Tribute to Yasuhiro Wada

Any one who has played Island of Happiness and/or Sunshine Islands is familiar with the rather laconic character, Wada. Wada is the only true 'native' of Sunny Island and is the repository of its ancient mysteries and traditions. Befriending Wada can lead to situations where the entire bounty of Sunny Island becomes available to your character. It is fitting that Wada bears the name of Harvest Moon's founder, Yasuhiro Wada.

Recently, Yasuhiro Wada announced that, for 'personal reasons', he no longer would be as active in directing operations at Marvelous. He will continue to act as an advisor, however.

The character of Wada is NOT that of a farmer, but he rather is part of a hunter and gatherer culture. Yasuhiro Wada confesses that he tried farming but has no expertise in farming in the real world. 'I tried it,' he told an interviewer a few years ago. 'It was hard work.'

Farming is hard work in Harvest Moon as well, lending versimilitude to the games. Under Wada's guidance and with the help of Natsume in North America, Harvest Moon has become an internationally-beloved alternative world.

Here are some photographs of the 'real' Wada and his namesake in Island of Happiness and Sunshine Islands. Many, many thanks to the creator of Harvest Moon for making it possible for us to enjoy over 10 years of a magical universe where hard work and loyalty to friends are rewarded and where we can interact with the seasons and the Earth to create a life in harmony with Nature. May the magic continue in the hands of those who have inherited the mantle of leadership from him...

I do have one question to ask of Wada, however. What is the REAL connnection between Wada and the mysterious 'Tower' behind his Hut in the Jungle? Will that 'ship' one day take off again to colonise new planets?

P.S. Pursuant to questions from readers, I need to make it very clear that neither the quality nor the quantity of Harvest Moon games will suffer from the real Wada's decision. His successor, Haruki Nakayama, actually is included in the credits for Harvest Moon games as far back as 2004 in 'A Wonderful Life' (and possibly other early games) and has been responsible for Island of Happiness, Sunshine Islands and Animal Parade, inter alia. The only reason I wrote about Wada's announcement is because he was very much part of the founding of the series and has been immortalised in the character of Wada in IoH and SI.

In fact, as CEO of Marvelous Entertainment, Haruki Nakayama made a statement recently about the Nintendo 3DS announcement. He believes that the device will succeed commercially when it launches, even though the system's retail price and development costs associated with it will be higher than previous systems. As he appears eager and excited as well as optimistic about its online capabilities, it hints at possible future Harvest Moon and Rune Factory titles for the system...

The Delight of Trivial Dialogue in Harvest Moon

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When I have my (very brief) moments of weariness and experience a crisis of faith in any Harvest Moon game, wondering how long it will take to collect enough income for the prized Greenhouse or when I will be able to reach the lowest floor in any Mine, something always restores my energy. Often it is an unexpected Event... or even a little piece of dialogue.

In Sunshine Islands, for example, Freya found Popuri at the Diner on a snowy Saturday afternoon in Winter. When she spoke to her, Popuri confided: 'Just between you and me, Karen's a terrible cook.'

That is no secret, by the way, to any veteran player of Harvest Moon. In FoMT and MFoMT, Karen invariably entered some utterly destroyed 'Burnt Dish' in the Cooking Contest year after year. We have followed her Cooking disasters from game to game... It did bring a smile to my face, however, hearing Popuri confess this little fact to me in Sunshine Islands. After all, how many years has Karen beeen striving unsuccessfully in the kitchen? Blessed with beauty, intelligence, humour and boundless energy, able to hold her own at the bar or in the workplace against any man, it is only fitting that Karen should have one flaw. She cannot cook.

Players who complain about 'too much dialogue' in any Harvest Moon or Rune Factory game are missing the point entirely. They shouldn't be playing these games if they cannot immerse themselves in these two wildly diverting, complex universes where characters are three-dimensional and have histories that carry over from game to game and village to village. Harvest Moon and Rune Factory truly are interactive novels where we, the players, are privileged to be allowed to enter into the universe and interact freely, actually changing the destinies of other characters as well as creating a marvelous life for ourselves.

You cannot expect to plumb the depths of Island of Happiness or Sunshine Islands in a year or two. Furthermore, there is a philosophical lesson to be learned in any Harvest Moon or Rune Factory game. Impatience is the root of unhappiness and dissatisfaction with life and your world. If you learn patience and have an attention to detail, you will be rewarded with every possible benefit that these worlds offer. If you begin to count the days until you will earn enough money for a specific upgrade, you will be unhappy with yourself and your life until you achieve that goal and furthermore, probably neglect other details and aspects of life in the process. You must tread gently and carefully in Harvest Moon and Rune Factory, paying attention to other people as well as other living creatures, whether plants or animals. Every life has its own worth. Neglect one and you have made your own universe a smaller place.

Happy Harvest Moon Hallowe'en, Pumpkin Festival

Move Over, Vaughn!

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As much as I responded to Vaughn's physical appearance in Island of Happiness, I really rather detested his surly disposition and lack of good manners. One is sympathetic to the difficult, rather lonely life he led in his childhood, but orphans and those whom fortune has not favoured have been known to behave far better in the face of social deprivation.
Nonetheless, as I always had a weakness for young men with long silver hair, I courted Vaughn in Island of Happiness with single-minded determination (even though I went through the Courtship and Marriage moves with every bachelor, never saving the results afterwards).

Now, however, I have to declare that I have met some one who embodies all of my fantasies and dreams. With aristocratic bearing (and a string of names to equal his lineage), a love of animals, a chivalrous disposition, impeccable manners AND the 'peaches and cream' 6th form sort of wildly attractive looks that captures my heart instantly, I cannot find a single flaw in this Eligible Bachelor. He is a REAL Prince Charming but I cannot say anything else about him at this point in time...

