Basic Guidelines

The following are the basic rules and guidelines pertaining to the use of FSN for your multiplayer experience. All players are governed by these same principles, regardless of age, time playing, or staff position.

The FSN Wiki is not intended to have answers or a rule for every single possible situation in-game. Do not interpret this to mean that “gray areas” or loopholes are encouraged or can be exploited. The purpose to not having a rule or a procedure for every single situation is to ensure that FSN Players have realistic latitude to be creative (but realistic) with their problem solving and farming business decisions, which ensures a fair and enjoyable game for all participants.

Please note that each of these sections is a brief overview of our key concepts, with the most relevant information. Many of these will also have individual articles that give more in-depth explanations, however, these guidelines below will give you all you need to know in regards to playing in FSN.

General Etiquette

• Respect others. This includes not using overly foul language, and if it is foul, it must not be derogatory or directed at another player.

• We seriously condemn piracy. If you are found to be using a pirated copy of FS19, you will be removed from FSN.

• If an issue arises, please use the player report form on the website. Be thorough, include links and screenshots, and remember that we will hear both sides of the story, so try to work it out amongst yourselves before bringing it to us, and if at that point you can't resolve it, submit a report.

• If you find something you believe to be a windfall, it's more than likely NOT intended, and should be considered an exploit. If found to be using this windfall, and not reporting it as an issue, you are potentially subject to repercussions. If you see something that seems too good to be true, whether in game or on site, or with our mechanics, do the right thing and report it so we can maintain a balanced community.

• Administrative staff reserves the right, if any mechanic on a particular server or website location is deemed to provide an unfair advantage, to make changes to those mechanics to rectify that situation and bring it in line with the spirit of the community that is intended for FSN. An example of an unfair advantage would be being able to do the same or less work for a substantially larger benefit.

• If you have an issue, or need something done, unless it is an absolute emergency, do not DM staff. The ticketing system is designed to ensure we handle all issues in the order that they are received. If you DM staff about an issue or a request, you will be directed to submit a ticket.

• Abusive behavior will not be tolerated. We understand everyone has their opinions and beliefs, but when you are here, you will treat your fellow players, and the staff of FSN, with respect. Blatant failure to do so can and will result in temporary or permanent bans depending on severity of the situation.

• If you see a player being abusive or malicious to another player, when they are online or not, please first reach out to the person and try to dissuade them from this negative behavior. If this does not work and you see the negative behavior continue, please report it to staff.

• Marketing bots are to be used to advertise your business, support a cause, or have fun. They are not to be used to harm another players image or business!

Banking & Financial Guidelines

• Any transaction over a certain amount via invoice, check, or in-game transfer will be flagged by the system for administrative review. Any transactions found to be done with the purpose of skating the rules, will be dealt with accordingly.

• Player Owned Businesses (Dealerships, Real Estate Brokers, Insurance Agents, Etc.) may take out 1 Loan from a financial institution, and 1 loan only. If you go bankrupt due to poor financial planning, you will have to restart your business from scratch! So take loans/liabilities on with caution!

• Player farms can have multiple loans, but only one per bank. However, don't go bankrupt!

• Make sure to pay off your outstanding liabilities regularly (under Finances - Accounting). These include taxes, invoices and payments for any contracts you have issued. At no point are you allowed to have more than 20% of your NAV in outstanding liabilities. If you are above 20% liability to NAV ratio you will no longer be able to pay your invoices, or create contracts. If above 30% you cannot bid on auctions. Note: Loan amounts do not count against this ratio.

• At no time can a player "give away" money or assets to another player. Players are welcome to ask to have their account liquidated, or are free to keep their assets if they will be away for awhile, but you absolutely cannot give your things away to another player. Anyone found doing so is subject to funds being seized and possible suspension

• At no time can any player utilize a money/asset transfer on the site to try and get around labor laws. Anyone found doing so will be subject to severe fines and possible suspensions.

Support System

• If you need anything done, the policy is to put in a ticket so that staff can handle things in the order they are received.

• Support requests via DMs will not be processed. Use the ticketing queue and the process we have in place as FSN continues to grow.

• Mod requests can be made with the request form via your account on the website.

