If your friend sends you something on your list and you do not send them something back, chances are they will stop sending you gifts. Make sure you pay attention to who sends you the gifts you have to say thank you to. These are the people sending you gifts on your wish list. Be a good friend and they will send you gifts everyday. Also visiting friends and helping them will give you fireflies, ladybugs, etc. and will give you a lot of experience points to help you reach the next level more quickly.
In the Valentine update one of the tasks was to collect 400 Valentine's cards from your friends. Just remember that you need to GIVE BACK TOO - people do track their friends and if you don't visit, they probably won't either.
Combine books to increase number of clock parts
Among lower level collections, many players combine the toy soldiers in order to get two compasses and 1500 coins. Each set requires 2 small winding keys and two small springs to combine it. On the other hand, if you instead combine the books in order to get one compass and 750 coins, and you use one small winding key and one small spring to combine each set, then two sets of books costs and yields the same as a single set of soldier, with one exception. Each time you combine a set, you also receive a clock component to use when combining artefacts. So twice the number of sets created means twice the number of clock parts.
Find every item without using tools
Take a screenshot (home button and power button together). Find the items in the screenshot. For dark screens take screenshot after using a torch.
Note: Use this tip with caution as it requires that you leave the game to look at the picture you have taken! Your game may close out and lose your search without mistake streak. You could take a picture with another device if you have one and then pause it whilst you search, but again if you aren't paying attention your game may close out.
Get what you need without buying
Write down the reward you get for completing each collection. Then when you need something like seakers, compasses, or energy go to your list. If you are able to complete the collection again you can get what you need without buying it.
Gifting
THERE ARE THREE CATEGORIES OF GIFTS:
FREEBIES
(Anything on the send a gift tab) which you can send 50 per day, one per person. This does not "cost" you anything.
COLLECTION ITEMS
Which you can send 10 per day - distributed as you choose, ie you can send all ten to one person if you wish.
THANKYOUS
These are the little wrapped boxes that you see when collecting your gifts. They are what you receive when your friend presses thankyou when you send them a gift.
EASY GIFTING:
FREEBIES
If you have reached the level to unlock a freebie gift, then it will have a one next to it on your friend's wishlist - just click on the item to send it.
COLLECTION ITEMS
The number on your friend's wishlist shows how many YOU have in your inventory. If you have more than one, you can send it by clicking on the item. This does not work if you only have one - see below.
THANKYOUS
Sending thankyous is a nice thing to do, and it DOESN'T "cost" you anything - it does not come out of your inventory. Just click thankyou when you accept the gift from your friend.
Order of picture levels
Below is the list of levels for each picture from lowest level to highest level as of the Treasure Island update (Sept. 2014). Each level is listed as: Level (frame colour*; rate of completion % for each play at level; amount of special items needed to play picture at level**).
*Frame decoration is as seen on iPad1 1st gen, and appearance may vary with device game is played on.
**Some levels require special items to play e.g. fireflies for night garden, ladybugs for mill, and holiday pictures may have their own special item requirements during holiday events.
Novice (green-yellow; +20% per play; 5 special items)
Trainee (plain brown; +10% per play; 10 special items)
Detective (decorative copper-brown; ~7% per play; 15 special items)
Pro (silver; ~4% per play; 20 special items)
High Seeker (gold; +1% per play; 25 special items)
Academician (bright purple-pink; +1% per 2 plays; 30 special items)
Magister (bright green; +1% per 4 plays; 35 special items)
Professor (baby blue; +1% per 6 plays; 40 special items
As a guide, if a special task requires getting to 'Academic level' (Academician; purple-pink frame) on a new picture this will require approximately 155 plays and approximately 3,350 special items if they are needed for that picture (e.g. cupids arrows for Tree of Dates, Christmas baubles for Christmas Eve, pumpkin lanterns for Witch's Hut).
To get to 100% Professor level from the point of opening a new picture (0% Novice level) will take approximately 1,355 plays and approximately 47,350 special items if they are needed for that picture. However, this is not the maximum amount you can play a single picture. Once you reach 100% Professor the counter will continue to increase the more you play the picture to 101%, 102% etc. indefinitely.
Price Discrepancies
You can sometimes buy combining items needed to complete a collection for less diamonds/crystals at the collection than at the shop. If you need a combining item just click on the group of four combining items at the collection and then you will see the costs. The following are cheaper at these collections than at the shop:
At the "Hearts" and "Varicolored Sticky Notes" collections:
Rose 12 (two less than shop)
Candle 12 (four less than shop)
Washer 20 (two less than shop)
Split washer 20 (four less than shop)
There used to be a similar discrepancy with some Christmas items, but they are no longer sold at the shop, just at the collection. Based on this, future updates with new combining items might have this glitch too, so keep an eye out for that.
BUYING CHESTS - You would generally presume that buying a bundle within a chest is cheaper, but that Is not always the case. As an example buying the Clockmakers Chest is actually more expensive than buying the components separately in groups of ten!
THE LESSON BEING - BEFORE YOU PART WITH YOUR HARD EARNED (OR BOUGHT!) CRYSTALS, CHECK PRICES IN BOTH THE SHOP AND AT THE COLLECTION, AND ALSO BUNDLES VERSUS BUYING ITEMS INDIVIDUALLY.
Skipping quests
I've noticed this feature: if you have accidentally found some item before it appeared in your quests and you are able to combine a collection with this item already - do it! It will sort of "verify" that you had this item and the quest will be completed. And don't worry about the 6th step of each quest-group, which is "combining a collection" - this one somehow solves itself right when it appears, if you have at any point combined this collection.
Note: Use this tip with caution if you do not have extras of the remaining items as you may struggle to obtain those! This tip is best used when it is the last item in a collection.
Take caution when changing your name
Sometimes people change their names to reflect whether they need bugs or carrots, etc. Remember to try and keep a recognisable part of your name if you do this. You may just get deleted if your friend doesn't realise it is you!
Time Travel
HOW CAN I TIME TRAVEL?
This depends on your device specifically, and some don’t have the capacity to do it. It involves changing your time settings to enable extra gifting and energy restoration. There are some good existing threads explaining the specifics of how to time travel and issues you may come across. Use the search box to find these.
PROS
You can basically have unlimited energy and strength and send unlimited gifts.
CONS
You can affect other things on your device such as alarms or reminders and other apps. You may experience more crashes and have issues with your device after travelling.
SHOULD I TIME TRAVEL
A completely individual choice! Just make sure you read the previous threads about it, and go in to it with your eyes wide open! Also see "Backing Up Your Game".