Just to let you know that upcoming Harvest Moon games have some wonderful romantic surprises in store for players... Nor have male players been shorted here. There is an exquisite new Eligible Girl for them and they ALWAYS had the Witch Princess, who is one of my favourite characters, although I really could not bear to slaughter animals even for her.

Seasonal Farming in Harvest Moon and Rune Factory

Crops tend to be season-specific both in Harvest Moon and in Rune Factory. Those of us who have been playing Harvest Moon games for a number of years became accustomed to a specific correspondence between Crops and their seasons.

Whether motivated by a sense of mischief or simply by a desire to 'mix things up' to make the games more challenging, some of the seasonal correspondences for traditional Crops were altered in more than one recent Harvest Moon and Rune Factory game.

For example, in Rune Factory 2, Turnips, always designated as a Spring Crop, became a Winter Crop. Pink Turnips instead were designated as the Spring Crop. Onions, traditionally a Summer Crop, became a Spring Crop. Potatoes, always associated in Harvest Moon with Spring, became an Autumn Crop. Confusing? Most definitely.

I believe that Pumpkins, traditionally a Summer Crop in most Harvest Moon/Rune Factory games, were moved to Autumn in Tree of Tranquility. (That makes more sense in terms of an Autumn Pumpkin Festival in a way but I believe that Pumpkins will continue to be classified as a Summer Crop in most games.)

When I wrote a post about Crops in Island of Happiness, and described a field in error as containing 'Tomatoes, Corn and Turnips', it probably was due partly to the many changes I have experienced as a Farmer in Harvest Moon and Rune Factory. Of course, the third Crop in the field consisted of Onions, not Turnips. (In my defence, I wrote the post after a virtually sleepless night, battling a rather nasty infection that caused high fever, terrible headaches, earache and sore throat.)

Another fact that has complicated my Farming expertise somewhat is the ability to grow Crops from ALL seasons simulaneously on Whale Island in Rune Factory Frontier, making it quite possible to have Corn, Tomatoes and Turnips on the same field... Nonetheless, it is embarrassing to make a mistake like that in a published post, and I am glad that some one caught it quickly!

One can become so accustomed to our Harvest Moon universe, certain fundamental rules relating to farming, mining, fishing and even social interactions that appear to be writ in stone... the unverse therefore is intensely real and one sometimes expects that these rules, like the 'laws of Nature' are unchanging. Making ANY assumption in a new game that is based on past games is a mistake unless proven by actual experience because the creators of any game are like Gods who can, in a single act, reverse any or ALL of the laws. The worlds of Harvest Moon and Rune Factory are detailed and complex, with characters who appear in more than one game and items, such as lithographs, Pirate Treasure, Fossils of Fish and Wonderfuls that acquire their own reality due to Harvest Moon, irrespective of any separate identity they may or my not possess in the 'real world'.

It is important for any Harvest Moon or Rune Factory player, myself included, ALWAYS to read the description of any item in any new game. Any bag of seeds that you purchase comes with a detailed description, including its Seasonal correspondence.
I never made the mistake of actually planting Turnips in Summer in Island of Happiness... but I did make the mistake of planting Turnips in Spring once in Rune Factory 2. Force of habit... and that can be a liability as well as an asset for a veteran player.

Island of Happiness Rival Events

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I have not been able to play Island of Happiness for some time now and in fact am working on preliminary guides for 'Sunshine Islands', its sequel. Island of Happiness remains the most sophisticated and complex Harvest Moon game to date, however and I only now realised that some assumptions made about the requirements for triggering Events may be incorrect.

In Island of Happiness, your character's actions affect the total population on the Island. In other words, if you bring two members of the Ranching Team to the Island, sheep will be unlocked at Mirabelle's Animal Shop. On the other side of the coin, if you fail to fish for a season and thereby ship no fish whatsoever, characters from the Fishing Team will leave.

Both Main Characters such as Eligible Girls/Bachelors and Subsidiary Characters are affected by your character's activities throughout the game. Players, including myself, who were unable to trigger the final Rival Heart Event between a couple initially performed a specific activity associated with the characters and then were able to trigger the Event. In other words, after I spent a fair amount of time fishing, the final Rival Event between Denny and Lanna triggered.

Today, a player left a comment asking how many fish had to be caught before the final Rival Event between Lanna and Denny would trigger. This is what caused me to reassess the entire basis of Island of Happiness. It may be the total number of Subsidiary Characters in a specific team who are present on the island at a given time that is the determinant rather than the activity (fishing, mining, etc.) per se where the requirement for any Rival Proposal is concerned. In other words, it is not the number of Fish that you catch but the number of members of the Fishing Team who are on the Island that is significant.

In like fashion, the puzzle relating to the actual requirement to trigger Elliot's Purple Heart Event could be solved using the same reasoning. In desperation, hunting for a hidden trigger for the Event, rather absurd theories about a requirement that a player ship 200 Crops from Taro's shipping bin arose but were disproven by players who were able to experience the Event without ever shipping a single Crop from Taro's bin. I expect that the requirement for his Purple Heart Event, apart from having the specified Heart Level, actually is based on the number of Farming Team Members who are on the Island. I suspect that, if you have not brought any of the Farming Team members to the Island you will not be able to experience his Purple Heart Event even if he is at Blue Heart level.