• People are always welcome to submit ideas, suggestions, and the like in the ideas channel or via support ticket, but we cannot guarantee they will be accepted or implemented.

Farm & Contractor Guidelines

• Unless a change is requested by a staff member or admin, farm managers must never leave their farm slot on their home server. Doing so will make you lose your FM rights to your own farm. You may still join other farm slots in servers that are not your home server.

• Contractors should remain out of a farm slot if they own no equipment and are not on a contract. If they own equipment, they can stay in the Contractor Farm, but only use their own items. If they are on a contract, it is up to the Farm Manager and the situation to determine whether or not the contractor should join the farm they are contracting for, or whether they should stay in Contractor Farm (perhaps if using their own equipment). Contractor Farm can be easily contracted so that you can work another farm’s field when necessary.

• Never accept work without a contract or an active agreement unless you are willing to work for free. FSN staff will not guarantee any contract, auction, or agreement unless it is done through the website system that was made for such things.

• If you do not have an agreement in the system through our website, staff has no way to enforce any action or inaction. You must be able to provide proof of a deal for us to be able to honor it. Use the system we have provided so you don't run into issues!

• Private sale of land or equipment is not possible, except through auctions.

• There will be no more than 1 financial transfer per farm, per day. So please plan ahead.

• Farms cannot lease out their main farmland for more than 2 game years. You have to actively farm your own land at least 1 in every 3 years. Otherwise the farm is subject to removal. Any values from the removal will be credited the farm's web account.

• Farms that are not seen on the website in over 30 days and/or not in game for over 2 (Anytime in the third game year) game years, are subject to possible removal from the server to make room for active players. Their assets will be sold and credited to their web account for when/if they return.

• Money producing placeables are not meant to be a significant income in FSN, and should only be used in reasonable excess for aesthetic purposes. Beehives are limited to 6 pieces per farm. Greenhouses are limited to 6 pieces per farm, and requires a greenhouse permit. Non money producing placeables, like lights and fences, must also be used with care, as too many placeables in one area or in total across the map does affect performance.

Contractor Guidelines

• You can only take one contract from the Contract Center at a time. The system will prevent you from accepting multiple contracts at a time. Complete contracts one at a time, or if you can't do the work it requires for whatever reason, cancel it.

• If you are a contractor, respect your fellow contractors and the Farm Managers.

  • Do not join a farm and begin using their equipment, dealing with their land or animals without their consent, or agreed to contract.

  • Contractor-owned land and equipment appears in-game as part of the Contractor Farm (the pink-colored farm). If you see another contractor’s equipment, again, respect it, and don't use it just because it's in the Contractor Farm that you are also in.

• Contractors are no longer able to purchase land by any means.

• Banking Considerations for Contractors:

  • Banks Cannot lend more than $250k in Web loans to a contractor.

  • Contractors Cannot have more than 2 open lines of Web credit.

  • As contractors may be running substantial meta operations, these limits don't apply to Meta loans. However, meta loans are only to be used for meta operations, and may not be transferred to your Web account. Also, as always, make sure you only take up loans that you know for sure your operation can sustain.

• Contractors are no longer allowed to purchase equipment. In order to purchase equipment you must be a Farm Manager.

Workforce Regulations

• Payment for any type of work on the FSN servers is not to exceed $5,000 an hour.

• All work must be clocked in the system through the contracting system, either by hourly contracts, or by set pay contracts where the hourly pay does not exceed $5,000 with reasonable work efficiency. You are of course still free to pre-arrange for contractors to work for you, before placing a contract for them to pick up.

• Payments will be made through the contract liability system.

• Bonuses can be no more than 25% of total labor paid to that worker in a year. If they work 20 hours at 5k and make 100k, they can have a bonus of up to 25k for a year. Bonuses can never exceed $50,000 per year.

Customs Guidelines

• When you create a customs contract, you wait for it to be completed by the person taking it. If your server is full, again, you wait for it to have a slot so they may take it. If they take it and then are offline, you may put in a ticket to request the contract be put back into the pool. DO NOT create duplicate contracts just because someone is holding onto one. This will lead to more confusion for contractors, work for staff, and if it happens enough times, fines for you.

