There are no hacks or anything like that discussed here... just idiotic game mechanics
Games where you can never run out of things to do are not for me. If all it takes for you to surpass your peers is to sit in front of the game all day, then what is the point. Whoever has the least life wins.
Here are some simple steps to being able to afford whatever you want in the game:
1. Set up one business with as high a percent earned as possible (see prior post). A Seafood Restaurant with 263% bonus will yield 2211 coins. Simple math shows that 2211/140=15.8 coins for each good.
2. Complete quests until you can send a train to Charlieville and send the train every 5 minutes. This train costs 1200 coins and produces 300 goods. The ratio here is 4 coins per good (1200/300=4).
3. Supply your businesses with these goods for a 4x return on your investment, rotating each business through the "sweet spot" of bonus return. Repeat until you fall asleep or die of old age. This process requires very little energy, and can go on and on and on. Use businesses which hold a high amount of goods though.
I've made 20,000 coins and GAINED 2 energy while I was typing this.
Piers vs. Barns
If you are still building barns once piers become available, you are stupid. Each pier holds 420 goods, and doubles as up to SEVEN farm plots (Achieve seven boats by rotating the ones on the side so that it holds three on each side and one in the middle). They take up hardly any land for other buildings, and should produce enough crops to have a surplus if you use the train to Charlieville as well.
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Friday, December 10, 2010
A few tips for CityVille
Welcome to the first update on here in a while. Please feel free to share this with friends, and make their gaming experience more productive as well. Keep in mind that this is NOT a guide to making your town pretty. I am helping to make it more productive.
Here are a few tips I have learned so far:
Franchising
If you plan on playing a long time... don't use your franchises on just anything... Start with Burgers or Bikes and stick with it for a while... Whatever you do, try to make your third one Seafood, which is good until level 30. You cannot choose your franchise types again.
Completing Quests
Quests in CV may seem like a waste of time, but they are very important to continue progressing in game play. Some of them cause you to build things you don't want to, lay road you don't need, or otherwise waste resources. While it may be painful (I just finished deleting the crappy houses I didn't need) it unlocks additional homes, community projects, and businesses. Suck it up!
Laying Road... or Sidewalk
Did you know that roads do not have to be connected. Continuing with their past trend, Zynga was made it so that the people of CV do not need to reach the shops in your city to utilize them. Some of you may have taken advantage of this in the past when you turned around your counters in Cafe World to speed up delivery time. In this game, placing only a single road tile in front of your building allows you to place more decorations and increase the percentage of pay. You can also string along a sidewalk from that single road piece somewhere else, like the picture later on.
Picking the Right Businesses
Supplies and energy are your major limiting factor in this game. I always try to harvest my friends crops for them when I visit their towns for two reasons: so they don't have to waste the energy doing it, and so I get the 15 supplies bonus as well. 15 supplies are worth FAR more than 25 coins when you place enough decorations.
Given this factor, it is important to place businesses which hold a lot of supplies and also have a high yield per supply. Right now, at level 25, I am favoring the Seafood Restaurants. They hold 140 goods and when surrounded by decorations yield a ton of cash (over 1200 coins per). I currently have around 110% income on each of my three with very little investment on decorations. I plan on increasing these in the near future so that I have 140%+ income and 4 working businesses instead of three.
Other businesses, including my friends which I have allowed them to build on my land, are off to the side, connected to some road, but not in production. My friends get bonuses for having them there, and I get goods delivered once a day (which I use in the seafood shops).
Placing Decorations
Currently, I have placed my top decorations such as fountains and parks in the middle of my three active seafood restaurants increasing their production by 16-18%. I have filled up the space immediately around the shops with flowers and trees (1-4%) and leaving the outermost areas three squares away from the shops for additional high-yield decorations. As long as the tennis court, fountain, etc. is occupying one square within three of the shop, you get the bonus. Have fun doubling your income with ease.
CLICK FOR FULL IMAGE WITH DIRECTIONS
They just changed the statues to be worth 2%... lame. Big waste of cash. This setup is now worth 263%
Here are a few tips I have learned so far:
Franchising
If you plan on playing a long time... don't use your franchises on just anything... Start with Burgers or Bikes and stick with it for a while... Whatever you do, try to make your third one Seafood, which is good until level 30. You cannot choose your franchise types again.
Completing Quests
Quests in CV may seem like a waste of time, but they are very important to continue progressing in game play. Some of them cause you to build things you don't want to, lay road you don't need, or otherwise waste resources. While it may be painful (I just finished deleting the crappy houses I didn't need) it unlocks additional homes, community projects, and businesses. Suck it up!