Another situation that shows the complexity of the game involves the Ranch products in Island of Happiness. The appearance of members of the Ranching Team is based on the number of Ranch products that your character makes. Initially, I believed that the products had to be made in the appropriate Makers until characters managed to bring the members of the Teams to the Island by making the same products in their Kitchen.

In fact, my Characters Guide needs to be revised to some extent based on extended gameplay experiences. It was written using an advance copy of the game.

In particular, if I am correct in assuming now that actual Events are based on the presence of a specified number of Subsidiary Team members rather than on totals of items obtained or shipped, it will simplify matters considerably.

I would be interested in hearing from other players on this topic.

Time Out from Rune Factory Frontier

I am NOT finished with Rune Factory Frontier by any means. I still need to upload a few Proposal/Wedding videos I created last month as well as adding more details to all my guides. On the other hand, Frantic Farming is due to be released very shortly and I would like to have a completed Guide for that game on IGN on the day it is released.

I have not received official permission to post about Frantic Farming yet but I think I safely can state that it is a very addictive, fast-paced game that is certain to appeal both to gamers who enjoy puzzles as well as any one who loved Island of Happiness. For reasons which I will explain in my general review of the game, I believe that players who liked Princess Debut will enjoy Frantic Farming. I hope to be able to post a detailed review in a few days and perhaps a few videos as well.

Gift-Giving in Island of Happiness

I know I have addressed this point in the past and the information IS included in my guides for Island of Happiness. Even so, most of the emails I receive with respect to the game ask the following question:

How can I get the Fishing Rod from Taro when he refuses my gift?

In Island of Happiness, you must speak to every individual DAILY or risk the refusal of any gift you offer. If you have neglected a character, he/she no longer will accept any gift from you. This is true of all the characters.

The solution is to continue speaking to the individual daily and to persevere in offering your gift. The number of days the character will refuse any gift is based on the length of time that he/she was ignored but there is a limit. The maximum number of days, I believe, is six. After six days, the individual WILL accept a gift again if you spoke to him/her daily.

This is a very interesting aspect of Island of Happiness and one that makes it more challenging.

The answer to the question ultimately is:

Speak to Taro DAILY and continue to offer him the gift. He will accept it before a full week has passed.

In every Harvest Moon or Rune Factory game, the secret to success in personal relationships really is regular contact. You neglect characters at your peril. In other games, there is no penalty for ignoring a character for awhile, but in Island of Happiness, there is.

The lesson here is to speak to every one regularly even if you cannot afford a gift.

4th Rival Heart Event in Island of Happiness

I need to confirm this in a new game, but something a player did made sense in the context of triggering Denny's 4th Rival Heart Event.

The Rival Heart Events for each couple appeared to be 'tied' to specific activities. With respect to Pierre, it is cooking and recipes. With respect to Sabrina and Vaughn, it is mining. With respect to Denny and Lanna, it is fishing and with Elliot, it is farming.

You need to fish prodigiously in order to trigger the 4th Rival Heart Event between Lanna and Denny but players who have caught many fish slowly have failed to trigger the Event. One player wrote that, when she caught 50 fish finally in a single day, the 4th Rival Heart Event finally triggered.

This may be the key. As previously stated, I need to confirm this in a game of my own, but it is worth publishing here as a decent hypothesis.

Farm Rankings in Island of Happiness

It was only when a player wrote to me to ask how the Wi-Fi Ranking system in Island of Happiness worked that I realised I had neglected this aspect of the game completely in my Guide. When I played IoH, I was curious about the Wi-Fi component of the game initially, but as the game had not been released at that time, there was no way I could have competed against any one. I therefore promptly forgot about the option...

I am adding a section to my General Guide now, but will post the information here as well for players:

In order to participate in the system, a player first must register for the week. It is best to do this on Sunday or Monday as that will give the player the potential to have as many of his/her actions count as possible. Once the connection to the server is made and the player has registered for the week, everything he/she does is recorded. For example, all items shipped after registration is made will count towards the ranking. You must make certain, however, that your records are submitted.

On Saturday, the records are tallied and the winners are selected. Afterwards, the prizes will be given out and the users can register for the next week. Prizes for winning are Wonderfuls. The colour of the Wonderful that you receive actually IS random in this situation, unlike the Wonderfuls given at Festivals or by your Spouse as an Anniversary gift.

Here is the schedule:

On Sunday/Monday: Register/Update Rankings.
From Monday to Friday: Play your game and work towards that week's rankings.
On Friday: Submit My Records.
On Sunday/Monday: Again Register/Update Rankings to see if you have won.
Repeat the entire process...

Unlocking Sheep in your 1st Year in Island of Happiness

It is possible to unlock Sheep at Mirabelle's Shop in the 1st Year. Like most achievements in Island of Happiness, it appears to depend upon a combination of factors. I experienced two events: Taro's Expansion Event and the next morning, Noe announced 'A Growing Island' in the 3rd Event of its kind.

The text of both events is:

Taro’s Remodeled House

Taro: Hello, Freya.
So, what do you think? We had a little remodeling done. Gannon did the work. Fine craftsmanship, as always.
I nod.
Taro (with music): Of course, we couldn’t have afforded this if you hadn’t shipped so much and made the island so prosperous. Thanks for all your hard work, Freya!
After: Now this place really feels like home.

A Growing Island

Good morning, Freya!
Great news!

Noe enters.

Noe: The island is getting more and more lively.
Well done, Freya!
We have so many residents, it’s like a renaissance!
I nod.
Noe: Keep up the good work. We’ll watch out for you.
See you later.

Immediately afterwards, I went outside to find Gannon, who had completed my Animal Barn expansion.

