Playing 3rd World Farmer
It’s really easy to play 3rd World Farmer, and this short primer will get you up and running in no time. To begin with, simply find the game on this page, or download the android app from Google Play (available soon).
The Start Screen
Once 3rd World Farmer has loaded, you’ll see the start screen. You can click/tap on any of the flag buttons to select a language. Then click Play.
The Instructions Screen
Next up is the instructions screen, showing the following advice.
How to play the game:
- Buy crops etc. from the upper-left menu
- Place them in your fields
- Click ‘button’ when ready for the next round.
- (New: Click family members for new options)
Clicking ‘Play’ on the Instructions screen will begin the game.
The Game Screen
It’s turn one, and you have $50.
3rd World Farmer is a turn-based game, so let’s go through the phases of every game turn.
1. Making Purchases
Clicking on any of the five icons in the top-left menu will expand/collapse the submenus.
Here we’ve expanded them all.
The submenus show items you can buy in the categories of
Crops and Livestock generate revenue for the farm every year, while Tools and Buildings improve these outcomes.
The Projects provide various other advantages – and the game is won by completing them all.
You can read more about each category and item on their individual pages, linked above.
For your first turn, try to plant a few crops, and maybe buy a shovel, like this. Simply click on the item you want to buy, and then click again on any tile highlighted with a green arrow to complete the purchase.
2. Managing Family Members
Deciding what to buy is an important part of every game turn, but almost as important is managing the individual family members’ actions. These are available from the Family Overview Screen which can be opened by clicking on the individual family members.
The available family member actions will vary depending on factors such as their age, condition and money. They include buying medicine to improve health, having babies, arranging marriages, appointing a new head of the family, going to school and leaving the farm to look for a job elsewhere. You can read more about all of those actions on the Family Overview page.
You don’t have to chose actions for every family member, every year – by default they will work on the farm and contribute their workload capacity to its productivity.
3. Selling Stuff
You might also wish to sell livestock, tools or buildings that you have already purchased. This is done by clicking the Sell Items-button.
Read more about selling items here.
4. End of Turn – Annual Report & Event of the Year
When you’ve made all your decision this turn and are ready for the next, click/tap on the Next Turn button in the top right corner of the screen.
This will play a short animation of the months passing and lead to the Annual Report Screen, where you can see the outcomes of the year’s choices.
Prices and outcomes may vary depending on random fluctuations and on the Event of the Year. Some events are positive, and some are negative, while some will only affect a certain crop or investment.
5. Special Events
In some years, you’ll be offered a special deal when closing the Annual Report. These present themselves as more or less dubious and/or risky ways to turn an extra income, and it is voluntary whether you will accept them or not. You can read more about all these types of special events here.
Regardless of whether or not a special event occurs, the next turn will then begin.
Winning and Losing
3rd World Farmer is lost if all adult family members die or leave the farm.
It is won if the player manages to complete all the projects to improve the farm and local area.
On game over, the player will see their accomplishments listed on this screen, with options to submit their score to the global leaderboards, play again, or visit our website in order to learn more about making a difference.
