Thursday, October 2, 2008

Vanishing Animals in IoH

So many players have had this problem that I have added a little section to my General Guide. It actually is something that can occur in almost any Harvest Moon game. One of your animals, whether a Pet, Cow or Sheep, either vanishes from the screen or becomes stuck in a wall. This can be very distressing to players, as one might imagine. Many players found that their cat or dog was immured in the wall or behind the furnishings when Gotz expanded their houses for the last time in HM DS. There was a problem with a vanishing cow or calf in AWL or AnWL (can't recall which from memory). Now there is a problem in IoH. When left outside, the dog or horse may disappear from the screen. You do not lose the animal but you neither can see it nor interact with it. Another problem is that of a Cow or Sheep that becomes stuck in the wall of the Barn. In this situation, you actually can see the poor creature, day after day...

What you need to do here first and foremost is to continue to FEED the animal daily. Make certain that a portion of food is left in the food tray each day whether you see the Animal or not. Remember that pets WILL eat their food even when kept outside in IoH.

There is a solution whichever animal is affected, thank God! In IoH, each type of Animal has a Festival once each year. On the day before the Festival, Mirabelle will come to the farm to ask if you wish to enter an Animal in the Contest. At that point, the Animal that you enter should appear next to Mirabelle. At the end of the Festival, she will return the Animal directly to its stable or Barn and the problem should be solved.

Another solution with respect to an Animal caught in the Barn wall was tested and confirmed by a player who experienced it. She bought Miracle Potion and impregnated the Animal, realising that a pregnant Animal would appear the next morning next to the Birthing Pen. This solution worked beautifully. The only difficulty is in positioning oneself correctly in order to be able to sprinkle the Potion over the Animal while it remains caught in the Wall.

A more drastic solution with respect to Livestock would be to sell the Animal back to Mirabelle. If you are impatient and cannot bear the sight of the creature in the wall, sell it back to Mirabelle and either purchase or raise another. Remember though, that ANY animal can be recovered at the appropriate Animal Festival.

Finally, a tip when any Animal in the wall becomes stressed or cannot be milked or sheared. If you set Red or Blue Wonderfuls in any Ranch Tool, you will increase its range in the same way that the range of any Farm Tool would be expanded. You then may be able to use the Brush, Milker/Clippers on the Animal caught in the Wall, preventing it from feeling neglected!

27 October: More players have experienced the 'vanishing animal' situation now. A chicken has disappeared twice now in one player's game. In the player's own words: 'It disappeared before the day after a storm (typhoon), but I found it wandering around my farm. Well, no storm in awhile and one day it's gone. It's been a week (in the game)... I've looked around my farm about 20 times each day on the game.'

At least a chicken will find its own food outside, as the player noted. In my own game, I have experienced a rather bizarre situation with respect to chickens left inside their pens in the field. Safely ensconced in the pen at night, I have found them wandering OUTSIDE the pen the next morning on occasion. Fortunately, no stress was suffered. There must be some programming in the game that moves animals randomly. It can be rather disconcerting.

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

Heh ... can't have a Harvest Moon game without disappearing animals ... ~recalls losing his dog in the bathroom in 64 and the disappearing calves in AWL~ ... ~sigh~ Nope ... you sure can't beat those old time traditions ...

Freyashawk said...

I think it is the price we have to pay occasionally for all the detail and complexity in Harvest Moon... and it's worth it really, however distressing the experience can be! As a lifelong animal lover, I find that my attachment to Harvest Moon animals is very real as well.

Anonymous said...

hello, i commented early on losing my horse. I found it! It was stuck in the stable wall. One day when i went in to feed it i saw its tail stucking out from the wall so i rang my bell (it has 10 hearts) and it came right back out!

Jadis said...

I've never had a disappearing animal - though I once did have a disappearing Dog Ball in HMDS Cute and HMDS. Has that been reported as well?

Freyashawk said...

I believe the disappearing Dog Ball is included in my HM DS General Guide, Kalypsocry. I always kept mine in the Cabinet, but I do believe Thomas would bring another if you 'lost' yours. In fact, I do not think that situation was a glitch. It was a method by which the game reminded you not to neglect your Dog!

Anon, well done on bringing your horse out of the wall with the bell, but that apparently does not work all the time, as other players were unable to persuade the animal to free itself. Of course, success with the bell is determined partly by heart level...