In my original game, Sheep were unlocked as soon as my Animal Barn expansion was complete, but apparently this is not a requirement. Players have written to the effect that they were able to obtain Sheep without ever expanding their barns. What is necessary, however, is a certain rate of accomplishment generally. I am not certain if Taro's House Expansion invariably is followed by the 3rd 'Growing Island' Event because obviously players could achieve their completion percentages in different ways. I had 56% completion and 66 individuals on the Island.

The second rancher had arrived two days previously.

In another player's game, he unlocked Sheep as soon as the 2nd rancher arrived. It is possible, therefore, that a certain completion percentage as well as the arrival of two ranchers is required.

I am not certain how many factors are relevant with respect to many of the new options that are unlocked in this game but I have been diligent in ALL areas:
Farming, Ranching, Mining, Fishing, Cooking. Is it necessary to have a certain number of Recipes in your Cookbook? Does it matter how many different kinds of fish you have caught or different ores and gems collected? Shipping in general IS relevant as are the total number of residents. Taro says: 'We couldn't have afforded this if you hadn't shipped so much and made the island so prosperous.' Noe speaks of a 'renaissance' for the island in terms of all the people who have arrived.

It cannot be a coincidence that both events were followed by the appearance of Sheep on Mirabelle's Menu.

Another player has been kind enough to share all of his achievements prior to the moment when Sheep were unlocked in his game. Like me, he had experienced both Taro's Expansion Event and the 3rd Growing Island Event. As soon as the 2nd Rancher arrived, Sheep appeared on the menu.

So I now postulate the following requirements for Sheep:

1. Experiencing Taro's Expansion and the 3rd 'Growing Island' Event with Noe;
2. Bringing 2 Ranchers to the Island.

I sincerely hope that NO ONE will be able to shoot THIS down. Island of Happiness is driving me insane in terms of being able to make categorical declarations.

Incidentally, the rules for winning Contests at Festivals are a little more complex than first appeared. (Everything in this game is!) You actually CAN win an Animal Festival with an Animal with only 2 hearts, although it is not very likely. Having an Animal at 9 to 10 hearts should guarantee that you win. At two hearts, a Cow who had been bred three times won the Contest. I believe that the use of the Cow in breeding was the key.

What I have not been able to ascertain is why Mirabelle will bestow a new title upon one Animal with 2 hearts and nothing on another of the same level. When it is an Animal that can be bred, it would make sense that experience in breeding might increase its title. If it is a dog or horse, however, what are the variables? I doubt title is random, although the levels of the competing animals probably ARE random. Thus, if the game loads three animals with low heart levels to compete in a Contest one year, your Animal is more likely to win at a lower heart Level. If all three opposing entries are at 8 hearts, however, your Animal will be obliged to have 9-10 hearts to win.

I had a thought in the middle of the night about the Dog and his ability to earn a new title at a low heart level in one game and no title in another. Perhaps it depends on the number of times that he has 'defended' his farm against the Wild Dog! Who knows? As I wrote a month or so ago extensively about the appearance of the Wild Dog and how my own Dog actually SLEPT through one visitation, I am not certain if he really 'earned' his title, but the fact remains that the Dog in THAT game changed title at the first Dog Festival and the Dog in my current game, whom I did not set out in the field yet, earned nothing in the first year.

With reference to a player's comment about the items offered by Mirabelle, I found it odd as well that Sheep Miracle Potion was offered LONG before Sheep themselves were unlocked. In fact, both Cow and Sheep Miracle Potions were available in Spring of the first year in my game, although I did not unlock Sheep until the Autumn.

At the Fish Festival, it is possible that ANY size of Fish of 'S' Rank will win. Any Large Fish of 'A' Rank and at least 9-10 Quality will win. I will continue to revise my Guides as data increases, although I should be able to begin on Rune Factory II tomorrow.

Heart Levels for Beginners in Island of Happiness

I received an email from a player today who asked me whether the hearts displayed in the Individuals List would change colour according to heart level. This made me realise that Harvest Moon traditions that many of us take for granted probably need to be explained to some beginners.

In fact, the hearts displayed in the Individuals List next to each character's name do not change colour. Hearts for any character eligible for marriage will be red and all other characters will be green. (I believe the hearts next to your child's name may be red as well.)

When you speak to any individual who is eligible for marriage in your game, you will see a heart on the screen itself. That heart will be black in colour when you first meet the character. As you 'raise' or increase his/her heart level, it will change colour. Each 'heart level' represents a specific number of points:

Eligible Bachelors and Eligible Girls:

0 to 10,000 points: Black Heart
10,000 to 20,000 points: Purple Heart
20,000 to 30,000 points: Blue Heart
30,000 to 40,000 points: Green Heart
40,00 points to 50,000 points: Yellow Heart
50,000 points to 60,000 points: Orange Heart
60,000 points to 65355 points: Red Heart

And the other character heart levels...

0 Hearts: 0 to 25 Points
1 Heart: 26 to 50 Points
2 Hearts = 51 to 76 points
3 Hearts = 77 to 101 points
4 Hearts = 102 to 127 points
5 Hearts = 128 to 152 points
6 Hearts = 153 to 178 points
7 Hearts = 179 to 203 points
8 Hearts = 204 to 229 points
9 Hearts = 230 to 254 points
10 Hearts = 255 points

If your character is a girl, there is an exception in the person of Shea, who never has any heart displayed on the screen. You can access the Individuals List at any time, however, to see what his actual Heart Level is. Two hearts, for example, represents 'Purple Heart' Level.

At deepest red heart level, the eligible Bachelor/Girl will be at a minimum of 60,000points or 10 hearts.

