The Delight is in the Details... Murrey's Birthday

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In most Harvest Moon games, the goal simply is to create a good life for oneself and to make a contribution to the village or place in which one lives. One isn't punished actively if one fails to remember a birthday but I personally love to remember every individual's birthday with a special gift he or she likes.

In the first two seasons of gameplay, one of my personal goals is to raise every individual's friendship level to maximum. In HM DS and HM Cute DS, maximum friendship level is 255 FP. Having done that, the birthday gift bonus of 5x the ordinary 'value' of the gift becomes irrelevant but I still try not to forget any one's birthday.

Thursday, 29 Autumn is Murrey's birthday. I have had him at 255 FP for quite some time now and have experienced most of his events, including the two with the Gourmet.
My main preoccupation today was Grey, who visits the Valley only on Thursday and whom I have at Blue Heart level now. I wanted to make certain, therefore, to experience his Third Heart Event.

Having done that earlier in the day, I was free to concentrate on Murrey. In general, Murrey can be found near the Goddess Spring in the morning and at the Villa in the afternoon. At night, he returns to the Goddess Spring.

Today, however, I did not find him at the Villa. Although I created a Schedule of Movements for HM DS, I had not expected I would need it and in fact, decided simply to search for Murrey... I remembered that Thursday was the day when he visited the Blue Bar in the evening, but where did he go today after he left the Goddess Spring? It took me a few minutes to find him... in the kitchen of the Inner Inn!

Yes, I should have remembered that Thursday was his day to visit the Inner Inn... I could have waited until evening to present him with his gift at the Blue Bar, but in finding him in the kitchen, I was able to experience some of his most amusing dialogue.

Murrey stands in a corner in Ruby's kitchen. One suspects that he thinks he is 'hiding'. In 'A Wonderful Life', Murrey often will raid your own storeroom and kitchen for food. He doesn't consider it to be theft. He feels that any food storage exists for his benefit in a way. Even so, his forays sometimes are clandestine.

In Ruby's kitchen, Murrey will tell you: 'Here's where the most food falls, and it's the tastiest too! Are you going to get some food too, Freya? Don't take Murrey's share.'

That appears to be his new theory of existence. Food simply 'falls' like manna from heaven...

I gave him his 'Most Favourite', an egg and he duly confirmed that it was indeed his birthday, thanking me politely for the gift. He is more enthusiastic about eggs when it ISN'T his birthday, actually but the egg would have increased his FP by 45 points rather than 9 if it were not at maximum.

Carter's Marriage Proposal Event

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Finally, my Marriage Proposal to Carter... This, of all the Proposals to Valley bachelors probably was the most dramatic in terms of Flora's responses. There were a few sticky moments when I thought she would resort to her 'Lovely Maiden' technique to dispose of me, her successful rival. Little does she know, but I am going to let her have him ultimately. I am choosing the one Valley bachelor for whom I have no rival (or perhaps for whom EVERY woman is a potential rival), Skye.

I usually do this in Harvest Moon games in order to be able to marry off all the other couples. If I take the possible spouse of one of my Rivals, she will be left eternally out in the cold. For example, despite Muffy's hope that she could find some one else someday, if she is not given a chance to marry Griffin, she will be doomed to spinsterhood. If Skye were some one like the Gourmet, I don't know if I would be as generous, but in the circumstances, he is a rather wonderful male creature with the ability to excite and delight...

To return to Flora, however, note how unpleasant she can be when she remarks that she 'didn't know you had a thing for older men, Freya'. To imply that my proposal to Carter is based upon some bizarre GENERAL obsession with old men is truly nasty. It is odd as well, given the fact that SHE is interested in Carter. Does that mean that she has a 'thing' for older men?

When told that she no longer will be obliged to cook for Carter, she whines that she will be reduced to the depressing situation of eating alone. I mean, really! What does she expect, that Carter will forego wife and home to eat her despicable Curries???

Take a look at Carter here... he really does look quite old after she succeeds in laying a guilt trip on him...

Well, I try to be a good friend to every one in Harvest Moon, so I shall break off the engagement, allow Flora to heal his broken heart and finally marry him herself. Perhaps I will obtain a promise from her first not to force the poor man to eat the dish he hates above all others if I surrender him to her.

Marlin's Marriage Proposal Event

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Here are photographs of the Marriage Proposal Event with Marlin. The expression on his face is most peculiar. Marlin can be rather good-looking in his own way, but the expression he exhibited when I proposed was almost too much to bear.

Marlin has one grave flaw: his delicate health has made him hyper-sensitive, and he reacts with a rather unattractive machismo at times. When you propose to him, he will accept but then tell you that proposals of marriage should be initiated by the man! He then proceeds to propose to YOU.

When he tells Vesta and Celia of the engagement, Vesta threatens him with GBH should he misbehave. She takes the jest quite far in fact... curious when dealing with a man whom she won't allow out in the rain.

Gustafa's Marriage Proposal Event

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Here are some screenshots of Gustafa's Marriage Proposal Event. I have to say that the expression on his face when he asked me to show him the Blue Feather again may surface in my nightmares for decades to come.

Griffin's Marriage Proposal Event

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Here are some photographs from my Marriage Proposal to Griffin. His declaration that 'getting marriage at this age is a little embarrassing' was a little off-putting, frankly! My real reason for not going through with the engagement, however, is to allow Muffy to marry him.

With the Big Bed comes the chance to Propose...

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On Monday, 26 Autumn of my First Year, Thomas delivered my Bed Bed to the farmhouse at 6.00 a.m. He embarrassed me somewhat when he asked, 'Hey Freya! The Big Bed that you ordered was just delivered. What do you plan to do with such a huge bed? Are you living with somebody?'

