Wouldn't you have loved to be a fly on the wall the first time someone pitched the idea of a farming video game? There was probably a lot of raucous laughter in the boardroom that day, replete with eye rolling and "can-you-believe-this-guy" patronising eyebrow waggles. But, like the plucky hero of every 80's teen comedy, the genre has gone on to become remarkably popular. One of the more successful titles was the original Farm Mania from Realore Studios, a time management game that starred a girl named Anna struggling to turn around her grandfather's dilapidated old farmstead. Now, Anna is back and looking to continue her successful streak in Farm Mania 2.
The game plays out across multiple levels, each one coming with its own set of challenges required to pass. Once you begin, take note of the time limit in the upper left corner, since if you fail to meet the requirements before you reach it, you'll have to start all over. The requirements themselves are displayed at the bottom of the screen and help you keep track of your progress.The in-game tutorial does a good job of walking you through new farm additions as they arrive with a series of small pop-ups that can be turned off with the click of a button if you're already an old hand at the farming biz.
Even if you're not, the gameplay is pretty simple to pick up. Clicking on an object on the farm causes the appropriate character to go and use it. Anna, for example, takes care of animals and most vegetables, while her grandfather handles drawing water, planting feed, and tending trees. Animals need to be kept fed and watered to produce things like eggs and wool, while your vegetables need watering and weeding to grow. When an object needs something, an icon with a timer will pop up above it, and you'll have a certain amount of time to tend to it. Wait too long, and the item will be wasted. If it seems harsh, just remember that we are talking about an apparently magical world where apple trees take less than a minute to grow. I think you've got it pretty good there, Junior.
Analysis: Farm Mania 2 doesn't feel much like a sequel. It's more like an expansion pack that got a facelift, but while a lot of the changes are cosmetic, all of them make the game feel much more streamlined. The gameplay remains the same, and even the bonus levels look familiar, if not identical, to its predecessor. While I can't say I'm entirely fond of the new hand-drawn artwork that lends the characters an eerie, bobble-headed appearance during cutscenes, the entire game as a whole does now look more polished and professional. The farm's layout is much cleaner, and plays a lot smoother. It feels like the game the original should have been.
This time around, you can also use the cash earned from the sweat of your brow to purchase a rather surprising number of animals, vegetables, and upgrades designed to turn you into a farming powerhouse. Not only do you have a wider amount of animals, vegetables, and farming implements to purchase, but you can also buy upgrades to each character's speed at any particular task. It can turn an otherwise viciously difficult level into a merely challenging one.
The downside is that some of the gameplay restrictions feel a little pointless. Why can't Anna pump water? Why does she have to wait for her grandfather to do it? Another annoyance is that once you meet the requirements for a particular stage, it ends immediately regardless of how much time you have on the clock. It doesn't matter if you have product ready to send or vegetables still in the ground that you could earn more money with. And while there are a lot of upgrades, the illusion of freedom vanishes once you realise you actually have very little choice regarding purchasing them. The game will tell you when you can buy certain items, and at times it won't let you proceed until you've bought the items it wants you to.
Is Farm Mania 2 fun? Certainly. If you were a fan of the original, and indeed of time management games in general, this installment offers up a very smooth and colourful experience that's about as kid-friendly as you can get without including a sock puppet to teach the ABCs. While not the most complex title out there, it's still a fun and vibrant entry into the genre that will provide all the frantic, fast-paced farming you can handle.
Windows:
Download the demo
Get the full version
Mac OS X:
Download the demo
Get the full version
Not so much about the game as the review, but doesn't FarmVille deserve a mention? 80 million players is a lot more than what this game gets, also, Dora speaks British English?
FarmVille has already had its review on our Facebook page, which I also wrote. I didn't feel it was necessary to delve into it again on Farm Mania, since they're two completely different games.
http://www.facebook.com/notes/jay-is-games/facebook-farm-game-round-up/143799001083
And, yes, I'm afraid you've found me out. I am (or was, anyway) Canadian, and that's the way I was taught to spell. :)
Does anybody have any idea how to get past level 49 in the arcade version?! I cannot get my turkeys to breed until it is completely too late. HELP!!!!
