Farmhands

[Primula]

Please make that the Farmhands worked their time when the game is off or the host is on another farm.

[Unknown]

That is a good idea, even if it's added as an option.

[cynergy]

That makes no sense whatsoever. It would be the same as letting the crops harvest themselves when you're not online.

[Unknown]

Originally posted by cynergy:

That makes no sense whatsoever. It would be the same as letting the crops harvest themselves when you're not online.

It could be optional I suppose. The farmhands tirelessly work when farmers go idle/afk and leave their game on for hours. So it would be no different in my eyes. I'm glad though that the farmhands don't have planting functions as I enjoy planting the crops manually.

[Unknown]

Thinking it over I see where the benefits of farmers like myself who leave their game on constantly while idle in public mode. This gives active players a chance to jump in afk farmers to harvest and receive a boosts. So it benefits both the afk farmer and active farmers looking for xp boosts. Hmm, conflicting. Now I see why they kept farmhands active online play only.

[Unknown]

Originally posted by Sassafras:

If it walks like a duck.......When this game first came out people were comparing it to idle games becasue crops continue to grow while you are not playing. The biggest fear was that microtransactions would be introduced. The developers said they don't understand why people were calling this an idle game becasue it is not. Add farmhands that work for you while you are not playing and you are that much closer to an idle game.

Aye, the last time I idle this much in a game was back in EQ1 when everyone was afk bazaar traders. I play console while this game is running and check every now and then to see if things need to be harvested and replanted. I often times noticed I forget to even pay my farmhands so my farm is literally just a sitting duck in public list for anyone to visit to explore or harvest for boosts. For me personally there is not much left to do except lvl my crops to L100 and I decided to start with the longer growth times first, it's like watching paint dry...

[WaaghMan]

The developers said they don't understand why people were calling this an idle game becasue it is not.

I don't remember commenting on this, but anyway I definitely can understand some people seeing this as an idle game, specially because of farmhands and visitors.

That said, we don't have plans on making farmhands work while not playing the game.

[Unknown]

Originally posted by WaaghMan:

The developers said they don't understand why people were calling this an idle game becasue it is not.

I don't remember commenting on this, but anyway I definitely can understand some people seeing this as an idle game, specially because of farmhands and visitors.

That said, we don't have plans on making farmhands work while not playing the game.

Thank you for responding. This game definitely turns into an idle game. I have visited multiple lower lvl farms that idle often after unlocking farmhands who have no desire to decorate their farms. The currency for those lower lvls rises... and as I keep pointing out incentives will run dry with the abundance of currency collected from long idles. The farmhands are both a gift and a curse for this game.

[Primula]

I cannot go to visit another farm, because when I come back, I will see that animals have no food, since Farmhands do not work when I am on another farm. Now they have only 4 hours to work., Why? There were many farms that quickly developed only because of bots that worked for 8 hours, and now it will be more difficult for new players. This is absurd. I stand for many hours of afk in the game so that the bots do not stop working.

[Primula]

Why not just increase the price for Farmhands?

[valkyrieclasm]

Well I will say I liked them much better before the last change to them. I would leave them idle to do stuff while I went to walk at the park etc or eat out. Now when I come back they are sitting and that's time wasted. People are free to join and harvest but no one ever does anyhow.

I'd rather them at least be back to 8 hrs if nothing else and cost even more if need be. Or reverted alltogether as there was no point. I cant imagine someone complained for them to be changed..

[Oomfoofoo]

I do not understand that now some let the farmhands "make or break" the game.
It feels to me people wish to use the farmhands to fully automate thier farm 24/7, I can understand this is not the intention of the develpers.

Myself I consider them a luxury when online. (could use 5 more though)

I mainly disliked "babysitting" the animals so I have the helpers do this for me whilst I tend crops/fishes etc etc.
For me this is an enourmous luxury.

We had a life before farmhands playing the game. Enjoying the game ...

How come with the arrival of the farmhands for some actually playing the game is not fun anymore ????

How come when before the farmhands most of us accepted when you go offline the manual labour progess halted till you came back to PLAY, now sudden this is an issue.

Looking at posts above some state, not having farmhands work makes the game more difficult ???
Having the farmhands not work when you not on the farm or afk is wasted time ???