How very RUDE!!! And he's the Mayor of Mineral Town??? For shame!!! He then apologised, but the damage was done.

To be honest, however, nothing could dampen my spirits. I wasn't about to settle for any one less than Skye, but I certainly had every intention of going through a 'dress rehearsal' of a marriage proposal with each of the Valley bachelors. One after another, I displayed my Blue Feather and catalogued their responses...

For the sake of other girls, of course, so that they will know what they are taking on if they choose any of these guys for better or for worse.

I have a daily gift-giving routine and I followed the same routine as I made my round of proposals. Rock was first on the list because I always Teleport first to the Inn to give gifts to any guests and then all regular residents.

Rock was typically disarming, telling me that even if he lived with me on the ranch, he couldn't imagine he would do any work. When we told his mother of our plans to marry, she was blunt in her assessment of her son as fairly worthless in terms of husband material. I was a little taken aback! You could see that beneath her very unflattering declarations, she truly DOES love him though. As a matter of fact, it is said that sons are created by their mothers so if Rock is feckless and lazy, it has to be Ruby's fault! Nonetheless, he is a loveable guy and I know he'll never lie to me.

Griffin was next on the list. He was almost pathetically grateful to me for choosing him as a husband. There is something deeply romantic about Griffin, beneath his rather matter-of-fact exterior. I have to say that, as I experienced his heart events, I developed a rather profound affection for him. That doesn't mean I am willing to choose him over Skye, but...

In fact, Muffy was so sweet about our engagement announcement that I never could marry Griffin after THAT. She deserves to have some happiness and it is obvious to me that they belong together.

So off to the Yurt next to propose to Gustafa. As I might have expected, his talk was all of his songs. He sees me as his source of inspiration now. There was absolutely no inclination on his part to offer to HELP me on the ranch. Where Rock actually appeared to be slightly apologetic about his inability to work, Gustafa appears to believe that his music places him high above ordinary mortals who must work with their hands to live...

Nami can have him, with my blessing... Although he did say he didn't need to travel any longer for inspiration now that he had me as a source, I expect he and Nami are better suited to one another. To be honest, I would have been more inclined to keep my engagement with him if he had suggested that WE travel somewhere together. What does he think, that I don't want to see the world??? Does he imagine I have no sense of adventure? Yes, I work hard and care about the success of the ranch, but I long to see the wonders of the world as well!

After Gustafa, I popped into Vesta's farmhouse to propose to Marlin. What an odd event that turned out to be! He showed me an expression that almost put me off for life, it was so peculiar. He looked like a character out of Dickens, cringing and looking up at me with his head cocked at an odd angle. Marlin isn't a bad guy, once you know him, but I would have to make him promise never to show me THAT expression again if I were to marry him.

It was what happened when we visited Vesta to tell her of our engagement that the event became truly bizarre. Vesta began to threaten him with GBH should he ever behave badly towards me!!! I mean, we're talking about Marlin here. It was rather hilarious in a way. I have to believe every one was teasing him. A beating from Vesta would kill him in his delicate state of health!

Seriously, though,

Finally, I visited the tent to propose to Carter. Did I write about his fourth heart event, when he became as drunk as a skunk, took me down to the beach and told me I was the light of his life??? I never knew HE was such a romantic. When I proposed to him, however, his primary concern was the difference in our ages. Rather tactlessly I thought, he pointed out that he was old enough to be my father. I tried to tell him it didn't matter, but when we announced our engagement to Flora, her responses made me realise that marriage to Carter was out of the question for me, even if it would save him from a life of Curry! Flora was almost nasty to me, and she always tells me I am her best friend... I can see how long THAT would last if I married her darling Carter... So that's another engagement that will be broken.

In any case, I am off to experience Skye's 5th and Final Heart Event. I shan't marry any one immediately in any case. I want to experience the Starry Night Festival with each and every one of the Valley bachelors. Moreover, I yet have attained marriage eligibility with any of the Mineral Town bachelors. I expect it will be Spring before I am free to marry my sweet-talking Skye.

N.B. The full text of all Heart Events and each Marriage Proposal Event will be found in My Courtship and Marriage Guide for HM Cute.

Friendship Levels can be found in Dialogue

Even if eligible bachelors and girls did not display their heart levels in bright, bold colours, you could tell where you stood with any individual by his/her conversation. This is true both in Mineral Town and Forget-Me-Not Valley. In each case, however, you must discover the location and time when you can speak to a person in order to assess heart levels.

In Harvest Moon DS and Harvest Moon Cute DS, you can buy a Love Bangle at the Casino window and wear it whenever you speak to any individual, but in Mineral Town, you have to judge most individuals, apart from eligible spouses, by their conversation.

Even in Forget-Me-Not Valley, however, it is interesting to speak to individuals at every level in order to obtain the maximum information and enjoyment of the game.

I know I have written other posts about this, but I wished to share some of the things that bachelors in HM Cute will say when they are madly in love with you.

For example, when you speak to Marlin at Vesta's house, his dialogue will not vary, but if you find him at the Storeroom, his conversation will change as his affection for you rises.

As Marlin is shy and inarticulate at the best of times, it is not so much his conversation as his expression that will indicate his state of mind. At red heart level, he will blush fiercely as he says, 'Oh, I was just thinking... It's okay, don't worry about it.' It would be evident to the least sensitive of women that he has been thinking about YOU at this point.

The dialogue both of Carter and Flora will not change if you encounter them in the Tent, but when you speak to them in the Excavation Site, you will obtain an indication of their feelings for you.