This system is common to most Harvest Moon games. In some games, like HM DS/Cute DS, you can purchase an accessory that, when equipped, will show you the precise number of points earned in Affection or Friendship with each individual. Island of Happiness has the Individuals List but no Accessory that displays precise totals in terms of points.

Maximum Energy Levels in Island of Happiness

This information is included in my General Guide, but so many players have emailed me about their difficulty in sustaining their energy levels in the Mine that I thought it might merit a post.

The way to boost your Maximum Stamina and Fullness in IoH is by equipping Accessories made by Charlie. The best combination, in my own opinion is the Large Harvest Goddess Pendant and the Large Kappa Pendant.

I did not find the Earrings at any size to be particularly helpful. Yes, they will restore a tiny fraction of Stamina or Fullness or, in the case of the Witch Princess Earrings, both Stamina and Fullness, as time passes, but the amounts are not very significant. Of the three types of Earrings, the Large Witch Princess earrings probably are the most useful, but really not to the point of taking an equipment slot in place of a more desirable accessory such as the Turbo Shoes.

(With four equipment slots, equipping both Large Harvest Goddess Pendant and Large Kappa Pendant ALL THE TIME will give you only two free slots at any given time. I use the top slot for active equipment or Teleport Stone and keep the Turbo Shoes in the bottom slot, with the Large Harvest Goddess Pendant and Large Kappa Pendant to the left and right.)

In fact, initially I had hoped that the Large Witch Princess Pendant would be the equal of the combination of Large Harvest Goddess Pendant + Large Kappa Pendant, but this is far from the case. You do need to purchase it in order to unlock the Godhand but once purchased, I never used it. When equipped in the place either of the Large Harvest Goddess Pendant or the Large Kappa Pendant, it actually REDUCED total Stamina or Fullness. When equipped in place of BOTH, my total Stamina and Fullness both were reduced.

The Large Kappa Pendant and Large Harvest Goddess Pendant give you the maximum Stamina and Fullness capacity. Remember that, when equipped, they only increase the size of the Energy bars. They do not fill them with energy!

It is very important not to unequip either of these accidentally even for a moment as, when you do, your actual energy levels will disappear with the disappearance of the extra capacity. Re-equipping the accessory afterwards will increase capacity again but will not fill the bar!

In my General Guide, I explain how a player can equip both the Small and Medium Harvest Goddess Pendant to increase Stamina capacity until he/she is able to purchase the Large Harvest Goddess Pendant. The amounts of increased Stamina capacity given by each are added together to give you the largest capacity available until you are able to purchase the Large Harvest Goddess Pendant.

I find that increased Stamina capacity is far more vital than increased Fullness capacity in IoH. Fullness diminishes slowly as time passes. Stamina can diminish very quickly through use of tools or falling through pitfalls in the Mine.

Once you set 3 Green Wonderfuls in your Hammer and in your Hoe, mining itself no longer will use ANY Stamina, but falling through a pitfall still will decrease Stamina according to the number of floors through which you fall.

If you are not pressed for time (in real life), you can avoid pitfalls once your Hoe and Hammer can be used without decreasing your Stamina and go through the Mine solely through the stairs, but that really is time-consuming.

There is two situations when it may be to your advantage to go through the mine floor by floor, using only the stairs:

1. When you have reached Floor 50, and you still need Orichalc for Accessories. Once you have mined all the Orichalc on Floor 50, you may wish to use only the stairs to descend until you reach Floor 75. Between Floors 51-74, you should be able to find at least 1 Orichalc on each Floor.

If you have set Orange Wonderfuls in your Hammer and Hoe, the number of items you obtain each time you find a gem/ore, Black Grass/Lithograph is multiplied according to the number of Orange Wonderfuls in the Tool. The maximum appears to be 9, giving you 10 gems/ores each time you split a rock. Charlie will not allow me to set more than 9 in my Hammer, even though I have empty available slots.

As you usually are guaranteed at least 5 Orichalc on Floor 50 alone, and sometimes as many as 8, you can obtain 50 to 80 Orichalc in a single visit to Floor 50 with 9 Orange Wonderfuls in your Hammer. It is not as useful to set that many Orange Wonderfuls in your Hoe, but if you are at a point in the game where you have more Wonderfuls than you really need, by all means do so, making every strike for Black Grass one that nets you 10 Black Grass instead of 1.

Note that the same strategy can be used with respect to Adamantite. Find as many as possible on Floor 25. From Floors 51-74, Adamantite as well as Orichalc can be found on each of those floors, so if you use the stairs to mine on each floor, you should be able to find quite a few Adamantite for Makers, even if you have no Orange Wonderfuls in your Hammer.

2. When you have reached Floor 250. From that point onward, you can find EVERY special item in the rocks on each floor until you reach 255. To maximise the number of Mythic Stones, Orichalc, Pink Diamonds, Alexandrite and so on that you can take home from a single trip, you may wish to mine each of those floors.

Mining for Mythic Stone on Floor 100 should give you at least 5 and sometimes as many as 8. With 9 Orange Wonderfuls in your Hammer, you would obtain 50-80 from that Floor alone. From Floors 251-254, you should be able to find another 5 at least without any Orange Wonderfuls in the Hammer. That would give you another 50 with 9 Orange Wonderfuls in your Hammer.

This strategy makes it possible for you to obtain all Accessories as well as a Mythic Refrigerator as early as possible in the game.

It is useful with respect to obtaining the Adamantite needed for all Makers, although you may wish to have the Makers built BEFORE you have the opportunity to obtain more than one Orange Wonderful!

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.

