Grow & Sell, Grow & Sell... HELP!!!... How do I stop?

I just saw a thread from someone who was in need of a rich benefactor to get his next machine, et al. He was offered advice that I have to say was spot on! At that stage, most of the advice centered on planting crops and selling them in the RSS. Not 'buying' too much. Doing things his way, and enjoying the ride.

I've been doing those for some time now and have roughly 4 million in coin. I have also purchased every machine available to this point and have fully expanded my duck salon, et al. I have a few more machines to buy in the upcoming levels, but, am sitting much better than average for my level, and probably don't need to worry (too much) about collecting coin any longer.

My problem? Planting crops and selling them in the RSS is all I know! How do I get beyond this stage? This is probably a two-part question... What strategies and/or goals do those beyond this point set for themselves? and... What keeps you motivated once you are no longer driven to accumulate coin?

Thanks, in advance, for any suggestions you can offer!

Once coins were no longer an issue for me, I changed my goals. I started setting goals to master machines and/or accomplish achievements. I also made a goal to get every pet (have them all now) and now focusing on finishing my fishing book soon. Those are some of the things that keep me playing but I think the biggest reason I still play is having wonderful neighbors:heart:

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Originally Posted by Ffwife97

Once coins were no longer an issue for me, I changed my goals. I started setting goals to master machines and/or accomplish achievements. I also made a goal to get every pet (have them all now) and now focusing on finishing my fishing book soon. Those are some of the things that keep me playing but I think the biggest reason I still play is having wonderful neighbors:heart:

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Thanks for the advice Ffwife97! I have all six adult cats, all six adult dogs, all eight horses, and all four rabbits. I only have two kittens and two puppies, and only have one set of donkeys, but am definitely working towards those goals as well. The achievements seem to be falling into place without concentrating on them. There's definitely a couple of those that will take some serious effort. Mastering machines may be a good one for me, as only about half of those are done so far. The thing that you mentioned that may be the biggest thing for me to think about may be your last statement! For the most part I've only been in a NH for the sake of the derby. With that in mind, my 2 farm NH has been ideal. I've also deleted anyone who has attempted to 'follow' me. It may make sense for me to rethink these strategies!

Thanks again for the suggestions... definitely ideas worth considering!

Great question!

Oh you've gotta love a game that has no finish line!
Im sure you'll get a great variety of answers here.

Im at level 92, almost 93. Have 43 million coins. Just got my jewelry last week. Was never in a rush to get them all. So I suppose I had the excitement of getting a new machine at a stage when others of my level already had theirs mastered.

For me I think my motivation has always been about expanding my barn and silo.
Even though they are big enough.
And about more money. Even though 43 is big enough.

Always eager about what the next event will be.
Always ready for a Visitor Event. Or a fill-the-box kind of event.
Excited about tomorrow being Derby Day!

And I still love growing crops. I sell wheat to Visitors and carrots in my RSS. Everything else I hoard because I know how difficult they can be to find in the DD when you need them.
My strategy of selling all my products in my RSS just kind of naturally changed as I got more machines and more space so I could store enough to fill boats or trucks. Enjoyed this Boat Event immensely!

I always just let the Achievements just sort of look after themselves.
Got my Turbo Trucker 3 just from doing a Truck Task

I don't know what keeps me going. Other than that I just love to make stuff and grow stuff and hit that beautiful green arrow!
That golden tree is starting to call my name though.

Thanks for the feedback Sparkly!

Maybe part of my problem is thinking that I needed a certain amount of things... Be it coin, space in the buildings, et al. Instead of shooting for 'enough', maybe I should convince myself that (even) more is (even) better.

I'll blame it on my drive for more coin, or maybe my one track mind, but I've always seen boats, tasks (from the board), and most events as distractions. Something to trick me into acquiring more XP, and distracting me from my goal of acquiring enough coin. There was probably some degree of truth to that in the early stages of the game. At this point in my game however, maybe it's time to take a second look at those! Instead of minimizing those (read that: avoiding them like the plague) maybe I should start taking advantage of what they have to offer!

One of your statements, however, has me totally lost and scratching my head! What 'beautiful green arrow' are you referring to???

Thanks again for the feedback!

Haha. Yes I know what you mean. Why put these sandwiches on a boat when I can sell them for more in my shop?

