Hill-top Farm Erica's journey on Hardship Farm

Terdin

Farmer
Started a farm with the intent to both take it easier than in my past 6 saves, and to make myself play well beyond reaching Perfection. Other goals are to only sell full stacks of the mass-produced artisan goods after the farm is up and running, developing the entire farm, and make at least some attempt at coordinated indoor decoration. Picked remixed bundles. No mods.

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Doesn't look like much towards the middle of Summer of year 1. Having played this farm map earlier, I have a good idea of where I want to place the first few buildings, I just haven't had been able to afford anything apart from a silo with the need for upgrading tools and backpack, and I prioritized lightning rods over quality sprinklers.

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Early Spring year 2 saw the farm in a much better shape. Moved the greenhouse and placed the barn as close to the cliffside as possible this time. Didn't actually have any iridium, so the iridium sprinklers are bought from Krobus. The fishponds contains Mutant Carp, Angler, and Crimsonfish. Legend was caught a couple of days after the screenshot. The niche by the irrigated area holds the indicator tapper and mushroom log while the mushroom log grove is up at the railroad, and the other oaks with tappers are at the bus stop. So far only a shed for the preserves jars.

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First morning Fall of year 2 I was racing the growing production of my greenhouse. A keg shed has been added and upgraded, and kegs made as I can. The Legend got a pond before the Glacierfish, even though the Glacierfish was caught first, but both of them got ponded before Summer ended.

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Early Spring of year 3 I had completed my first couple of Qi quests and bought the pressure nozzles I wanted for my iridium sprinklers. The indicator tapper and mushroom log moved to near the spouse area. Still a lot of the farm left to develop. Angler ousted from its pond and replaced with the first Legend II I caught. Over at Ginger Island, the first feeble attempts at farming are taking place, hampered by the need to take the boat there every time, even if I can get home easily enough.
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Have expanded the farmhouse a bit before year 2 ended, but as can be seen, not much in the way of decoration yet. No spouse room yet.
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This is what I've come to prefer for the greenhouse over the last few saves. All kinds of fruit trees, with more of those giving more expensive fruits. Screenshot taken about halfway through Spring as I waited a week or so for the last banana tree to grow up and then for the next harvest day for the ancient fruit.
 

Jayamos

Farmer
I like your setup. I’m thinking of moving the greenhouse for ET Betsy, and that looks like a good spot. If I had it to do over again I might have the animals up top and the crops in that area below, as you do. Going off-farm for logs and tappers makes a lot of sense.
 

FilthyGorilla

Local Legend
Nice challenge, adds a fun twist to getting a strong artisanal setup up and started quickly, and I can imagine it probably pushes you towards fast single item processors like jars being viable instead of being outclassed by early dehydrators, which is a fun twist
 

Terdin

Farmer
Nice challenge, adds a fun twist to getting a strong artisanal setup up and started quickly, and I can imagine it probably pushes you towards fast single item processors like jars being viable instead of being outclassed by early dehydrators, which is a fun twist
In a way it does, even if I've always prefered jars for most produce as it adds more value per crop/fruit than dehydrators, and is faster than kegs without losing out too much value-wise. I use dehydrators for most mushrooms, apart from iridium quality and magma caps as those go into jars instead.

I have a penchant for the early struggles, so this time around I'm kind of stretching the time where I feel I can't afford much, even if I know I could get enough money for it if I just sold off some of what I've got stored. That's the main reason behind the farm's name.
 

Terdin

Farmer
Two more years have passed for Erica.
Towards the end of summer year 3, I was married to Abigail. I had got at least one more Extended Family quest, and apart from switching over the other legendary fish ponds, I'd built a few new. More importantly I'd built a shed for processing mushrooms. Added another silo to store more winter fodder for the animals.
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Early Spring year 4 had seen some of the regular grass replaced with blue grass, and two more fish ponds. And over on Ginger Island, I had some solid farming going on, even if there's still plenty of room to expand.
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Fall year 4
Just one more fish pond built, but golden clock bought and there's third silo for storing winter fodder.
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Start of year 5
I've been slow when it comes to building more fish ponds. But there's a new barn for ostriches, and a shed for pickling, allowing the first preserves jar shed to only make jelly (and aged roe). Indoors, some attempts at decorating have taken place, and in the case of the southern room, turning it into a jade-producing factory. Now that both children are toddlers, I should remove the crib to allow for some more toys.
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Nabir14

Farmhand
Started a farm with the intent to both take it easier than in my past 6 saves, and to make myself play well beyond reaching Perfection. Other goals are to only sell full stacks of the mass-produced artisan goods after the farm is up and running, developing the entire farm, and make at least some attempt at coordinated indoor decoration. Picked remixed bundles. No mods.

