WAAAY OT: Farmville; Optimizing Seeds
Well, it's the offseason, BBall and Hockey both look like they're going to miss tournament play, and even the Redwings are flirting with missing the playoffs in like 2 decades. I can't bring myself to watch and analyze the football replays because I already know the conclusion: we're not a very good team yet. Sports are not very entertaining to me right now.
So, what's a guy to do with all his spare time? A guy who's a bit anal and likes to think in spreadsheets...How about doing a cost/benefit analysis for all the seeds available in farmville!! And it's not even completely OT because I remember Brian and Tim talking about it once in a podcast.
The questions is; 'what to plant?' That depends on three major considerations. A) Do you want to maximize money? or B) Do you want to maximize experience and C) How much time are trying to waste on this stupid game? I think this calls for a chart!
Chart?
Chart.
seed | price | payout | time | xp | profit/hr | xp/day | xp/day M |
superpumpkin | 30 | 100 | 4 | 1 | 13.75 | 12.00 | 15.00 |
forgetmenot | 45 | 126 | 18 | 2 | 3.67 | 4.00 | 4.67 |
strawberries | 10 | 35 | 4 | 1 | 2.50 | 12.00 | 15.00 |
eggplant | 25 | 88 | 48 | 2 | 1.00 | 1.50 | 1.75 |
wheat | 35 | 115 | 72 | 2 | 0.90 | 1.00 | 1.17 |
soybeans | 15 | 63 | 24 | 2 | 1.38 | 3.00 | 3.50 |
squash | 40 | 121 | 48 | 2 | 1.38 | 1.50 | 1.75 |
pumpkins | 30 | 68 | 8 | 1 | 2.88 | 6.00 | 7.50 |
artichokes | 70 | 204 | 96 | 2 | 1.24 | 0.75 | 0.88 |
rice | 45 | 96 | 12 | 1 | 3.00 | 4.00 | 5.00 |
raspberries | 20 | 46 | 2 | 0 | 5.50 | 12.00 | 18.00 |
daffodils | 60 | 135 | 48 | 2 | 1.25 | 1.50 | 1.75 |
cotton | 75 | 207 | 72 | 2 | 1.63 | 1.00 | 1.17 |
cranberries | 55 | 98 | 10 | 1 | 2.80 | 4.80 | 6.00 |
bell peppers | 75 | 198 | 48 | 2 | 2.25 | 1.50 | 1.75 |
peppers | 70 | 162 | 24 | 2 | 3.21 | 3.00 | 3.50 |
morning glory | 60 | 123 | 12 | 1 | 4.00 | 4.00 | 5.00 |
aloe vera | 50 | 86 | 6 | 1 | 3.50 | 8.00 | 10.00 |
pineapples | 95 | 242 | 48 | 2 | 2.75 | 1.50 | 1.75 |
red tulips | 75 | 159 | 24 | 2 | 2.88 | 3.00 | 3.50 |
pattypan squash | 65 | 160 | 16 | 1 | 5.00 | 3.00 | 3.75 |
blueberries | 50 | 91 | 4 | 1 | 6.50 | 12.00 | 15.00 |
watermelon | 130 | 348 | 96 | 2 | 2.11 | 0.75 | 0.88 |
grapes | 85 | 270 | 24 | 2 | 7.08 | 3.00 | 3.50 |
tomatoes | 100 | 173 | 8 | 1 | 7.25 | 6.00 | 7.50 |
pink roses | 120 | 254 | 48 | 2 | 2.48 | 1.50 | 1.75 |
potatoes | 135 | 345 | 72 | 2 | 2.71 | 1.00 | 1.17 |
carrots | 110 | 200 | 12 | 1 | 6.25 | 4.00 | 5.00 |
coffee | 120 | 243 | 16 | 1 | 6.75 | 3.00 | 3.75 |
corn | 150 | 380 | 72 | 2 | 2.99 | 1.00 | 1.17 |
sunflowers | 135 | 315 | 24 | 2 | 6.88 | 3.00 | 3.50 |
ghost chili | 80 | 136 | 6 | 1 | 6.83 | 8.00 | 10.00 |
cabbage | 140 | 388 | 48 | 2 | 4.85 | 1.50 | 1.75 |
grean tea | 105 | 191 | 10 | 1 | 7.10 | 4.80 | 6.00 |
black berries | 75 | 117 | 4 | 1 | 6.75 | 12.00 | 15.00 |
red wheat | 180 | 449 | 72 | 2 | 3.53 | 1.00 | 1.17 |
lavender | 160 | 384 | 48 | 2 | 4.35 | 1.50 | 1.75 |
sugarcane | 165 | 239 | 8 | 1 | 7.38 | 6.00 | 7.50 |
peas | 190 | 381 | 24 | 3 | 7.33 | 4.00 | 4.50 |
yellow melon | 205 | 528 | 96 | 2 | 3.21 | 0.75 | 0.88 |
onion | 170 | 275 | 12 | 1 | 7.50 | 4.00 | 5.00 |
broccoli | 200 | 473 | 48 | 2 | 5.38 | 1.50 | 1.75 |
lilies | 195 | 369 | 24 | 2 | 6.63 | 3.00 | 3.50 |
acorn squash | 175 | 258 | 10 | 1 | 6.80 | 4.80 | 6.00 |
asparagus | 220 | 357 | 16 | 2 | 7.63 | 4.50 | 5.25 |
As you can see, the seeds that take the shortest amount of time to mature are the best ones to plant for experience due to the fact that you get 1 xp each time you plow the land. The seeds that take longer to mature generally give better profit because you don't lose out on the 15 coins for each plow.
The trade off is that seeds with short incubation periods require much more time from you to be clicking away at them. This is reduced somewhat after you can afford the vehicles.
The efficiency numbers for profit and xp are actually exaggerated a bit for the quicker seeds because you usually waste some time between when the crops are ready and when you actually harvest them. So think of the chart as a best case scenario. This wasted time decreases as a percentage for the longer incubation seeds.
You also have to consider the risk of missing a harvest interval and losing your crops. So quick seeds carry two negatives, a higher risk of loss, and more loss due to time loss.
Another interesting point is to see what effect mastering a seed to level 3 will have. After you reach mastery, the crops will give extra experience what seems like a little more than half the time. So the last column is just an approximation. But what it does is make raspberries a much better tool for gaining xp quickly.
There are also two limited time seeds listed right now. As you can see, the super pumpkin is off the charts, so if you have the time to make harvesting appointments, you really shouldn't be planting anything else.
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Alas, it's the downside to having a reader base smarter than that of Steven Hawking's
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