Crop Spotlight: Red Spinach

Sticking with last week’s theme in the Crop Spotlight, we will be taking an in-depth look at one of the three Hybrid Crops that we originally revealed before they hit the in-game Market in FarmVille back in early February of 2011. We took a close look at the Squmpkins last week, and the Purple Tomatoes will have to wait a while before receiving a proper analysis, as we are going to take a gander at something that would make even Popeye blush: Red Spinach.

Hybrid Crops are a brand new feature implemented near the start of this month, February of 2011. In order to plant Hybrid Crops, you are required to create them inside of the Greenhouse, which can be purchased on the FarmVille Market under the Buildings tab. In summation, you must mix two Crops together in order to craft a brand new Hybrid Crop.

Of the original Greenhouse Hybrid Crops, the Red Spinach is the lone 14 hour Crop in the entire batch. We have several 12 hour Hybrid Crops, such as the Long Onion and the Fire Pepper, and even a pair of 16 hour Crops in the aforementioned Squmpkin and the Lilac Daffy, but the Red Spinach is the only one in-between those two classifications.

In fact, there simply are not that many 14 hour Crops in FarmVille itself; the number is incredibly narrow at two, and they both share the same name. That’s right, the only two 14 hour Crops, as of February 2011, are Spinach and Red Spinach. Due to this, there are tons of variables to intercede our breakdown, as we can enlarge our focus to also encompass 16 hour Crops.

What we are trying to say is that, chances are if you are planting a 14 hour Crop, you are only planting that single Crop for the day. Most of us find time for eight hours of sleep per night, making a 14 hour harvest manageable as the sole piece of farming that you will accomplish for that 24 hour period, usually planted at the start of your day and harvested by the end of it. Due to this, we will eliminate the 12 hour Crop comparisons, which run on a rigid schedule where most folks usually plant and harvest at 12 hour intervals.

Because of this, we will focus on 14 and 16 Crops that are comparable, as they tend to be the “once per day” types that are under the same umbrella. But first, let us take a look at how to make the Red Spinach. You will open up your Greenhouse and mix fifty plots of Rhubarb for 3,250 Coins with fifty plots of Spinach for 1,750 Coins, a grand total of 5,000 Coins. This will create fifty plots worth the Red Spinach, which broken down equates to 100 Coins per plot. Once you have Mastered the Crop, you will no longer need to create additional packets in the Greenhouse, and will receive a 10 Coin discount per plot at 90 Coins each.

We will work with the math given on a starting level, as a lot of farmers do not plant Crops that they have already Mastered. The obvious comparison is Spinach, the only other 14 hour Crop in FarmVille at this time. Let’s be honest, there is no real comparison of value, only by name; the Spinach can be planted for 35 Coins and harvested for 95, giving you a total of 60 Coins worth the income. The Red Spinach, on the other hand, costs 100 Coins initially, and gives you 255 Coins – 155 Coins of which can be considered pure income. That nearly triples the Spinach’s net profit.

So let’s take a look at better Crops to compare with it. The 16 hour Crops are not quite similarly futile, but none of them can come toe-to-toe with the Red Spinach – not even the regular Asparagus or the Purple Asparagus, which barely toppled the 16 hour Squmpkin Crop we Spotlighted last week. Crazy, huh? Meaning that, despite the two hours of disadvantage, the Red Spinach still triumphs over all of these 16 hour Crops – including the other 16 hour Hybrid Crop, the Lilac Daffy. Who would have thought that this differently-colored Spinach would be the Crop to triumph over all others in its time range? Certainly not us.

Like all of the Greenhouse Hybrid Crops, Crop Mastery is a bit more complex than, for instance, Mastering a Crop like Carrots or Wheat, or even the Limited Edition Crops that are around for a month or so. The problem with Mastering Hybrid Crops comes in the fact that you cannot just freely plant whatever your heart desires, as you must first concoct enough seeds to plant inside of your Greenhouse. Since you may only make 50 per tray, it can take a little while to create enough seeds to Master the Crop, let alone actually planting and harvesting them. Be absolutely sure to use Red Spinach Bushels before every harvest, as it will allow you to complete the Mastery in 1,170 plots harvested instead of the 2,340 it usually requires.