• You are required to have the materials in the silos, or in the bale storages, at the time of contract creation. If selling bales, you must also be online and ready to sell the bale storages per our procedure.

In-Game Guidelines

• If you are logged into the server, you must be available in discord. Voice is not required, but there are a number of available voice chat channels in the discord, under the Farming Together dropdown. These can be used freely as a server voice chat, or a voice chat for your FSN friends group.

• If you are in the server, you need to be present. If you expect to be AFK longer than 15 minutes, please log out and back in.

• Follow rules of the road. When driving, don't cut across fields. Use the roadways, that's why they were built. Use blinkers, flashers, etc.

• Resetting of vehicles is a LAST resort and is only allowed with admin approval. In real life you can't poof your vehicle back to a store. So, if you flip something, or get stuck, have someone tow or flip you, if at all possible.

• Using the in-game worker (AI Helpers) is not allowed! This both negates the purpose of FSN, and is also known to cause severe server stability issues. If you need help, put up a contract in the contract center.

• Taking in game NPC contracts is not allowed. If you have nothing to do, go to the contract center and pick up a contract. There is always someone who needs a hand.

• To prevent entire maps to be covered in fields only by overly profit eager FMs, the following rules need to be taken into consideration when plowing up new fieldland:

  • Must leave minimum 5m easement to roadways and map edge.

  • Must leave minimum 3m easement from waterways, even on own land.

  • Must not combine fields via plowing, minimum 5m easement between marked fields.

  • No plowing up of what is considered a courtyard, driveway, or literal yard of your farm.

• Terraforming the land is not permitted without staff approval, as this causes major performance issues to the server. The only exception is smoothing and painting. These methods should also be used modestly. Also be considerate when placing buildings on your land, as this will flatten the land under it and may cause excessive terraforming. If you are in doubt, test the placement in singleplayer first. Never place buildings on a slope.

• To acquire staff approval for terraforming, you must send a ticket with the proposed terraforming, and then a picture in SP of the before and after to show you are capable of making such changes properly. It is then up to staff to approve or deny your request.

• It is strictly forbidden to place buildings or any other placeables inside each other or clipping one another. This will, and has, caused server instability and crashes. If you place a building / placeable, and it ends up clipping another placeable, you must delete it and replace it so that it does not clip. This also goes for any placeables you already have that are clipping other placeables, even if you yourself haven't experienced server instabilities so far.

• FSN Police & Inspectors may go anywhere on a map, as long as they are on duty and following the rules for their roles. They will be identifiable because they will log in with their unique badge number. If you have issue with an officer, have evidence such as a screenshot, provide their badge number, and submit a ticket. Please do not interfere with them trying to do their jobs, just as you wouldn't want someone to interfere with you trying to work a field.

• Permits must be purchased to conduct any operation a permit is listed for on the FSN website (Interactions - Permit Center). Failure to have a permit can result in a fine.

• Permits are not transferable, or resalable, and are only to be used by the purchasing entity, or someone contracted to do work on purchasing entities land on their behalf.

• All permits are timed permits. After a set amount of time, they will expire and need to be renewed. Any active permit you hold will tell you when it will expire, or if it is expired already. Make sure you keep your permits up to date, an expired permit is the same as having no permit at all, and will land you a fine.

  • Tip: You can stack update your permits to extend the expiration date. If you update a 7 day permit 4 times, it will expire after 28 days.

• The “Are You Kidding Me Act” is used to promote the continued community spirit and fair-play of FSN. It is designed as a catch all act to account for, and close, any creative loopholes garnered up by players more interested in self-interest than community spirit. Examples of loopholes that will fall under this act will be, but are not limited to, auto feeding setups for animal feed / water, BGA filling, crop sales etc, excessive use of passive money making buildings, any key hack / cheat for overspeed equipment use, any use of FSN buildings or vehicles for personal gain, illegal flipping of used vehicles or land for profit and anything else that falls under the definition above. Also note that repeat infractions of the general guidelines and laws, or failing to comply with a warning from wardens or devs, will warrant an “are you kidding me” reaction.

  • Any player found to be creatively using a loophole, or blatantly disregarding PSA's/Laws, will be subject to an fine of no less than $50,000 per incident.