Laying Road... or Sidewalk
Did you know that roads do not have to be connected. Continuing with their past trend, Zynga was made it so that the people of CV do not need to reach the shops in your city to utilize them. Some of you may have taken advantage of this in the past when you turned around your counters in Cafe World to speed up delivery time. In this game, placing only a single road tile in front of your building allows you to place more decorations and increase the percentage of pay. You can also string along a sidewalk from that single road piece somewhere else, like the picture later on.
Picking the Right Businesses
Supplies and energy are your major limiting factor in this game. I always try to harvest my friends crops for them when I visit their towns for two reasons: so they don't have to waste the energy doing it, and so I get the 15 supplies bonus as well. 15 supplies are worth FAR more than 25 coins when you place enough decorations.
Given this factor, it is important to place businesses which hold a lot of supplies and also have a high yield per supply. Right now, at level 25, I am favoring the Seafood Restaurants. They hold 140 goods and when surrounded by decorations yield a ton of cash (over 1200 coins per). I currently have around 110% income on each of my three with very little investment on decorations. I plan on increasing these in the near future so that I have 140%+ income and 4 working businesses instead of three.
Other businesses, including my friends which I have allowed them to build on my land, are off to the side, connected to some road, but not in production. My friends get bonuses for having them there, and I get goods delivered once a day (which I use in the seafood shops).
Placing Decorations
Currently, I have placed my top decorations such as fountains and parks in the middle of my three active seafood restaurants increasing their production by 16-18%. I have filled up the space immediately around the shops with flowers and trees (1-4%) and leaving the outermost areas three squares away from the shops for additional high-yield decorations. As long as the tennis court, fountain, etc. is occupying one square within three of the shop, you get the bonus. Have fun doubling your income with ease.
CLICK FOR FULL IMAGE WITH DIRECTIONS
They just changed the statues to be worth 2%... lame. Big waste of cash. This setup is now worth 263%
Friday, October 1, 2010
Bushwhacker - New Quests
With all the new things to do in the game, a few could be overlooked or confusing. The following is my list of those quests. Most are fairly straightforward, but a few have some tips associated with them. If I have missed any quests (other than Rosa's) please let me know.
Mr. Smith - Central Haven
Mining (Insert Type Here) Ore - Repeatable
Mine 10 (Insert Type Here) ore from mining spots that appear anywhere in the world and bring it to Mr. Smith in Central Haven.
Steve the Fisherman - Shadow of the Mountain
Cleaning Up the Lake - Repeatable
Fish up 5 junk items from any of the fishing holes in Hat Head Lake or the Shadow of the Moutain, then return to Steve in the Shadow of the Mountain. Junk is defined as items that do not award gold, energy or a customization item.
- Please view my post on the Fishing Lure vs. Food here
Rosa - World Traveler...
Pristine Bee Wings - The Damp Forest
Whack 10 bees and bring their wings to Rosa the Gypsy in the Damp Forest.
- Rewards you with XP and 2 Aquamarine
- Best to just stay in this zone, unless there are other zones with bees you are not 100% complete in.
Mountain Lily - The Frigid Heights
Search the mountain zones to find Mountain Lily plants. Bring 6 flowers to Rosa the Gypsy in the Frigid Heights.
- Rewards you with XP and a Citrine
- Can be found in any mountain zone, on the ground. These are not found in bushes
The Best Pink Mushrooms - The Foggy Swamp
Search the swampy zones to find Pink Mushrooms. Bring 8 of them to Rosa the Gypsy in the Foggy Swamp.
- Rewards you with XP and a Topaz
Slimy Yet Nutritious - The Cracking Path
Whack 10 Blue Fire Slugs in the snow, mountain, or swamp zones and bring their tongues to Rosa in the Cracking Path.
- Rewards you with XP and a Sapphire
Desert Wisdom - The Scorched Earth
Whack bushes in the desert until you have found 12 Desert Sage and then bring them to Rosa the Gypsy at the Scorched Earth.
- Rewards you with XP and a Ruby
Bill the Wagon Driver - The Foggy Swamp
This Swamp Sucks
Whack bushes in the swampy zones until you have found 4 replacement wheels, then bring them to Bill the Wagon Driver in the Foggy Swamp.
The Lost Cargo
Whack critters in the swampy zones until you have found 10 lost cargo crates. Bring them all to Bill the Wagon Driver in the Foggy Swamp.
