Navbar

Gameplay

All the latest information on the newest glitches and crashes making your game a little more entertaining, along with articles about how to do various semi-game related things to help you or your neighbours.

Thursday 23 February 2012

Get Rich Crafting Guide!

Yes, here we are, another set of missions, another Frontierville Express crafting guide!

It's time for us to guide you through the three repeatable missions in Get Ready to Get Rich!

As these missions aren't repeated in order but chosen by the player (you can ignore one or two of the missions entirely) we've also tried to give a few hints and tips on which is the best mission for YOU to do, depending on what you have and how you play the game, along with a conclusion.

This won't work for everyone, but hopefully it'll be of help to some.



Mission 1

Craft 4 Mashed Potatoes
You need (in total): 12 Mashed potatoes (found harvesting potatoes), 16 Potato Mashers (request), 16 Creamy Butter (request)


Craft 6 Granny Gut Punch
You need (in total): 30 Iced Tea, 30 Granny's Number 5


Requests total: 92 per mission

Other requirement: Harvest 40 Peas

This mission is good for: Folks still doing Canning or folks who have LOTS of spare crop space.

This mission is bad for: Folks who don't have much crop crafting space or are allergic to requesting. This mission does have the worst ratio of request to reward.

How to get the best from this mission: Have LOTS of crop space, many people I know have space for 600 crops, if you don't have that much, halve or quarter it but it will obviously take longer.

Plant 400 peas, and keep a rotation going in the rest of the space for potatoes. While the peas are growing pound the walls and your requests for the items needed. Also remember that we all have 2 different drink ingredients so ask your neighbours if they can send the ones for Gut Punch.

Once the peas are ripe ONLY harvest 40 for the mission, then craft the items needed. Then harvest another 40 and repeat! Remember you have a long time before the peas will wither so you'll actually have 6 days from planting to collect all the other requests. Also any neighbour tends will count, so with some really helpful neighbours you could get at least one or two "free" missions from the peas before they're even ripe.

The massive boost here is the huge "unseen" reward of harvesting that many Peas and potatoes. Suffice to say your food and XP stocks (not to mention Pea Collections for wither protect boosts!) will shoot up on this one.

Be aware, however, that this will only get you HALF way to the 500 total.



Mission 2

Craft 4 Seives
You need (in total): 32 Sharp blades (requested and drops from rocks), 40 Steel Sheet (requested), 20 Wire Mesh (requested)


Requests total: 92 per mission

Other requirements: Clear 10 Rocks, Clear 25 Thorns or Cactus on Neighbour Steads.

This mission is good for: People who really, REALLY hate debris.

This mission is bad for: The majority of players.

How to get the best from this mission: To be honest, this isn't a great mission. Although it has twice the request to reward ratio of mission one it's generally worse requirements. You'll need to either be patient to wait for rocks to appear (and leave a lot of space) or rattle through clearing collections.

Despite it's higher rewards the space you're setting aside (unless you burn a lot of clearing collections) could be used much better planting the peas etc for mission one which gives you far more intangible rewards above and beyond what you get during the missions.

If you DO have oodles of clearing collections this should be a fairly simple mission (especially with a bundle of lower level neighbours with lots of debris) but in the end you'll need 100 rocks.



Mission 3

Craft 10 Wild Pup Med Kit
You need (in total): 40 Pup Wraps (requested or found tending adult sheep), 60 Pup Medicine (requested), 40 Wild Pup Care books (requested)


Requests total: 140 per mission.

Other requirements: Feed 30 Adult Badgers, tend 35 Goats on Neighbour Steads.

This mission is good for: Folks who don't mind requesting. The majority of this mission is actually quite simple, especially now that badgers are a free gift. Just ask neighbours to pop a few goats out and get to tending your adult sheep, most people will have quite a few of them around.

It will require patience but overall the amount of requests is comparable to mission two and, obviously, this mission has vastly better rewards, both in terms of mission rewards and the XP bonuses/Mastery bonuses from tending the Badgers.

This mission is bad for: Folks who dislike injured animals and waiting. There will be a lot of crafting to get that Pup up and healthy and, because it's all concentrated in one part, it might feel worse than the other missions. It also means that you'll be waiting on requests to come in perhaps more than the other two missions.

How to get the best from this mission: Get some good friends to send you some badgers, they mature quickly so even with 15 this part of the mission will be a breeze, equally a few good friends all putting goats out for each other (and maybe some prudent Loyal Pioneer use) will rush you through this one.



Conclusion

So, I hear you ask... what's the BEST way of doing it? What would I suggest and, in fact, what will I be doing?

Well, here is my personal plan.

I will do mission 2 once, largely because I already have a mission active that needs rocks. If you don't have the mission (the first Debris Generator mission) then to be honest Mission 2 could well be ignored.


