Rant: Get me off the Last Helpers list! -_-

This is getting stupid. I can't put up sales for my neighborhood anymore, people I helped in the paper wipe out my shop constantly, often before I'm able to fill it to even tell anyone I have a sale up.

It irks me that there's nothing I can do to stop these people. I don't even have the ability to go to their farms and return the 'favor'. At least I have the power to remove followers. At least I have control over when I place ads to willingly put my RSS up for public display.

I don't even know who this person was, I probably helped them with something stupid like hamburgers, and in return they walked away with my full shop of soups, raw sugars (which I was specifically putting up for the higher level members who are always in need of it), ice creams, juices, etc. That is NOT acceptable.

And, yes, I'm aware that the obvious answer is to simply never help anyone in the paper anymore, which is frankly equally ridiculous. The system design is flawed. I enjoy helping boats. Browsing the paper and filling crates was probably my #1 favorite pastime in Hay Day and now I'll have to cease it full stop unless I want to -- and I don't -- continuously deal with people who should have NO interaction with me outside of sending a gift card.

At least add an option to check for "Never appear on Last Helpers" or add another social tab where YOU can see the people you helped and can remove yourself from their lists the same way you remove followers. Please do something. This is really not cool. The way it is now feels like no good deed goes unpunished. >:(

/rant

I know this is a frustrating issue for many...they like to put certain items in their RSS thinking/hoping that certain friends or NH mates would like or need those items, and then someone you previously helped from the DD swoops in and grabs the goods.

You think the idea of never helping anyone in the DD to eliminate this problem is ridiculous, but essentially, it really is the only way to make sure this doesn't happen. Therefore, you either continue as you have been and take the chance, or stop helping strangers from the DD.

On occasion, when I've had to create ads and also happened to have an ! up for some help and was helped by a stranger from the DD, I would visit their shop to see what they might be selling...and maybe I got lucky and found something I wanted/needed. Since you like to put out premium items, this stranger is probably doing the same thing and figuring they hit the jackpot...over and over again!

I wouldn't call this system a flaw. Think about those who don't have many friends and the only way they may get help is from those like you who help via the DD. And since they don't have many friends, your RSS provides another place to shop, on top of the DD. For those people, this system really helps them with their farming.

As you know, one way to stop this problem is to stop helping strangers from the DD. Another is to essentially not put anything out for about 2 weeks so that you hopefully fall off their Last Helper list. You could also try sending them a message by stocking boring stuff...B&E, cornbread, wheat, corn, etc....at full price.

If you really think it would be a good idea to have a button to click indicating not to allow yourself to be put on one's Last Helper list, maybe you should suggest it in the Ideas section.

You will fall off the last helper tab in two weeks, whether your leech gets help from other players or not.

IMO, that's too much. That's a long time to have to put up with it, and it IS discouraging people from helping strangers through the paper. Which is really a pity.

I think this is a flaw. Either you should fall off the last helper tab faster (1 day?), or you should have the ability to remove yourself from others' last helper tabs.

It's creepy, because as you note, it's one-sided. They can buy out your stand 50 times a day, and you can't even visit their farm to see what it looks like.

This has become much worse since the neighborhood and town updates. People are desperate for premium goods to feed the greedy townies, and there's much less in the newspaper and their friends' stands, because people have less to give, and are giving what they have to their neighbors.

IMO, SC needs to take this change into account, and give us more control over the last helper tab.

Well, dang! I never thought of raiding my "last helpers" RSSs! There are still a bunch of the finer points of farming that have yet to show up on my radar.

That being said, based on the experiences all y'all are having, it sounds like there is an unintended consequence between the "help" and the "RSS" use of the "last helpers" tag. YOU go to their farm generally to help fill boat crates or revive trees...THEY come to see what goodies they can score in your RSS.

Does anyone know if the "!" appears on farms on the "followers" or "last helpers" lists? I never see them. Occasionally, I go to a farm that has done me a big boat-crate favor to see who they are and if they need help. However, it's basically a useless tab for me.