Winning the Crop Festival in Island of Happiness

Until I began to play Island of Happiness, I considered myself a fairly good Farmer in the world of Harvest Moon. Island of Happiness reminded me of the danger of hubris, humbling me. It has taken me five years of farming on the Island to be able to state that I finally begin to comprehend farming.

Although I won my first two Crop Festivals in my first game, I actually lost a couple of seasonal Crop Festivals in later years in the same game. Whether you win or lose any given Crop Festival depends solely on the Rank and Quality of your entry. You must have an 'A' Rank Crop or higher to win.

The first challenge is to have access to the seeds needed to produce the Crop that is announced as the theme of the next Season's festival. In your first two years, the Theme in each season will be a crop that is available from the start of the game.
By the third year, however, you will be required to produce a Crop from seeds that must be unlocked. If you have not been able to unlock the Seeds for the Crop announced as the theme for the next Seasonal Crop Festival, you can obtain the Seeds in a slightly underhanded way. If you raised Wada's Friendship level to 7 Hearts by the start of the third year, he will allow you to gain access to his back garden where the 'Tower' stands. Here you will find Manfred and he will give you an item each day when you speak to him. The item is chosen randomly but by reloading your game, you can obtain the required Crop and feed it into your Seed Maker to produce the seeds you need.

The second challenge, once you have the seeds, is to grow the Crop successfully. In Island of Happiness, every Crop requires different care. Make certain that you pay attention to the description of the Seeds before you plant any crop. If you fail to remember the description, go to my Farming Guide for detailed information.

Every Crop has specific requirements in terms of Sunlight, Water and Time. Given more Sunlight, Crops tend to grow faster but some will die if they are exposed to too much Sunlight. No longer can you diligently water all your Crops daily and expect a successful harvest by virtue of doing so. There are Crops that require 'more' water than that and others that require 'less'. If a Crop requires 'more' water, you really need to water it twice daily in order to be able to obtain a good quality of harvest. If a Crop needs 'less' water, you need to abstain from watering it every other day.

As far as Sunlight and Water are concerned, you can control both variables by growing your Crops in the Greenhouse under an artificial Sun. If the Crop requires 'more' Sunlight, however, it may grow more slowly in the Greenhouse than it otherwise would grow in your Field, especially in the Summer season when fierce Sunlight is a common weather condition. Sunlight in the Greenhouse is provided at the rate of a single point per day. Fierce Sunlight, on the other hand, is worth 3 Points. Crops that require 'less' Sunlight may wither under a fierce sun but Tomatoes, requiring 'more' Sunlight, would thrive in your Field under such conditions.

Farming, therefore is a complex equation. A player posted a comment to the effect that tomatoes planted in the Greenhouse in preparation for the Summer Crop Contest
failed to mature in time for the Contest and only produced a Crop after the beginning of the Autumn season. The reason for this is the lesser number of Sunlight points given to any Crop grown in the Greenhouse. To be able to count on a harvest of Tomatoes for the Summer Crop Festival, therefore, the Summer Sun would need to be placed in the Greenhouse during the Spring Season and the Tomato Seeds planted then before Summer ever began.

Although I planned ahead in this fashion in my own game, growing Pineapples in my Greenhouse for the Summer Crop Festival, I foolishly forgot NOT to harvest them prematurely. When the day of the Summer Crop Festival arrived, there were no ripe Pineapples on my Greenhouse plants. The 'A' Rank Pineapples I had harvested a couple of days previously had deteriorated quickly to 'B' Rank in my ordinary Refrigerator and I was unable to win the Contest!

When Strawberries were the Theme of the Spring Crop Festival, I made the mistake of growing them only in my Field. An extremely wet Spring caused the death of every plant I had. I replanted immediately but alas, too late. The plants produced fruit before the end of Spring but one day AFTER the Spring Crop Festival. Once again, the Strawberries stored in my ordinary Refrigerator had lost their 'A' Rank...

These are arguments in favour of obtaining a Mythic Refrigerator, of course. With a Mythic Refrigerator, your Crops never lose their Rank, Quality or Freshness. The actual monetary cost of the Mythic Refrigerator is the same as that of the Quality Improver. Each costs 5,000,000G. The primary difference between the two is the shipping value of the materials used to create each. Mythic Stones ship for a minimum of 10,000G each. Adamantite, on the other hand, is not particularly valuable. Ship the first large quantity of Mythic Stone you obtain and you will have enough money for the Quality Improver. Once you have the Quality Improver, you items stored within will not lose their Rank or Quality and even will increase in quality gradually.

Remember that Orange Wonderfuls set in your Hammer increase your yield each time you smash a rock in the Mine. A total of 9 Orange Wonderfuls can be set in a Hammer, allowing you to obtain 10 Mythic Stones each time you smash a rock that contains one.
You should be able to obtain at least 5 Mythic Stones if no Orange Wonderfuls are set in your Hammer each time you visit Floor 100 of the Mine. With 9 Orange Wonderfuls in your Hammer, you can obtain at least 50 Mythic Stones on Floor 100 alone. If you descend to Floor 255, you should be able to collect 50 more between Floor 250 and Floor 255.

Until you have 9 Orange Wonderfuls in your Hammer, your yield will be less, but even a few Mythic Stones from the mine will increase your income significantly early in the game.

Appeal to other Players for IoH Farming Degree Sub-Titles

The complete list of Farming Degree Titles is included in my General Guide but I yet have to complete all the 'Sub-Titles' that accompany grades in the Titles.

