Fishing competition - A little balancing required?

[Itchy Flea]

So I just finished year 2 of the fishing comp. After the end of the fishing comp on year 2, I have a total of just 58 badges. I am now faced with the option of buying literally 1 piece of clothing.
It will take another 2 years of coming first in 6 comps to be able to buy *ONLY* one more piece of the clothing set.

Why? Since it is sometimes only possible to be in a mere 4 comps if you arrive a little too late to the comp, you could literally come first every time, and still not obtain enough badges to buy the pants.

I think maybe a little balancing should be applied. While I understand you aren't meant to get everything from every event during year 1, having to do the fishing comp for 5 or so years (and come early and first) to get everything is a little silly.

[Cathy]

The main "gain" from the fishing competition is not the badges, it's the fish and the food rewards for winning. In the initial release of the contest, first place got you 30 bacon fish rolls, so winning 3 times in one day (possible) got you 90, two days 180. that was enough to keep you in massive defense buffs for a year.

That has since been nerfed to only 10 rolls and some other food prizes, but still well worth it.
To win three times in a day, you need to first make sure you have your fishing rod ready and have plenty of worms on hand the day BEFORE it starts. Use the very best rod you can get (there are three levels).

If you own a horse, great, or if you can rent one be sure to do so the day before. On the morning of the first day, race as fast as possible to the fishing location (it's by the waterfall). Tell your horse to stay and then dash to the umbrella for signup. First signup is at 8 am sharp. If you do not have a horse, you will have to run. Through town is slightly faster than around town.

After signup, get as close to the water as possible. it's ok to get the "black-out" condition (that happens when you try to walk into water) and then back up one step. Then fish as quickly as possible. Let me know if you need fishing tips.

Continue fishing as the clock runs down, watching for the last few seconds. As soon as you finish catching a fish with less than 7 seconds on the clock, hit "esc" and walk back to the umbrella. The contest will end and you'll see your prizes. Immediately click on the umbrella again and sign up again.

Repeat all of this a thrid time. Then repeat it all on the second day. Note: you can cash in your tokens in the Commission building anytime in the season, you do not need to do it at the contest (though you can).

The token exchange from fishing might get you slightly better clothing for now, but quickly the game will reward you with even better clothing, so there's no need to keep the fishing clothing. You can sell it to Carol. The fishing banners can also be sold.

Let me know if you need help on fishing or on how to get a better fishing rod. If the museum has not been built yet (it will go in the empty space next to the research center), you can still start preparing now by catching one emperor fish of each type. Just toss them in a chest to save them, you will need them later. Every time you find a new area to explore, see if it has any fishing areas and if so, fish for an emperor fish there. Let me know if you want the list of all fishes and the areas where they can be found.

You will probably have to fish in the first year contest with only a level-2 fishing rod, but by the second year you should be able to acquire the level-3 rod which all but guarantees a win.

In terms of fish and food prizes, this is a very profitable contest, and it's the only contest I make a point of doing every year.

[Itchy Flea]

I've been winning the contests with a lead of around 100 points using the lvl2 fishing rod, so I don't need help with that (thankyou for offering though.)
I just think it's a little silly to potentially end up with not winning enough badges, even with coming first each round, to buy the pants if you arrive late to the comp both days.

I have no use for the food items that give buffs, as I've never needed them when fighting. I've only really ever needed stamina and maybe a single healing item.
I'm quite risk-adverse when it coming to going off to fight mobs. Thanks to other games, i'm used to grinding levels so i'm generally over-leveled when I get somewhere new.

[Cathy]

the food items are also favorite gifts of some hard-to-please NPCs. So if you're building relationships, use the food as gifts.

If you're beyond the need of relationships or fighting buffs, then the main reason to fish would be to enjoy the contest. I agree, the tokens should be enough to buy a complete set of clothes, if for no other reason than, if you wait a year to complete the set, you will already be into much better clothing anyway, so the complete outfit is pointless.

iow, the clothing set is useless after the first year unless you're playing a very casual game.