  • If, after an infraction, they are found using another loophole or blatantly disobeying our PSA's and/or laws, they will be subject to a fine of no less than $250,000 per incident, and whatever line of work the infraction is related to, will be suspended for no less than 1 game year.

  • A third infraction under this act in under 6 months will result in a 60 day suspension from FSN.

  • If a player returns after suspension and has another infraction, they will be permanently banned.

Equipment Guidelines

• FSN Vehicles, such as the DOT snowplow, large tractor, and large plow, are NOT for personal use on your farm. These vehicles are only to be used by players currently performing contracts for the Server Committee such as snowplowing or plowing a FSN-owned field. Using these vehicles for your own personal benefit is a significant exploit and can result in significant penalties. The FSN-owned telehander or forklift, if one is provided at the shop, may be used for loading pallets or objects you have purchasedat the shop, as well as to rescue vehicles that are stuck or tipped over to avoid vehicle reset.

• Use proper equipment for appropriate tasks. Ex. Do not use a small tractor to pull a large implement. If you see someone using equipment in an improper manner, please report it.

• Auger wagons is allowed on the road for NON-CROP transportation. So you can haul lime, seed and fert in an auger wagon to help resupply planting/liming/fert operations, but tippers/semis are required for crop transport on roadways.

• Any agricultural vehicles on roadways is required to have beacons on at all times, or, in cases where beacons is not an available addon, 4-way blinkers.

• Equipment must be registered. Every time you make a purchase in game, register it using NPC Equpiment Purchase on the website. Any items bought through auctions or dealerships will be automatically registered upon delivery. Equipment not registered is subject to a fine, likewise, equipment that has been sold but is still registered is subject to a fine.

• Vehicle transfers are limited to 5 per seven day period.

• Private sales of equipment can only happen through equipment auctions. You can only put a piece of equipment up for auction after you owned it for 1 full in game year. Alternatively you can sell it through the in game shop (if you have a farm slot on the server) after owning it for a year in game.

• You can sell up to 3 pieces of equipment through equipment auctions per in game year.

Logging Guidelines

• Obtain proper permits. Licensed Timber Operator (LTO) is required for ANY forestry work (including removing one tree to free up space in your yard), and Tree Permits are required for any tree cut or grinded, regardless of type and size.

• Use proper wood hauling equipment. Think of safety, if you are hauling logs there must be rails on the side to hold them safely. Do not use tippers to haul logs.

• To ensure your logging operations do not cause issues for the server or for other players, no more than 5 trees are allowed on the ground at a time. For non logging trees (any tree that can't be cut with the logging machines like Scorpion King) the limit is two trees at a time. You must load them on a trailer before cutting more.

• Tree permits need to be bought before you start cutting trees, and registered as the trees are cut. Failing to do so will lead to fines.

• Logging is only permitted during the winter season, except on logging servers (maps with no numbered fields).

Land Sales Guidelines

• Apart from your starter parcel, land can only be acquired through auctions, either Land Auctions, Private Land Auctions or Live Auctions.

• Private land sales can only happen through Land Auctions. Alternatively, you can sell the land back to NPC in-game.

• You may only sell one parcel of land per year on auction.

• You can sell any number of parcels back to NPC whenever you want. To do so, submit a ticket with the server number and parcel UID (found on the website under Data - Land Deeds). Staff will then go to the server, sell the land and credit your Web account. DO NOT sell land in-game.

• Gamey techniques such as having a low-tier farm buy a restricted auction and setting up an immediate 10-year lease is frowned upon, and if it becomes a problem will incur penalties.

• You cannot sell your home parcel under any circumstance. The only time it is sold is back to NPC farm when moving or wiping.

• A farm that is leaving FSN cannot mass transfer its assets to another farm. This creates an unfair advantage to the receiving farm that wouldn't have existed if not for the players exit. If you wish to take a break from FSN, please sell your things in the timelines and within the guidelines of the community, or sell back to NPC. At that time we can keep all your funds on your web account for when/if you decide to return.

• You may lease up to any number of parcels in a year through lease brokers.

• When you take possession of a parcel, be it from auction, or from another player, you will have to hold that title for a minimum 3 years (36 RL days) before you may put it up for auction.

