Review of Happy Acres by Fun Plus and comparisons with other Farming Simulation games

I am afraid you will not find me playing Happy Acres, dear Friends and Neighbours.  I really detest games that have energy limits and this is a game that does.  It is very much a clone of FarmVille 2, a game I find exhausting.

Games that I do not like are those with far too many Quests and requirements, land that must be 'unlocked' by performing Quests and Energy Limits that require premium cash to overcome.  Happy Acres, like FarmVille 2, possesses the unlikeable options of Energy Limits and land expansions that must be unlocked by specific actions.

I still believe that Family Farm and its sister games such as Happy Land and Family Farm Seaside, the mobile version, are the very best games of their kind.  Family Farm and Happy Land provide their players with plenty of premium cash on a regular basis, provided that the player logs into the game consistently.  Even if you fail to log into the game on a specific game, you lose only seven days' worth of your log in total.  You do not lose everything.  Receiving 10 Premium Cash within every fortnight is a generous gift.

Family Farm is not merely farming.  There is crafting of many types now, including cooking as well as the production of Decorations that can be placed on your farm.  Granted, the best Quests and options appear only after you reach a specific level of experience, but it is well worth the effort of playing the game to reach that level.  It is fun and if you miss a Reward in the form of a special Animal, Tree or Machine, one always is given the option to purchase it later using premium cash.  I do not think there is anything wrong with that.  After all, the game GIVES the player premium cash regularly.

I like Family Farm Seaside better than any of the other games for mobile platforms.  I did try Castleville Legands and the mobile version of FarmVille 2.  I rather enjoyed both until I began to gain in experience and too many new options and requirements were unlocked.  Both games became tremendously exhausting.  I do not like 'puzzlers' where you have to choose between various options because of lack of space in your storage building or other restrictions.  I began to detest Castleville Legends when too many new merchants and characters with time-limited production requirements appeared.

Family Farm Seaside is almost perfect.  Time-limited Quests exist, but the player is not bombarded with them constantly.  There is cooking and there is crafting but for the most part, it is optional, except when a specific total is required for a Quest or Mission.  The game could use more land expansions and it would be great if we were given premium cash as a log-in reward on a regular basis but other than that, I cannot find fault with the game.  So much so that I have logged into Family Farm Seaside consistently for 409 days now.  The same holds true for Family Farm and Happy Land, although I began to play Happy Land more recently than its sister game.

Finally, in all honesty, I do not need a new game to play.  Family Farm offers new options often enough that one does not become bored.  I really hate the way Zynga games bombard players with too many new options and quests on a regular basis.  I would like to enjoy my gaming experiences, not find myself under terrible pressure to perform all the time.  Whenever I go into FarmVille, there are at least ten pop-ups giving new quests and new construction projects that I have to decline before I can play the game AT ALL.  There are far too many Farms in FarmVille now.  Why do we need a new Farm every few weeks?  I never have time to visit the OLD Farms on which I once lavished a great deal of time and attention.  It is not fun to play FarmVille most of the time where once I enjoyed it tremendously.  I do play a little on a regular basis, but find that clicking off all the new options that do not interest me occupies too much time.

Family Farm, on the other hand, gives players two Ranches. One is the Home Ranch and the other is the Garden Ranch.  For me, the Garden Ranch is a beautiful sanctuary where I grow only the most exquisite flowers and performed landscaping that was designed to please the eye rather than being a place for Machines and production buildings.  It is the Home Farm that is my working farm.  I do not want MORE Farms, although I would like to have another regular expansion for the Home Farm now.
Players who investigated Family Farm when it first was released but never played within the last year or two will find it much expanded in terms of activities and options.  It really is a fantastic game.

Review of Paradise Cove

Although I detest advertising for the most part, I was interested when I discovered an advert for a fairly new mobile game on my Wall on Facebook.  I followed the link and installed the Application for a little game called 'Paradise Cove', made by Pocket Gems.  I never encountered this particular company before, but they make more than one game for mobile platforms.

It is one of the few games I have played either on Facebook or on a mobile platform that does not appear to require any Neighbour interactions in order to make progress.  One can interact if one desires, evidently.  There are sea battles that can be fought with Neighbours or other Players.  Other than that, however, building does not require materials, but only Coins or Rubies, both of which are obtained through gameplay.