I'll then do a mix of missions 1 and 3. I'll concentrate on 3 due to the vastly better rewards but might as well do 1 while I'm waiting on the stuff to heal the pup.

To be honest though it's really a personal choice. Weigh up what you have and what seems easiest for YOU.

Tuesday 21 February 2012

Baby Shower crafting guide

To try and help you through the pain of the craft and request maelstrom that is the baby shower missions we thought we'd write another of our full crafting guides so you can plan ahead with what you'll need.

PLEASE REMEMBER: Only craft items when they're asked for in the missions and watch what is needed. Some crafting windows will have TWO items, but the mission only calls for the FIRST item. (anyone remember those wood studs/house framing issues?)

Any Booties, Choconut Squash and Bouquets you still have after crafting them in previous missions SHOULD count, but better to be safe and wait to do any more.

(A Message from the Surgeon General, Dr Andy, FTVE: This post can cause raised blood pressure, stress or injuries brought upon by smacking a wall with one or more body parts, even if not inhaled. Frontierville Express is not liable for any medical expenses incurred and advise being sat down, having plenty of refreshments and regular application of yogic meditation techniques. Take regular breaks.)



Mission One

4 Baby Booties - Crafted. 
Requires (in total) 36 Knitting Wool (found tending Adult Sheep) and 24 Tiny Bows (requested)


Invitations section:


6 Baby Shower Invites - requested

4 Well Wishes - requested

1 Teddy Bear - crafted
Requires 8 Bear Stuffing (requested or tending Adult Geese) and 5 Buttons (requested)


1 Party Favours - Crafted
 Requires 6 Mint Chocolates (harvesting Chocolate Hearts or requested) and 5 Wrapping (requested)




Mission Two

Have 120 Choconut Squash - Crafted
Requires (in total) 56 Hazelnuts (Hazelnut Trees) 56 Cocoa Grafts (requested) 40 Squash Sprouts (requested)


Party Prep Section:


4 Well Wishes - Requested

10 Memorable Moments - Requested

4 Shower Decorations - Requested

2 Vanilla Cupcakes - Crafted
Requires (in total) 16 Natural Vanilla (Vanilla Orchids or requested) 10 Cupcake Batter (requested)



1 Teddy Bear - crafted
Requires 8 Bear Stuffing (requested or tending Adult Geese) and 5 Buttons (requested)



1 Baby Shower Basket - Crafted
Requires (in total) 18 Mint Chocolates (Chocolate Hearts) and 15 Wrapping (requested) to make three Party Favours, then 6 White Baskets (requested)




Mission Three

4 Cookies (yes, they're back) - Crafted
Requires (in total) 56 Double Boilers (requested) 48 Baking Chocolate (requested) to make 8 Chocolate Chips and 40 Whipped Yolk (requested or rare drop from chickens)


Make Dolls Section


8 Doll Cribs - Requested

12 Memorable Moments - Requested

8 Well Wishes - Requested

3 Twig Dolls - Crafted
Requires (in total) 24 Oak Twig (chopping Oak Trees or requested) and 15 Doll Dresses (requested)


1 Tray of Cupcakes
Requires (in total) 24 Natural Vanilla (Vanilla Orchids or requested) 15 Cupcake Batter (requested) to make three Vanilla Cupcakes and 5 Coloured Frosting (requested)


2 Baby Toys - Crafted
Requires (in total) 48 Bear stuffing (tending Adult Geese) and 30 Decorative Buttons (requested) to make six Teddy Bears and 10 Play blocks (requested)




Mission Four

5 Bouquets of Roses - Crafted
Requires (in total) 20 Blooming Pink Rose (Pink Roses) 20 Blooming White Rose (White Roses) and 25 Long Stem Rose (requested)


Presents Section:


10 Well Wishes - Requested

15 Onesies - Requested

15 Memorable Moments - Requested

2 Baby Toys - Crafted
Requires (in total) 48 Bear stuffing (tending Adult Geese) and 30 Decorative Buttons (requested) to make 6 Teddy Bears and 10 Play blocks (requested)


2 Baby Shower Basket - Crafted
Requires (in total) 36 Mint Chocolates (Chocolate Hearts) and 30 Wrapping (requested) to make six Party Favours, then 12 White Baskets (requested)


2 Trays of Cupcakes
Requires (in total) 48 Natural Vanilla (Vanilla Orchids or requested) 30 Cupcake Batter (requested) to make six Vanilla Cupcakes and 10 Coloured Frosting.