I cannot make it past level 49 either. Been trying for a week. Its become a challenge. I get close, but then time runs out. UGH!!!
got the same problem. level 49 turkeys wont breed in time.
I too cannot beat level 49, but in casual mode...need help please, it is driving me crazy. I have tried everything, but turkeys just will not breed until there are only seconds left. Any advise would help at this point. Thanks
I cannot get past level 14 in the arcade. Any tips?
guys, i cant get past level 19. T_T
my hen wont breed any chick!
even after i played for almost an hour and things get dark, it still wont produce ane chicks. i only need one to advance to the next level. T_T
got any hints?
I cannot beat level 49. It's impossible. What's up with that? Is that the farthest that you can possibly get to?
if your chickens etc wont breed it is likely that you have reached the limit of hens etc that u can have in the pen, sell a few birds before u start level and they will be able to breed :D
I can't get pass Level 51. My Llamas make wool after the Hurry Up signs comes on and it wont let me move to Level 51
I am also stuck on 49... chickens start breeding with seconds left. So it never happens. Stephanie how did you get past it?
It won't allow me to sell the second hen, I also think that would help. Does anyone have the answers? PLEASE :)
my hen wont breed any chick!
even after i played for almost an hour and things get dark, it still wont produce ane chicks. i only need one to advance to the next level. T_T
got any hints?
I passed level 49. U just need to pay attention to the turkey and feed them as fast as possible. I'm stuck on level 61( final level). Is anyone get 50,000 coins in 20 minutes? I tried it for 3 hours already :(
TYT, did you have 2 hens and 1 turkey?
I do feed them immediatly.
HELP
I can't get throught level 20. I pick up all the chickens and nothing happens. I finish the level and get back to the map, and it doesn't allow me to go to the next level. Help please!
I am having trouble with level 20 as well, samething is happening to me. I get all the chickens and ducklings and it won't let me go any further
I'm having problems with Level 9. I'm not sure what it wants me to grow. I've tried a She-goose and a he-goose or whatever they call it and nothing is working no other birds are unlocked. Can anyone tell me what I'm supposed to do?
I've gotten "gold" star status in all Casual levels and mostly all Arcade levels. I've gotten a "gold" star in Level 61, if you can believe. The levels of Arcade mode that I cannot seem to get a "gold" star status at are levels 14, 17, 18, 19, 23, 43 and 49. I have played these levels over and over and can ONLY get a "blue" star status. Most of these levels are ones where animals have to 'breed' to advance and I cannot get them to breed before the "gold" star time meter is reached. They do breed, but well after the time limit for "gold" star. I have even made sure that I fed the applicable animals that breed FIRST and WELL before their little thought bubbles appear to request it...and still, no luck. Does anyone know how to get a "gold" star on these levels because I find them impossible. I've played them for HOURS and HOURS to the point where I'm thinking that maybe the game writers never intended for people to get "gold" stars on these levels, just to keep them playing and trying for something they'll never get. Any ideas anyone? Thanks!
For those of you struggling,let me add a few tips that may assist you in getting past levels and acquiring "gold star" status on levels in Casual or Arcade modes.
1) Always keep the food/water troughs full. Constantly glance at them and when they are about to become empty, plan your next move to fill them. Try to fill them BEFORE animals get there to complain about the lack of food/water in their thought bubbles.
2) Always keep the Lady Farmer busy. She shouldn't be standing around doing just nothing, waiting for the old man to do his thing, animals to require food/water, or plants to grow. Keep her moving doing something --whatever that may be, even if it's just to throw some grain into the flour mill a couple of times.
3) Same as (2), the Old man should always be moving and doing something. Obviously he runs out of things to do once all the grains have been sown, fish have been cast, trees/plants have been watered. But if there's something he could be doing, he should be doing it.
Key to (2) and (3) --just keep the players moving doing something -- whatever they can do -- not only will it allow you to make more money collecting things and making things (even if they're not part of the goals), they'll allow you to raise enough money to buy more advanced stuff sooner.
4) Lastly, always fill your cart quickly and send it off as soon as you can and collect the coins sitting in it as soon as possible.
If you stay busy and focused on one task, and then stop to think too much, you'll never reach the end of the level in time.
