Please

[RhondaHenson]

Thanks for reverting - but I like most would like the option added that you can't hire 20 people - this is absolutely ridiculous and makes for "farm rage"...avatar's clicking here and there and leaving a mess and when you try to move they follow just to aggrivate...so, please yes - limit the number of folks a farmer can hire - not one - but make it reasonable..ensure that a farmer can hire at least one to harvest and plow at the same time....to move things along...but I'm so addicted to this game, and I hated it yesterday and today - so, glad that you are reverting back. Thanks for allowing my feedback.

[Planters]

I love the new method except:

1. If I hire two people, one clicks close to them and start harvesting. Since the bounce from plot to plot, they harvest fairly quickly. Someone from across the farm, if they finish their section - by the time their avatar moves across the farm - the first person has already harvested 40-50 more plots.

2. Relates to #1, annoying wait while I walk across the farm for the first harvest.

3. Plowing is a pain. I get a green outline around where I want to plow, but when I click the highlighted square, often jumps to the spot above me, or to the right of me -- even if those have already been plowed. When I harvest or plow, I get the yellow outline, which doesn't do this annoying jump. My only solution, is to intentionally move the highlighted square to the left and under the the plot I want to plow 1/3 a square - then click. Then it still does the jump, but now it jumps into the plow I wanted to plow. This is not related to the roll-back. It was doing this before.

4. If we're changing stuff: I'd love to see an option to Harvest Crops & Plow. Perhaps putting both items into the same click for the person being hired. Click, avatar moves, harvests plot, plows plot. Click - avatar moves, harvests plot, plows plot. etc.

5.. OMG, BIG ERROR: I just used the multi-planting tool and clicked ahead, just like always. Intead of telling me when I was going to be out of fuel, it let me click the whole farm - then as the avatar caught up, I started getting "need more fuel error" and the avatar moved to the next spot. OMG OMG this stinks.

[Hunnienana]

I love the new way you have it right now... Having the others jumping all over the place was a headache... now they have to learn to stay in straight lines and now harvest over plow over you... thank you... they just have to learn now to play it your game you made it now they can't have it both ways thank you Hunnienana ( keep up the good work)

[wagstal]

The above is all I now see when I try and either Harvest or Plow on anothers farm - it is so bad that I have lost both XP and coins due to it being so unworkable. I have to wait for each plot to complete before I can move on to the next. If the change back doesn't improve things then I'm afraid I will not be playing again as all the enjoyment has gone.:mad:

[jam1]

The 'old way', which is now the current way, is slow and tedious. Yesterday's way... depending on which computer I was on, the length of time it took to get xp/coins varied. On the slow computer it was a little annoying, but still better than this old reinstated way. Please go back to a fast harvest, even if it means a few lost coins or xp (which I never experienced).

[Vicki in Colorado]

I'm one who hated the changes initially. Game play did improve a bit with time, but I'm still glad you are going back to the old way. Thank you!

I never had a serious problem with losing xp or coins. I understood that I was being credited for work that I only appeared to have done, as someone else had gotten to the harvest/plow before me. Not a big problem, IMO, once I understood what was happening. People need to read the forum! :)

If you MUST try to fix the problem, limiting the number of hires is probably the way to go. Personally, I just leave a farm if there are too many people there. Wish you could do something about the "ghost" people though. I suspect I've left a farm because of this, when there are really only one or two other hires.

Thanks for responding to your audience by reverting to the previous plow/harvest version!:)

[sheilagodes]

I really like getting all the points right away. Having the delay when traveling from place to place is a bit too long. I do like that it prevents, to some degree, the jumping around that some people like to do.

I think the idea of 1 person to harvest and 1 to plow is a bit extreme. Perhaps the limit could be 2 per. After all, it's not a competitive game in the normal sense but more of a social interactive environment. So, if the "I can win" people are ****** off, I say good bye and farewell. The rest of us enjoy the interaction. Many of us like spending a little time with one another while we work and racing to the finish is not important. However, right now, it's a bit frustrating in this limited version that is online right now.

Extremes are never good. We have gone from one to another. Please try to find a happy medium

[Almeta]

I dislike this new way very much. I have gotten so aggravated and disgusted with the time it takes to harvest & plow that I just quit last night and this morning. Please go back to the old way. If people don't want to work with others, they can always leave the job and let the others do it. You can't revert back quick enough for me. I know several of my friends have quit FT and gone to Farmville.

[Crazydee332]

I'm very disappointed that Zygna has gone back to the "old way" I absolutely hate that way. I find it way too slow, it really drags, and takes forever to harvest your crops and plow. The new way, i could hire 2 people to harvest my crops and plow, and now i have to hire over a dozen just to plow and harvest so the job gets done quickly. Not everyone has time to sit and harvest and plow their crops for more than an hour or longer. You have now taken the fun out of playing the game! Some of us do work, and have other commitments that take up our time and actually enjoy the new way...It use to take me hours to harvest and plow and now it only takes about15-20 min now (the new way). I've never experienced lost coins or exp points. I will not be playing this game as much anymore, Zgyna, you have ruined this game for me!~

[bradwill]

A word of caution here.... they did not say that they WERE going to change it back, they said "most likely we will be reverting to the old version" and since making that announcement many more have expressed the desire to leave it the way it is, so we are not sure what will happen at this point.

According to what everyone sees at the top of their FarmTown screen, the above you just stated isn't accurate:

Hello Farmers! In order to minimize lost XP/coins we did some changes to the way the game works when you are hired, but we are restoring the old version sometime today due to popular demand. Thanks.

[Efwis]

I'm very disappointed that Zygna has gone back to the "old way" I absolutely hate that way. I find it way too slow, it really drags, and takes forever to harvest your crops and plow. The new way, i could hire 2 people to harvest my crops and plow, and now i have to hire over a dozen just to plow and harvest so the job gets done quickly. Not everyone has time to sit and harvest and plow their crops for more than an hour or longer. You have now taken the fun out of playing the game! Some of us do work, and have other commitments that take up our time and actually enjoy the new way...It use to take me hours to harvest and plow and now it only takes about15-20 min now (the new way). I've never experienced lost coins or exp points. I will not be playing this game as much anymore, Zgyna, you have ruined this game for me!~

umm, zynga makes farmville not farmtown. i think you meant slashkey. if not then you are in the wrong forum. lol.

[Lynjoe]

Personally, either way is fine with me. I didn't like the change at first, but it's kinda growing on me. You guys have brought us such a great game and I'm sure you know what is best for the overall concept. It's fun and all of the ups and downs, in and outs, are like real life. It happens.

I personally do not enjoy working on a farm where too many farmers have been hired. I try not to do it myself with hiring or working. It becomes a circus. When I am hired from the marketplace, I would like to have confidence that going to that particular farm will be worth my time. The new way works fine unless there are too many workers on the farm.

But...forget about it for now and spend Christmas with your family. Thanks for giving us Farmtown.