I didn't change my mind overnight on this. Usually it was an Event where I got double coin or double xp or something and realized how much I enjoy filling people's boat crates or my own trucks.
I still love to make coin in my shop and sell a lot of eggs and chicken feed there too.

Sorry I messed up...meant BIG GREEN CHECKMARK!!
When you expand barn/silo/land there is a big green checkmark you must tap. Fill a boat crate--big green checkmark.
Doh! No wonder you were confused.

I keep setting goals for myself and as I get closer and closer I see if I can stretch em. for example

I want all machines to have 9 slots
I want all machines to have 3 stars
I want maximum barn and silo
I want maximum barn and silo before level 100
I want maximum tacklebox
I want to do it all without paying for diamonds. (sad panda don't get no movie tickets)

But at least we have that original aspect of the game going for us. Play the way that makes you happy. If you like filling boat crates then make it your goal to get in the top 100 boat points. if you like coins see if you can break the bank by getting an extra digit. is billion the max? 10 billion? 100 billion? who knows lets find out.

Hi DairyAir (love your name:D),

I don't know if I have any set goals, now - I'm like Sparkly - I love to make things, expand, take care of all the animals, do events, pick the best parts of the derby, play with the plants and crops, help my friends and surprise DD shoppers with good things. The achievements seem to be taking care of themselves as I play.

I play relaxed - like you and Sparkly, I'm in a small NH and love it that way. I think not having a final goal is what makes this game so enduring and sweet. It's a lovely place to stop and play, to take a breather from stresses in RL, and help us jump back into the RL fray refreshed.

I think the game still surprises me, even after a couple of years playing, as I learn new hidden tricks and techniques. As I look at areas I hadn't focused on before, I find new favorites.
This game has many hidden nuances, underneath the obvious. I love the depth, and humor, of this game. The good people - developers and farmers, make the game and forum such a joy, for me.

Sending my very best wishes!

Good question!

i seem to be at almost exactly the same level as Sparky so interesting to compare... I am mid-level 92. Like you I focussed on making and selling, together with frantic increase in barn and silo, is indicated by my stats below. Once I had enough coins I stopped selling for the sake of it and moved onto other things (I currently have 5M which is pitiful in comparison to Sparky but more than enough).

Since stopping collecting wealth, my objectives have been Achievements (almost got Helter Smelter now then it's just the Derby ones to go), Pets (I have them all), Fish (just waiting for a fishing season to get the last 2 event fish). Beyond that I have focussed on how to level up the fastest. Getting to that last level where there is something new was a major landmark for me, as it meant that my barn upgrades actually gave me more storage capacity, rather than merely keeping up with the new products. I use a combination of wheating, trucks and town to gain XP so this naturally pushes to maxing town buildings and mastering production buildings but neither have really been a goal, though I do like to keep everything busy!

Unlike others, I am not desperate for new buildings and products as it just puts more strain on your barn and more demand on your dairy!!

other than the objectives above, getting to 100 is my main goal now, though levelling up inevitably becomes a slog - I would love to know how some of the really high levels manage to level up faster than I can - I guess a lot of diamonds are involved though...

Almost forgot, clearing land was a great objective. Doing it faster than others was a good goal as, for a while, trading in LEMs was very helpful to barn/silo expansion. Sadly that bubble has burst now but it was good while it lasted...

Like others here, my goals and focus shifted over time as I played on. If I had a regret now, it was not doing more boats at the lower levels, since I am playing boat board now and they get harder as you level up. Over a long time my various top priorities have been getting coins, filling the fishing book, completing achievements, mastering all machines, climbing levels fast, and most recently climbing boat leader board. All there on the rest, still scrabbling up the boat board. I am grateful this is such a rich game as to keep me engaged with those different goals over years now.

My big aim is to help members of my lovely hood. I still get a thrill from filling crates with stuff that can be difficult for lower levels. Yes even sugar and dairy sometimes! I also get a buzz from knowing a lot of the answers in this fun, complex game, and sharing that info with my friends when asked.

I'm not keen on decorations - no gold walls for me (but I know that's a personal choice). The brt was a different matter, though!

I've been playing for around two years now, every day, and still enjoy it.

Happy farming!