The Totals

So, in total the shopping list will be:

Requests:


24 Tiny Bows (requested)
6 Baby Shower Invites (requested)
26 Well Wishes (requested)
70 Buttons (requested)
50 Wrapping (requested)
56 Cocoa Grafts (requested) 
40 Squash Sprouts (requested)
37 Memorable Moments (requested)
4 Shower Decorations (requested)
55 Cupcake Batter (requested)
18 White Baskets (requested)
56 Double Boilers (requested) 
48 Baking Chocolate (requested) 
8 Doll Cribs (requested)
15 Doll Dresses (requested)
15 Coloured Frosting (requested)
20 Play blocks (requested)
25 Long Stem Rose (requested)
15 Onesies (requested)

Total - 588 Items

Items that can be requested OR drop from homestead:

112 Bear Stuffing (requested or tending Adult Geese)
60 Mint Chocolates (harvesting Chocolate Hearts or requested) 
88 Natural Vanilla (Vanilla Orchids or requested)
40 Whipped Yolk (requested or rare drop from chickens)
24 Oak Twig (chopping Oak Trees or requested) 

Total - 324 Items

Items that drop from homestead:

36 Knitting Wool (Tending Adult Sheep)
56 Hazelnuts (Hazelnut Trees) 
20 Blooming Pink Rose (Pink Roses) 
20 Blooming White Rose (White Roses) 

Total - 132 Items

Total of totals - 1'044 Items

Wednesday 15 February 2012

Jack's Orchard Growing Guide

I hear a number of you fine folks are findin' your Orchards burstin at the seams these days. Well, all you need is a little bit of maths (I had to get Fanny to do that for me) and you soon realise it aint all that important to have so many trees!

So, I's gonna write up this little guide and a few tips.

Tip 1: The shorter the grow, the less that can show.

I know how you're thinkin'. Those fast growin' trees ain't no hassle so we'll have lots! But here's the rub, because they're so darn fast to sprout y'all don't need that many, especially next to the longer trees.

Think about it like this young'un. A cherry tree takes 8 minutes, a pear tree takes near as dammit 11 times longer.

So for every time you can harvest a pear tree, you can harvest a cherry tree ELEVEN times! Your fancy young mind will have clicked now that we can have a lot fewer cherry trees to get the same end product! So don't go worrying too much about the quick trees, tis the slow ones you've gotta be stockin' up on!

But how many I hear you cry... Well, that's where we get all maff... mathum... mathmet... Mathematical abouts it.

I've gots my brain workin... OK, I've got FANNY'S brain workin' and she's come up with this. This table shows how many trees you need in your orchard to harvest ONE HUNDRED of every single type in the space of a day.

That means if you had the trees in our table below (and 2'200 energy points) you could harvest yourselves one hundred of each of the blighters in just a day.

It aint perfect but it gives you an idea...


Tree
Growth
Time
Amount
Needed
For 100
Per Day
Tree
Growth
Time
Amount
Needed
For 100
Per Day
Cherry
8 mins
1
Sour
Cherry
8 mins
1
Apple
30 mins
3
Green
Apple
30 mins
3
Pear
1.5 hrs
7
Raspberry
2 hrs
9
Spice
Bush
2 hrs
9
Lemon
3 hrs
13
Peach
3 hrs
13
White
Peach
3 hrs
13
Pomegranate
4 hrs
17
Cocoa
4 hrs
17
Peppermint
4 hrs
17
Plum
5 hrs
25
Persimmon
7 hrs
34
Pecan
8 hrs
34
Avocado
8hrs
34
Apricot
8 hrs
34
Orange
8 hrs
34
Frozen
Orange
9 hrs
50
Almond
10 hrs
50
Coffee
10 hrs
50

So, all in all that adds up to 468 trees, giving you another 532 spare spaces in a fully upgraded orchard!

Now obviously that aint all gonna work in reality. Yer gonna want more than 1 cherry tree or three apple trees. But it does go to show if you look at how often you can tend your trees and the general mission bits n bobs (aint likely to have many 100 tree missions) then ya might have a few more trees than you logically need.

Tip 2: Be like the tree.

A tree don't rush, when planning your orchard contents don't think "I gotta finish me that mission NOW!"

Take a lil moment to mosey up to the mission and get a good look at it's particulars. If'n another requirement will take a few days, there aint no point rushin' through those trees for the sakes of rushin'.

Be a little logical and have a little maths and that 1'000 plot orchard seems spacier than a fenceless field!

Monday 13 February 2012

Supply Outpost Crafting Guide

Time for another crafting guide! This time on what you'll need for those 5 supply crates in the Supply Outpost mission thread! All folks will have two special items unique to them and 4 (or 2 in Rusty's case) common items.

Mission One - Rusty

1 Provisions - Crafted
1 Assorted Shoes - Requested
3 Stylish Suspenders - Requested
1 Fancy Wallet - Crafted


Provisions - Raw Bacon is found by SELLING Adult pigs. Salt and Biscuits are requested.


Fancy Wallet - Leather Squares drop from tending cows. Stitching is Requested.