Carter at orange heart will say: 'I work much better with you by my side, Freya.'
Flora says, 'Oh Freya... I've been waiting for you. It's so much fun digging with you, Freya. You're my best friend.'

Meet Muffy in her bedroom and her dialogue remains constant. Griffin's dialogue changes in his bedroom only according to his FP level but not his AP or Heart Level. It is when they are behind the counter of the Blue Bar that you really know where you stand with them.

Muffy at maximum FP of 255 will tell you: 'I've never had as good a friend as you, Freya. I hope we stay the best of friends.'

Griffin at red heart becomes touchingly lyrical when he says, 'You're like the sun, Freya. When you come to the bar, everything just lights up.'

I suppose one shouldn't forget he is as much a musician and poet as Gustafa, although he hides HIS light under a bushel most of the time, unlike Gustafa. Few are they who have heard Griffin play...

One of the earliest events involving Griffin's hidden musical talents occurs in 'A Wonderful Life'...

Most Favourite Gifts and the Pot in Harvest Moon

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It really is not necessary ever to give the 'Most Favourite' Item to a prospective spouse in order to win his/her heart in Harvest Moon. In the 'boy' version of HM DS, I was able to raise every girl's heart level to deepest red without ever giving the girl her 'Most Favourite' gift AND was able to do it by the earliest date when I would be able to marry in the game. In Cute, the same holds true. I had every ordinary bachelor at deepest red heart level before the end of Autumn in the first year.

What I did not notice previously, however, was the fact that every 'Most Favourite' item for any of the ordinary bachelors of the Valley requires the use of a Pot to prepare. You cannot acquire the Pot before the middle of the first Autumn, even if you upgrade your house once at the earliest possible date in order to be able to purchase the Kitchen and all Implements. The Pot is the implement that is offered LAST...

Here are the Most Favourites:

Carter: Candied Potato, prepared with a Yam and a POT
Griffin: Fish Stew, prepared with a medium fish and a POT
Gustafa: Hot Milk, prepared with Milk and a POT
Marlin: Elli Leaves, prepared with Bodigizer XL, Turbojolt XL and all six Failed Dishes (one of which must be made with the POT)
Rock: Cheese Fondue, prepared with Bread, Cheese, Wine and a POT
Skye: Finest Curry, prepared with Rainbow Curry, White Curry and all six Failed Dishes (most of which ingredients require a POT)

As for the bachelors of Mineral Town:

Cliff shares Skye's taste in his Most Favourite item, which is 'Finest Curry'. This dish did not exist in FoMT or MFoMT but Cliff apparently has acquired a love of it since he first became acquainted with Ruby's cooking. He formerly considered a simple Curry Rice to be the best gift of all! Grey's Most Favourite remains Baked Corn, always and forever. Kai's remains the Pineapple. Trent still loves Milk and Rick loves the Spa Egg above all other items... These Most Favourites date from their FoMT/MFoMT days.

The 'Most Favourites' for the Mineral Town bachelors are acquired in different ways. Only the Finest Curry requires the Pot. A Spa Egg requires the unlocking of the first Hot Spring by experiencing Flora's 255 FP Event. A Pineapple is a Summer Crop grown from seed purchased at the Casino window. Baked Corn is made in an Oven. Milk probably will be the first 'Most Favourite' that you acquire, when your first cow reaches maturity.

The eligible girls in the original HM DS are different from HM Cute Valley bachelors with respect to the means by which their Most Favourites are obtained... but in Cute, as you can see, if you wish to make the Most Favourite dish for any Valley bachelor, you must have the POT.

I have included some photographs of the bachelors and their responses when they are given their 'Most Favourite' item. Of all of them, it is Carter's response that is particularly poignant... one wonders if he were a lonely boy, sent off early in life to boarding school...

The 'Big Bed' in Harvest Moon

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Any one familiar with classical Harvest Moon games knows about the 'Big Bed'. It is, not surprisingly, one of the requirements for marriage. If you don't have a 'Big Bed', no one will marry you? Is it a question of wealth and status? No! It's a very practical one. Another person would not be able to fit in your small bed with you and certainly not a spouse AND a child.

In Magical Melody, the Large Beds can be purchased at the Workshop but in Mineral Town and Forget-Me-Not Valley, you have the luxury of 'catalogue shopping' via the Shopping Network.

Many new players of Harvest Moon become agitated when the bachelor or woman of their dreams has been courted, has reached red heart level but will not accept the Blue Feather. If all heart events have been experienced, the reason for rejection often is the lack of a Big Bed in the house.

Harvest Moon games are founded on practical logic for the most part. The Shopping Network will not offer a Kitchen until you have expanded your tiny house once. There simply would not be enough room for it! With similar logic, the Shopping Network will not offer the Big Bed until you have expanded your house TWICE. Again, there would not be sufficient space for a large bed if you do not expand twice.

In Harvest Moon DS and Harvest Moon Cute DS, the Big Bed will be the next item offered as soon as your second house expansion is completed. That is why I do not expand my house for the second time until I have purchased ALL Kitchen implements. I feel that it is far more important to complete my Kitchen and be able to cook all dishes than to have a Big Bed that I will not use until later in the game...

At this point in my own game, on Saturday, 24 Autumn, I have two bachelors at deepest red heart level and the other ordinary bachelors at Orange Heart Level. I have experienced all four heart events for each of the ordinary bachelors. My second house expansion was completed this morning and as it is Saturday, the Big Bed should be offered today. As I rescued over 60 Sprites, thus rescuing the Harvest Goddess, my Blue Feather will be accepted if I offer it now.

