Filtering your News Feed

If you are a heavy Farmville player you no doubt understand that it can some times be frustrating missing items because they get hidden in the news feed and you simply do not see them. While some players resort to using tools to scan their feed and snag items from it others are left in the dark. There is however a couple easy ways to help make sure that you never miss an item in the news feed.

The first and easiest way is to click the "Most Recent" link at the top of your feed list.

Clicking on this will show your News Feed in real time, as your friends post things they will instantly become available. Sometimes within a second of it being posted. If you are watching for items and bonuses this can be a great way to get the jump on them and significantly increase your chances of getting an item.

Another problem created by an overcrowded news feed is how Facebook groups similar posts. Instead of showing you that someone just turned in 6 collections at one time, they only show you one. While viewing you news feed in real time can be helpful for getting items, helping your friends can be somewhat harder unless they happen to start a barn raising while you are actively watching the feed.

In this instance it is better to sort your feed according to what you want to see. While logged in, in the left hand column there is a link that says "Friends" if you click on it some items will appear below. These are your lists of friends. Clicking on an item here will filter your news feed and show you only the items from within that list.

To get the most out of this you will need to setup a list for your Farmville friends, and make sure everyone who plays Farmville is included in it. For help in setting up a new Friends List have a look at the end of the Rare Farmville Animal Breeding post.

There is a standard sorting link here as well, "Status Updates" this will show you only hand written status updates from your friends. Useful if you want to keep in touch with others outside of the game. It will not show any status updates posted by an application.

One final way exists to view only Farmville News items in your feed however it seems to not work for all players. Try clicking on the link below, it is setup to filter your feed according to application ID, with Farmvilles ID already input.

http://www.facebook.com/index.php?filter=app_102452128776

While that URL may or may not work for all players, the above methods of sorting your News Feed will always work. 

How long is a day in Farmville?

The title of this post may confuse some people. "A day is 24 hours right?" Yes and no. Knowing the intricacies of this can help you in decideing what you want to plant and more importantly when.

In Farmville crops, animals and trees are harvested according to a schedule. Some things take 1 day, some 2 days and a few things only hours. So you would expect a 1 day crop to be ready in 24 hours. Unfortunately that is not the case.

In Farmville, a day is 23 hours long. That means that a one day crop will only take 23 hours to become ready. A two day crop will not take 48 hours, it will take 46.

While the day plus crops are straight forward, the ones that take less than one day can be a little bit tricky. Up to about 8 hours, the crops are straight forward. Strawberries will be ready four hours after you plant them. Over 8 hours though and the times are slightly off. A 10 hour crop will become ready in roughly 9 and a half hours, while a 16 hour crop will come ready around 15 hours in.

So keep in mind the longer the crop takes to reach harvest, the more time you can take off.

Finishing your Storage Cellar Quickly

On August 19th 2010 Zynga started rolling out the new Storage Cellar to players. Unlike the old barns and sheds the new storage solution requires very little room on top of the farm (meaning more room for plots!) and packs a massive amount of space inside, up to 500! With this players will be able to remove the older barns and sheds giving them more room for decorations, crops, trees or animals.

The way the cellar works is very similar to the Tuscan Wedding Tent, or the Spring Basket. Players send each other Shovels, where each shovel represents on more point of storage space, up to the maximum of 500. Just like with the other two as you add shovels to your Storage Cellar it will change its apperance based on how many you have added.

Hole in the Ground	Narrow Crawl Space
0-99 Shovels	100-199 Shovels

Secure Storm Cellar	Huge Storm Cellar	Underground Wonderland
200-399 Shovels	400-499 Shovels	500+ Shovels

And just like the Tuscan Wedding Tent as you add shovels to your cellar you are eligible to claim rewards. With each reward costing progressively more shovels, not to worry though once you add shovels to your cellar claiming a reward will not mean you lose storage space. The rewards are as follows;

Mole	Crystal Rock
Requires 20 Shovels	Requires 40 Shovels

Miner Sheep	Cave Gnome	Antique Tractor
Requires 60 Shovels	Requires 120 Shovels	Requires 200 Shovels

As the title of this post implies though there is a way to earn shovels much faster than normal. During this event when you fulfill a request for shovels you are given a reward screen allowing you to choose between the usual things, gold, experience, mystery gifts OR 2 shovels for yourself. 