View attachment 36623
Doesn't look like much towards the middle of Summer of year 1. Having played this farm map earlier, I have a good idea of where I want to place the first few buildings, I just haven't had been able to afford anything apart from a silo with the need for upgrading tools and backpack, and I prioritized lightning rods over quality sprinklers.

View attachment 36624
Early Spring year 2 saw the farm in a much better shape. Moved the greenhouse and placed the barn as close to the cliffside as possible this time. Didn't actually have any iridium, so the iridium sprinklers are bought from Krobus. The fishponds contains Mutant Carp, Angler, and Crimsonfish. Legend was caught a couple of days after the screenshot. The niche by the irrigated area holds the indicator tapper and mushroom log while the mushroom log grove is up at the railroad, and the other oaks with tappers are at the bus stop. So far only a shed for the preserves jars.

View attachment 36625
First morning Fall of year 2 I was racing the growing production of my greenhouse. A keg shed has been added and upgraded, and kegs made as I can. The Legend got a pond before the Glacierfish, even though the Glacierfish was caught first, but both of them got ponded before Summer ended.

View attachment 36626
Early Spring of year 3 I had completed my first couple of Qi quests and bought the pressure nozzles I wanted for my iridium sprinklers. The indicator tapper and mushroom log moved to near the spouse area. Still a lot of the farm left to develop. Angler ousted from its pond and replaced with the first Legend II I caught. Over at Ginger Island, the first feeble attempts at farming are taking place, hampered by the need to take the boat there every time, even if I can get home easily enough.
View attachment 36627
Have expanded the farmhouse a bit before year 2 ended, but as can be seen, not much in the way of decoration yet. No spouse room yet.
View attachment 36628
This is what I've come to prefer for the greenhouse over the last few saves. All kinds of fruit trees, with more of those giving more expensive fruits. Screenshot taken about halfway through Spring as I waited a week or so for the last banana tree to grow up and then for the next harvest day for the ancient fruit.
You can place trees inside the greenhouse!?
 

Terdin

Farmer
You can place trees inside the greenhouse!?
Yes. 18 trees is the max around the edges, and as you can see they bear fruit year round. If only counting with the value of base quality fruit, the setup I've got gives 2310 G per day, though it took quite some time before I could plant the six trees in the back.
 

Lothengriol

Sodbuster
Yes. 18 trees is the max around the edges, and as you can see they bear fruit year round. If only counting with the value of base quality fruit, the setup I've got gives 2310 G per day, though it took quite some time before I could plant the six trees in the back.
You can even plant fruit trees in the greenhouse's tillable soil if you're really looking to maximize greenhouse income.
 

Terdin

Farmer
You can even plant fruit trees in the greenhouse's tillable soil if you're really looking to maximize greenhouse income.
I know, which is why I specified "around the edges". Once the back row got full, I've planted every later banana sapling at Ginger Island, though I'm contemplating removing the mango tree I've got there.
 

Lothengriol

Sodbuster
I know, which is why I specified "around the edges". Once the back row got full, I've planted every later banana sapling at Ginger Island, though I'm contemplating removing the mango tree I've got there.
I assumed you knew, I just did a bad job of trying to convey that information to Nabir14 while replying to your comment. Sorry about that. And since we're here and chatting, how have you been liking your Hardship Farm challenge so far? Are you in the post-Perfection era yet? I find myself tempted to play beyond Perfection but I haven't quite managed it yet.
 

Terdin

Farmer
I assumed you knew, I just did a bad job of trying to convey that information to Nabir14 while replying to your comment. Sorry about that. And since we're here and chatting, how have you been liking your Hardship Farm challenge so far? Are you in the post-Perfection era yet? I find myself tempted to play beyond Perfection but I haven't quite managed it yet.
The only reason I'm not post-Perfection yet is that I haven't paid the Joja parrot to get me the last 6 walnuts. My best time for reaching Perfection is Fall of year 3, and I'm currently in Summer year 5. Should do it before I get another visit from the witch, and see if I'll get a gold egg for free.
I'm definitely enjoying hoarding the artisan goods and the artificial poverty it creates. At the moment I've got enough in my full stacks to get about 20 million, but I've only got about 250,000 on hand. Makes me feel like I've still got something to strive for.
 

Lothengriol

Sodbuster
The only reason I'm not post-Perfection yet is that I haven't paid the Joja parrot to get me the last 6 walnuts. My best time for reaching Perfection is Fall of year 3, and I'm currently in Summer year 5. Should do it before I get another visit from the witch, and see if I'll get a gold egg for free.
I'm definitely enjoying hoarding the artisan goods and the artificial poverty it creates. At the moment I've got enough in my full stacks to get about 20 million, but I've only got about 250,000 on hand. Makes me feel like I've still got something to strive for.
Interesting, when will you sell the full stacks? From the premise I thought you'd do that whenever you had a full one.
 