It was at this point that I discovered a very interesting twist to the game. Although my house expansion has been completed today, if I access the Shopping Network Channel BEFORE I go outside to speak to Gotz, the item that is offered will be the 'Clock' instead of the 'Big Bed'! If, however, I go outside and speak to Gotz to receive his official annoucement of the completion of my 2nd house expansion, the item that will be offered today will be the Big Bed!

I never would have known this if I had completed my 2nd house expansion on a day other than Saturday. It is a small detail but potentially useful if any player goes into a panic, finding that the Clock is on the agenda when he/she expected the 'Big Bed' to be offered! In my game, actually, it was the 'Big Bed' that was offered, but I had gone outside to speak to Gotz before I accessed the Shopping Channel... I then decided to reload my game, to see what would occur if I didn't speak to Gotz...
My theory that the Shopping Network somehow was connected to Gotz' announcement proved to be accurate. I was offered the 'Clock' instead. All I had to do then was reload the game once again and speak to Gotz before I accessed the Shopping Channel.

It is situations like this that prompted me initially to write guides for Harvest Moon. I delight in these little 'puzzles' and feel a small sense of triumph when I solve them. Most often, the emails I receive from players ask questions that are answered in my guides but once in a great while, I get a question that is based on a peculiar set of circumstances such as the one I have described here. Now this information will be added to my Cute General Guide as well as my Courtship and Marriage Guide. Always speak to Gotz FIRST before you access the Shopping Network if your 2nd house completion occurs on Saturday.

For those players of 'Friends of Mineral Town' and 'More Friends of Mineral Town' who wonder how they will be able to order items from the Shopping Channel without having a telephone, the answer is: use the telephone at the Inn. You will find it on the bar counter. It costs only 10G to use. Watch television on Saturday in order to be offered the next item by the Shopping Network, then go to the Inn and use the telephone to order it. Zack will deliver it on Monday. If you try to use the telephone at the Inn without having watched the television first, you will not be able to purchase anything. You actually must watch the programme on television.

Similarly, in HM DS and HM Cute DS, you must watch the Shopping Channel before you use your telephone to ring TV Shopping. If you receive the message: 'There's no answer.', it will be because you are trying to contact them outside of business hours. Wait until 9.00 a.m. and try again.

Incidentally, business hours for all shops and businesses are included in my guides but in HM DS and HM Cute DS, they can be found in your BOOKS as well. Go to your bookcase and you will find a wealth of information about shops, crops and other aspects of life in Forget-Me-Not Valley. (In the U.K./European version of HM DS, there is no way to access your books. That version was NOT made by Natsume, by the way. I suggest that players in Europe order from a distributor in the U.S. via internet in order to be able to play the game the way it was intended to be played. Worse than the deprivation of the books is the fact that the Mineral Town characters cannot be unlocked in the European/U.K. version! It really is inferior in many respects to the Natsume version BUT it does contain ALL the nasty glitches such as the 'freeze file glitch'. So go Natsume ALL THE WAY.)

For those who have not experienced the glories of 'catalogue living', I have included a couple of photographs of the 'Shopping Channel' when it offers the 'Big Bed'.

Those players familiar with HM DS probably know the signature speech by heart but here it is for those who have not played this marvelous game yet:

That's right, it's that time again! It's surprising, it's exciting, it's catalogue living! It's time for TV Shopping!'

'Today we introduce to you... the 'Big Bed'! It's hard to sleep in a small bed. doesn't that trouble you? Sleep sprawled out on this bed, no problem. This 'Big Bed' is a mere... 10,000G! Call now if you want this!! TV Shopping pays the shipping costs for you!'

And it is all worth the effort...

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It is Monday night at 10.30 on the 19th of August in my first year in Forget-Me-Not Valley. My Pot was delivered this morning at 6.00 a.m. and I spent most of the morning making new dishes... among them all the Curries apart from those requiring White Grass, an herb that is available only in the Winter season. Unfortunately, Skye's Most Favourite gift happens to be 'Finest Curry', the one special curry that does contain White Grass. Even so, the other special curries do appeal to him greatly.

I lavished attention upon a very complicated dish known as the 'Ultimate Curry' and when it was completed, set it in a golden vessel. I barely could concentrate on my farm chores today as the Ultimate Curry was intended for Skye and I only can find him in the Valley at night.

I have made it a habit to 'drop in' casually at Vesta's farmhouse at 10.10 p.m. each night. I am pleasant to every one. I hope they cannot guess the real reason I have been making the visit. It enables me to switch my accessories from Teleport Stone to Love Bangle without wasting any time. I am able to place my gift for Skye in my hands as well, in preparation for each nightly encounter.

In the past, the best gifts I had for him were acceptable ones of jewelry or toiletries from the Excavation Site. Those gifts DID please him but his affection for me only increased at a slow rate.

Now tonight, my heart was pounding as I met him with Ultimate Curry in my hands. Oh beautiful moment! O moment of magic! What do you imagine his response to have been?

'What a wonderful woman you are!' Skye exclaimed. 'Thank you.'

Some may consider the difference between 500 points of AP and 300 points of AP to be fairly insignificant but for a woman in love, it means that I can win the heart of my beloved in almost half the time it would have taken previously. I may not be able to marry Skye before Winter in these circumstances, but I am confident that he will accept my Blue Feather, should I proffer it, before the Year's End.

Tomorrow, my house will be upgraded for the second time. Due to some unfortunate occurrences in the past (never experienced by me personally, thank God!), I feel it will be best if I place my cat and dog outside tonight. Gotz has been known in the past to wall up an unfortunate pet when performing the second house expansion! Ranchers who have experienced this terrible accident of fate either have been forced to live with the horrible view of their cat or dog struggling within the wall forever or never have seen the pet again at all. I don't know which is worse but I do know it is better to take the precaution perhaps of setting the two pets outside for a few hours.