The Guru - The Windy Peak
It's Pie, Man
Whack bushes in the mountains until you have found 12 Mountain Apples, and then bring them to Guru Maurice at the Windy Peak.
Expected Correspondence
Travel to Central Haven and ask the Postman if any letters have arrived for Guru Maurice. Return any correspondence to him at the Windy Peak.
The Guru's Girl
Travel to the Harbour to meet Jill and then help her get to Guru Maurice at the Windy Peak.
Guru's Girlfriend - The Harbor, and then The Windy Peak
She Gets Sea Sick by the Sea Shore
Whack bushes in the mountains until you have found 6 Ginger Roots. Bring them to Jill in the Harbour.
In the Mountains - Repeatable
Whack bushes in the mountains until you find an oxygen mask, and bring it to Jill on the Windy Peak.
- This quest name is a World of Warcraft Reference
- This quest item can even be found in "The Friendly Mountain" zone, if you need customization items there
Wizard
Fetch Me a Topaz
Use the wizards magical fireball to melt the ice around a blue topaz, and bring the topaz to the wizard in the Snowy Plains.
- This is just a random spawn in any Frozen zone... enter and exit zones until you find it
Summing the Dragon
Use the infused blue topaz to unfreeze and control the dragon frozen in the ice in the Frozen Lake, then command it to obay the wizard.
Dudley, the Friendly Dragon - The Frozen Lake
Revenge is a Dish... - Repeatable
Find and melt free a blue topaz, then use it to freeze the evil wizard in a block of ice. Return to Dudley the Friendly Dragon at the Frozen Lake when you are finished.
- This is just a random spawn in any Frozen zone... enter and exit zones until you find it
Old Man - The Dry Pass
Thieving from Thieves - Repeatable
Sneak into the Bandit Camp near the High Desert and steal a cask of booze from the Bandits sleeping there.
- If you are also on the Ore quests, sometime an Ore can spawn in the same location. Clear it, and then get the booze
- When you find the Booze, also grab Jim's Hammer, and return it to him in Central Haven
Mr. Smith - Central Haven
Mining (Insert Type Here) Ore - Repeatable
Mine 10 (Insert Type Here) ore from mining spots that appear anywhere in the world and bring it to Mr. Smith in Central Haven.
Steve the Fisherman - Shadow of the Mountain
Cleaning Up the Lake - Repeatable
Fish up 5 junk items from any of the fishing holes in Hat Head Lake or the Shadow of the Moutain, then return to Steve in the Shadow of the Mountain. Junk is defined as items that do not award gold, energy or a customization item.
- Please view my post on the Fishing Lure vs. Food here
Rosa - World Traveler...
Pristine Bee Wings - The Damp Forest
Whack 10 bees and bring their wings to Rosa the Gypsy in the Damp Forest.
- Rewards you with XP and 2 Aquamarine
- Best to just stay in this zone, unless there are other zones with bees you are not 100% complete in.
Mountain Lily - The Frigid Heights
Search the mountain zones to find Mountain Lily plants. Bring 6 flowers to Rosa the Gypsy in the Frigid Heights.
- Rewards you with XP and a Citrine
- Can be found in any mountain zone, on the ground. These are not found in bushes
The Best Pink Mushrooms - The Foggy Swamp
Search the swampy zones to find Pink Mushrooms. Bring 8 of them to Rosa the Gypsy in the Foggy Swamp.
- Rewards you with XP and a Topaz
Slimy Yet Nutritious - The Cracking Path
Whack 10 Blue Fire Slugs in the snow, mountain, or swamp zones and bring their tongues to Rosa in the Cracking Path.
- Rewards you with XP and a Sapphire
Desert Wisdom - The Scorched Earth
Whack bushes in the desert until you have found 12 Desert Sage and then bring them to Rosa the Gypsy at the Scorched Earth.
- Rewards you with XP and a Ruby
Bill the Wagon Driver - The Foggy Swamp
This Swamp Sucks
Whack bushes in the swampy zones until you have found 4 replacement wheels, then bring them to Bill the Wagon Driver in the Foggy Swamp.
The Lost Cargo
Whack critters in the swampy zones until you have found 10 lost cargo crates. Bring them all to Bill the Wagon Driver in the Foggy Swamp.
The Guru - The Windy Peak
It's Pie, Man
Whack bushes in the mountains until you have found 12 Mountain Apples, and then bring them to Guru Maurice at the Windy Peak.