I am paying more attention to changes in 'sub-titles' now in my own game, but it probably would be quicker if other players helped me complete the list. So far, writing solely from memory, I have:

Cow
Dog
???
Pig
???
Blond
Keen
Spicy

These 'sub-titles' will be found in front of the word Ranch on the front page of your Assets List.

For example, your character may be a:

Spicy Ranch Marquis

or a:

Dog Ranch Duke

Gender is not a factor in the titles. A girl character as well as a boy will be given the title of 'Duke' rather than 'Duchess'.

I would be interested to hear other players' theories as to the significance of the word 'Blond' in this respect. Does it have a specific significance in Japanese culture or is it simply an example of the wonderful, inventive Harvest Moon humour that is exhibited in all Harvest Moon games?

Hidden Requirement for Rival Events and Returns

In my own game, I had no trouble whatsoever triggering the Rival Events at the earliest opportunity with respect to the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Rival Heart Events. The
4th Rival Heart Event for Pierre and Natalie triggered at the start of the 4th Year and on the same day, I was able to trigger the 4th Rival Event for Elliot and Julia.
The Event I could not trigger as easily was Denny's 4th Rival Heart Event.

I've written about this in another post. It was when I made an effort to fish again and caught a certain number of items that the Event finally triggered.

Vaughn's Rival Heart Events could not trigger as I married him myself, incidentally...

I thought it was only the 4th Rival Heart Events that had this requirement until other players informed me that they could not trigger the 3rd Rival Heart Events.
It appears that every Rival Heart Event shares the same hidden requirement. For Denny and Lanna, it is fish. For Elliot and Julia, it is Crops. For Pierre and Natalie, it is Cooked Dishes and for Vaughn and Sabrina, it is Ores.

Now I am in the situation where the Rivals have gone off to Mineral Town with their spouses to have their babies. Pierre returned the very next day but neither Denny nor Elliot returned as quickly.

The Rivals went to Mineral Town in Winter. I believe that the reason why Elliot could not return perhaps may be a requirement to ship the crops for the current season. I shipped many Crops during Winter but they were out-of-season Greenhouse Crops. I expect his return will be announced when I have been able to ship a specific number of Spring Crops in Spring.

Denny's return was announced as soon as I shipped a specific number of items in Spring.

The requirement ordinarily is a total of 30 and I expect that is the total in these circumstances as well.

In fact, it really does not matter if the 'husbands' return early or not. One full season after their departure for Mineral Town, each Rival Couple will return with their child. An early return of the husband can be managed by meeting specific requirements but even if you do nothing to facilitate the return, the entire family will return a season after their departure.

The date actually should coincide with the anniversary of their Wedding a year previously.

If you cannot experience one of Elliot and Julia's Rival Heart Events, ship 30 of the current season's Crops.

If you cannot experience one of Lanna and Denny's Rival Heart Events, ship 30 Fish.

If you cannot experience one of Sabrina and Vaughn's Rival Heart Events, ship 30 Ore.

If you cannot experience one of Natalie and Pierre's Rival Heart Events, ship 30 Cooked Dishes or at least cook them.

That is the one variable I have not confirmed: do the items actually need to be shipped?

Note that I had not ignored the husbands: they were at 10 Hearts and they left only when their wives went to Mineral Town to have their babies. I expect that the requirement for their return IS the same, however, as when you have neglected them, forcing them to leave. As previously stated, however, it is merely an odd little quirk of IoH, as the entire family ultimately returns a full season after the departure of the Rival Couple, accompanied by their child.

Large Friendship Pendant in Island of Happiness

In Harvest Moon DS and Cute DS, the Friendship Pendants would act on a random selection of individuals to boost heart levels a little. If you equipped the Large Friendship Pendant before you leapt into bed at night, it would raise the affection/friendship levels of a random selection of individuals by 2 points. It did NOT raise every individual's levels but if you repeated this ritual nightly, it probably would select every individual at some point in time, thereby helping your character to achieve or remain at maximum popularity with the entire Valley.

In Island of Happiness, the Friendship Pendants appear to operate in a similar fashion. The Large Friendship Pendant appears to raise the heart levels of a random selection of individuals by a couple of points nightly. Even when I have ignored an individual, his/her heart levels rose gradually provided I equipped the Large Friendship Pendant nightly.

Another variable here is Festival Attendance. I never miss a Festival and that is a way to gain points with individuals. The combination of regular Festival attendance and equipping the Large Friendship Pendant is an effective one.

The only reason I am writing this post, however, is to state that the Friendship Pendants do not appear to affect the friendship levels of any of the Subsidiary Characters at all. It is only through regular conversation and the giving of preferred items as gifts that I have been able to raise the heart levels of any Subsidiary Character.

I would be interested in confirmation of this from other players, but in four years on the Island, equipping the Friendship Pendants RELIGIOUSLY, the Subsidiary Characters with whom I have interacted little remain at low heart levels.

Note that, until a Main Character has reached Yellow Heart level or higher, that character WILL leave the Island if you fail to perform the requisite actions that keep him/her on the Island regularly.

Making Money in IoH at the start

All Harvest Moon games are most difficult when you first move into your farm. After all, the farm has been allowed to deteriorate. You arrive at your new home with no skill in Farming, Ranching, Mining or Fishing. In some cases, you are a child of an urban civilisation, who presumably spent more time at a desk than striving towards physical stamina and strength. Your Energy Levels therefore will be very low.

Each game offers its own solution at the start. It is a matter of discovering the activity that can be exploited best. In HM DS/Cute DS, that activity is performed at the Excavation Site, where you can dig for jewelry and artifacts that are worth 2000G when shipped and almost twice that when sold to Van.