[Lttlfarmgal]

The old way sucks! Please don`t do it! You can`t go to the next plot until the one you`re on is done. Now we`ll have to deal with that "wait I`m busy" message or the "saving...saving...saving..." problem all over again! The new way is so much better.....click ahead, it enques, and your on your way. I never lost coins or XP...it all caught up whenever I left the farms I was working on. Please don`t go back to the fricken stone age. And....I think it should be up to the farm owner as to how many workers they want to hire.

[Phnhh]

Limiting the amount of workers hired is not a bad idea. What is frustrating with hiring just one worker is the fact they have to either harvest or plow one plot at a time. If you hire one worker, at least give the option of having them work on 4 plots at a time - using your fuel reserve so they do not get penalized for their own fuel store.
Just an idea....

[Stormy Gail]

Hello Farmers! In order to minimize lost XP/coins we did some changes to the way the game works when you are hired, but we are restoring the old version sometime today due to popular demand. Thanks.

I just harvested after being hired from the MP...geeeeeeeeeee, back to the old slow as a snail way of harvesting and plowing....:(

I have a suggestion, maybe give everyone a choice of the way they want to play the game..the old slow way or the new version of fast as lightening...I really don't care how many ppl the other farmers hire to harvest and plow, it's my choice to either stay or leave...tis the American way eh..????

[mshboop]

I think there would have been less complaining had we had some instruction or notice about the changes that were taking place. Actually, I found myself quite liking the new method. It sure kept my movements very organized and economical. I found that by the end of the night, I was able to do just as much work as before (and as fast). Just planning a little was all it took. Going to the far side of a farm initially was all that was needed. No bumping or fighting other farmers. What a joke.

Maybe there should be a cap on hiring. Say a ratio to what is available on the farm to be harvested or plowed. Maybe that is a technical nightmare. Or the amount of hirees could be limited to what level you have achieved. Personally, I don't mind hiring just 2 or 3 at a time. I know I appreciate not going to an "ant den" to work.

I agree that the avatar was a little distracting moving and counting all along the way. Maybe if it could be turned a little transparent while it moves along with you. But I dare say, we would have all gotten used to it. Why, I remember when I used to have to trick the avatar into staying under the trees while I worked!

The big icon that appears while planting makes it a little hard when using the seeder at a distance. It takes up the vision of where you are trying to plant and that makes it a little cumbersome.

Just a little (not so critical) feedback. Love the game. Can't wait for more levels past 60 now. And Thank YOU!

[sunide]

A job well done, the new update is great. If the developers let themselves be pushed around by a few unhappy players then that's just to bad. It seems everyone who is complaining is complaining about the speed. I've had more compliments about my speed tonight than ever before. The speed has not changed at all and now you have to make every click of your mouse count. You have improved the game for the masses and that's who the game is for right?

It will be a mistake if you go back to the way it was before 12.22.2009. With this update you have leveled the playing field and made the game more challenging and interesting. Do you want FT to be fair and challenging, the same for everyone or is the game for the few who wine the loudest. The new update does take the hop-scotchers out of the picture, some folks call them harvest hogs or plow pigs. We all know who they are, they don't know how to have a strategy with the game. The new way you had better have a strategy or you will work your way in to a corner and take forever walking to get to your next plot to harvest or plow. If the developers spend some time in the markets listening the players they will see some complain sure but the masses are still playing the game, just like before. As a matter of fact there happen to be more new names in the marketplace tonight. Raul, this game is for everyone, not just the whiners who can't really play. Make every mouse click count, have a strategy and really learn how the game works, not just wildly clicking here and there. If other games were that way think of the chaos it would cause in a shooters game, or any game for that matter. Leave the new upgrade the way it is if you really want the game to be for the masses, for the every average person who wants to play it.

I've only been able to score about 500,000 coins tonight and about 7,000 XP points. It is just like any other night if you really want to play. Give the new system an honest try before you cave in to the whiners. You've got millions of players, don't make a decision for everyone on what a few dozen have to say in this forum.

Because of a few people coming ot the forum complaining....

[JonVDB]

I first thought there was something was wrong with Farm Town. After I read on the Forum that this was a new release I just went back and played the game. I actually found that my plowing and harvesting speed was the same or a little faster. The biggest plus was that there wasn't any other plowers and harvesters just clicking all over the screen to get as many points/coins as possible, i.e. not plowing and harvesting in a logical manner. Please don't change it back.

You haven't played the game long enough evidently. "Speed-harvesting" is a very special technique, used in response to the introduction of "cued" harvesting. It allows harvesters who were "good", to be "good" again. Contrary to what you may see in some fast harvesters, a good "speed harvester" is an asset to a farmer. He/she will clean the farm fast, leaving no stray crops. A good "speed harvester" does not start blasting from the entry point, but rather start as close to the top as possible... right to left, top to bottom as fast as you can to get 70-80% (minimum) of the crops. After clearing a large section, you go back and clean up your misses. It's a very fast and competitive technique. If you are not into competitive games, go to Pogo and play Old Maid!

[MsEbonique]

I love the new way.... it keeps people from cutting you off. You will be in one corner and before you know it they are right up under you and there is a whole field to be done. They will go up the middle so you have no wherre to go. I think the new way can be done a little better, but please do not go all the way back to the old way. People get greedy and try to get the very last one. All I ask for is remember there are other people on the field with you and let them have a chance to. The ones that do not like the new way are the ones that will cut you off in a minute. Yesterday was WONDERFUL I was able to plow or harvest and have no one trying to push me out of the way. Just try to meet everyone in the middle, but going back to the old way. Not good. Yes, I have left many rooms just for that reason being in the bottom left cormer, by myself... the top half no one is working, but they will come and work where I am. Why? You can come back and say well leave... Why should I. Everyone has a right to work on a farm, but to put up with rude people... We shouldn't have to. The only thing I saw that could have been worked out better was waiting for the AV to get started. But having the AV with you I think it is the coolest thing. It really shows you who the rude people are. Thank you facebook for trying to help the underdog. Some people computers are faster than others and not everyone can go out and by new ones. And please don't come back on me because everyone knows I'm telling the truth. Thanks for listing, but don't go back just make what you did a little better.

[rrhoop5469]

I can't stand this new version of harvesting & plowing. Those who complain the old way wasn't fair need to learn how to click faster cause this new way, is horrible. This still really doesn't make anything fair. Some people's avatar moves faster than others based on what kind of computer processor & internet access they have. So they will never be able to make things "fair" and they shouldn't have to try. Either get a faster computer & roadrunner or be happy at the speed you can work. This new **** will force a lot of people to quit playing (me, for one). Why fix something that isn't broken???!!! I was waiting forever for someone to finish harvesting my crops, just so I could wait forever to hire them to plow...then they got sick of how long it was taking too & quit and I had to go hire a stranger to finish. I harvested 1 person's field while I was waiting for my farm to get done and couldn't believe how bad it was. I would never work anyone's field again with this change. No wonder people want the old way back. People do have lives you know. Please don't ever make changes to will slow the game down. We can't spend all day, every day on the computer.

