The Latest Review of FarmVille

It strikes me that when dedicated players of a game, who never missed more than a day of gameplay in a couple of years, go so far as to BLOCK a game on Facebook, it is time for the makers of that game to sit up and take notice. Zynga, are you paying attention?

Despite a slew of wonderful Hallowe'en Items, Zynga finally has piled on the last straw to break the proverbial camel's back. There are too many quests, and too many that attempt to force a player to invest real money in the game.

Lighthouse Cove is an utter disaster. It was billed as a 'Fall Getaway' but a more pressure-filled environment could not be imagined. One is given a handkerchief-sized bit of land with a very limited number of potential farming plots. In fact, the number is 30. One THEN is given a sequence of new Quests each week that include at least three Quests to harvest 70 Crops that require a day to grow to maturity. If you wish to expand your farm to the point where you actually could plant 70 Crops in a single day, you must invest significant amounts of actual Cash.

What does Zynga do to HELP players to complete these ridiculous quests? Now there is a little icon with the Quest icons on the left side of the screen, informing players that, for a price in REAL Cash, they can grow their Crops, Animals and/or Trees instantly. It isn't ethical, in my opinion, to make Quests too difficult for players, especially those at low levels, to complete without investing real Cash. The game is supposed to be FREE, after all. Many of us HAVE invested money in FarmVille, but I think most of us would like to do so on a voluntary basis and not be driven towards it like cattle at every turn.

Zynga, you are failing your loyal fans when the high Level players who have supported your games for at least a year, if not two, have been brought to a point where they would rather BLOCK the games completely than continue to play them. Please, please reconsider your new policy of inundating players with far too many Quests and Animal Pens and unnecessary new options. A Quest should be something special that a Player wishes to complete and not an onerous duty that is pinned to the game like a Butterfly thrust through the heart.