Using this to your advantage, goto the Make a Wish Tool at the top of this page. Next find some friends who maybe have stopped playing Farmville and send them some shovels using the tool. This will reward YOU with 2 shovels! It takes a little bit of extra work because you have to find everyone's Facebook ID, but the reward will be finishing your storage cellar in record time.

Remember, as long as a friend has played Farmville in the past this will work, simply paste their Facebook ID into the box and pick shovel from the drop down. Then copy and paste the web address into your browser. The Make a Wish Tool was originally designed to allow YOU to request things, however instead of putting your ID in, put your friends!

Getting the most out of one plot of land

Animals, Trees, Crops - They are the three main ways someone can make money and experience in Farmville. But, which ones are the best? Which ones can make you the absolute most gold or experience per hour? The following post hopes to answer that question.

First what is a plot? Put simply, one plot in Farmville is the size required for one piece of plowed land. While different things take up different amounts of space, one plowed square is 4x4 spaces. Knowing this, lets consider the two critical components for Farmville. Gold and Experience. Are you trying to level up fast? Or are you saving up for that shiny Villa? Whatever your aim is, knowing what brings in the most per hour is going to help you on your way!

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Gold Per Hour

• Trees

Disregarding limited time trees the following trees will generate the most gold per hour. This assumes 16 trees crammed into a 4x4 space and harvested as soon as they are ready. One 4x4 grid containing 16 trees will earn you;

1. JackFruit Tree - 32.46 G/hr
2. Gingko Tree - 30.14 G/hr
3. Mango Tree - 22.61 G/hr
4. Olive Tree - 19.48 G/hr
5. Date Tree - 16 G/hr

As you can see the top performing trees are all available only through gifting. For this reason get lots of neighbors and use the Make a Wish Tool at the top of the page.

*The Acai, Maple Tree (Golden) and Asian Pear all produce more G/hr, however they are limited time offer trees. Get them when you can, otherwise work for what is on the list. 

• Animals

Animals in Farmville come in all shapes and sizes, and likewise each has a different hourly profit that can be achieved. Just like the trees this is going to assume you cram as many of each animal as possible into a 4x4 grid. (Or 16 single squares.)

1. Belted Cow - 500G/hr
2. Arapawra Goat - 400G/hr
3. Saddleback Pig - 333.33 G/hr
4. Cream Mini Horse - 56 G/hr 
5. Belted Calf - 53G/hr

With the exception of the Belted Cow, you can squeeze 16 of the others into one 4x4 grid, the belted cow taking up more room will only allow you to fit 4 into the same space.

*The Snow Leopard out performs the Mini Horse, earning 100 G/hr however it is an iPhone exclusive item.

• Crops

Ahh the mainstay of Farmville, Crops. Or Seeds. These are actually one of the hardest items to list, due to mastery bonuses and co-op's changing the end value of each crop. Let us assume though, no mastery and not done in a co-op. Just the basic seed, at the basic income. Again, this list will only contain crops that will always be available through the market. It should be noted that the top10 crops are ALL limited time only seeds.

1. Forget-Me-Nots 8.89 G/hr
2. Oats - 8.75 G/hr
3. Basil - 8.5 G/hr
4. Peas - 7.65 G/hr
5. Asparagus - 7.63G/hr
6. Ginger - 7.5G/hr

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Experience Per Hour

If it is experience you are looking for the following lists should help you earn it as fast as possible. Just like the gold lists above though, only permanent crops, animals and trees will be listed here. Any of the limited time items will not be included.

• Trees

Trees give their XP gain upon planting, not when harvesting. As such here is the list of permanent trees in order of most XP when placing.

1. Durian Tree - 13 XP Farmville.com Exclusive Gift
2. Olive Tree - 12 XP 
3. Starfruit Tree - 12 XP
4. Pomegranate Tree - 11 XP
5. Cashew Tree - 8 XP 

 
 

• Crops

Earning XP in Farmville is best done by planting crops.While each crop varies in how much you will earn the following is a list of the highest earning permanent crops available.

