John Chapman's Guide to The Big Farm Theory/Astro Garden
How to be a good neighbor
It's not just a matter of visiting your friends plots and responding to gifts; you should also make your farm visitor friendly. Here's some things to do and not to do:
- Put your buildings as far away from the entrance as possible. That way visitors don't have to waste time passing through buildings which are of no value to them. That means - MOVE THE HOUSE!
- Don't cover your entire plot with paths and tiles - that will prevent trees and stones appearing.
- Try to position crops, animals and trees near the entrance. This makes it quicker for visitors to find them.
- Always leave something to do near the entrance. This will help those who are trying to get combos - yes it is possible.
- Always plant 6 strawberries near the entrance and start harvesting other crops after they have grown. Don't accept help from friends while you harvest and replant. That way visitors will see the six strawberries even if everything has been harvested and nothing else has grown. They will be able to harvest them and not be stopped, unable to use the 'Share and go...' buttons
- Make sure you have at least 6 things to do - not 5. People who have the dog get 6 friend help actions.
- If you stop playing or go away on holiday - leave your farm planted. The crops may wither but withered crops are more valuble to visitors and provided you are NOT accepting help, they will always be there.
- When you visit someone else's farm, don't run back and forward from one end of the farm to the other. It slows everyone down. Be aware though that the game may do this if the items your visitor planned to harvest have boon harvested by someone else.
- Put chickens and rabbits near the entrance. They need feeding every 60 min so are available to feed more often
- Don't clear everything without putting something - crops, animals, trees, stones, in it's place.
- If someone sends you a gift you have not requested and is not on your wishlist then use the 'Thank' button before accepting it. If there is no 'Thank' button, return energy.
- If someone sends you an item on your wishlist, try to respond with items from their wishlist of equal or greater value. For example if someone sends me a sapphire (rarest of the gemstones collection) and has wolf tooth on their wishlist I might send them 5 wolf teeth.
...and how to be a bad neighbor (and get de-friended quickly)
- Clear your farm completely
- Cover your entire farm with tiles
- Cover your entire farm with pineapples (only possible to harvest after 16 hours). Harvest them as soon as they are ready and re-plant them again.
- Have nothing for a visitor to do.
- Send friends who are playing the game useful chat messages such as 'hey'. This is very effective at stopping them getting combos.
- Run to the back of a farm, harvest, chop or feed one item. Run to the front and harvest another item. Run to the back... and so on. Takes ages and is combo unfriendly. Sometimes though, the game will do this if the items your visitor have already been harvested and your crops are scattered over a wide area.
- Be one of those people who manages to cover their farm in monsters - lots of them, so nothing can be done.
- Put all your buildings and decorations at the farm entrance. These do nothing for visitors.
- Harvest one item of six different plants - very helpful; means you have to go back to the shop six times to replace them.
Visitor friendly farm
Lots to do and quick to access. Combo friendly.
Visitor unfriendly farm
Very pretty but there's nothing for a visitor to do except feed the goats at the back and there are only five of those. If you are trying for a combo - this will stop you. Those buildings at the entrance are of no use to visitors and would be better placed at the back.