My heart is singing as I walk home slowly, savouring Skye's response to my Ultimate Curry. Ultimate Curry is a lot of work to prepare and some of the steps can become rather tedious after awhile, but Skye is worth any effort.

The Power of Curry in Harvest Moon

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Any one who is familiar with Harvest Moon games will know that Curry is a potent dish and one of the most controversial. In HM DS and HM Cute DS in particular, various types of Curries can make or break a relationship as well as winning the Cooking Contest and unlocking the heart of Keira the Sleeping Beauty.

There are individuals who adore Curry and individuals who detest it. Most events that involve both Carter and Flora revolve round the topic of Curry. Flora loves it and cooks it at every opportunity. The Professor hates and dreads it. He will plead in vain with Flora NOT to cook it. He even will invent a date with YOU in Cute to avoid a Curry lunch...

Skye's entire career as a thief is based on a desire to make the best Curries in the world. It should be no surprise then to discover that his Most Favourite Gift is Ultimate Curry. He loves all other special Curry and likes ordinary Curry Rice...
Be careful, however, NOT to assume that any dish made with Curry Powder will please Skye. He loathes Curry Bread, Curry Bun, Dry Curry (-800 AP -9 FP) and his Secret Weapon of Hate is Curry Noodles (-5000 AP -20 FP).

Here is a list of the ordinary bachelors of the Valley and their responses to Curry:


Griffin: Likes Curry +300 AP +3 FP
Gustafa: Loves Curry (+500 AP +9 FP)
Marlin: Likes Curry (+300 AP +3 FP)
Rock: Loves special Curry (+500 AP +9 FP) and Likes ordinary Curry (+300 AP +3 FP)
Skye: Adores Finest Curry (+800 AP +9 FP), loves other special Curry (+500 AP +9 FP) and Likes Curry Rice (+300 AP +3 FP)

Secret Weapon of Hate:
Carter: Ultimate Curry (-5000 AP -20 FP)

The 'Secret Weapon of Hate', by the way, is the item in the game that will cause the bachelor's AP to plunge 5000 points and his FP to drop by 20. There is only one item that will have this effect on any bachelor. It is useful to know because if you are the sort of player who, like me, first raises every bachelor's heart level at least to Yellow to experience all Heart Events, you ultimately need to LOWER that heart level to experience the Rival Heart Events that will allow the bachelors you do not marry to marry your Rival instead. Part of the fun of Harvest Moon is experiencing all possible Heart Events, but each event is worth points towards your Farming Degree as well. That is the reason the Secret Weapon of Hate is extremely useful. Using it only twice (on two different days), you can decrease any bachelor's heart level in Cute a full level. The same holds true for any eligible girl in the original 'boy' version of Harvest Moon for DS.

What does the creation of Curry entail? In fact, some Curries are a lot of work and are made at considerable expense! A simple Curry Rice requires only one Riceball and one Curry Powder made in a Pot, but each 'Coloured' Curry requires a Wild Grass as well. Rainbow Curry, as you might imagine, is a dish made using 8 different Curries.

The recipe for Rainbow Curry is:

Curry Rice
Orange Curry
Yellow Curry
Red Curry
Purple Curry
Indigo Curry
Blue Curry
Green Curry

Wild Grasses are collected from the wilds in different seasons. You will not be able to make Rainbow Curry unless you have collected and stored all the grasses required to complete the dish. When you realise that each Coloured Curry is made with 1 Riceball, 1 Curry Powder and 1 Wild Grass, you will see that the creation of Rainbow Curry requires an outlay in gold of 1600G, 100G for each Riceball and 100G for each packet of Curry Powder.

Rainbow Curry, however, is not the ultimate Curry. The ultimate Curry is named 'Ultimate Curry' and it, with the 'Finest Curry' are the most valuable Curries in the game in terms of pleasing some individuals.

If you do not know the recipe for the Ultimate Curry, you mistakenly might assume that its ingredients are more valuable even than those used to create the Rainbow Curry. In fact, with typical Harvest Moon humour, most of the ingredients required to create the Ultimate Curry are 'Failed Dishes', often known as 'Burnt Food' in other Harvest Moon games.

You can create a 'Failed Dish' with any ingredient that cannot be combined successfully but the least expensive ingredient that can be used to create a 'Failed Dish' is a common weed. It is important to collect weeds throughout the year to store in your Shelf for use in Winter as you will find NO weeds in the wilds in the Winter Season. The 'Ultimate Curry', the 'Finest Curry' and the famed 'Elli Leaves' are made with Failed Dishes.

The Recipe for Ultimate Curry is:

Rainbow Curry
Black Curry
Failed No Tool Dish
Failed Mixer Dish
Failed Steamer
Failed Frying Pan Dish
Failed Oven Dish
Failed Pot Dish

The only difference between this Recipe and that for Finest Curry is the substitution of White Curry for Black Curry.

Recorded recipes can be used as a shortcut to prepare a dish that you previously have made successfully in your kitchen. If you use a recorded recipe to create a dish, the game automatically will collect the necessary ingredients from your rucksack and/or refrigerator. There are no recorded recipes for Failed Dishes, however. A Failed Dish made using a Frying Pan is quite different from one made using an Oven. I have included photographs of each here. In making a dish that uses all six Failed Dishes, you must make each one separately. Furthermore, you will be unable to access your Shelf from your kitchen, so you must make certain to have Weeds in your rucksack if you wish to use them to create your Failed Dishes.

The time required to create six different Failed Dishes is quite significant. Any bachelor or eligible girl who loves Ultimate or Finest Curry must be impressed by the time and energy you have taken to create these incredible dishes for him/her!