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Originally Posted by Cowslips

My big aim is to help members of my lovely hood. I still get a thrill from filling crates with stuff that can be difficult for lower levels. Yes even sugar and dairy sometimes! I also get a buzz from knowing a lot of the answers in this fun, complex game, and sharing that info with my friends when asked.

I'm not keen on decorations - no gold walls for me (but I know that's a personal choice). The brt was a different matter, though!

I've been playing for around two years now, every day, and still enjoy it.

Happy farming!

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I am level 80 now and I am leader in my NH. I have not set goal for me, except that I want 10 000 barn sometimes..But it is loooong way for it now=) Our NH loves derby so we all do it together and help much with tasks. I love to help ppl with tasks and with all things. For me HD is not project it is process..So difference is that procject have goal and it ends sometimes..process continue and continue..all the time. So I just concetrate every day for filling my boat , eating my pets and othe animals and so on. Trying to win derby all the time, of course =)

I am at level 141. I make silly goals. Enough coins for another tractor or gold statue. Set a goal to master a machine or two. I did the coffee kiosk and feed mills at the same time. I still make feed all day long and load my rss with it. Help a nh member that may need coins. Its going to come down to how much you play and what is your motivation to keep playing.

Just reach in the grab bag, pick a goal. If you decide thats not what you want to do after a few days, pick another one. Make your own game within your game.

Thanks to everyone for all of the feedback on this thread... Lots of similarities, but lots of differences too! Guess this still falls under the 'make it your own' game, and do what you enjoy! I guess I knew that, but still helpful to know what keeps others going!

AsYouWish... As a fan of 'The Princess Bride', I definitely appreciate your name as well! I changed my farm name several times before settling on this one... Among others (for a while) I was The Dread Pirate Roberts, and for a while I was also Farmboy!

Maaritu... While there's lots of suggestions in this thread that I'll take into consideration, I have to say right now... I ABSOLUTELY REFUSE to try your next to the last one... I am NOT going to start "eating my pets"!!! ;) (If it makes you feel any better, I've already found two mistakes in this post that I edited to correct, one was my mistake, the other was spell checker changing one of my words)

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Originally Posted by maaritu

I am level 80 now and I am leader in my NH. I have not set goal for me, except that I want 10 000 barn sometimes..But it is loooong way for it now=) Our NH loves derby so we all do it together and help much with tasks. I love to help ppl with tasks and with all things. For me HD is not project it is process..So difference is that procject have goal and it ends sometimes..process continue and continue..all the time. So I just concetrate every day for filling my boat , eating my pets and othe animals and so on. Trying to win derby all the time, of course =)

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I have said before, it's the social aspect of the game I enjoy. But, that has evolved. I started playing almost two years ago before town, derby, before nh and before nh chat.

I noticed that early on, the more GC friends you had, the more spots in your RSS you get. So, for awhile, I looked in the DD for farm names. I would go to GC and add them. If they accepted me, I would add their friends. I hit nearly 500 before I stopped. Why you ask? I read in the help, I believe, that only the last 100 are in your tab. So, I cleaned out dead wood and keep it around 90-100.

Through those people, I found I enjoyed finding dead bushes and trees plus helping fill boat orders. I figure about 10 or so are long time friends. When we got nh, one of them invited me and I went. There were three or four of us. Found out she is in UK and I am in the US. When we were able to search nh, I would find ones with high level players and try to friend them in GC.

Now, our nh has grown to about 27-28 active players from all over the world. Some speak Spanish or dutch or anyone of a handful of assorted languages. We give and get help and create good friendships. The level of the median friend in that tab is in the 95 range.

Some of the other goals I had was getting to level 100, being content when I had a silo and barn around 750, getting all of the achievements, as well as others. I found a certain freedom when I stopped upping my barn and silo (it takes up a TON of barn space) and enjoy playing, building up a lot of coin selling my expansion items and other products in the RSS. And, as I have said before, I prefer a less time consuming play. I can go on every hour or two for 5-10 minutes and enjoy myself then turn it off and catch up on watching TV or something else in the real world.

My current goal is to get 15000 boat points. I try to do every boat that comes, although I won't do sugar or dairy. This is in addition to trying to expand my buildings, open all my land, do my derby tasks, do truck orders for vouchers, catch all the fish, max out my town, open all machine slots and max out all machines!

I like all aspects of the game, well I find lure fishing rather tedious but I want to complete my book.