Family Farm Troubles and Tips

There are many Farmers who have played the original Family Farm game on Facebook far longer than I and who have been active in the FF Community since the game was released.  I do not pretend to be an expert and therefore probably will not write a comprehensive guide for the game.  I only wish to share a few tips on aspects of the game that have proved troublesome or difficult for me.

Perhaps another word for it would be 'venting', but in any case, I will share my experiences in the hope that they may prove helpful to some one.

Automation is very much a part of Family Farm and always has been.  As some one who secretly is rather sympathetic towards the viewpoint of J.R.R. Tolkien and shares his dislike of the industrial revolution and the 'ugliness' it brought to the English countryside, it came as rather a surprise to me when I developed a liking for Family Farm.  The graphics, however, are charming.  I was seduced by the charm of the game and gradually became involved with the various quests.

Like the old adage by Virgil that declares that 'Facilis descensus Averni' (The road to Hell is an easy one), I found myself using the various machines in order to complete Quests and then, allowing the automation option to perform the tasks when necessary.

Is it ever necessary to set the machines in motion on an automated basis?  Probably not, but not to do so means that quests may not be completed within the time limit given or that one will be forced to engage in endless supervision of each machine.  As I declared at the start, I am no expert here, but I have found myself again and again at a point where the machines have ground to a halt and I have been at a loss to comprehend why...

The problem, of course, is that more than one Animal or Machine uses the same ingredients.  I tend to believe that Milk, Eggs and Wheat Flour ALWAYS are necessary staples and therefore have the Chicken Coop, Holstein (Milk) Cow and Mill set to produce these products automatically and constantly.

Enter the Cereal Machine that requires Corn as one of three ingredients in ANY type of Cereal.  I had been growing Corn on a daily basis but discovered that my Cereal was NOT being produced.  Why?  The Chickens were the culprits.  It was they who were busily consuming every kernel of Corn I harvested!  Thus, I had plenty of Eggs but no Cereal!