twisted addiction?

Are you one of those that just can't get enough of Farmville? There is a steady stream of people joining Farmville daily. Once they start playing, it seems that they can't get enough. In just a few short months, Zynga's Farmville has built up an average monthly user base of over 60 million players. This figure continues to grow weekly.

There are several reasons that Farmville is so appealing to so many Facebook users:

1. Some of us use Farmville to wind down and relax. They tend to their farm by planting seeds, harvesting crops, milking cows, etc. It's a calming activity that lets the stresses of the day fade away.

2. For others, it is an activity they participate in while they are chatting with other users. They can farm without focusing 100% of their attention on it.

Either way, as you farm, you advance in experience. As you progress, you are able to unlock a wide array of new items. Beginning at level 3 you begin to unlock additional items but achieving level 5 really starts getting the farm going. New seeds, animals, and more are unlocked at each additional level. This is when your farm can start being very diverse.

Leveling up in Farmville requires accumulating experience points. How do you do gain those experience points?

To level up quickly, you will have to bear in mind that focusing on experience points will, for the first stages, advance you fairly rapidly. This is a game that requires a bit of planning when you start so that you are getting enough return on your crops to be able to replant. Don't clear more land than you will be able to plant or your farm won't grow as quickly as you'd like.

At first, you need relatively few experience points to move up levels. With level 8 you will begin to need more and more points to advance. As you progress, you will have to keep an eye on what gives you the most points. Use that knowledge to build your points up faster.

While it may be tempting to plant strawberries because they are ready in 4 hours, they do wilt after 8 hours if not harvested. So if you will not be frequently logging in to harvest, plant a crop that you can manage easily and that will be there when you have time to harvest.