1. Clover - 32 XP / hr
2. Black Berries - 31.75 XP / hr
3. Blueberries 31.5 XP / hr
4. Raspberries 30.5 XP / hr
5. Strawberries 27.5 XP /hr

With the exception of Clover, berries provide the best XP profits in the game. However, all berries have a very quick growing time so be sure you will be able to check your farm when they come ready or you may end up losing money in the long run.

• Animals 

Like Trees, Animals only give XP upon placing on the farm, from purchasing in the market or placing them from a gift box. Most animals will not give XP though, because of this Animals have been left out. If you are trying to earn XP by far the best method is planting the crops listed above. 

Free Gifts from Ribbons

Ribbons in Farmville are much like Achievements on the 360 or Trophies on the PS3, the allow the player to complete various tasks and reward them with Gold and XP. In addition some of the Ribbons will gift the player with a different decoration upon completion. The following is a list of all the Ribbons that give the player a gift as a bonus reward for finishing them.

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High Roller Ribbon
Color	Coins	Experience	Item
Yellow	500	50	Hay Bale
White	2500	100	Butter Churn
Red	5000	250	Wheelbarrow
Blue	10000	1000	Hay Wagon
A Pretty Penny Ribbon
Color	Experience	Item
Yellow	50	Rest Tent
White	100	Well
Red	250	Tool Shed
Blue	1000	Fruit Stand
Knock On Wood Ribbon
Colour	Coins	Experience	Item
Yellow	1000	25	Fig Tree
White	2500	50	Apricot Tree
Red	5000	100	Banana Tree
Blue	10000	250	Pomegranate Tree
Zoologist Ribbon
Colour	Coins	Experience	Item
Yellow	1000	25	Sheep
White	2500	50	Duck
Red	5000	100	Goat
Blue	10000	250	Horse
Pack Rat Ribbon
Colour	Experience	Item
Yellow	25	Picnic Table
White	50	Stone Mailbox
Red	100	Covered Wagon
Blue	250	Small Pond
Animal Shelter Ribbon
Colour	Coins	Experience	Item
Yellow	1000	25	Sheep
White	2500	50	Duck
Red	5000	100	Goat
Blue	10000	250	Horse
Tree Hugger Ribbon
Colour	Coins	Experience	Item
Yellow	500	10	Plum Tree
White	2500	20	Lemon Tree
Red	5000	50	Grapefruit Tree
Blue	10000	100	Passion Fruit Tree
Noahs Ark Ribbon
Colour	Coins	Experience	Item
Yellow	500	10	Chicken
White	2500	20	Pig
Red	5000	50	Duck
Blue	10000	100	Horse
Not Spoiled, Gifted Ribbon
Colour	Coins	Experience	Item
Yellow	1000	10	Hay Bale
White	2500	20	Barrel
Red	5000	50	Crate
Blue	10000	100	Wood Pile
Pretty Garden Ribbon
Colour	XP	Item
Yellow	25	Perfect Bunch of Daffodils
White	50	Perfect Bunch of Red Tulips
Red	100	Perfect Bunch of Pink Roses
Blue	250	Perfect Bunch of Sunflowers

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As you can see there are quite a few Ribbons that give gifts when completing them. If you are unsure how to complete any of the ribbons please refer to yesterday's post; Complete Ribbon Guide


This list is current as of : 8/16/2010

Complete Guide to Ribbons in Farmville

Farmville offers players the ability to complete various tasks in order to unlock the games equivalent of Achievements. While some of them are very straightforward others are a little harder to complete. Each Ribbon has 4 levels of completion, Yellow Ribbons, White Ribbons, Red Ribbons and Blue Ribbons.

Upon completion you will be rewarded with XP Gold and a special gift in the gift box. While the gift varies based on the ribbon earned the XP and Gold rewards are as follows;

• Yellow Ribbons - 100 XP / 2,500 Gold Coins
• White Ribbons - 100 XP / 2,500 Gold Coins
• Red Ribbons - 250 XP / 5,000 Gold Coins
• Blue Ribbons - 1000 XP / 10,00 Gold Coins