Am sorry if I sould harsh, but I am sort of baffeled by this side effect of farmhands on some people.
Am not saying it right or wrong, am saying that I myself personally do not really understand where this side effect comes from.

Myself I enjoy working my farm, devellopping it, making nice decco etc etc.
Having the farmhands to help when online is great, awesome even, but they do not sudden make or break the game for me.

To make clear... these are my personal feelings, so treat the text as such.

[valkyrieclasm]

I normally wouldn't clarify myself but to point out what I meant on wasted time, im by no means near the level of anyone posting in here.. anything to help me progress and unlock new stuff for my farm is helpful, when I am not able to be on it, the farmhands help with that through crop picking/trees etc. when they aren't.. that's my wasted time. I WANT to be able to use all the stuff not unlocked for people and I understand it comes with time however, between life and my other games I like to play, it'd likely not happen.

[Unknown]

Originally posted by Oomfoofoo:

I do not understand that now some let the farmhands "make or break" the game.
It feels to me people wish to use the farmhands to fully automate thier farm 24/7, I can understand this is not the intention of the develpers.

To be fair, there was already many farmers afk'ing before farmhands were introduced which helped the community of farmers tremendously to join for boosts. I was idle/afk in my local mode gameplay before farmhands existed. I waited for shorter crops to grow so I can rinse and repeat to earn currency. The higher lvl my farm got, the more crops I created making every waking moment for me tiresome and that's including tending to the animals. The farmhands were meant to be helpful to those unable to get a friend or visitor to tend the farm. Like you, I also feel more farmhands would be terrific as 15 for a 25 plot map is not enough especially for those who only strictly have fields of crops. I recycled 3 times to accommodate for the limit of farmhands and most of mine tend to the animals. The thing that broke the game for me is how broken the currency system is once a farmer is at higher lvl, everything has been purchased and currency just rises and is not used. I would very much like to share my earnings to other fellow farmer friends in forms of and exchange shop or trade shops. To me that is where the game is lacking the most. Currency needs to deplete for some players as a way to continue farming.

[Oomfoofoo]

@Admiral Grumps

Well yes, I sometimes afk too, before and after the farmhands. For both my own and visitors benefits.
It was not the point I was making.
The point is people now want to go afk or even offline and have the farmhands play the game for them meanwhile. (that is how some posts feel to me)
This is was irks/baffels me somewhat.

Maybe I am oldschool, but I actually enjoy playing the game myself.
Having the farmhands assist me as I am online is super, but it does not bother me they go "offline" when I do, or when thier payment runs out when I was not paying attention.

It would be nice to have more content, more content will never hurt :)

As for the currency, most games sofar I have played, in all endgame phases I end up with eccess? stock on mats and currency.
It is really hard to make sinks for gold without discouraging newer players, making them feel they will never get there (they often will, but not realize it in that phase of the game you do not wish them to go away over this :))

I guess at one point the games just cannot keep up with endgamers. Specially the "hardcore" ones.

But as is atm, I still enjoy running and desinging my farm, that I have alot of gold does not influence me in any way.
I spend more energy in being irked over a rock or hill I wish to go away :)

[Unknown]

Aye Oomfoofoo, I understand what you mean. The farmhands are truly a blessing and a curse for this game, but a lot of the aspects of the game is as well since we all play differently. I'm used to farming simulators where currency is at constant cycles so they always have value. There is no economy amongst farmers in this game which is odd as this game is encrougaed to be multiplay so I was not expecting that before getting addicted to the game. A lvl requirement can easily unlock for newer players for trading that higher lvls can do in exchange shops, but again that will require balance which this game already suffers from early on and at the top tier. For myself I have capped some crops already to L100 and felt no reward from it so there is also that lack of motivation.

I too have enjoyed the game, my playtime hours is at 600+ but I have only had the game for a month and already hit a wall so early on during my game time before farmhands were released. I feel the game pushes out content which is terrific, but there is no balance being worked on. If anything, the level 999 caused such a divide now between players who wanted cap at L100 vs those who wanted cap at L999. The devs have their work cut out for them and I know it has to be insanely frustrating as they feel the game is ready for full release. But they will run into these same issues then as they are now.