Just something I learned to be able to get through all 61 levels of casual as "gold star" and all 61 levels of Arcade as "gold star" except for the specific levels 14, 17, 18, 19, 23, 43 and 49...which I can only get a "blue star" status on. But there has to be a trick for these levels, and I'm still trying to figure that out.
Hope this helps everyone.
PLEASE HELP ME!!!
Hi, i'm at level 51, or at least i'm trying to be...the fact is that when i finished level 50 (searching for llamas) ranch is red, witch means i need to buy some animals, and when i click, there are 2 or 3 animals recommended. I bought them, but when i get out of ranch it is red again, so i bought every animal that i cough until everyone i sold out, but it ranch is still red, and i can't click on play.
what animals do you have on level 51?
Have you clicked the right/left arrows to scroll around in the Ranch to see if there's something that is "off the screen" that needs to be purchased? I saw this happen to me too, but when I used the Left or Right arrows to scroll over to see more animals available for purchase. I think there was one or two levels out there that actually force you to use the Right arrow to see additional animals for purchase.
Hope this helps.
i need help i cant pass through level 20, after i picked up all the chicks nothing happens. pls help me how can i pass through this level? pls pls pls pls. ive been trying to figure it out for days and still nothing happens. pls help me!
Hey Ive completed all levels up to 42 with "Gold star status" but im stuck on 43. I cant produce more then 5 honeys in the time limit required but you need 4 for the goal and then some for money from customers in pies. Is there anything I could do to get more money?
Plus for those who are stuck on breeding levels. I have found that if you have to many animals in one section then the food has to be shared to much. Try selling some animals from the same section that you dont need for breeding.
Hi everyone!
I have trouble is the 19 track. often made it this far, but I can not move on the next day. I've read that others also have this problem, but not really for me, sorry. Further information is requested, please? has started six times again: (and nothing,
please help me
thank you in advance
Sessy
I was also dissappointed with the "review" sans tips! But the comments are very helpful. I came to the site looking for tips for me, a newbie, hoping to find that someone took the time to write a list of how much each product is worth in dollars when taken to market. In otherwords, I want to grow the most profitable crops, (aside from the goal crop) to maximize my money. If anyone has a list please post. Otherwise I'll compile it, but it will cost me a few level plays to do it. I just figured someone would have already! Thanks. Best to you all, espcially Deb whose tips were great. (HA, I didnt even know there were "gold" stars- GOTTA GO PLAY NOW)
i cant pass through level 20 all the other levels i hve completed in best time and my starts are gold what do i do now ? plz plz help
How do you buy the monkey? I saw him for sale when I had 3999 and when I came back when I had 4000 he was locked.
Hi,
I am also stuck at level 49, I read all the comments is there anybody who after these comments could pass level 49?
PLEASE HELP ME!
im at level 51... all animals are sold. but still the farm is red...i cant move on to the next level...the ranch signed is keep blinking on red...even when there is no more to purchased..
pls. help me!
I'm at level 51. i bought all the recommended animals. but still the ranch icon is keep blinking red,and there's no more to be purchased i cannot move on to the next level...
please help me...thanks
HI! PLEASE HELP!
I'm stuck at level 49. i bought all the recommended animals..but the ranch is still red. i cant start at level 51...I'm starting to hate it...
please help...thanks
Please, Please help us our whole family is playing this game and none of us can get to play level 20. We get all the bonus level but it won't go onto level 20 please tell us how to move on we really want to keep playing.
Thank you.
UGH! Seems there is a flaw with level 49. I have doted on the birds and yet, no breeding until the last few seconds. I get everything else really fast, and wait on the birds to breed. I have sold what i could, but the game is forcing me to have two hens! Very annoying considering that I can't pass a level simply because their computer birds aren't in the mood!
I don't recall what level I am on, all I know is that it is the one where you have cheese. I got the coal and the goat's milk to the building just fine, but all the mushrooms I grow are white, and the picture at the building where the cheese is made shows brown mushrooms. Anna just will not take those white mushrooms in the building to make cheese!! Can someone help me, please?
Please help! I'm stuck at level 49...where my brown cows won't breed...what could i do?
I have a problem, I already finished the level 41 of "Casual" and when I get to level 42 tells me I have to go to the ranch, but when I enter everything is blocked.
What I can do?
