With 140 friends that's 11 fp a day avg over the long run, theoretically anyway, you would give that up for aid? But it's pretty much a false dichotomy anyway, it's not really a this or that situation, and also goes to show difference in playstyle and the different wants/needs that come along with that.
I'm also one who doesn't really need much aid, I can actually get away with only 20 needed a day, so if I had 140 friends, 79 guildmates and 79 neighbors only 7% of them would need to ever aid me daily. And really how many players bother to actually go to your city and see what if anything can be p/m'd? And to find out what you would like to have p/m'd? None, those days died with the easy scripting Aid button.
Friends sitting in my tavern is important to me because I use a lot of Tavern Silver. If there's a friend that only ever aids and never sits I remove them, no matter the cloth they have.
Friends at least working on having the highest upgrades to their tablecloth I don't mind keeping but if a year later they're still rocking the R&W checkerboard cloth, really, how much of a friend can they be? Sorry, this world of low expectations I don't want to live in.
Trade is also important to me so I look for those who make and take trades.
Activity is important as well and in the end is usually what takes priority in determining who gets the boot. Once I get rid of the non sitters then I go after the one or two times a week sitters, 3 times a week seems to be my bar right now but it fluctuates.
There's the blueprint factor as well. Back when I was trying to get blueprints it was important to have friends to aid for more chances at blueprints. This is why having your guildmates as your friends is a bad idea as they take up a spot in your friends list that could have gone to another bp chance instead.
Self levelers are nice but if they do and have nothing else and you have 200,000 fp's leveling Arc, CdM's and Innos all day you're probably not going to waste your time searching out the people you can get 10fp from on that Colosseum they're leveling.
Actual friends? Like just someone to chat with and such? Sure I guess if you're simply playing the casual game not looking to really do anything, okay, but for those looking to remain competitive perhaps using Skype or something would be more conducive and prudent.
Just a means to an end? I think this is what gets to those who like to virtue signal. They like to portray themselves as enlightened, altruistic, super evolved, humans who believe they've got the code to mankind's troubles by saying "oh no my friend, you are not just a tablecloth to me, I am a true friend", pfft, yeah right. Then portraying those who take a different approach of the matter that aren't so pseduohumanistic by saying "see here all! the beast in our midsts? Let us feed him to the lion's, burn him at the stake!"
mighty grateful you're warning me now so I don't waste space.