• When you win a Land NAV or locality restricted auction, those restrictions stay on the land for 10 years.

Moving Farm Slot

• To move your farm from one location to another, first read this entire paragraph. If you are eligible for a move, and you still want to after understanding the rules and fees involved, submit a ticket stating where your farm is now (server number + parcel UID of your home parcel, found under Data - Land Deeds), and where you want to move (server number + parcel UID of the parcel you want to be your new home parcel, within the limitations below). Staff will then reach out to you when they are ready to conduct the move.

• There will be 1 move allowed every 90 days. This includes transitional moves between 19 and 22.

• A fee of 10% of your total NAV will be deducted to make the move unless you are moving to a new server you are sponsoring (see Mayors)

• Your home parcel will be sold back to NPC when the move is conducted, and the money from the sale will be credited to your Web account.

• You may not move to land valued at more than 500k (same as when first becoming FM), to prevent established farms from taking advantage of getting to pick any land without competition while also having a much higher buying power.

• If you are coming from a wooded parcel that you have clear cut, you must have re-prepared the land for the next owner. This means trees planted, or truly workable fields created (Not a 2 wide strip on a mountain.)

• If you see a parcel of land for auction on the server you wish to move to, you must have a ticket in PRIOR to winning the auction, otherwise we cannot process the auction win. If you do win a parcel at auction before the move is completed, you will be able to take control of that parcel + the starter parcel of up to 500k (Paying for both, obviously!)

• If you want to change your home parcel within the same server where you are already an FM, you need to already own the parcel you want to make your new home, your old home parcel will be sold back to NPC, and it will be considered a full farm move with all fees and restrictions fully enforced. Same-server farm moves is discouraged.

• If you are wanting to move because you've sponsored a new map, the parcel cost restriction is lifted and you may purchase 1 parcel without price restriction, but no more.

• If you want to leave a server, you can request your farm removed from the server and your status to be reverted to Contractor at any time. If you do, your farm slot will be removed from your server. You can only reapply for FM after a 60 day cool-down period. If / when you do, you will not be eligible for a new 500k grant. You can pick a parcel up to 500k like a new FM coming to the server.

Mayorship Guidelines

• Sponsoring a new server earns you the title of Mayor of that server.

• Mayors get to have a farm SLOT on any map they sponsor, + 1 additional farm slot on a map they do not sponsor.

• Mayors get 1 Home parcel of unlimited value per server sponsored as long as they can afford it, on their sponsored server. They still get the home plot of 500k value on a non-sponsored server as well.

• If a mayor wishes to pick a new home parcel, they can do so IF they are sponsoring a new server, and IF they sell their old home parcel back to NPC.

• There is no limit on the price of the new parcel, but the mayor must pay for it out of pocket.

• If you are not already an FM and are becoming the mayor of the map you are sponsoring, you are able to pick any starting parcel with no price limit, but your starting FM grant is still only 500K.

• If a mayor resigns, the server will be made available for others to take over the mayor spot/sponsorship, on a first come first serve basis. If a mayor spot is not filled, the server will close down after 90 days if there are more than 3 farms on the server, or 30 days if there are 3 or fewer farms on the server. The remaining FMs will be relocated to other servers of their choice.

Website Guidelines

• By using the website, you understand and agree what you are in a live development and testing environment and that all items contained within are subject to change at any time, with or without advanced notice

• The use of auto-refreshing is allowed, but only if the auto-refresh is set to longer than 10 minutes. Under this and your account may get flagged, causing a temporary suspension and ineligibility from website events. If after a temporary suspension you are flagged again, you could receive a longer suspension or a ban from play.

• Anyone found to be abusing loopholes or bugs in the site will be considered to be a high-level offender, and will be at a minimum suspended, and possibly immediately banned depending on the severity of the infraction. Use the website as it's intended, do not try to manipulate it for your own gain, or you may end up without a place to play!

• If you find a bug or potentially exploitable item on the website, do the proper thing and report the issue immediately to the Dev Team so that it can be corrected. As stated in other parts of the wiki, be a bug hunter, not a bug exploiter!

• Administration reserves the right to take administrative action upon users should they be in violation of any of the above and has the sole right to perform arbitration on any situation that may arise that is not covered in the outlined materials above.