Expected Correspondence
Travel to Central Haven and ask the Postman if any letters have arrived for Guru Maurice. Return any correspondence to him at the Windy Peak.
The Guru's Girl
Travel to the Harbour to meet Jill and then help her get to Guru Maurice at the Windy Peak.
Guru's Girlfriend - The Harbor, and then The Windy Peak
She Gets Sea Sick by the Sea Shore
Whack bushes in the mountains until you have found 6 Ginger Roots. Bring them to Jill in the Harbour.
In the Mountains - Repeatable
Whack bushes in the mountains until you find an oxygen mask, and bring it to Jill on the Windy Peak.
- This quest name is a World of Warcraft Reference
- This quest item can even be found in "The Friendly Mountain" zone, if you need customization items there
Wizard
Fetch Me a Topaz
Use the wizards magical fireball to melt the ice around a blue topaz, and bring the topaz to the wizard in the Snowy Plains.
- This is just a random spawn in any Frozen zone... enter and exit zones until you find it
Summing the Dragon
Use the infused blue topaz to unfreeze and control the dragon frozen in the ice in the Frozen Lake, then command it to obay the wizard.
Dudley, the Friendly Dragon - The Frozen Lake
Revenge is a Dish... - Repeatable
Find and melt free a blue topaz, then use it to freeze the evil wizard in a block of ice. Return to Dudley the Friendly Dragon at the Frozen Lake when you are finished.
- This is just a random spawn in any Frozen zone... enter and exit zones until you find it
Old Man - The Dry Pass
Thieving from Thieves - Repeatable
Sneak into the Bandit Camp near the High Desert and steal a cask of booze from the Bandits sleeping there.
- If you are also on the Ore quests, sometime an Ore can spawn in the same location. Clear it, and then get the booze
- When you find the Booze, also grab Jim's Hammer, and return it to him in Central Haven
Fishing in Bush Whacker - Part 3 - Fishing Lure
2% eh? Big deal... right?
Spreadsheet here
FACTS
On average, over 7000 casts in the new Harbor pools, I have caught around 1700 fish. This amounts to an average of 24% The energy gained has been 4600, or .645 energy per cast.
Adding an additional 2% of fish catches would mean 97 more fish caught. On average, a fish is worth 2.735 energy. At this point, I would have an additional 400 or so energy if I had been using a lure.
On a per-cast basis, this is .055 extra energy per cast.
SUMMARY
While .055 energy may not seem like a big deal, over the amount of time you fish, it will pay off... especially if you are up to 32,000 casts or so in 15 days like Yours Truly.
HOWEVER, if you do not fish often, you would be much better off purchasing the 50% energy refills.
Spreadsheet here
FACTS
On average, over 7000 casts in the new Harbor pools, I have caught around 1700 fish. This amounts to an average of 24% The energy gained has been 4600, or .645 energy per cast.
Adding an additional 2% of fish catches would mean 97 more fish caught. On average, a fish is worth 2.735 energy. At this point, I would have an additional 400 or so energy if I had been using a lure.
On a per-cast basis, this is .055 extra energy per cast.
SUMMARY
While .055 energy may not seem like a big deal, over the amount of time you fish, it will pay off... especially if you are up to 32,000 casts or so in 15 days like Yours Truly.
HOWEVER, if you do not fish often, you would be much better off purchasing the 50% energy refills.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Fishing in Bush Whacker - Part 2
With this recent update, there is a new fishing location in the Harbor. There are also a number of new quests which I will write on tomorrow.
Getting the pole capable of fishing there is very easy: Simple do the quest that Fisherman Steve asks you to, and then talk to him again to see what he has for sale. The rod only costs one token.
So far, the Harbor seems to be dropping slightly different quality of items as Hat Head Lake, but I will know more after more casts... here is the deal so far:
The following items have been caught
Junk Items: Fuzzy dice, Broken Cup, Toilet Seat, Bike Wheel, Basketball
Fish: Cod (2), Snapper (4), Salmon (8), Marlin (30!!!)
Gold: Broken Sword (2), Dull Pearl (4), Golden Coin (6), Spices (8)
So far, it looks as though there is more gold in these pools...
RARES
I was one of the first people to find the Fishing Helmet!
Another exciting feature is the Fishing Lure, also sold by the Fisherman for 4 tokens. This item increases your chance to get Fish by 2%... more to come on this topic once I can purchase one.