As my Pot was delivered by Thomas to my farmhouse this morning, I now will be able to create the Ultimate Curry for Skye and give it to him each night while he wanders the paths of the Valley... Unfortunately, I will not be able to make the 'Finest Curry' that would raise his heart a full level in three nights. Even so, my 'Ultimate Curry' will raise his AP by 500 rather than 300 points each night. Before I had a Pot, even the most valuable jewelry would raise his Affection only by 300 points! When Winter arrives, I will be able to give Skye his Most Favourite item in the world, the 'Finest Curry'.

N.B. The photographs show different 'pages' in my Refrigerator Menu. There are 9 different 'pages' each in your Refrigerator and Shelf. Each 'page' contains 18 slots. Each slot can accommodate up to 99 of a single item. The largest rucksack consists of three 'pages', each with 18 slots. Again, you can store up to 99 of the same item in each slot. Edible items are stored in the Refrigerator. Non-edible items are stored in the Shelf. Some items, like a weed, are not considered 'edible' unless used in a recipe. There are a few recipes in HM DS and HM Cute DS that require a weed as an ingredient. In FoMT and MFoMT, gems and other non-edible items could be 'cooked' in order to create 'Suns' but in HM DS and Cute, the Suns are found in the Third Mine. You had to create all four Suns in FoMT/MFoMT but there was no use for them in those games. In HM DS and Cute, they are used to generate sunlight in your Basements, allowing you to grow crops. One of the more intriguing aspects of Harvest Moon is the way that items evolve from game to game. Players long puzzled over the mystery of the 'Suns' and how they could be used. It only is now, with the release of HM DS and Cute, that we have a definitive answer!

I tend to be very organised in the way I store my items and, as an inveterate pack rat, I begin to store items from the first day of gameplay, purchasing larger rucksacks and storage units (Refrigerator and Shelf) at the earliest possible opportunity. I ship very little until I have ample stores of every item to see me through the Winter... I therefore even store the early Spring vegetables like Turnips and Cucumbers in my rucksack in the first Spring... It can be awkward but it is worth it to me, as I then can cook most dishes as soon as I have a Kitchen, without having to wait for a Basement to be built. Furthermore, I hold off on the second expansion of my House until I have ALL Cooking implements, as I feel that a Basement really is not needed until the Winter Season. By the third week of Autumn in the first year, I have all Cooking Implements and am free to order the second House expansion. All bachelors are almost at red heart level by then and I have the Blue Feather... Purchasing the Big Bed before this occurs is a waste of time more than money, as the offer of the Big Bed will be made by the Shopping Network as soon as your 2nd house expansion is completed. I am a very organised player! There are other players like me, but just as many who would rather NOT think about all this stuff and simply enjoy their Harvest Moon lives, taking things as they come.

Gustafa' 4th Heart Event

Shaggy has asked for a photograph of Gustafa's Yurt. As Gustafa's 4th and final Heart Event occurs in the yurt, this will be a good opportunity to discuss it and display a couple of photographs of Gustafa's home.

For me, the Yurt represents the most appealing aspect of Gustafa. I love nomadic dwellings of any kind and Gustafa's yurt both in 'A Wonderful Life' and in HM DS is charming. The exotic musical instruments he owns add to its appeal.

I wish I liked Gustafa himself a little better. Perhaps one of the reasons I dislike him is the fact that my own family has more than its fair share of musicians and artists, all of whom believe that the rest of the world exists mainlyy to provide them with all the necessities of life.

In his Fourth Heart event, Gustafa will ask you to tell him about your life on the farm.

You will have the option either of agreeing to his request or telling him that 'it's a secret!' I laughed outright when I saw that option. I always experience all possible outcomes if possible in any event. Telling Gustafa that the details of my farm chores were 'a secret' was most amusing. I got his disapproving face for that one! (You will see it in the photograph of Gustafa with downgraded green heart if you tell him that your life is a 'secret' that cannot be revealed to an outsider such as he.)

The correct response, of course, is to give him a glimpse of the life of a devoted farmer. As you show him evidence of the back-breaking labour it involves, he will exclaim that he thinks life with you on your farm would be 'fun' because it would inspire him with material for many songs!

There is no indication that HE wishes to perform any farm labour. He tells you simply that: 'After hearing you talk, I kind of feel like living on a ranch now! I bet it'd be fun to live with you... I'd be able to write a lot of good songs for sure.'

One imagines him lounging about strumming on his lute or guitar, watching me fuel his poetic imagination by tilling the fields, harvesting the crops, chopping wood and smashing stones...

I think NOT! The worst part of this event is that after you have spent endless time showing him all the tasks you perform, he tells you that while you have given him the inspiration for a great song, 'I'll need some time to finish it though.'

I had hoped at least for a musical performance!

I shouldn't be so nasty about Gustafa. He is an amiable character, although there are hints that he is a bit judgmental towards non-vegetarians. Try giving him a fish sometime and you will see what I mean... God forbid you ever should speak to him of the glories of a good steak and potato dinner!

(If you give him a raw fish or sashimi, he will tell you that he hates raw fish and will cook and eat it later, but he obviously has no intention of eating it at all as, when you give him Grilled Fish or Fish Stew, his mouth will turn down and he will say: '.................... I want to sing a sad song.')

As I detest fish myself, I really should not be so hard on poor Gustafa... What is it about the man...? Rock cheerfully declares his intention not to work for a living, but I find his honest laziness rather appealing... Oh well... I'll still marry Gustafa one day and treat him well, feeding him his Most Favourite 'Hot Milk' every morning when he awakens. I don't expect I'll go so far as to have a child with him though. Life, even in Harvest Moon, is far too short to spend years with a man who doesn't appeal to one.