Immediate positive aspects of this game were the fact that one could earn premium currency in the form of Rubies as well as Coins.  There is a daily Reward that is more fun and random than many of the other games.  One chooses between three different venues and the random Reward then will be obtained and it nature will depend on the location chosen.

There is another little mini-game in the form of a Mermaid who runs a slot machine that allows the Player to find sunken treasure.  Once again, there are three different 'locations' from which to choose.  One uses Coins and the other two use Rubies.  The potential Rewards are highest from the spins that require Rubies but one can do well with the Coin location as well.

Gameplay is based upon exploration of various islands and the sea itself.  There are Quests that unlock new buildings and options as well as providing encounters with new Characters and Pirates.

There is one aspect of gameplay that, for me, is entirely negative.  That is the fact that Energy is finite and must be replenished either by purchasing more or by waiting until the Energy bar refills.  I hate games that restrict Energy and am surprised a little that Paradise Cove continued to interest me after I discovered that Energy would not be infinite.

It is easier for me to accept the Energy limitations in a game played on a mobile platform than one played on a computer or laptop.  One has easier and quicker access to mobile apps and one can play for a few minutes, then leave to pursue other activities in either the real or another virtual world.

A positive aspect of the game is the fact that I have not been forced to invest any real money in it and yet appear to be making decent progress.  Although there are limited edition items that require Rubies instead of Coins, one can earn Rubies either through the gambling mini-games or by increasing Experience Levels.  One gains 1 Ruby each time one increases in Level.

The graphics of Paradise Cove more closely resemble those of CityVille for mobile platforms than Family Farm Seaside.  The map or landscape is very large and thus, buildings and people tend to be very small.  They are finely drawn, however, and are not the least bit primitive.  The wonderful bright colours of Family Farm Seaside are much more attractive in a sense, but it is a very different sort of game.  Paradise Cove is not a Farming Simulation Game but an Adventure and City-Building Game.

Upgrades to Businesses and Ships can be made using a special currency in the form of Pearls.  Upgrading Ships makes them more powerful and impervious to damage from Pirates.  Upgrades to businesses increases Profits.  Pearls can be earned through Voyages as well as through the Mermaid Mini-game.

A fortnight later, I still play Paradise Cove but progress becomes a little more difficult as the mini-game with the Mermaid requires a larger output of Rubies or Coins as she explores waters that are further from her initial position close to the little island where the game began.  Furthermore, exploration of new areas requires larger expenditures of Coins.  Nevertheless, the Player can make progress on a daily basis without ever investing real money or at most, by investing less than a dollar or pound.  The buildings are varied and charming.  The decorations are extraordinarily detailed for items created on such a miniature scale.   The fact that ships can be used in more than one fashion gives the game an added attraction.

Apart from the different kinds of Houses, from small cottages to grand palaces that one can choose to place on the land, there are a multitude of different kinds of businesses.  Mining is very much a part of the Quest sequences, but there are unique businesses in the form of Canoe-Making and Flag-Making that lend a unique individuality to the landscape.

The land that has not been explored is covered with trees.  When exploration of any parcel is complete, the Player can cut down the trees for lumber and experience points.  Very often, treasure chests will be uncovered in the course of this activity.

Land that is very far from the Players areas of expansion is shrouded in Mist, but tantalising glimpses of the targets of future quests can be seen everywhere.  If the Player taps on one of these, a little hint as to the nature of the future Quest will be provided.

As always, the key to Paradise Cove is PATIENCE, if one is not to spend real money in significant quantities.  One can pay in premium coin in the form of Rubies to finish quests and goals instantly but why not wait four hours to complete the quest or goal without paying ANYTHING to do so?  A better use of Rubies is to purchase unique Houses, Businesses or Decorations or even to gamble with the Mermaid for more Rubies or Coins.  One of the quests required that I gamble four times with the Mermaid using Rubies instead of Coins.  I was pleased and surprised to discover that each time, I actually won Rubies back.  The odds, therefore, are good for the Player for the most part.