[Franklyn]

I don't really understand why people are saying they have to wait. Click, click click works perfectly fine for me. The plot changes instantly so you go on to the next and the next and the next. No waiting, no busy, no catching up. Fast click, click, click job done!

[rrhoop5469]

I also am a speed harvester/plower. I start in one corner & work in rows clicking down as far & as fast as I can before going to the next row. If I miss a spot, I'll immediately click back & get it or I will get it when I go up the next row to it. I never click all over the map with no rhyme or reason to my harvesting. Some people are just rude or don't know any better. But I'd rather deal with them than this new way of working. I do have a life outside of this game and anything that slows us down will force people to quit playing.

[MizJenna]

well, I have not had the chance to read through ALL of the responses, but wanted to put my info in. First, Thanks for listening to the players ... I hate that its had to get so bad dang it .. so many people signed up just yesterday simply to complain. I have been a member of the forum for some time now .. I dont post often, but I do read, nearly daily. and I think its sad that so many people only just NOW signed up for the forum to complain about this. sigh. .. yes, I did complain myself, and I honestly feel bad about that!

Anyways, I think it will be interesting to see the next phase of changes to the game. (and how many people are upset over it LOL sorry but true!) Ive been playing the game for MANY months, and this was the first time I felt upset over a change ..

Ok, TOO MUCH Gabbing on my end! SORRY! My suggestion? Maybe a 3 HIRE limit. I too have friends who gather on my farm or our friends farm to hang out, but most of us are just talking while one or two work lol so it wont bother me at all if there is a 3 hire limit.

[CoDa]

I've been playing this since May and this is the single WORST upgrade ever. I liked all the others but......Fix this PLEASE. I hire someone to plough and when they do it says already done!! I get no xp FFS!

[lisa byrd]

1st of all i love farmtown i cant wait to get off work and play i can sit here all day and play in farmtown my only thing is that 1 i think there should be a limit as to how many ppl can harvest or plow on a certain size farm ( also ty for making the 2nd farm) i have a problem when it shows the farm is harvested and i refresh and come back and its all there or u plow and plant and come back its not done also the green buxs how do u make more with out having to buy them i think we should get them after so much coins or ex pts are made but it seems like ive been stuck on level 60 for over a month and cant move on but for the most part but no matter what i love farmtown it is the best farming game out ty for making it

[LKR]

Thanks to all of you who monitor and try to make playing easier. I've been on a few months and enjoy playing even when I'm frustrated (as I was yesterday). You just learn to work around and be patient.

However, thanks for reverting back. The sizes of the icons were horrible and to hire help was atrocious as the frustration level was building as the day went on.

Again, Thanks to all of you and wish you the best of this Holiday Season.

[rrhoop5469]

I think there should be a limit to the number you can hire. 2-3 would be a good number for those with large farms. That gives everyone a chance to get something. Only allowing 1 would be a problem cause it would slow things down a lot and not everyone has time to wait all day. For those with big farms that need to get it done quickly so they can plant their crops & get on with their lives wouldn't appreciate only allowing 1 employee. They would only be able to get on when they had the time to wait. When we have time, my family only hires 1 person to do our farms but at least we have that option, if we aren't in a hurry.

I LOVE how you automatically get the points/coins as soon as you click on the square instead of waiting for the avatar to catch up and actually process your click. I believe that alone should take care of missing points/coins. But if not, I'd still rather have the old way back and just miss some points/coins here & there.

[WurliTzerwilly]

There has been an announcement that it will go back to the old way, but why is it taking so long. All that is needed is to restore the backup that should have been made before the untested change was made.
When will these people ever learn that thorough testing is needed before inflicting changes that make the game an utter misery.
If it's not fixed soon, I will ditch it for good. It's already a (fun) time waster, but this has made it useless.

Alan.

[mr lon]

I liked the way it was and always wished that there was a way to "Fire" a worker that you hired and was being a "Hog"! The way that the new update is working don't bother me just because it is the way that I work on a field, but it does slow you down a lot.

The "Hog" thing:
I'm at level 60+ and have had a great time getting there with the EXCEPTION of some that create the problem. (The Crop Hog) They just go here and there as fast as they can making a mess and I have tryed everything that I can to get rid of that worker!

#1 - Why not have the ability to "Fire" a worker? (My first choice)
#2 - Maybe the ability to give a coin bonus or tip to a good worker?

Just my thoughts for a Great game.
Thanks!

[olsakovsky]

There has been an announcement that it will go back to the old way, but why is it taking so long. All that is needed is to restore the backup that should have been made before the untested change was made.
When will these people ever learn that thorough testing is needed before inflicting changes that make the game an utter misery.
If it's not fixed soon, I will ditch it for good. It's already a (fun) time waster, but this has made it useless.

Alan.

Alan is right. Please hurry. I've ditched several jobs waiting for the fix. Will be going to the market and recommending that no one do anything til fix is in.

[JAMMER22]

:D Thank you for listening!! I look forward to you changing it back.

[kendoddsdadsdogsdead]

I don't post on this forum much but I feel I have to this time. What the hell is going on here??? I hired someone to plow my farm, went offline to do some stuff, came back, no ploughed fields! OK, I thought they just left when they saw the size of the job, so I'll plough my own fields. I start to plow and it tells me ' already done' . I can't even plow my own farm!! Get this fixed or I'm off. I've loved this game for a few months now but what is the point if you can't plow your own farm???

[DLeach]

Hi There,

We have been monitoring you feedback and most likely we will be reverting to the old version early tomorrow and try to find a better compromise.

One of the alternatives that we considered was to only allow one worker harvesting and one worker plowing on your farm at the same time. This was also suggested by several other users on the other thread, however we thought that was going to be even more problematic.

Please provide some feedback about this other alternative on this thread, or if you rather prefer the way it was before, unlimited hiring, faster work but more potential for collisions and lost coins/XP.

thanks

--Raul
Actually I think a limit of 4-5 would suffice. One of my farms is basically 835 productive squares and I find 3 harvesters works well. They get enough coins and if plowing, experience points. But get rid of the big tool filling the screen and the SLOWWWWWWWW.

THANKS

[Lesley1607]

I don't really understand why people are saying they have to wait. Click, click click works perfectly fine for me. The plot changes instantly so you go on to the next and the next and the next. No waiting, no busy, no catching up. Fast click, click, click job done!

Agreed, it's just as fast as before if you're methodical and don't click all over the place. I wish they were not changing it back.

I do agree with what people are saying about limiting the number of hires though.

[tony rhodes]

will not do anything else to it is put back the way it was before you changed it on dec22 it really really suck big time

[lizjfox]

I have arthritis and do not have one of those clicker alternatives (MAC). But I have wonderful, supportive friends who continue to hire me. We can still chat after we work (and during … which we do all the time.) Please be kind to those who are not 16. Merry Christmas to all my friends.

[ramblinrose1952]

I hate the old version ! It is slow and I have a lot of things I need to get done besides wait forever. I love the game and I do not want to give it up ! :(

GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR !

[Efwis]

There has been an announcement that it will go back to the old way, but why is it taking so long. All that is needed is to restore the backup that should have been made before the untested change was made.
When will these people ever learn that thorough testing is needed before inflicting changes that make the game an utter misery.
If it's not fixed soon, I will ditch it for good. It's already a (fun) time waster, but this has made it useless.

Alan.

it's taking longer to revert it because they are probably making necessary changes to the original code in the backup they will use. give the devs a little time to make the change happen, from the way it sounds they are trying to make a compromise to make as many people as possible happy.

they didn't say exactly when it would be done and it could be that their early tomorrow may actually be the 24th not the 23rd since the post about it was made around 2 am their time today.

[lizjfox]

I agree with KaFarmer. Give it a chance.

[Tipka]

I have one farm on FB and one on myspace. The last one has over 800 fields, so I can't imagine hire 1 person, it will take forever to harvest + plow, I need at least 3 fast workers at the same time. And not even thinking what happens when you buy second farm.

Yes, sometimes farmers don't know how to share fields and sometimes they argue, so new way should improve things. Every change brings glitches, so why not wait at least few days to evalute changes?

[NanaSpeaks]

Please don't change it back. Farmers will get used to it and you'll find that change while sometimes resisted is often for the best. Thanks for all you do.

[MrLosli]

One of the alternatives that we considered was to only allow one worker harvesting and one worker plowing on your farm at the same time. This was also suggested by several other users on the other thread, however we thought that was going to be even more problematic.



I think that would be fine but you would have to also provide the "FIRE" option so if you get some doofus that has no clue what they are doing and is just screwing around, you can get them out and get someone that can work.. My 2 cents.

[patternmaker]

I am not sure if there is a one person hire limit, but if there is I think it's a BAD idea. One reason I like FarmTOWN over FarmVILLE is because of the social interaction. FarmVILLE you do it all yourself...BORING. That's why I stopped playing for so long. Please don't make only a 1 person harvest/plow. I like my buddies and neighbors to come and visit while working. Thanks for listening.

[Tipka]

I think that would be fine but you would have to also provide the "FIRE" option so if you get some doofus that has no clue what they are doing and is just screwing around, you can get them out and get someone that can work.. My 2 cents.

I strongly agree, and some people only harvest few fields and then wait to plow, then I don't hire them to plow, I would fire them after a minute.

[JonVDB]

I don't really understand why people are saying they have to wait. Click, click click works perfectly fine for me. The plot changes instantly so you go on to the next and the next and the next. No waiting, no busy, no catching up. Fast click, click, click job done!

Conditions will always vary when it comes to speed. There are so many variables when it comes to speed. Connection speed, computer speed, user dexterity, server load, etc. etc.

[NanaSpeaks]

Great idea. Give it a chance. I for one like the new version. Those that don't and want to leave should leave and play another free game. Why not leave the change the way it is and I think within a few days you'll find players will adapt.

[Lesley1607]

I am not sure if there is a one person hire limit, but if there is I think it's a BAD idea. One reason I like FarmTOWN over FarmVILLE is because of the social interaction. FarmVILLE you do it all yourself...BORING. That's why I stopped playing for so long. Please don't make only a 1 person harvest/plow. I like my buddies and neighbors to come and visit while working. Thanks for listening.

I don't think it should be limited to one person, but there is nothing worse than being one of about 10 people hired to harvest or plow a not particularly big field.

[Mrs Giles]

Please don't limit it to one hired help - my friends and I often hire each other in groups for harvest parties and it will totally spoil this social side of things.
The idea of going back to the old way was a shock to everyone at 1st, but on giving it a try it was obvious that it was something we would adapt to pretty soon.

[olsakovsky]

it's taking longer to revert it because they are probably making necessary changes to the original code in the backup they will use. give the devs a little time to make the change happen, from the way it sounds they are trying to make a compromise to make as many people as possible happy.

they didn't say exactly when it would be done and it could be that their early tomorrow may actually be the 24th not the 23rd since the post about it was made around 2 am their time today.

Probably right. I am impatient. That said, it appears to be reverted now (check me out.) We could lose the big scythe which gets in the way but otherwise it is acting ok for now.

[PAAAAL]

Please don't. Give it a few weeks until farmers adjust. Most of what you're hearing is negative feed back. Those of us who like the new version sometimes neglect to thank you. So, THANKYOU.

[mrdibs]

Perhaps you could limit the number of hired farmers to a ratio that would be ideal. So XX unharvested trees/fields allows one to hire XX farmers. As your farm gets larger, you can hire more people to tend it. Seems 3 is about the most you'd ever want on a farm at one time. If that's too complex, maybe it's about canvas size, not the number of fields.

[babyj31824]

Thank you for listening to your users, it is appreciated. Limiting hires is an option. However, it is a game and meant to be competitive. Each farmer has the choice of leaving if there are too many others. Many in the marketplace make it clear that they only want solo jobs. They seem to be hired. Personally, I generally hire one rarely two. The game seems to move faster that way. But, I like having the freedom to choose how many to hire.

Forcing farmers to stay until the harvest has been completed has also been suggested. That I oppose. Most of us have lives after all and life can get in the way of a game. If one needs to leave, one should be able to do so.

I agree completely.
Put it back to the way it was. And for Heaven's sake, get rid of the "Wait...I'm busy" for good. That is unnecessary.

[crisco311]

I"ll take the old way back any time

[dixiegirl]

ok... I love this game. For those that are saying it is as fast it in NOT! I am a consistant worker, I always work in rows and neatly. I work fast because I have DSL and a new puter. I work and chat. Now I cant. It takes so long to plow it is frustrating. Click.. wait.. click ... wait. Ummm NO. Harvesting was a little better but not much. I did go to market and hire out in order to try for myself and I hate the changes that were rolled out on the 22. I have been playing since spring, and I remember when we were like this before and I woldnt go to market, only worked for friends. Please roll back to pre Dec 22nd so I can continue to play. I dont have time to play like it is now.
I love the game and think the Dev do a great job overall... but this one was a step back!

[Happy pants]

My two cents... pleased that you are going back to queued harvesting. In favor of limiting workers, but not too small a number please. At least 4 at a time, maybe even 6 for large farms. Thanks! And I won't stop playing no matter what you do.

[silky]

well this new version does NOT work on layered farms! so we need it to go back ASAP..

[JonnyCool]

Oh please no change it back i don't like the new way it is to slow i don't have that much time on my hands...im sorry but i can't play untill you change it back again im sorry.

[Nadine]

Hi There,

We have been monitoring you feedback and most likely we will be reverting to the old version early tomorrow and try to find a better compromise.

One of the alternatives that we considered was to only allow one worker harvesting and one worker plowing on your farm at the same time. This was also suggested by several other users on the other thread, however we thought that was going to be even more problematic.