Hi! I can't pass arcade level 46 because my llamas are too young when I start and they don't make wool... Any help ? Thanks
am also having trouble with level 49. I agree that you can't sell the turkey...BUT, I found that if you start back at like level 47 and sell the turkey, then when you get to 49 you will be forced to buy a chick which you can grow pretty easy. this is my theory anyway, work keeps interfering
I can't get through level 20. I pick up all the chickens and nothing happens. I finish the level and get back to the map, and it doesn't allow me to go to the next level. Help please!
i cant pass level 20! need help!. pls!
it seems looottss of people stuck at level 49 and cant get to 51... the ranch keep blinking red ???? heeellppp it annoy me to the point i just want to uninstall it :(
I can't seem to get a gold star on level 32, can anyone help!?!
i think i found the fault in level 49... ive watched the walkthrough of level 49 on youtube. and there the time says 5:40 min for the gold status. in my game the time says 4:50... so no wonder, nobody can get through this level.
is it also the problem in your game?
how can i solve this problem?
I've solved the problem with the time. You have to go to where you've installed your game. Then farm mania 2/properties/levels and then open with text editor level 49. Then replace the text with this:
<Level>
<Goals Melon="12" TurkeyKidGirl="1" BrownCalf="1" HoneyPie="2" Pillows="2" _Money="5000"/>
<Prices/>
<ShopPrices/>
<SpecialPrices Eggplant="150" Pomegranate="250" TurkeyEggs="300"/>
<SpecialCounts Eggplant="3" Pomegranate="2" TurkeyEggs="1"/>
<AnimalsCount GooseGirl="0" GooseMan="0" WhiteSheepGirl="0" BrownSheepMan="0" Hen="0" Rooster="0" TurkeyMale="1" Turkey="3" WhiteCow="1" BlackBull="0" BrownGoatMale="1" LlamaMom="3" LlamaMale="0" QuailMom="0" QuailMan="0" BrownBull="1"/>
<MiniPrices/>
<Needs TurkeyMale="1" Turkey="2" WhiteGoatMom="1" LlamaMom="2" BrownCow="1" BrownBull="1" BobHands="1" PillowsBuilding="1"/>
<coyotedelay value="50"/>
<coyotescount value="1"/>
<harescount value="1"/>
<harewild value="1"/>
<leveltime value="340"/>
<moledelay value="45"/>
<molescount value="1"/>
</Level>
Now you have the right time and it will hopefully work! :)
katha, there's no option open with editor text in my note book choice,,,the choice is open with notepad, wordpad and XML editor,,,,what should i choose??
That Spoiler thing did the trick
in 49 level...
From 4:50
no it is 5:40 ...
Great help...
My regards,Aggelos
To marissa
Choose notepad...
I got expert on all levels in Casual mode! YAY!
The last level is the hardest natch, but I think I figured out a good method (Took several tries before I figured this out)
All you have to do in the last level is collect $50,000 coins in 20 minutes. There's no other level requirements.
The best thing to do seems to be to concentrate on manufacturing cake, wine, ice cream and blankets since they earn the most money.
Even concentrating on that, it's tough to build to 50,000 coins in 20 minutes. What finally worked for me was this. Keep making a bunch of wine and cake (alternating between growing berries and cacao beans) but always leave the last thing made sitting on the houses. If you're making things pretty rabidly, Grandma will bring out the next thing almost as soon as you pick up the one before it. Do that with everything you manufacture, picking the thing up only when you've started making another one. This way, whenever one of the villagers comes in wanting something you have one ready to give them immediately. They give you more money quickly.
If they want something like an eggplant or pineapple or something, you can grow that pretty quickly and put the left overs on the truck.
Don't waste too much time growing produce as it doesn't bring in much money. Only work on it if a villager asks for something specific or if Anna really has nothing else going on (which is rare)
Grow berries and cacoa beans back and forth and in the meantime also collect milk and wool for icecream and blankets. You seem to get much more white wool than dark wool and so when you have about three or four white wools stored in the house just put any extras on the truck til you can catch up with dark wool. Same with cows milk which should come more than goat's milk. Get about four cow's milk in the icecream house and put the rest on the truck until you catch up with the goats milk.
All the while make honey and gather eggs. They don't bring in much money but it adds up.