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Ribbon Name	Description	Requirements
		Yellow	White	Red	Blue
Local Celebrity	You need neighbors for this	4	8	25	50
Good Samaritan	Helping out Friends	20	150	500	2500
High Roller	Total Coins Earned	25,000	50,000	500,000	1,000,000
A Pretty Penny	Coins Spent at the Market	50,000	100,000	500,000	1,500,000
Cream of the Crop	Number of Crops to Harvest	10	1,000	5,000	25,000
Knock on Wood	Number of Trees to Harvest	20	250	1,500	5,000
Zoologist	Harvest Animals	15	500	1,000	5,000
Architect	Buildings Owned	2	6	15	30
Pack Rat	Decorations on your Farm	25	50	100	250
Animal Shelter	Lost Animals Adopted	2	3	4	15
Green Thumb	Differenty Types of Crops	5	10	14	17
Tree Hugger	Different Types of Trees	3	8	12	15
Noah's Ark	Different Types of Animals	2	4	6	8
Not Spoiled, Gifted!	Different Types of Gifts	3	9	15	21
Crop Whisperer	Neighbors Crops Fertalized	100	250	500	2,500
Flower Power	Flower Crops Harvested	15	500	2,500	10,000
Pretty Garden	Flower Bouquets Placed	5	10	25	50
King of Compost	Crops that have been Fertalized	75	150	300	600
They of Mystery	Mystery Boxes Opened (Mystery Darts thrown)	2	6	15	30
Fenced In	How many Fences	5	50	100	250
Lord of the Plow	Plots plowed by Tractors	200	1,000	2,500	10,000
Need for Seed	Crops planted with the Seeder	200	1,000	2,500	10,000
Cat Lady	Cats brushed	5	50	100	250
Vegetable Virtuoso	Vegetable Crops Harvested	15	500	2,500	10,000
Foremost Fruit Farmer	Fruit Crops Harvested	15	500	2,500	10,000
Egg-celent Discovery	Finding Mystery Eggs in the Coop	5	25	50	100
Cunning Collector	Collections Completed	2	25	50	100
Horse Power	Find buffs in your Stables	5	25	50	100
Employee of the Month	Completing Co-Op jobs in record time	5	25	50	100
Fabulous Foreman	Finish Co-Op jobs within the time frame given	1	5	10	20
Best of the Rest	Harvest the most crops in a completed Co-Op	1	10	20	40
Baled Out	Bales of Hay placed on Farm	5	50	100	250
Cracked	Mystery Eggs Opened	5	50	75	150
Super Salesman	Selling Crafted Goods	5	25	100	250
Crafty	Make Crafted Goods	5	25	100	250
Best Buyer	Purchased Goods from Friends	5	25	100	250
Gearhead	Vehicles Upgraded	2	6	15	30

How to get Free Fuel

What is the one thing every farm needs? No... Not piglets (though they are adorable!) Fuel! In order to harvest, plow and seed you need Fuel for your vehicles. While the cost of Fuel through the market is outrageously high, there are thankfully a number of ways you can get free fuel in Farmville.

Here is a guide of all the ways you can get free fuel while playing Farmville.

Regeneration - Fuel naturally regenerates on it's own. However, the rate of the refill is based on how many plots are on your land. To shortest amount of time to refuel one full tank is 24 hours. While this is helpful it is far from the best way.

Mystery Gifts and Mystery Eggs - Both have a chance to find fuel in them. In varying quantities.

When plowing your own field, or fertilizing a friends, there is a small chance you will find one tank of fuel.

Completing a collection grants you 5 full tanks of fuel.

The Farmville Toolbar will gift you with 1/5 of a bar every 8 hours. Or depending upon the number of friends using the bar, you may be rewarded with a full tank.

Crafting Goods can be redeemed for fuel, with the quantity based on the level of the good.

From the Game Feed - Fuel can some times be found in the News Feed when a player shares found fuel.

Email - From time to time Zynga runs a free fuel promotion where they send players an email with links for free fuel.

Cross Game Play - Advancing a level in the Zynga owned game "Mafia Wars" will reward Farmville Players with one free tank of fuel.

Mobile - It is said that logging into Farmville from an iPhone also grants the player free fuel.

From the Market - Players can also purchase fuel from the market in the following quantities;

1unit for      3 FV Cash
15units for  15 FV Cash
30units for  28 FV Cash
45units for  40 FV Cash
75units for  50 FV Cash