Getting the pole capable of fishing there is very easy: Simple do the quest that Fisherman Steve asks you to, and then talk to him again to see what he has for sale. The rod only costs one token.
So far, the Harbor seems to be dropping slightly different quality of items as Hat Head Lake, but I will know more after more casts... here is the deal so far:
The following items have been caught
Junk Items: Fuzzy dice, Broken Cup, Toilet Seat, Bike Wheel, Basketball
Fish: Cod (2), Snapper (4), Salmon (8), Marlin (30!!!)
Gold: Broken Sword (2), Dull Pearl (4), Golden Coin (6), Spices (8)
So far, it looks as though there is more gold in these pools...
RARES
I was one of the first people to find the Fishing Helmet!
Another exciting feature is the Fishing Lure, also sold by the Fisherman for 4 tokens. This item increases your chance to get Fish by 2%... more to come on this topic once I can purchase one.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Fishing in Bush Whacker
Barely seven days into my Bush Whacker experiment, I have learned one valuable lesson: If you want to "catch" up, you need to fish... A lot.
In my first seven days, I feel like I have accomplished much, though I am certain that there is someone out there who will show me better. I have used 14,500 energy, found 16,000 in gold, and I have a gem score of 3,643 (I have found 3,643 Agates worth of gems). All of the rest is highly regulated by chance, so I wont bore you with how my house looks or what I am wearing (you pervert...).
I owe this fast start in this game mostly to fishing, and I have created, for your viewing pleasure, a spreadsheet that should validate this assertion. In my next post, I will have enough data to compare the two fishing locations to see if they have the same drop ratios. So far, it looks like having friends help you open up Hat head Lake is worthwhile.
Before it is brought up, both locations can drop the two customization items: A fishing hat and a goldfish bowl. These tend to drop in quick succession.
As you can see, my conclusion is that fishing will at least double, and nearly triple your energy regeneration rate, regardless of your upgraded items. Small amounts do add up. This should serve as motivation to continue fishing in between levels. However, the ratio of energy gain per time spent is not enough to create a large imbalance in the game.
If contacted by the developers, I do have some small changes that you could make to reduce the possibility of exploitation.
In my first seven days, I feel like I have accomplished much, though I am certain that there is someone out there who will show me better. I have used 14,500 energy, found 16,000 in gold, and I have a gem score of 3,643 (I have found 3,643 Agates worth of gems). All of the rest is highly regulated by chance, so I wont bore you with how my house looks or what I am wearing (you pervert...).
I owe this fast start in this game mostly to fishing, and I have created, for your viewing pleasure, a spreadsheet that should validate this assertion. In my next post, I will have enough data to compare the two fishing locations to see if they have the same drop ratios. So far, it looks like having friends help you open up Hat head Lake is worthwhile.
Before it is brought up, both locations can drop the two customization items: A fishing hat and a goldfish bowl. These tend to drop in quick succession.
As you can see, my conclusion is that fishing will at least double, and nearly triple your energy regeneration rate, regardless of your upgraded items. Small amounts do add up. This should serve as motivation to continue fishing in between levels. However, the ratio of energy gain per time spent is not enough to create a large imbalance in the game.
If contacted by the developers, I do have some small changes that you could make to reduce the possibility of exploitation.
Saturday, September 18, 2010
500 Visitors!
Looks like my efforts are starting to pay off, and people are sharing my posts. 500 unique visitors in the first week of writing is a great feeling. Please continue to share my old blogs, and contribute to making this even more informative.
Questions:
1. What games would you like to see tips and reviews for? Should they be older games like Farmvillle, or should I stay focused on the new ones that are coming out like Bushwhacker?
2. Was the City of Wonder spreadsheet valuable information, and should I do more like that in the future if the right game comes along? I have old sheets for things like Cafe World and Farmville, but I don't play those anymore.
3. Are there any aspects of the current list of games that you would like more information about?
Thanks again for your support. I hope that I can continue to bring you good information about your favorite Facebook games, and they are worth sharing with your friends.
Questions:
1. What games would you like to see tips and reviews for? Should they be older games like Farmvillle, or should I stay focused on the new ones that are coming out like Bushwhacker?
2. Was the City of Wonder spreadsheet valuable information, and should I do more like that in the future if the right game comes along? I have old sheets for things like Cafe World and Farmville, but I don't play those anymore.
3. Are there any aspects of the current list of games that you would like more information about?
Thanks again for your support. I hope that I can continue to bring you good information about your favorite Facebook games, and they are worth sharing with your friends.
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