Here are the Red Spinach’s official Mastery numbers:

• Mastery Level 1: 390 Harvests
• Mastery Level 2: 780 Harvests
• Mastery Level 3: 1,170 Harvests
• Grand Total: 2,340 Harvests

Stay tuned to FarmVille Post for more information on other Hybrid Crops!

New Items: Troll Bridge, Fairy Gnome, and More

Overall, tonight’s update was pretty good, and largely in part to the Decorations tab, which offers a few cool solutions to a drab farm for Coins instead of FV Cash! And for those of you who enjoy buying stuff with virtual dollars, the FV Cash items are pretty cool, too.

Let’s start off with the premium Coin item of the night, the Troll Bridge. Bridges in FarmVille have become sort of like waterfalls and ponds, in that they occasionally pop up to much fanfare. This one is easily the best Coin object we have seen in a long time, and could have fetched around 25 FV Cash on the Market; instead, it can be yours for 200,000 Coins – an absolute steal, if we do say so ourselves.

On its own, the Troll Bridge features just the slowly rocking feet of a purple troll who resides underneath the structure, but by clicking on the Troll Bridge, you will find an option called “Look Out!” that will make the purple troll peer out from underneath his cobblestone fortress. This one is just made of awesome. It cannot be rotated, but we will do everything we can to make it a permanent fixture on our very own farm, for certain. Buying it will give you 2,000 EXP, so you have pretty much no reason not to, eh?

Up next is possibly the best entry into the Gnomes we have seen in a long time, and easily the best female Gnome since the Frankstein’s Bride Gnome from the Halloween theme. This is the Fairy Gnome, and feature intricate wings that look like that of a butterfly. The light purple wings do not necessarily mesh well with the teal dress that the Gnome is wearing, but it is a very unique Gnome, nonetheless, and one that will be vastly popular. It’s a bit expensive at 18 FV Cash, but if you like Gnomes, it’s a must-buy.

Speaking of 18 FV Cash, the other premium FV Cash item on the Decorations tab exclusively tonight is the Magic Waterfall, which also goes for 18 FV Cash – and gives back 1,800 EXP for those who take the plunge, pun-intended. We’re full of puns tonight, sorry. Like all animated Decorations, this one cannot be rotated, but it features some gorgeous foliage. This Decoration is like a party of colors on your farmland, with the pinks, purples, blues, and of course greens, all wind up coming together as one blast of nature for your eyeballs. Mushrooms, ivy, bushes, and many kinds of trees all mingle to create something so elaborate, it’s hard to take your eyes off of. We also like and approve of this one.

Four winners in one night for the Decorations tab, it seems. The Mushroom Knoll is a cheap Coin item under the Decorations tab that clocks in at 20,000 Coins, enough to spread the wealth and buy several of them to bolster your decorative roster for the new theme. Our only beef with this one is that it cannot be rotated. Two rolling hills are scattered with various mushrooms of sizes and types, with red, orange and yellow colored mushrooms playing their part in spicing up your green farm. It will, of course, look out of place on snow or beach landscapes.

Keep it tuned to FarmVille Post, as we will have a new Crop Spotlight up on Thursday evening!

New Items: Golden Apple and Giant Golden Apple Trees

Another Sunday evening has arrived, and we are once again on the scene to relish in the new arrivals at the FarmVille Market. As always these days with the Sunday update, we have a brand new batch of Trees to take in. Let’s take a look at the latest variation of the Apple Tree, shall we?

This is the Golden Apple Tree. As tired as we are of seeing variations of Apple Trees in FarmVille, we still really like this one; it almost has the feel of an Autumn Ginkgo Tree, which is one of our personal favorites in the game; the leaf assortment is more… well, gold, rather than the feel of a seasonal tree. It will cost you the usual 5 FV Cash to acquire, and can be harvested once every two days for 150 Coins – the same as always with Limited Edition Trees, and requires the usual 75 harvests for the initial level of Mastery to be attained.