Mission Two - Helena

1 Washing Stuff - Crafted
1 Provisions - Crafted
3 Assorted Shoes - Requested
3 Country Map - Requested
8 Large Keyrings - Requested
4 Doilies - Requested


Washing Stuff - Wildflower Extract comes from Wildflowers. Buckets and Brushes are requested.


Provisions - Raw Bacon is found by SELLING Adult pigs. Salt and Biscuits are requested.




Mission Three - Jim

2 Washing Stuff - Crafted
2 Provisions - Crafted
5 Assorted Shoes - Requested
5 Country Maps - Requested
5 New Lassos - Requested
16 Clean Bandanas - Requested



Washing Stuff - Wildflower Extract comes from Wildflowers. Buckets and Brushes are requested.


Provisions - Raw Bacon is found by SELLING Adult pigs. Salt and Biscuits are requested.





Mission Four - Mae

3 Washing Stuff - Crafted
3 Provisions - Crafted
7 Assorted Shoes - Requested
7 Country Maps - Requested
6 Shiny Spurs - Requested
15 Boot Polish - Requested



Washing Stuff - Wildflower Extract comes from Wildflowers. Buckets and Brushes are requested.


Provisions - Raw Bacon is found by SELLING Adult pigs. Salt and Biscuits are requested.





Mission Five - Bert

3 Washing Stuff - Crafted
3 Provisions - Crafted
9 Assorted Shoes - Requested
9 Country Maps - Requested
6 Wagon Ties - Requested
2 Crate Reinforcements - Crafted



Washing Stuff - Wildflower Extract comes from Wildflowers. Buckets and Brushes are requested.


Provisions - Raw Bacon is found by SELLING Adult pigs. Salt and Biscuits are requested.



Crate Reinforcements - Coal is crafted in the blacksmith. Iron Ore is found clearing Rocks. Part Casings are requested.

Saturday 11 February 2012

Playing Frontierville on a Lower-Spec PC


When Frontierville was born it was a little thing, pretty much trouble free and, although it needed a lot of attention and feeding, it could be carried around by anyone.

But, like any child, it's grown up in the last year or so and got a bit chunky (it's been spoilt...)

Although many online games can be played on any machine Frontierville is an intensive game and PC performance means GAMING performance will vary wildly.

Therefore, we've decided to write a little guide on what you can do to help with loading errors and other performance based issues that may stem from PC performance on lower spec machines.

1) Shiny Bling...

Use Google Chrome. It's more streamlined in general and more set up with Flash, it's worth the change, especially if you're still, for some inexplicable reason, in IE.

2) Cache me if you can.

Always clear your browser cache and Flash caches regularly. We have guides here;

How To Clear Your Browser Cache
How To Clear Your Flash Cache

That clears out old information and opens up space for the new stuff.

3) Go minimalist.

Every time the game loads it has to individually load everything on your homestead. Each asset takes a few steps to appear...

Identify asset - register asset placement - load asset image. Or in more simple terms...

Recognise it's a chicken. Find out where it's supposed to be. Draw chicken.

The more assets you have, the longer this process takes. Help the game out by minimalist your homestead as much as you can. Store away the more useless decorations, especially ones that are animated. Sell or store animals and make sure you don't have a field of them, especially small ones like chickens. Even massive areas of crops can slow the game down as it needs to register growth state, ditto fruit trees.

If you're really pushing it, try deleting something like the Detectives Office (PLEASE NOTE: we cannot be certain it wont be needed again) as that will clear an animated building asset AND an NPC (Non Player Character) which both take time to load.

Think of your game screen as an artist's painting. The more detail and the more content the painting has, the longer the artist needs to paint it. (The only exception here is nudes, which may have less tiny detail than a landscape but still need an inordinately large time of having your model lying there in the buff... Go figure.)

Think about ways to unload the pack mule...

4) The one and only.

Just have Frontierville running, no other windows, especially other windows with memory hungry Flash like YouTube.

Not only does that make the game as quick to load as possible but it also lessens the chances of a Flash conflict.

5) Reuse and recycle.

Clear out your Recycle bin and make sure to have some hard drive space free. Your computer uses the hard drive as overflow space when it needs to, like a few extra bits of RAM. Make sure your main hard drive isn't almost full.

6) Background noise. ONLY DO THIS IF YOU ARE PC LITERATE

Check what's running in the background. On a PC use Ctrl-Alt-Delete and open the Task Manager.

If you're good with PCs, check the running processes and stop any you don't need. If you're NOT good with PCs, maybe grab someone who has good knowledge of the inner workings of PCs (these days any small child should do) and get them to have a look.

Again, it's just about lessening the amount of strain on the PC.

Really it's just all about making sure the PC isn't being overworked, sometimes just a few simple steps may make your game run smoother and load quicker.