I agree that the individual farmer ought to have control of who is on ALL those tabs. We invite other farmers to visit through the RSS ads. If we don't advertise, random farmers should not be able to visit. I've never used my boat leader board, but I understand that is another way that random people can find your farm.

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Originally Posted by knitgal2

You think the idea of never helping anyone in the DD to eliminate this problem is ridiculous, but essentially, it really is the only way to make sure this doesn't happen.

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The developers have given players no tools to deal with the aftermath of a random 'act of kindness', so the only current solution is to completely withdraw from participating in an activity. I call that ridiculous.

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I wouldn't call this system a flaw. Think about those who don't have many friends and the only way they may get help is from those like you who help via the DD. And since they don't have many friends, your RSS provides another place to shop, on top of the DD. For those people, this system really helps them with their farming.

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Except at that point I've become an unwilling participant. Helping a player with a crate (and I only ever do one crate per farm) is not an invitation for them to assume me as a sponsor.

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Originally Posted by Janilee

Either you should fall off the last helper tab faster (1 day?), or you should have the ability to remove yourself from others' last helper tabs.

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I agree with everything you said. Although, I'm not sure even a 24-hour turn around on the list is enough, especially for someone like me who used to fill many crates on a daily basis.

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It's creepy, because as you note, it's one-sided. They can buy out your stand 50 times a day, and you can't even visit their farm to see what it looks like.

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Yes, which is probably my biggest gripe. The person who fills the crate assumes all the risk as there is none for the person who flags it. They can remove anyone who followed them and the ad bringing people to their farm in the first place will be gone in 3 hours at the latest. Maybe that is what the timer on last helpers should be, 3 hours. :P

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Originally Posted by MiniGardener

Does anyone know if the "!" appears on farms on the "followers" or "last helpers" lists? I never see them. Occasionally, I go to a farm that has done me a big boat-crate favor to see who they are and if they need help. However, it's basically a useless tab for me.

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They do. It's the only time I ever use the last helpers tab, actually. If someone helped my boat with a difficult item I'll check to see if they need help with anything and return the favor. That is a good use of Last Helpers, but I get the impression that's not common. :(

I would rather just see the last helpers list go away. I don't think it adds anything to the game.

i totally feel you! im being stalked by someone too, not via last helpers but via liking my farm on facebook. the person was extremely smart. she followed me after buying all 80 deeds i put up then when i removed her from my followers list she liked my farm immediately. after that, not a day of peace! i wish we could have more control over who visits our farm, or who buys our stuff. all these requests pertaining to "stalking" has fallen on deaf ears. sigh

its not all that bad if that person has found your farm via last helpers. in 2 weeks time, like what janilee mentioned, your farm will fall of that person's list. its much much worse if that person has liked you on facebook or found you via the boat leaderboard.

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Originally Posted by MiniGardener

Does anyone know if the "!" appears on farms on the "followers" or "last helpers" lists? I never see them. Occasionally, I go to a farm that has done me a big boat-crate favor to see who they are and if they need help. However, it's basically a useless tab for me.

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It doesn't work very well for me. I think it's supposed to show a ! if they've flagged a tree or crate. But for me, I don't see it until I visit their farm. Then, if they've asked for help, I will see the flag on the followers tab. Otherwise, I don't.

I think it's a bug. IIRC, it used to work. Now it doesn't, at least for me.

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Originally Posted by DanielHan

its not all that bad if that person has found your farm via last helpers. in 2 weeks time, like what janilee mentioned, your farm will fall of that person's list. its much much worse if that person has liked you on facebook or found you via the boat leaderboard.

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Seems like you have some recourse with the boat leaderboard. Your boat score changes every time you fill a crate. Seems like if you also changed your name, a stalker would have a hard time finding you.

The Facebook thing is beyond creepy. Not to mention unfair, because it only works for iOS users.