Please provide some feedback about this other alternative on this thread, or if you rather prefer the way it was before, unlimited hiring, faster work but more potential for collisions and lost coins/XP.

thanks

--Raul

Every time you do an update, you have people complaining. You can't please everyone all of the time.

This is a social game. In less than a year, you have 28M people playing. So it shows that people like the game.

This new way is an improvement, as far as speed goes, from FT v1, yet much slower than the queued version. People screamed bloody murder when queued harvesting/plowing was released. Some loved it, some hated it.

I believe the faster queued version speed destroyed the social aspect. Most people do not hang out and talk while plowing or waiting for the meters to fill. They do their job and leave. As quickly as possible, moving to the next job. I've not met and and buddied/became friends with one person that I have hired from the Marketplace because they wanted to hang out & chat. Most of my buddies/neighbors are from before this fast plowing/harvesting or just recently from the forum.

If this version stops people from losing xps/coins, especially since they are not being replaced, then I think this is a better version... for the moment. If you lose some players, then so be it... you will gain others. And you can still figure out an alternative.

However, that alternative should NOT be limiting the amount of workers. I harvest with friends, and have done so since I started the game. Its very rare that I even bother working from the marketplace. With friends, I can work with from one up to 20 people and have fun. I am here for the social aspect of the game, to meet people.. not to zoom up levels or become a millionaire in days.

Even when I hire from the marketplace, the farm with 488 crops, I usually hire one or two people. The one with 1024 crops, I hire four when hiring from the MP.. only friends will my 1024 crops to themselves. It is PURE GREED people who are begging you to go back to the fast version and limit it to one or two people. That's just ludicrous. People looking for work in the marketplace would get LESS WORK, because players would stick with their friends. I'd rather make my friends rich than some random strangers in the Marketplace.

If I had to hire one person from the Marketplace to harvest, and one to plow, I WOULD NOT BE PLAYING.

I VOTE TO KEEP THIS SLOWER VERSION, while trying to come up with a sensible alternative.

You had players BEFORE you added "turbo harvesting/plowing" and you'll continue to have and gain players without it.

There are hundreds, if not thousands, of posts from people who are losing xps/coins, and reverting to the previous way is just basically flipping them the bird, especially since you aren't reimbursing them. It's not fair at all to them. I can't even believe the amount of posts now that say "Oh so what about a few xps/coins lost.." You have people complaining of not reaching levels because of lost xps...

Please reconsider.

[MizJenna]

for those who are worrying about the "friends harvest parties" being stopped because they might limit the number of workers to hire .. come on guys .. you dont have to be WORKING on a farm to CHAT. Many of my friends and I hang out at one of our farms ... and if someone needs work done, one or two of us do the work, while the others of us hang out and just chat. if you feel you MUST be WORKING to chat, I am sorry for that. You can chat without working .. yes, not everyone will get the points, but you could switch off .. Ok so and so works this farm while the others chat, and next time one of us needs help, others get to work while we all chat. simple fix there. :)

[joytheresa]

Hello,
Well after reading the posts I am glad to hear you are not keeping the Dec. 22 release. It was frustrating to say the least. As far as losing coin and XP I know I have lost a mill in coin at least but what the heck it ain't real money and I have more coins than can possibly be spent in this game. It's like someone previous said, you still have multiple players being hired to harvest and plow and it is still a big mess when that happens, I usually leave. What I don't like is the Avatar movement dictates where your screen is, I prefer to chose where I want to be on the screen, some people like the screen zoomed in and others like it zoomed out. Also I find b/c I am a fast clicker I am constantly waiting for my Avatar and my screen is jumping all over the place, very aggravating. Up until yesterday I would spend hours playing FT, I am a more recent convert from Farmville. I have planted an after Christmas crop as well and if things are not back to what it was prior to yesterday I doubt that I will continue playing either, which is unfortunate as I have made many online friends playing this game and I will miss the camaraderie. we'll see i suppose.

[Kelsey]

Every time you do an update, you have people complaining. You can't please everyone all of the time.

This is a social game. In less than a year, you have 28M people playing. So it shows that people like the game.

This new way is an improvement, as far as speed goes, from FT v1, yet much slower than the queued version. People screamed bloody murder when queued harvesting/plowing was released. Some loved it, some hated it.

I believe the faster queued version speed destroyed the social aspect. Most people do not hang out and talk while plowing or waiting for the meters to fill. They do their job and leave. As quickly as possible, moving to the next job. I've not met and and buddied/became friends with one person that I have hired from the Marketplace because they wanted to hang out & chat. Most of my buddies/neighbors are from before this fast plowing/harvesting or just recently from the forum.

If this version stops people from losing xps/coins, especially since they are not being replaced, then I think this is a better version... for the moment. If you lose some players, then so be it... you will gain others. And you can still figure out an alternative.

However, that alternative should NOT be limiting the amount of workers. I harvest with friends, and have done so since I started the game. Its very rare that I even bother working from the marketplace. With friends, I can work with from one up to 20 people and have fun. I am here for the social aspect of the game, to meet people.. not to zoom up levels or become a millionaire in days.

Even when I hire from the marketplace, the farm with 488 crops, I usually hire one or two people. The one with 1024 crops, I hire four when hiring from the MP.. only friends will my 1024 crops to themselves. It is PURE GREED people who are begging you to go back to the fast version and limit it to one or two people. That's just ludicrous. People looking for work in the marketplace would get LESS WORK, because players would stick with their friends. I'd rather make my friends rich than some random strangers in the Marketplace.

If I had to hire one person from the Marketplace to harvest, and one to plow, I WOULD NOT BE PLAYING.

I VOTE TO KEEP THIS SLOWER VERSION, while trying to come up with a sensible alternative.

You had players BEFORE you added "turbo harvesting/plowing" and you'll continue to have and gain players without it.

There are hundreds, if not thousands, of posts from people who are losing xps/coins, and reverting to the previous way is just basically flipping them the bird, especially since you aren't reimbursing them. It's not fair at all to them. I can't even believe the amount of posts now that say "Oh so what about a few xps/coins lost.." You have people complaining of not reaching levels because of lost xps...

Please reconsider.

Agreed!! Please reconsider.

[raynman]

Yes, 1 person harvesting/plowing is a good idea. Or the way it was before, but maybe add an option for the person hiring to either boot or warn by means of a strike anyone who gets out of line, like the people who just start clicking randomly where others are working in a straight line. 3 strikes, you're on the bench or reported or something, maybe even have it where it shows everyone else which people have gotten strikes so they can choose not to hire that person in the future. Or maybe set it up so wherever a person starts working, they can only work in a straght line till they collide with someone else, then they are finished. But this slow down that is happening now is just too slow. And for the people who just can't keep up or go as fast as others, well, they either need to upgrade their 10 year old pcs, or get a faster internet speed than dial up, or just simply practice to learn to click faster & more accurately than the more experienced people. Maybe there's a way to have different marketplaces for those with dial up, then they are all in their own room together and won't have conflicts with the vast majority of users on hi-speed connections.