Terdin

Farmer
Interesting, when will you sell the full stacks? From the premise I thought you'd do that whenever you had a full one.
That's when I start to see them as possible to sell, not that I have to sell them. The one time I've made a big sell was when I wanted to buy the Golden Clock and got enough to buy both that and the Return Scepter. I've sold a stack of jelly or mayonnaise to raise enough money to buy starfruit seeds. If I see that I've got more than enough money to buy anything I could possibly want, then it's easier for me to lose interest. Hiding the money from easy access helps me keep playing.

It's possible I'll keep hoarding the big value stacks (those worth 2+ million) until I'm ready to make the final leap to 1 billion in one go.

And now I'm in post-Perfection and have got my first golden egg incubating. Bought it from Marnie. Robin has been hired to build a second coop.
 

Terdin

Farmer
Two more years have passed. Fall of year 5 saw an ostrich barn and a coop for golden chickens built after I reached Perfection, and five more ponds.
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Spring of year 6 didn't bring that many changes, just a couple more ponds.
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Seems like I forgot to take a farm picture of what it looked like in fall of year 6.

In Spring of year 7, the only "expansion" to the farmhouse left to do is opening up the bedroom to the front room, which I'm not sure I want to do. Still some areas that need decoration. Abigail's been adding a few plants and a couple of end tables, the latter having been moved to more convenient spots.
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The first pond has been built in the quarry, but before building it I had a slime hutch there for a few days. Painted the buildings before having Robin make me a second coop for golden chickens. The first of them is full, with every chicken given a cracker. The second still needs more animals. Official earnings at just over 23 million, but my chest with full stacks in it has goods for over 90 million, so I'm closer to my billion G target than it may seem at first.
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Ginger Island could get built up a bit more, even if I'm getting more crops than I've got machinery to process. The farmhouse there is just about full of kegs, so the next step would be to add kegs outdoors. Gave Birdie the worm bin I got from completing the fish farmer bundle. Better than just letting it rot in a chest or something.
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Terdin

Farmer
By early Fall of year 7, I had two more ponds built in the quarry.
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Before year 8 started I had all the ponds I could fit into the quarry, which means this farm probably won't change its appearance much in the near future.
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The 30 ponds are producing more roe than the 80 preserve jars in the mushroom/roe shed can handle, so about once a season the pickling shed gets to run a cycle of roe.
Am now in year 9, and the stack chest holds goods worth over 190 million. More valuable stacks pushing out the least valuable, and forcing me to sell the surplus stacks at least once a year. If I can keep it up for about 15 years longer, I might be looking at a chest containing only stacks of aged Legend II roe. Thinking of it like that kind of makes me want to try, unless I end up feeling a need to sell it to reach the 1 billion goal.
 

BeBop268170

Farmer
I might be looking at a chest containing only stacks of aged Legend II roe.
Cool, I did that awhile back too. Though it didn't take that long since I'm on a Standard Farm and had 100 Ponds. My goal was to have a Chest worth over half a billion, which I did ^.^

I'm not trying to ruin your mojo, I just like to show off my hard work, I hope you understand.

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Terdin

Farmer
Cool, I did that awhile back too. Though it didn't take that long since I'm on a Standard Farm and had 100 Ponds. My goal was to have a Chest worth over half a billion, which I did ^.^

I'm not trying to ruin your mojo, I just like to show off my hard work, I hope you understand.
Nice! And I do understand. I guess those stacks of dried fruit are starfruit, otherwise they'd have been a waste of space in that chest. That partial stack of smoked Legend II's must've taken some time though, or you were lucky enough to get frequent Extended Family quests and caught a lot of them each time.

I count on being able to add about 4 stacks of aged roe to my stack chest every year. With more than three times as many ponds, you must've been able to make about 13-14 stacks per year once you were up to full production.
 

Terdin

Farmer
I mean I have a full stack of them now of course. It's an old pic.
That doesn't change the fact that it must've taken a long time to catch that many fish. All it tells me is that you've spent about as much time from when you took the screenshot to when you had a full stack, as the time you spent from starting to build it to when you took the screenshot.
 

BeBop268170

Farmer
That doesn't change the fact that it must've taken a long time to catch that many fish. All it tells me is that you've spent about as much time from when you took the screenshot to when you had a full stack, as the time you spent from starting to build it to when you took the screenshot.
Yeah, LOT'S of things I do take alot of time. I think getting the 1584 Golden Animal Crackers for my Gold Chickens was the most mind numbing. Grinding for the Living Hat was a chore too (I have 2 of them now). Heck, one of the first things I did when I first started playing and got the hang of things, was to set up 80 Big Sheds full of Crystalariums and collect over a million Diamonds. Took months. The stack of Legend II's was fun and relaxing in comparison haha
 
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