As per usual these days, we have bigger versions of the Limited Edition Level 1 Trees to evolve into. This is the Giant Golden Apple Tree, the Level 2 edition of the previously mentioned Tree. Now this, on the other hand, is something we can do without; after all, the Mastery Signs are entirely too similar to justify making these gigantic Trees as a common offspring of the Level 1 versions; might we recommend making them a rare item obtained only through the Mystery Seedlings to spice things up? Perhaps a 1 in 10 chance of receiving one? At least then we would be more compelled to care about these similar Trees. They feature the same exact stats as the small version, and can be obtained for 10 FV Cash.

We recommend the small version. Stay tuned as we tackle the rest of the updates on the Market!

New Items: Frog Prince’s Pond, Bean Stalk, and More

In terms of static items on the Market tonight, we will conclude with the Decorations and follow up with the weekly Mystery Game report thereafter. For now, let’s dig right into that Fairy Tale theme, shall we?

Here is the Prince Frog’s Pond, another of the many items that were revealed in the official Zynga video showcase that we brought to you on Friday. This is from the classic, beloved fairy tale of the Prince who has been mystically transformed into a frog. Oh, will his one true love ever come and give him a smooch in an effort to turn him back into a person? We’re not sure, but it could be just a regular frog trying to fleece his way into getting a kiss; we don’t trust him!

Regardless, this is the lone FV Cash item solely on the Decorations tab tonight, clocking in at 15 FV Cash, which will give you 15,000 EXP. It’s on the small side of things and cannot be rotated due to the minimal animation. We much prefer the Coin items this week.

Speaking of which, now here is a large specimen of a fairy tale prop! This is yet another teased item from the video showcase on the Fairy Tale theme, which revolves around one of our very favorite fairy tales, Jack and the Beanstalk. The gigantic Bean Stalk is a towering, vertigo-inducing structure that reaches so far that rings of cloud matter are strung around the very peak of it. It cannot be rotated, but it can be had for only 100,000 Coins – an absolute steal. You will even receive 1,000 EXP for buying it.

Wow, even more items that were hinted in that video showcase. These two different items are the Large Mushroom and the Small Mushroom. We’ll leave it to you to figure out which is which. Hint: the large one is the Large Mushroom! Speaking of the Large Mushroom, it can be purchased for 10,000 Coins, while the Small Mushroom can be yours for 5,000 Coins. These are perfect to place at random around your farm to give off a look that random mushrooms are sprouting around the premises. We are longing for a legitimate Mushroom Crop, though… Our fingers are crossed.

Lastly, we have one more item from the video showcase preview that has arrived under the Decorations tab tonight: the Lollipop Fence. We usually have reservations regarding stating our opinions on fencing and other wrangling structures, as most will look good on any farm; with that said, whose farm would naturally look like it’s suited for the Lollipop Fence? Willy Wonka? All joking aside, this one seems a little jumbled on the connecting ends, as the fencing does not seamlessly connect between one another, as you can see in our depiction above.

Stay tuned, as the Mystery Game is next!

New Item: Fairy Shoe House

The fun doesn’t stop with the new Animals this Wednesday evening, as we have a brand new Building to indulge in under the Building and Decoration tabs, and it is fairly cheap, to boot – pun-intended.

What can you do when you live in a shoe? It is a question philosophers have long asked, or at least we wish they would – the world would be a funnier place if philosophical folks pondered really dumb questions. This is the Fairy Shoe House, a homestead that is made entirely out of a gigantic boot, which looks to even have a heel – meaning whatever giant used to wear this was probably a foxy momma. Regardless, now it is a home in the land of make-believe, it seems… Now that’s what we call recycling. Let’s hope the stench isn’t too bad, eh?

This one is available for 12 FV Cash, one of the lowest amounts that we can recall in recent memory for a Building. We’re guessing that Zynga is figuring out that customers are less likely to throw out the FV Cash for non-functional Buildings. If you buy this one, you will receive 1,200 EXP and the Building can be rotated to better suit your farm, depending if you like your Buildings to face east or west.

The overall design on the Fairy Shoe House is stellar, with gorgeous flowers of the likes of which we have never seen in FarmVille; we particularly love those red flowers within the barrels. Our fingers are crossed that these new flowers will wind up as a Crop in the game sometime soon! The gold exterior of the boot clashes with the purple rooftop and toe in the best way possibly, as it really looks sleek. It is a bold design, but it pays off due to the price and the fact that it does not eat up a lot of space.

We will deliver some new Decorations next at FarmVille Post!