Personally I like the idea of having only 1 person working at a time. Maybe you could share with us the reasons you think this would cause problems so we can put our heads together & come up with possible solutions or alternatives. Many heads are better than 1. :cool:
That's a great idea. I can't stand hiring more than one person and they begin to fight ove the money crop first.

[FarmerB81]

I'm very happy that the old method is being re-implemented. In my opinion, missing out on a few xp or coins is trivial compared to having to spend 10x as long working to earn them. I spend enough time on Farm Town as it is, and the slower speed was brutal -- it was unplayable and not fun at all to help on others' farms. I'm tired of people complaining about "greedy" farmers. If I'm hired, I'm going to harvest or plow as quickly as I can. It's not my fault if the farm owner hired others. It's a game, a competition, to earn coins and xp to build up your own farm. If you're too slow, that's just too bad. For the people who like the social aspect of the game, go hang out in the inn. I don't chat other than brief polite conversation when I'm working. I'm there to get the job done and move on to the next job.

[Mrs Giles]

Every time you do an update, you have people complaining. You can't please everyone all of the time.

This is a social game. In less than a year, you have 28M people playing. So it shows that people like the game.

This new way is an improvement, as far as speed goes, from FT v1, yet much slower than the queued version. People screamed bloody murder when queued harvesting/plowing was released. Some loved it, some hated it.

I believe the faster queued version speed destroyed the social aspect. Most people do not hang out and talk while plowing or waiting for the meters to fill. They do their job and leave. As quickly as possible, moving to the next job. I've not met and and buddied/became friends with one person that I have hired from the Marketplace because they wanted to hang out & chat. Most of my buddies/neighbors are from before this fast plowing/harvesting or just recently from the forum.

If this version stops people from losing xps/coins, especially since they are not being replaced, then I think this is a better version... for the moment. If you lose some players, then so be it... you will gain others. And you can still figure out an alternative.

However, that alternative should NOT be limiting the amount of workers. I harvest with friends, and have done so since I started the game. Its very rare that I even bother working from the marketplace. With friends, I can work with from one up to 20 people and have fun. I am here for the social aspect of the game, to meet people.. not to zoom up levels or become a millionaire in days.

Even when I hire from the marketplace, the farm with 488 crops, I usually hire one or two people. The one with 1024 crops, I hire four when hiring from the MP.. only friends will my 1024 crops to themselves. It is PURE GREED people who are begging you to go back to the fast version and limit it to one or two people. That's just ludicrous. People looking for work in the marketplace would get LESS WORK, because players would stick with their friends. I'd rather make my friends rich than some random strangers in the Marketplace.

If I had to hire one person from the Marketplace to harvest, and one to plow, I WOULD NOT BE PLAYING.

I VOTE TO KEEP THIS SLOWER VERSION, while trying to come up with a sensible alternative.

You had players BEFORE you added "turbo harvesting/plowing" and you'll continue to have and gain players without it.

There are hundreds, if not thousands, of posts from people who are losing xps/coins, and reverting to the previous way is just basically flipping them the bird, especially since you aren't reimbursing them. It's not fair at all to them. I can't even believe the amount of posts now that say "Oh so what about a few xps/coins lost.." You have people complaining of not reaching levels because of lost xps...

Please reconsider.
You say it much better - what she says Devs! lol

[FruHilda]

[QUOTE=Raul;.

Please provide some feedback about this other alternative on this thread, or if you rather prefer the way it was before, unlimited hiring, faster work but more potential for collisions and lost coins/XP.

thanks

--Raul[/QUOTE]

No! Please don't allow unlimited hiring! That has its own problems. If it can be limited to a couple-three people or maybe 5 max, it wouldn't be so bad, but I won't hire more than one person at a time. And I don't stay on farms to harvest/plow if there are more than a couple of other workers. Multiple hirees really makes for an uncivilized experience.

[lfbrockm]

First - thanks for changing back. :)
Second, my suggestion.
In my opinion, there's never a need to have 4-5 (or more!) people working a farm. (I never hire more that 3 tops and they're usually but not always people I know). I think having some reasonable limit on the number of hires would be useful - perhaps the number of hires allowed would be dependent on the size of the farm....
Thanks again for your work on this fun game.
Lauren

[kimberlybrooks]

Thank God! You need to poll your users before making a change like this! I decided yesterday that if it did not revert back, that I was done with FV. I'm sure many felt the same! Although you made that change, there were some that could still manipulate the entire field of crops leaving some without the ability to harvest anything. Somehow, they were able to do this even though you made that change. Also, only allowing one person to harvest and one person to plow will also be a problem. I've found that at time I will hire someone and they'll flake out and leave the farm in he middle of the job leaving unharvested crops...or they will take a job then decide they have somewhere they need to be in the middle of the job...leaving me to have to go hire someone else. This will create a problem. If you limit the number of hirees to maybe 3 to five maybe but limiting it to one will generate issues in itself.

[Big Mom]

all tools that i use to plow, plant, harvest multiple plots are not working. I don't have time or patience to do each plot separately. I don't hire workers so that's not the issue.:(

[Teura]

I'm really disappointed in the changes and all of the complaining that apparently led to these changes. Hogging and fast clicking!! are you kidding me... I read a post by someone who said that if you arrived at a "mob farm" I call them a "rat race" and you don't like it LEAVE. But instead the developers of FT made changes WOW I understand that people were complaining about loosing coins and XP but was it because there were impatient - I think so!

If I choose to participate in a rat race then I'll click as fast as I can along with everyone else. But hey the job is getting done right... Otherwise I still click as fast as I can but stay in my nice neat rows... I advertise myself as a Fast Farmer - but as of today (when I discovered these changes) I decided not to participate - which sucks because I really enjoy working on other peoples farms. I agree with other posters that said that while their avatar is catching up they chat - I do that too.. I end up adding great new people to my buddy list and look for them next time. I prefer to hire one person at a time or 2 people and I would hope that they are polite to each other BUT I don't expect if one is fast and the other is slow to let the slow one get their 50% come on ... it's a game!!

I would really appreciate it if you would put it back to the way it was - I will NOT harvest or plow until it's changed. It took me 5x as long and I did not feel accomplished at all after doing it.. I also liked someone's analogy of waking up fat and old or somethign like that - lol .... I was to be the best farmer I can be so please put it back!! Otherwise I will just play FarmVille ... but I prefer FarmTown because it is interactive.

[MsEbonique]

I don't know what everyone is whinning about... This is perfect... Faster... no bugs.... I have plowed and harvest and had no problems what so ever... It is perfect. Please do not go back to the old way... The ones that want you to are the ones that cut you off.... are very rude.... and push you away from the spot you are in. This is the first time that I have really enjoyed plowing and harvesting and I DID NOT lose any coins or XP... They kept right up with me. Have your testers go out there and let them work for a day and see what they have to say, but please do not change anything today. The ones that are wanting you to change are the ones that like to cut you off and try to keep you from harvesting and plowing.