Island of Happiness is a little more difficult. You will not even be able to access the Mine until you have built the Bridge to the Forest. The most valuable Crops must be unlocked before you will be able to grow them. In fact, you will be required to unlock almost everything of value in this game...

The best exploitations early in the game probably are the Wonderfuls, but your first Wonderful will be given to you only when:
1. You win any Festival Contest;
2. You reach the 255th Floor of the Mine AFTER having met the Harvest Goddess by making an Offering at her Spring; or
3. You reach the Winter season.

You can control the colour of the Wonderful that you obtain by judicious use of Tools or shipping. Whether or not you have sufficient energy to do so in the first few seasons is another matter.

Possibly the most profitable Wonderful is the Orange Wonderful that will double your yield when set in a Tool. This means that the product obtained through use of any Milker, Clipper, Hammer or Sickle set with an Orange Wonderful will be doubled. This is extremely useful when you need to harvest Grains with the Sickle, increase your yield of Milk and Wool and your yield of any Ores and Gems in the Mine.

Until you are able to obtain any Wonderfuls, however, you probably will make the most money by fishing. In IoH, as in many other HM games, you will not have a Fishing Rod at the start of the game. It is only through friendship with a specific individual that you will be able to obtain one. That individual in IoH is Taro.
Speak to Taro daily to raise his friendship level. As he will give you a weather prediction for the next day that never is wrong, it is a good idea to speak to him in any event... Giving him a Coloured Grass will raise his Friendship more quickly.

Once you have a Fishing Rod, fish as much as you can. This activity will bring new arrivals to the Island and will allow you to make money quickly. Denny and Lanna will arrive only when you have caught specific numbers of fish.

Although you need to fish at every possible location in order to complete your Fishing List and catch the legendary King Fish, you should restrict your fishing probably to the Beach in the early stages of the game as this is the only location where Large Fish are to be caught. Furthermore, in Summer, you can catch Pirate Treasure that ships for 10,000G. In Autumn, you can catch Fossils of Fish that ship for 5,000G each.

To maximise your Fishing profits, save your Game BEFORE you cast your Rod. If you fail to catch a valuable item, reload and try again. That having been said, you probably need to catch a few small fish before you ever will be able to catch the more valuable items. I need to test this in a new game, but that usually is the way it works in Harvest Moon. Chances of catching valuable items increase only when your Fishing experience increases.

Even if you catch only Small Fish, however, shipping them will bring you more profit early in the game than anything else.

A comment by a reader reminded me of another early source of income, although you need to balance shipping with your own need for Recovery items. In your first Spring, your very first source of income will be items that can be collected from the Wilds. Any Wild coloured Grass, Flower or Seaweed can be shipped for profit.
It is only the Flowers that cannot be eaten, so you definitely should ship all flowers.

As far as coloured Wild Grasses and Seaweed are concerned, the Rank of these will depend on the point at which you gather them. Wild Grasses and Flowers gain in Rank, Quality and Size the longer they are left to grow. It is not time of day but the number of days that Flowers and Wild Grasses are left uncollected that is significant here. That is why, when you first unlock any area, the Wild Grasses and Flowers you find there may be of 'S' Rank. If you unlock the area at the start of the season, the rank may be lower, but if it is later in the Season, you may find all wild items to be of 'S' Rank.

Seaweed on the other hand, loses Rank as the hours pass and the best Seaweed is collected at 6.00 a.m. If you wait until the end of the day to gather Seaweed in Spring from the large boulder at the Beach, you probably will find it to be of 'B' Rank. There is no guarantee, however, that an early collection will bring anything higher. I have collected both 'A' and 'B' Ranks at 6.00 a.m., but on a day when I was able to collect 'A' Rank from the rock at 6.00 a.m., it was 'B' Rank when I collected it from the rock later in the day. This occurred on more than one occasion. Like so many details, however, it could be coincidence.

Note that Seaweed is available only in the Spring Season.

'B' Rank Seaweed, which is the 'average' rank for any item, will ship for about
830G. 'S' Rank Seaweed will ship for over 1000G. If you are diligent in going to the Beach early each morning to gather seaweed in your first Spring, you can augment your income by shipping high Rank Seaweed. You may need to keep some of it for use in restoring your Energy, however, depending on your total resources in the early stages of the game.

Once you have unlocked Festivals by building the bridge to the Meadow, you will be able to participate in Contests to win Wonderfuls. Another exploitation available is the ability to fish during Festivals without losing any time. The only risk here is in terms of your Energy levels. You will not be able to see your Energy Bars at any Festival but you can watch your character for the telltale physical signs that indicate depletion of energy. Make certain that you have Recovery items in your Rucksack and USE them if you are fishing during a Festival or you will pass out, negating the value of this exploitation device!

Remember, however, that you need to succeed in ALL aspects of life in order to achieve true success. You need to grow crops, raise animals, mine, fish AND cook as well as fulfilling social obligations on a regular basis.

New Items List Guide for Island of Happiness

I've written another Quick Reference Guide for Island of Happiness. It is a Complete Items List Guide, giving every item that can be shipped in Island of Happiness, as well as the method by which each is obtained. As it is a quick reference guide, it contains only basic information, but can be useful for any one who needs to complete his/her Shipping List, whether the player wishes to know how to unlock a specific crop or where (and how) to obtain a specific Recipe. The link to this guide can be found on the right side of this page in the section that is devoted to Island of Happiness Guides.

I updated my Farming Guide for Island of Happiness today as well, adding more specific Sunlight and Water requirements and tips for Crops as well as the average shipping values for the 'best' Crops of S Rank.