I have included a photograph of the exterior of Gustafa's Yurt in response to Shaggy's request for one. All photographs are taken from my own gameplay. It's rather an onerous process and they are not professional at all, but they are not intended for any commercial use in any case. I simply am sharing them with fans as a sort of preview of the upcoming English version of Cute.

I will try to obtain a better one of the exterior. It is far more difficult to take a good photograph of the upper screen than the bottom one with my little camera.

Flora and the 'Lovely Maiden' Fighting Style

Anyone who is familiar with the interactions between Carter and Flora will realise quickly that she is rather a daunting individual, strong-willed and quite determined to have things her own way. She is very unlike an 'assistant' in many respects, behaving more like the one in charge in any given situation.

In fact, she evidently is an accomplished martial artist and in Cute, she will offer to teach your character some of her moves if you are at a high enough friendship level with her.

Your first glimpse of Flora's expertise, however, is in the 'stalking event' with Daryl at the Goddess Spring. In this event, Flora senses some one watching her. She lays a trap for Daryl who rather inexplicably (considering he has a beautiful mermaid in his bathtub) is besotted with her.

Waxing lyrical, he calls her 'My Angel', but she is unimpressed and lays a trap for him, then proceeds to beat him mercilessly, using her martial arts techniques.

It is only in the event where she acts as your Sensei, however, that you become aware of the full measure of her abilities. If you accept her offer to teach you her art, she will work with you quite exhaustively, not allowing you to stop your training until you fully have mastered the technique of the 'Lovely Maiden'.

Incidentally, an 11 year old Harvest Moon fan named Natalie wrote a diverting tale about Flora's encounter with Daryl in the 'boy' version of Harvest Moon DS. That story will be found on my webpage devoted to Harvest Moon fan fiction: 'We Love Harvest Moon'.

My Faith in Harvest Moon is vindicated!

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When I missed Part II of Skye's 3rd Heart Event because Carter failed to enter his tent BEFORE midnight on Sunday night, I spoke to Natsume to try to find out if it would ruin my chances of marrying Skye. I was told rather depressingly that I had to experience both parts of the event in order to be able to move forward with the romance. According to Natsume, my chance of marrying Skye had gone with my failure to experience Part II of one of his heart events.

At first I was filled with despair, even beginning a new game in the 2nd slot to try to make a new life that would allow me to court Skye. Then, however, my analytical mind set to work to dissect the entire process of Heart Events... and I began to believe that I still had a chance with Skye in my first game.

I am kind of an expert in Courtship matters in Harvest Moon, but how could I be more of an expert than the people at Natsume? Well, the fact of the matter is that Harvest Moon games are not linear. Many factors determine the progress of the game. Natsume constantly is at work on new games, not having as much time to explore existing games as players do. In my Harvest Moon games, I try to court ALL the eligible spouses, then marry each and every one of them, documenting the results of every response in any event as well. In other words, I am insanely devoted to Harvest Moon...

I began to think about Harvest Events in HM Cute DS in order to try to resurrect my own hope that I could continue to court Skye.

In every Heart Event with ANY bachelor, there is a 'positive' and a 'negative' ending, sometimes even two of each in Cute. If you reject the bachelor's advances or invitation at the very start of the Heart Event, often the event will terminate abruptly and you will not experience the 'main' portion of the event...

This does not prevent you from experiencing the next Heart Event, however. What it does is lower the bachelor's heart level, setting you back a little in your courtship.

Why would Skye's events be any different?

I continued therefore to meet Skye nightly when he entered the Valley, raising his AP by +300 points slowly but surely. I grieved for the event that I had missed, but hoped that it would not prevent me from experiencing the next one.

Tonight, I discovered that my faith had not been misplaced. At 6.00 a.m., I crossed the bridge towards Vesta's farm and triggered Part I of Skye's 4th Heart Event.

At 10.00 p.m., determined not to take any chances of missing Part II, I entered Vesta's Farmhouse.

Vesta, Celia and Marlin stood together at the foot of the stairs.

Vesta: We'll get that lily-livered thief tonight!

We split up into two groups. Vesta and I accost Skye in the midst of the ripened aubergines. He uses his Chick-Beam on us, then walks north where he is accosted by the second group consisting of Celia and Marlin. He uses the Chick-Beam on them as well. Only Celia is affected but Marlin does nothing and Skye makes a leisurely exit after telling Marlin that there is no mystique in being caught by a man.

It was amusing to witness Marlin's obvious hostility towards the charming thief. I had to include a photograph of the moment when Marlin cried: 'Back off, pretty boy!'
If you recall Skye's 1st Heart Event, you will note that he used the same line that he used there on Lumina on Vesta in THIS event. To tell Vesta that anger ruins her beauty is absolutely hilarious. It appears that older women such as Vesta are not as easily seduced by Skye's flirtatious manner! She remains obdurately fixed upon the threat to her precious vegetables.

You may have noted that, on the 1st day of ANY growing season, Vesta's crops are fully ripe and ready for harvest. Why does the Harvest Goddess favour her so???

Having waited so long and worked so hard to experience this event, I found I was a little disappointed in the lack of romance. Unlike other events, he did not say anything personal to me!

Well, there is one more event... and the Yellow Heart Event usually is the most romantic in any courtship. At least I am grateful that I still have a chance to court the elusive thief!

How to View Energy and Friendship Stats in HM DS and HM Cute DS

Shaggy posted a question to me about energy and affection levels in HM DS and HM Cute for the DS. I answered his question in a comment, but perhaps it would be helpful to some players if I create an actual post about this.

