Frustrating & cruel

The most common items received are most commonly the ones we already have most of. Axes galore, musical instruments, vouchers (mostly green) while the items we have least of are those deliberately withheld. Why? I think to 'encourage' people to use diamonds & therefore provide revenue. Any game takes money to develop but this is I feel over cynical & too revenue biased when a more 50/50 would reduce frustration and make playing less frought.
I've seen so many requests for a recycling facility for dead trees to make axes/saws and also separate storage for tools. Neither of these will ever happen as too much money is made from people using diamonds hiring Tom to get them and also diamonds to get the last remaining oh-so scarce expansion items (see above). The new 'so-what Sanctuary' as I call it is another means of getting diamonds purchased but the whole sanctuary thing just does nothing. Poor rewards for mystery boxes, low value (if any) boosters and refusal to allow expansion item trading within closed neighbourhood trading because it would 'unbalance' the game (?) I'm afraid all take from an otherwise great game, leaving me anyway & maybe others with the sense that we're not playing but being played too much for revenue. Sorry, rant over.

It's always seemed random to me. Sometimes I'll be flush in stakes and mallets but desperately need deeds. Sometimes it's panels that I can never find. It's all part of the game. You can advance just fine as a f2p farmer. It just takes patience. Try the trading thread here if you need something so badly. People need to remember that, after it all said and done, that SC is a company and that companies are generally in the business of making money. So of course they are going to do things that will encourage you to buy diamonds. No one would be able to play any of SC games if people didn't buy diamonds. Lastly, I would say that , as a mobile gaming company, SC gives you a TON of free gems compared to most others in the industry. This is true for all of their games. Try a few other successful farming games and you will how stingy they are. When you are the top dog, like SC is, you can afford to be generous to your players. If a farming game drives you to anger or gives you the uncontrollable urge to rant, perhaps it's time for a break? It's just a game after all.

I like the frustration -- if it were too easy, then I'd get bored and leave. I absolutely LOVE needing one plank. Something about waiting for that plank to drop, or show up in the paper, just keeps me playing and playing and playing. And then "BOOM" There it is! That incredible sense of relief. Phew!

Then, in what seems like 10 minutes, my barn is full again! WTHeck? How did I do that? Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! :D

ETA: I rarely buy diamonds. In my 3 1/2 years playing Hay Day, I think I've spent approximately $40 on the game. (And worth every penny. Hay Day owes me nothing.)

I agree with realet. I will continue playing for hours to find the last tool because I know the game is purposely not giving it to me but I also know they can't hold out forever. I've never played a game that purposely senses what you need and tells you "you can't have it". When I first noticed that was what it was doing I was ♥♥♥♥♥♥ but then It created a fun challenge. So I am happy. :)

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Originally Posted by Raelet

ETA: I rarely buy diamonds. In my 3 1/2 years playing Hay Day, I think I've spent approximately $40 on the game. (And worth every penny. Hay Day owes me nothing.)

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Wow Realet you are a champ. I have spent over 200 bucks on the game in my 3 years playing. In the last 6 months I stopped buying diamonds just to up the ante of the game.

I bought $5 worth of diamonds to get me started in this game. Opened up production slots and hired tom to get me cheesecakes to make coins. I haven't spent a cent since. If u play this game long enough, u will be compensated with plenty of diamonds just by playing the game. If u are patient and manage ur stash wisely, there will never be a need to buy more diamonds. The majority of big consistent spenders are probably those who want instant gratification and as a developer, SC is smart to be exploring every avenue to tap into that demographic.

I always assumed that the original reason SC structured the game to give each farmer "rare" drops was to encourage us to interact by selling our extras. Before there was the forum trading thread...before there were neighborhoods...there was just each farmer's friends tab and the DD. I wasn't farming then, but maybe some of the really old timers can remember back that far. It's probable that there are equal numbers of each EM out there, it's just up to us to use the options available to us to spread them around.

That being said, I know the feeling of needing one more plank...for DAYS!! Usually I have my townies or pets to thank for it. What a rush! I know I could ask a neighbor for a loan, but where would be the fun of that??

I did a short experiment a while back (bem only)

i did not buy or sell any BEMs. This was just from drops, but I got up into the mid twenties for each item and they were quite close it total. I neeed to help a hoodie, so that was as far as it went!

the balance would be upset when you are buying from the daily dirt or selling them.

i don't keep much EMs, however, I have 150 tapes right now, but that does not mean I get a lot of tapes, it just means I have found many and nobody in my circle needs them right now.


edit: I don't trade and I was level 80 when I joined a hood.