HyperDistinctTree said...

hi!
umm.. this has absolutly nothing to do with vanishing animals, but I have a question. In IoH, the boat won't leave. it is floating at at dock, and hasn't left for a full season.its been there all winter, andit still there and im in spring 10. Am I supposed to ride in it or something?

Anonymous said...

Oh my! Yes, my sister suffered the strange problem of her Cat getting stuck... ON a wall to the bath after upgrading her house in HM DS. At least they don't require any kind of special care, but that also means she can't retrieve her cat! Such a strange glitch. Do later-made copies have fewer glitches?

Anonymous said...

hello this question has NOTHING to do with disappearing animals [though now i know what to do if the situation should arise!] my question involves taro. i belatedly realized i should have been giving him gifts to raise his heart level so i can get the fishing rod. now he wont accept ANY of my gifts and i'm getting a little frantic! please help. =3 i love reading your game guides they're very helpful. ^^

Freyashawk said...

Anon, once you have neglected some one for a couple of days, he/she no longer will accept any gift from you. Nonetheless, each time you speak to the individual, his/her heart level will increase a little. Depending how long you ignored the individual, it can take five days of daily visits and greetings before a gift will be accepted.

If you are the player who emailed me about this, you now have your Fishing Rod. If not, just be patient and make certain to speak to Taro daily. When he is at 2 hearts, you should receive the Fishing Rod.

Freyashawk said...

As for the ship, it is a GOOD sign when it appears at the dock. It means that visitors will arrive regularly. You should be able to have visits from Mineral Town as well as others.

Anonymous said...

....My cats stuck in the wall....
and I need it to get one of the harvest sprites that I need. Any suggestions on how to get it out?

Freyashawk said...

Jay uh, you must be playing either HM DS or Cute, not IoH... if you are speaking of rescuing Sprites. There are no Sprites connected to your Cat in HM DS/Cute DS. It is sad when an Animal is caught in the wall but it can't possibly affect the rescue of any of the Harvest Sprites. All you can do is hope that the Animal moves of its own accord as you go through time... nothing else can be done. I assume the cat was caught in the wall when Gotz performed an upgrade to the house. That usually is how it happens. You can put the cat outside BEFORE Gotz begins his work on the house if you are worried about this possibility... or don't save your game until you see that the upgrade has been completed and both cat and dog are free of any impediments.

Anonymous said...

Well, I've lost my cow. Woke up one morning and couldn't see Mary. I tried to get her out with the bell but she only has 8 heart levels and so wouldn't come out. I have six cows and sheep so I can't get her pregnant and it's the middle of winter so the next festival is quite a while away. What should I do?

P.S. do NOT hit your animal with a hammer. I thought that this might make my cow come out of the wall but instead she ran even further away and is now out of range of my bell. Whoops.

Freyashawk said...

Anon, this is a common problem, but with respect, how could it ever be good to brain your Animal with a hammer! Usually, if you hit your Animal with any farm tool or weapon, you will lose hearts with her. In Magical Melody, this was a strategy if you wished to run a horse in a lower level of race...

She MAY respond to the bell at 8 hearts. The chances that she will are less but keep trying. Other players have tried to use Miracle Potion on the animal when she was stuck in the wall and have succeeded in bringing her out that way.

Clare said...

Hey...

I love your guides! They're really easy to understand.

I go everywhere with my dog (I have IOH) even in the bathroom (lol). Once I went to Shea and Wada's house, and my dog just dissapeared! I was holding her one second then she was gone once I entered the house. Panicking, I looked everywhere and rang my bell but there was no dog! Guess where I found her? Halfway in the Harvest Goddess' pond. I rang the bell, but she only did the heart sign and didn't move. I tried to pick her up but it didn't work. I went back home, saved the game just in case, and went to bed. In the morning, I checked in the Stable and there she was.

Dark said...

Island Of Happiness:
Spring 29th
When I went to the Spring Crop Festival, I went fishing since the time doesn't matter there. I fished for a little while and the last things I got where 2 cans that I was holding in one of the four spots then I clicked on my fishing rod and I didn't notice at first but the floating part of the rod was in the water and I was holding the can in my hand. Then I looked for my rod and could not find it so I went home to see if it was in the tool box, not there. Is there a way to get another fishing rod?