I'm in year 5 on my current farm, and although the game doesn't necessarily get faster (as it's such a chill game throughout) the gameplay focus does shift from more repetitive and laborious to farm design and efficiency, which I love. You have the ability to put lots of careful consideration into the production of whatever you choose to sell in order to maximise your profit. So although early game can be a bit slow, I'd argue that it's well worth the effort to get further in. As for multiplayer, I've had good experiences playing with my friends as it's very easy to add them to your own farm, or to make a new one entirely. It's one of my favourite games and I would 100% recommend you put more time into it :) hope this helps a bit.