Use your testers frist before you change that is all I ask.:) And you will see why people are happy that you made the change.

[tking57]

Hi There,
I was just harvesting with one of my neighbors and I wasn't happy with the speed at which the avatar moves to the next plot. You have to waiting until the avatar touches the plot before you can move on. With the other system before this recent change on the December 22nd you could go way ahead of the avatar and harvest or plow the whole field without waiting for each plot to clear. This new system is way to slow...... Please reconsider this change. Thank you!!!


Tom

[Sweet Ga Peach]

Thank you very much for reverting back to the old version. I very much agree with only allowing 1 or 2 people to harvest or plow at ones farm. Some people get ridiculous and hire entirely too many people! I love the way the game was, and seriously considered deleting my account if the changes were permanent. Thanks again for reconsidering and I hope you have a very Merry Christmas!!

[juliannanight]

Hi There,

We have been monitoring you feedback and most likely we will be reverting to the old version early tomorrow and try to find a better compromise.

One of the alternatives that we considered was to only allow one worker harvesting and one worker plowing on your farm at the same time. This was also suggested by several other users on the other thread, however we thought that was going to be even more problematic.

Please provide some feedback about this other alternative on this thread, or if you rather prefer the way it was before, unlimited hiring, faster work but more potential for collisions and lost coins/XP.

thanks


--Raul


I have to say that I'm with the other 99% of people here and I have to say that I liked the way it was before and am thankful that you are putting it back. I also have to say that I completely agree that no one should be able to hire more than 2 people at a time. Perhaps 4 people if you have two farms. It will at least allow people to learn what their parents should have taught them which is sharing.

I normally either hire friends or if no one is online than I will go to the market and hire two people. If I find one of those two people not sharing or being respectful of their 'neighbor' then I will only hire one of the two for plowing.

I think we all get that you guys tried to make it so that people wouldn't hire 20 people for one job (Upon which these people tend to irrate the rest of us) but you've actually made me much harder to do a job than it was before.

Now in real life, I am disabled and have to use special forms of mouses and keyboards than a normal person. People out there who have said, "Why should I have to share 50/50 if I'm faster than the other person," Well people, here is where morals come in and Farm Town shouldn't have to change anything in order to give people a lesson in life as to how people are treated!! Thats just rediculous but that is exactly what has happened here.

A lot of people seem to not realize that not everyone can afford wireless or digital. Not everyone can pay hard cash for something, and not everyone is in perfect health and condition. I'm extremely disgusted by some of the posts I've read by those who do act all "high and mighty" but Farm Town, you shouldn't have to the be ones to teach them a lesson. If their mother and fathers didn't when they were growing up (If they are adults now) you're never going to get it through theirs heads to begin with. But thank you for thinking of us 'little guys'.

Julianna

[lillianchris]

I think the numbers of harvestors and plowers should be limited. It is crazy sometimes. I just leave the site.

[Jilly Moon]

Every time you do an update, you have people complaining. You can't please everyone all of the time.

This is a social game. In less than a year, you have 28M people playing. So it shows that people like the game.

This new way is an improvement, as far as speed goes, from FT v1, yet much slower than the queued version. People screamed bloody murder when queued harvesting/plowing was released. Some loved it, some hated it.

I believe the faster queued version speed destroyed the social aspect. Most people do not hang out and talk while plowing or waiting for the meters to fill. They do their job and leave. As quickly as possible, moving to the next job. I've not met and and buddied/became friends with one person that I have hired from the Marketplace because they wanted to hang out & chat. Most of my buddies/neighbors are from before this fast plowing/harvesting or just recently from the forum.

If this version stops people from losing xps/coins, especially since they are not being replaced, then I think this is a better version... for the moment. If you lose some players, then so be it... you will gain others. And you can still figure out an alternative.

However, that alternative should NOT be limiting the amount of workers. I harvest with friends, and have done so since I started the game. Its very rare that I even bother working from the marketplace. With friends, I can work with from one up to 20 people and have fun. I am here for the social aspect of the game, to meet people.. not to zoom up levels or become a millionaire in days.

Even when I hire from the marketplace, the farm with 488 crops, I usually hire one or two people. The one with 1024 crops, I hire four when hiring from the MP.. only friends will my 1024 crops to themselves. It is PURE GREED people who are begging you to go back to the fast version and limit it to one or two people. That's just ludicrous. People looking for work in the marketplace would get LESS WORK, because players would stick with their friends. I'd rather make my friends rich than some random strangers in the Marketplace.

If I had to hire one person from the Marketplace to harvest, and one to plow, I WOULD NOT BE PLAYING.

I VOTE TO KEEP THIS SLOWER VERSION, while trying to come up with a sensible alternative.

You had players BEFORE you added "turbo harvesting/plowing" and you'll continue to have and gain players without it.

There are hundreds, if not thousands, of posts from people who are losing xps/coins, and reverting to the previous way is just basically flipping them the bird, especially since you aren't reimbursing them. It's not fair at all to them. I can't even believe the amount of posts now that say "Oh so what about a few xps/coins lost.." You have people complaining of not reaching levels because of lost xps...

Please reconsider.

Thank you Nadine - I came in here to post my SUPPORT of this new version (well ok, some of it...), but Nadine said a lot of my thoughts very well. I just harvested a large field this morning & found everything to be moving VERY smoothly -& quite honestly, I was at least as fast as before because everything seemed much more stable (& I'm a fast clicker)....no jumping around of the screen, just smooth & efficient.

Also, I don't know what's changed, but my avatar did not have to wait when I clicked several plots away from the last harvested plot...is that a change as of this morning?

I'm still getting used to the plowing - it sort of hurts my eyes to have everything jump around, & it doesn't seem as stable as the harvesting, but I love seeing the plots plowed & finished instantly!

I haven't been having troubles with my xp's for the past couple of weeks, but it was potentially crazy-making while I was, so anything that stabilizes that is helpful, imho!

The only things I really don't like about the new update are 1) the size of the scythe - OVERKILL, imho - it really is distracting & gets in the way, and 2) the plowing issues on the layered fields (but I'm OK w/ that....would easily give that up for the other advantages)

I'll keep playing no matter what, but I LIKE the changes so far, & think it just takes awhile getting used to. For those who simply cannot adjust to something new, you'll have a harder time in life - use this as practice & good luck ;)

[Jilly Moon]

Oh yeah, & limiting the numbers of workers on farms to one would NOT work for me at all - I don't care to work with tons of other people from the MP, especially on a small farm, but hey, you can always leave the farm & find another.

What I DO like is working with several friends, old & new - having a harvest party, such as it were - talking & laughing & taking your time. Some of the best times I've had playing here have been working w/ groups of people on a farm!

[Agent Scully]

Thank you, my problem was the crashing this way brought to my PC, the freezing and the please wait which i never ever experienced to this extent even with the old old method when the little avatar had a merry wander to places unknown LOL

Maybe putting a limit on the number of hires is a good idea, although i had the loss of XP and money in the past and there was only me working and i waited until all had completed so i don't know if it will resolve all money/xp losses,,, but if you ask me i would rather lose XP now and then then have my PC lock up as much as it has been doing when trying to do work on others farms with this method, that's just my feeling.

