Your father gives you the Basic Rake to start out in Toytles: Leaf Raking, but there are other types of rakes you might purchase during your entrepreneurial adventure. Rakes have a few attributes.
Energy Use Per Hour: Each hour you use a rake, you use energy. Some rakes are easier to use than others and so they use less energy. Others use much more energy. The Basic Rake uses 2 Energy.
# of Leaves Raked Per Hour: In exchange for that energy and hour, you will be able to rake a certain number of leaves at once. The Basic Rake can rake 1 leaf.
Max Durability: Each hour you use a rake, you put wear and tear on it, which drops the Durability by 1. When it drops to 0, the rake will break, and you will need a replacement. The Basic Rake has a Max Durability of 75.
Cost: When you want to get a new rake, you’ll need to purchase it from the store, which means saving up and using your money to do so. The Basic Rake has a cost of $45.
The other rakes in the game are the Rake Duo and the EZ Rake. You are not required to get these rakes, but you will find they have advantages that can help you tackle the variety of yards in the most efficient way.
The following table shows how the rakes compare to each other.
| Rake Name | Energy Use Per Hour | # of Leaves Raked Per Hour | Max Durability | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Basic Rake |
2 | 1 | 75 | $45 |
 Rake Duo |
5 | 4 | 40 | $90 |
 EZ Rake |
1 | 1 | 40 | $90 |
If you find yourself with limited time or if rain is threatening to prevent you from getting much done, you’ll find the Rake Duo’s ability to rake 4 times as many leaves as usual can help you get the job done quickly. It can be especially useful after a huge storm has dropped a large number of leaves on the yards of your clients. Just be aware that you’ll get tired much faster when using it.
If it is a holiday or weekend and you have an abundance of time and energy, use the EZ Rake. You’ll use half as much energy as the Basic Rake, which means you can work on twice as many leaves throughout the day. It can be especially useful if you have a lot of clients and need to rake a small number of leaves in each yard.
Both rakes are twice the cost of the Basic Rake, and they are more fragile, so you will want to keep an eye on their durabilities. Nothing is worse than wanting to tackle a tough job and finding the specialized tool you need has broken.
Pro-tip: Work Pace
When working on a yard, after choosing your rake, you choose your Work Pace. Your Pace impacts the energy you use, how many leaves you can rake, and how much wear and tear your tool endures.
A Strenuous Pace allows you to rake twice as many leaves in an hour, but you’ll use 3 times as much energy and your rake will lose 3 points of durability.
For example, if you are using a Basic Rake for two hours, a Steady Pace will mean you use
2 Energy x 2 Hours = 4 Energy, and you will rake
1 Leaf x 2 Hours = 2 Leaves.
A Strenuous Pace, however, will use
2 Energy x 2 Hours x 3 = 12 Energy to rake up
1 Leaf x 2 Hours x 2 = 4 Leaves!
And your rake loses
3 x 2 Hours = 6 points of durability instead of
1 x 2 Hours = 2 points of durability, meaning it will break sooner.
That trade-off might not seem like a good deal. After all, you use a lot more energy and put a lot more wear and tear on your rake while getting a small increase in productivity. Why would you ever choose to use a Strenuous Pace? It might make sense if you are pressed for time. An overcast day might mean that you only have a small window of opportunity to clean up a yard in between bouts of rain, and you might want to make every hour count.
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