Farmville Tropic Escape

Farmville: Tropic Escape became my go-to farm simulation game after coming back from a farming sim break. It's been some years since I've last played, and fortunately my game level was intact at Level 32. Since my return I've leveled up, purchased the Chameleon, made it to the Top 10 of the resort challenge several times, participated in some cruises and am currently participating in their Resort Pass event (approximately 30-days).

In addition to this, I have participated in their The Fallen Trireme Event which came with a nice day/night transition feature. After this was the Scuba Race Event which came with interesting tasks and some lag. Lastly was the game show event of which I didn't participate in due to the other things that were occupying my time.

What's Changed Over the Years?

Tiki Bar Enchanted Crafting switched on.

Enchanted Crafts

A lot has changed since last login. The island that's southwest of the event island, is now a mythical animal sanctuary called The Enchanted Grove. The Jackalope [rabbit with antlers] is a permanent resident while the others will take leave after a few days of being lured in with treats.

This is where the new feature Enchanted Crafts comes in. You have to use ether from the mythical spring to craft Enchanted items. You can house 10-ether at a time and they will replenish one at a time after 10-minutes.

When you use up your 10, you have the option of purchasing an extra ether well for either coins or gems. The shallow well costs 1,000 coins and gives 3-ether every 3-hours for 2-days. On the down side, you can only have one shallow well at a time.

The deep well on the other hand costs 45 gems and gives 10-ether every 3-hours for 4-days. As a bonus, you can house three deep wells at a time. I've only ever purchased the shallow well and plan my enchanted crafts as carefully as possible.

I say this because there are times when I would accidentally craft an enchanted item instead of a regular item or vice versa. In hindsight, it's not too bad; however, if you're engaged in a timed crafting task that accident will cost you valuable time.

As for the pet treats, you will earn one treat for each enchanted craft you deliver (ex: 4 enchanted items = 4 pet treats). This includes the order board, cruise ships, helicopter orders, the Pet Villa and special events. It's a balancing act for sure as some enchanted tasks are more enticing than others.

Pet Villa

The Pet Villa is another new addition that was mentioned above. It's basically an exchange board where you supply crafts in exchange for pet points. During my first week back in the game, I was able to complete the entire trade chain before the deadline.

As a reward, I got a gifting tree and an extra helper for exploring the island landmarks. The attempts after that were minimal. The reason for this was that I wasn't paying attention to the fact that the items I was exchanging was also needed for other craft requesting tasks.

VIP Points

The VIP system is interesting and within reach. In a nutshell, the more deliveries you make the more VIP Points you earn. It sounds complicated but all you have to do is play the game as you normally do.

There are VIP milestones that grant bonuses with each achievement. I've achieved one milestone so far, and am progressing to the next one.

What Would've Been Nice To See?

Trade Boat: Sell/Buy Goods

Event Storage

I'm not sure if I've written about this or not, but storage is a big deal. There's storage for the farm products (Silo) and storage for the crafted products (Boathouse). Unfortunately, when events are active all items go into the shed for storage.

While event items sound manageable, they add up quickly with each Landmark (Coral Reef, Cave, Pirate Ship and Cliffs) visit. Even if you ignore the event you have no interest in, there are in-game tasks that require you to visit one of these locations to obtain craft items and or complete quests. 

Granted, there is the option to expand these facilities to increase storage. However, there are specific items that are needed to complete these upgrades. Moreover, these items aren't easy for everyone to get in sizeable sums.

On the upside, the Trade Boat can assist with getting these much needed items. The catch: you have to monitor the posted items constantly and be quick with your clicking as others will be shopping for the same items.

Better Drop Rates For Landmark Specific Materials

When it comes to events that you have no qualms about participating in, getting the necessary materials to craft theme specific items is a pain. To complicate matters further is the fact that some event materials are only available at specific Landmarks. 

It doesn't sound complaint worthy; but, the quantity of the items vary per landmark. In addition to this, there are times when the stated materials don't drop even when you use the max number of helpers.

Plans Moving Forward

My play-style is casual but there are times when I will play competitively. That said, I'm going to keep playing and continue to experiment with drawing images with my crops. It's tedious and fun at the same time.