How about the firing idea that some have suggested, giving farmers the option to Sir Alan Sugar (fire) hires if they are not happy with their work or etiquette.

Thanks for giving us the chance to give feedback and for all the work you do for us.

Merry Christmas.

[abbygirl]

I like the idea of having one person working for you, no worries on trying to get the job done. My only suggestion to either version you decide on is some way of booting out the use of the mouse tractor, it is just unfair to those of us who have made our way one click at a time. Hey once again, it's a game!

[Mrs Giles]

For those who have limited time on the game, if the hire is limited to one - and you happen to hire the slowest out there then you are screwed!

[Kelsey]

A thought ... can't the devs or mods start a POLL thread? where we each get one vote and can vote for the Dec 22 update or reversion back to the previous stage?

[illumi]

Hi There,

We have been monitoring you feedback and most likely we will be reverting to the old version early tomorrow and try to find a better compromise.

One of the alternatives that we considered was to only allow one worker harvesting and one worker plowing on your farm at the same time. This was also suggested by several other users on the other thread, however we thought that was going to be even more problematic.

Please provide some feedback about this other alternative on this thread, or if you rather prefer the way it was before, unlimited hiring, faster work but more potential for collisions and lost coins/XP.

thanks

--Raul


YES YES a very good idea :)

[silentarcher99]

I like the old way MUCH better!!!
I have never experienced the loss of coins or XP that I have seen others complain about . . . but the current way and the "Wait . . . I'm busy" is almost more than I can handle.
I like the enhanced size of the harvesting tool as well.

[JonVDB]

Thanks for the reversion!! I just came back from a hire on a 24x24 farm 2. Like me, she was over a half mil in exp points. I speed harvested the whole farm, and plowed it all in about 10 minutes, and we had a very nice chat. First time I've "buddied" someone in 6 months!! Happy Campin' Farmer Jon...

[newdawn]

I don't know what everyone is whinning about... This is perfect... Faster... no bugs.... I have plowed and harvest and had no problems what so ever... It is perfect. Please do not go back to the old way... The ones that want you to are the ones that cut you off.... are very rude.... and push you away from the spot you are in. This is the first time that I have really enjoyed plowing and harvesting and I DID NOT lose any coins or XP... They kept right up with me. Have your testers go out there and let them work for a day and see what they have to say, but please do not change anything today. The ones that are wanting you to change are the ones that like to cut you off and try to keep you from harvesting and plowing.

Use your testers frist before you change that is all I ask.:) And you will see why people are happy that you made the change.

How wrong of you to assume that those that want it back are rude.
And those that comment are whinning!!
Im not rude in the least bit nor am I whinning..
but Ive not time to do a job one plot at
a time especially if the farm is really really large! Until its goes back
to old way I cant take jobs..
its just so slow and I am doing all my own harvesting and plowing.
If you plow or harvest your own farm..its still the old EFFICIENT way.
Its so ridiculous slow :( Its so not faster MsEbonique

[newdawn]

[QUOTE=illumi;2921238]YES YES a very good idea :)[/QUOTE
Is it "early tomorrow" yet for the developers?
I wish it was and the game will go back to not having
to do ONE plot at time..I no longer can give or take jobs
like this.

[dawnsdomain]

Hiya, I really would prefer the old method with being able to hire as we did previously...my friends and I do "harvest parties" where we meet online at a certain time and each hire the others (usually we are 3 or 4 people) to divide up the work at each farm. It went fast, was smoothly because we all knew who was doing what, if someone accidentally clicked the wrong square it wasn't a tragedy hehe, and we got to have some fun chatter while we were queued up for harvesting or plowing. One night of frustration last night was enough to drive all of us to quit, shocking and devastating, so I sincerely hope that a return to the old efficient way is what we can now expect. Thank you!!!!

[brother yoder]

I have no problem with the new version,actually enjoy it much more but im just an old coot that likes a good relaxing game that helps get rid of stress.The older version didnt do that.Thanks to the devs no matter how it turns out.

[molsmom]

Why not limit the number of hires on each farm to 2 or three. That way the people who overhire for their own amusement won't be able to wreck the game for the people who love to play!

[illumi]

How wrong of you to assume that those that want it back are rude.
And those that comment are whinning!!
Im not rude in the least bit nor am I whinning..
but Ive not time to do a job one plot at
a time especially if the farm is really really large! Until its goes back
to old way I cant take jobs..
its just so slow and I am doing all my own harvesting and plowing.
If you plow or harvest your own farm..its still the old EFFICIENT way.
Its so ridiculous slow :( Its so not faster MsEbonique

same here, i love the new upgrade, but its too faulty......
i stand on one farm for 10-20 mins(sometimes longer depending on farmsize) waiting for the coins to add up or just waiting to get no points at all as nearly every plot shows ALREADY DONE.....why do i have to stick around(20mins +) and wait sooo long, just to get nothing :(. the old way was at least reliable in some way. Basically I'm working for nothing at he moment so i dont take jobs anymore either. I like this upgrade really i do, but only if it would work the way it is suppose to.


And I very much like the idea of 1 harvester and 1 plower max hire.

[D.S.]

Going back to the old version while you think on a newer/improved solution is a good idea.

I agree limiting the number of folks that can be hired to harvest/plow at one time is a great idea. I would set the limit at 4 per activity.

This way the folks who like to load and watch the confusion or get a fast harvest/plow are enabled.

A side affect would be limiting the overload of servers from the folks who like to load up their farm with workers and get their jollies/kicks from seeing the thrash.

My opinion, thrash farming is bad farming.

Glad you have made the decision to roll out the upgrade. Better luck with the next set of code.

I truly enjoy FT as it is and it was better before the upgrade.

Don S.
D..'s Farm

[Kelsey]

Just an FYI ... there's been a few people that have started talking about the newest fix released not too long ago. Have not personally experienced it, but I suggest everyone go try again and see if you've got the fix for the update ...

[courtneycjr]

i only hire one farmer anyways and think u for going back to the old way again i mean i couldn't do that every day seems way to slow in my book i deal with my brothers farm and my farm and i harvest and plow it all by my self and the old way i could get it done in 2 hours now it takes 3 1/2 hours to get it done

thank u guys for listening and every thing i agree about limiting the number but i personaly get mad when pple leave my farm without notice or anything and leave a job half finish makes me so mad and come back and my crops are dead because of a jerk who left didn't leave me a note or anything

[papakudos]

If it is going to be this way, I think we need to revert back to the new way, The way it is now Sucks!....

[lfbrockm]

[snip]....
How about the firing idea that some have suggested, giving farmers the option to sir alan sugar (fire) hires if they are not happy with their work or etiquette.

Thanks for giving us the chance to give feedback and for all the work you do for us.

Merry christmas.

i love the idea of being able to fire aberrant workers!