FarmVille vs. Barn Buddy (Updates)

Awhile back when I was still an addict in Barn Buddy (love stealing crops from my friends!), I made this entry detailing how these two farm applications in Facebook differ. Back then, I was a pro-BB. But now, I never visit my farm there anymore. Also, I found out through StatCounter that most of my blog visitors wanted to know the difference between these two apps. It's my obligation to give you an update why I switched over to FarmVille.

Here are the reasons:

1. Even though the game is still in its beta version, every single week, they have updates. I dunno how their artists, game developers and testers do it. A game that gives you regular updates gets a star in my book. But here's the downside, remember it is still beta... so you get bugs all the time. Like, recently, I couldn't proceed to my turkey roost building because I keep on getting out of sync errors.

2. You have millions of gamers that can be your neighbors. FarmVille has more than 80 million players! Now, these neighbors can help you earn money (by visiting their farms and performing tasks) and build stuff. Right now, I'm completing my thanksgiving dinner table. I need, like, 150 different kinds of meals. These meals can be exchanged for stuff like fountains, sheeps, etc. All to decorate your farm.

3. It's very accessible. If you have an iPhone, iTouch, iPad or an Android phone, you can still play the game.

4. Related to numero uno, the game goes with the times. I mean, they currently have Harry Potter themes! I just bought myself a wizard costume, a baby dragon, a griffin and a flying pig on a broom! I can't wait to see what's in store for Christmas. Last year, they gave us a Christmas tree where you can collect gifts from neighbors. And we weren't allowed to open them until it's Christmas day.

5. Some people think it's all mindless clicking. But decorating your farm is deffo NOT mindless clicking. It's a way to express your creativity.

6. It's very simple to play. My 6-year old niece, Fiong-Fiong, and my 9-year old nephew, Lance, plays the game too. I'm sure kids from all ages love this game too.

7. Some people say it's just a waste of time. Well, there are ways to make your farming easier. There's the Unwither Ring you can buy (although right now, it's not available in the market). This is the ultimate gift you can get for yourself. With this ring, you don't need to do your farming on a regular basis because your crops won't wilt anymore. Also, there is a combo vehicle you can buy so plowing, harvesting and seeding can be a one-step process. Very convenient I must say!

8. I never enjoy killing-people-or-zombies games. I get dizzy when the POV shifts quickly. I dunno, maybe it's just my vertigo getting in the way.

So it's really a change of heart. FarmVille addict I am now. Here's how my farm looks like nowadays:

FarmVille vs. Barn Buddy

Can't decide which one to choose for your gardening fix? I'll help you out.

FarmVille is created by Zynga, the gaming company that brought us Vampire Wars, Mafia Wars and Texas Hold'Em Poker. Barn Buddy is made by TheBroth, Inc. Both are still in beta stage so let's give 'em some lovin'.

Before you can plant your first seed in FarmVille, you must create a farmer first. That part is fun. I made mine with dreadlocks!In Barn Buddy, you are given simple instructions: you must first buy seeds, plant them, take care of them and then sell them. You have watering can for dry soil, insecticide for bugs and herbicide for unwanted weeds. The glove is for harvesting. The storehouse is where you keep your crops. When you sell your crops, you can even announce it in Facebook as a status update.In FV, your crops grow faster. Unlike in BB where some plants could take a day or two to reach their potential. But then again you can always buy fertilizers to speed things up.

Now let's talk about the crops. In FV, aside from the usual crops, you can plant rice, take care of trees, buy buildings and even animals! But I give props to BB for creating more realistic looking crops.Both games want you to interact with your Facebook friends. In FV, you can have your friends as your neighbors. You can visit their farms and perform tasks for them. But the thing is, the task is given in a small dialog box and you just need to click a button to accept the offer. And that's it! Wham, Bam, Thank You, Ma'am! In BB, you can visit your friend's farm and actually water their drying soil, remove bugs or weeds or even steal from them.In BB, you can customize messages that you show whenever a fellow farmer does sumpthin' in your farm. Like in my case, when somebody removes a weed, I display this message, "I twittered Yaya na to do that later". You can be as crazy as you want ;oP

Verdict: I enjoy Barn Buddy more 'cause it's much simpler to play. Even my nephew, Lance, an 8-year-old kid enjoys playing it. When your fella farmer needs help, you don't just click buttons, you actually do sumpthin. The plants look more realistic too. If you wanna know more about Barn Buddy, here's my old post.

Huskee, My Barn Buddy Doggie

Got my wish today! I now have a dog in Barn Buddy. I named her, "Huskee". She does nuthin' all day but pace back and forth. I wish she knows a trick or two though. She can't wait to bite the bums of ruthless bandits. I know who you are, guys! *shaking my raised fist*There are a couple of ways to get your own pooch. If you have 40 grand, you can buy one. Low on cash? You can actually use your credit card to buy credits. A dollar will give you 4K worth of credits. That means, you will be paying 10 bucks all in all. Uhm, I'll pass on that, thank you. Second, you can invite your friends to play the game. If 10 friends install the application in Facebook, voila! you get a guard dog instantly. That is pretty doable ;oP

Barn Buddy

I started playing this farming game in Facebook today. It's quite simple to play actually.

You are given 1K worth of coins and to start your farm (buy some seeds). Since you start from Level Zero, you're only limited to buying turnips, carrots and corn. As you level up, you get more options.

Your plant goes through different levels of growth. It's exciting when they are already full grown and you can make money out of 'em. Also, you can buy some fertilizers to speed things up.

While waiting for your plants to grow, it usually takes minimum of 3 hours per level upgrade, you can visit your friends' farms and take care of 'em too. You'll be rewarded with coins for doing a good deed.

There are times when bugs invade your crops. Don't worry, there's a spray for that. When weeds grow beside your plants, there's a spray for that too. When your soil gets too dry, you can water it. Nice, no?

You can also be naughty and steal crops from peeps or put weeds/bugs to their plants. If you don't want this to happen to you, you can get a dog to guard your farm. Be careful though (I found out only today) that there are people who set up bugs/weeds for other peeps so when they kill 'em, they level up pretty quickly. You know who you are, ladies! ;oP

One thing nice about this game is that, you don't need to be logged in all the time. You can check your farm every now and then to see if you have weeds or bugs or if it's harvest time already.

I don't have a green thumb so playing this game is the closest thing I've gotten to having one. Trust me, it's addicting!