I got it done in expert mode with about a minute left to go. So yay! (This was in casual- I don't know about arcade)
PLEASE HELP ME!!!
Hi, i'm at level 51, or at least i'm trying to be...the fact is that when i finished level 50 (searching for llamas) ranch is red, witch means i need to buy some animals, and when i click, there are 2 or 3 animals recommended. I bought them, but when i get out of ranch it is red again, so i bought every animal that i cough until everyone i sold out, but it ranch is still red, and i can't click on play.
what animals do you have on level 51?
I'm trying to beat the arcade level 49. I don't understand how to do the cheat, where do I go in my computer to get access to the properties of the game? I have to be able to do this before I can change the text. The stupid turkey's won't breed, until it's too late, this must be a game flaw. It is soooo frustrating. Please help!
Thanks!
i'm not sure if i'm being stupid or not, but on level 10, it requires me to plant (i'm assuming) a pear but i can't seem to find how to get this! i've checked the ranch, there's nothing there. any help?
I'm having the same problem as Shelia, the pear doesn't seem to exist. Any one know where to find it??
For those of you having trouble being able to play Level 51 go back a few levels and go to the market and purchase a white calf.
Hi im stuck on level 46 in the arcade, my llamas dont grow quick enough to start producing wool. I cant go back a level and grow them as theyre jst unlocked in level 46 :-S any help wud be much appreciated!
I figured out the problem of level 51. It seems you need a white cow, while the game recommended to sell it a couple of levels before and it is not available for purchade now or in the levels leading up to it since the one where you had to sell it. You don't actually need a white cow, since the brown one will give you milk just the same.
So, go to the folder where your game is installed. Go to properties - levels - 51 and open it in notepad. The 8th line says: "Need" followed by all the items/animals required. Just delete where it says white cow. Restart the game and you are good to go!
I just wanna thank Katha for the amazing tip on level 49. Worked very well. I would never beat that level in the arcade mode without your help.
when i clicked play on level 48, the game finishes right away. what happen, is ths normal? i think this is the reason i cant play level 51 because, i dont have the required purchases in that level...help please, i want to finish the game and im stuck in level 51
How can I earn enough money in level 7 in time for the gold star? What can i do to help with that?
I am stuck on getting a gold star on level 12, and it is really frustrating me!! Can anyone help?
Level 14 in casual mode - a gold star on this level is achievable in the time set at 5:15. I did it in 4:58 after NUMEROUS attempts. Here's how I finally did it: focus on first keeping the sheep fed and sheep water trough full. Secondly, focus on planting cabbage and apple trees as they are worth 200 but possibly more when the guy asks for them specifically, which he will. Keep super busy planting, watering, fishing, etc. but focusing on what I stated above. I finally did it when I focused on the sheep, cabbage, and apples.
Level 19 in casual mode - I got a gold star with a time of 5:20 (you have to complete the objectives by 5:25 for a gold star). It took numerous attempts. Here's how I did it: I had only a rooster and a brown hen plus 2 white goats and 1 brown goat. That's it. At first, I had more of the chickens but they eat and drink too much which prevented me from being able to keep their food and water full at all times. I planted lots of carrots (only) and kept that up for the whole game. I planted plum trees twice. I sheared the sheep, collected the plums and carrots plus fish and eggs on an ongoing basis. Eventually, I made the money goal first. Then the hen and rooster mated at about 5:05. The game ended at 5:20 with a gold star. You have to concentrate on keeping the rooster and hen's food and water full so they can mate in time.
Level 49 casual mode - I finally got a gold star after numerous attempts. My issue was that the cows wouldn't breed until about the 7 minute mark. I never had an issue with the turkeys breeding and I think I know why. I gave up on this level and moved ahead a few levels to level 55 so I had acquired a different mix of animals by level 55. Then I decided to give level 49 another try. This time, the game allowed me to SELL the baby cow where it never did so before. So, I started the game with 1 adult male (bull) and 1 adult female (cow) only. I don't think it matters how many goats you have. And, this time, the game made me buy a baby turkey. So I had 1 male turkey and 1 female turkey plus a baby. I thought that might mess me up but it didn't. I was able to get the gold star with a time of 5:06. The turkeys bred first. Then the cows. Good luck!!!
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