In most Harvest Moon games, there are ways to discover your energy stats as well as your Affection and/or Friendship levels with villagers and potential spouses. In Friends of Mineral Town and More Friends of Mineral Town, you must be alert with respect to changes in dialogue on the part of characters in order to assess their Friendship Levels. With respect to eligible spouses, however, you can see their heart levels in the form of a large coloured heart on their breast when you engage them in conversation or otherwise interact with them. As far as energy levels are concerned, there is the Truth Gem, created when you have collected a full set of Jewels of Truth. The Truth Gem when equipped will show you your current energy levels.

In HM DS and HM Cute for DS, the acquisition of the Truth Bangle that displays SR and FR is far easier. As soon as the Casino opens, you can purchase a Truth Bangle with Medals either won or purchased there. When worn as an accessory, the Truth Bangle will display both current SR and FR levels. Similarly, there is a Love Bangle that when worn will display current AP and/or FP levels for any individual with whom you are interacting.

In HM DS and HM Cute for DS, you still can gauge your Affection levels with an eligible spouse by interacting with that individual and looking at the large coloured heart displayed on his/her breast, but the Love Bangle will give you far more precise information. After all, the span of any 'heart level' is 10000 points...

In HM DS/HM Cute DS as well as in FoMT/MFoMT, dialogue will change as heart levels or friendship levels change. This always depends on the location where you speak to the individual in question, by the way, in all Harvest Moon games. For example, when you speak to Griffin in his bedroom, his dialogue will depend solely on his FP, but when you speak to him behind the counter at the Blue Bar, his dialogue will change according to his heart level or AP. HM DS and HM Cute DS are a little more complex than FoMT or MFoMT with respect to Affection Points and Friendship Points. There are events in HM DS/HM Cute DS that are triggered with eligible spouses when a specific FP is reached. These are NOT Heart Events, however, and must not be confused with the Heart Events that are mandatory to experience if you wish to marry the girl/bachelor in question. FP Events exist for individuals who are not potential spouses as well. Some players call these events 'Random' events but they are NOT random. They are based on FP, location, weather conditions, days of the week, season and time of day. There may be a limit on the number of events a player can experience in any given day as well...

If you do not have a Love Bangle, you can gauge friendship and affection levels, as previously stated, by changes in dialogue. These accessories are extremely useful, however, and I cannot imagine any player who would reject the chance to gauge both affection/friendship levels and energy levels by obtaining both Love Bangle and Truth Bangle at the earliest possible opportunity.

It is only in the first week of gameplay BEFORE the Casino opens, that you will be required to guess affection and friendship levels in HM DS and HM Cute DS.

If you do not have a Truth Bangle or Truth Gem, you still can gauge energy levels by the physical actions of your character.

From my General Guide:

As in other Harvest Moon games, your energy level is a combination of Stamina and Fatigue. Items when eaten or used operate to restore your Stamina and/or to reduce your Fatigue. When you awaken in the morning, you should be at: 100/100 in terms of SR and 0/100 in terms of FR. As you use energy through the day, your SR will drop and your FR will increase as you lose Stamina Resistance and your Fatigue grows greater. If you watch your character's actions carefully, you will be able to see when his level of energy drops: he will mop his brow with a hankerchief, stoop and then his knees will buckle, and you will see him struggle to stand. Finally, when all energy is gone, he will pass out. A villager will rescue your character whenever he passes out and will take him home. The villager who rescues him will change according to the location where he passed out. Once he passes out, he will awaken only the next morning at 6.00 a.m. If he passes out AFTER midnight, he will lose an entire day!

END OF QUOTE

Even if you are not wearing the Truth Bangle, you can judge your character's energy levels by her physical actions.

I have written a very specific section on Energy for my new General Guide for HM Cute. Here are the precise indications for Stamina and Fatigue levels:

At 50/100 SR, she will mop her face delicately with her handkerchief. At 20/100 SR, her head will fall briefly and she will place her hands on her knees to steady herself before regaining her erect posture. At 4/100 SR, her knees will buckle briefly before she regains her normal stance. At 0/100, she will stagger, fall to the ground and steady herself with one hand before regaining her normal stance.

At 0/100 SR 50/100 FR, when her Fatigue is at half level, she will tug on her hair and shake her head briefly before regaining her normal stance. Remember that 0 SR never will cause your character to pass out. It is Fatigue that will have that effect and only when it reaches 100/100 FR. At 0/100 SR 80/100 FR, your character will fall to her knees, her face will turn blue, she will tug her hair and shake her head and the icon of a skull will appear over her head. This is the 'danger' warning... she is close to the point where she will pass out. Although she will regain her normal stance, her face will remain blue unless you restore her SR or diminish her FR. At 0/100 SR 100/100 FR, your character will stagger and fall to the ground... you will be rescued by an individual who either lives nearby or who is at a nearby location and you will awaken to full consciousness only the next morning. In HM DS and HM Cute DS, loss of consciousness will result in a random loss of gold as well! If you DO pass out, you will awaken with full energy at 100/100 SR and 0/100 FR.

END OF QUOTE

Incidentally, in the original 'boy' version of HM DS, you must pass out a specific number of times in order to experience Elli's 1st Heart Event. In MFoMT, one of Kai's Heart Events required a certain level of Fatigue and there are events in HM Cute DS that require certain minimum levels of Energy as well.

A Red Letter Day: Rescuing the Harvest Goddess

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The day when one is able to rescue the Harvest Goddess in Harvest Moon DS or Cute DS is one of the great 'red letter days' in the game. When you have rescued your 60th Sprite, the Harvest Goddess will appear and ask you to visit her at the Spring.

Go to the Goddess Spring and take an offering with you, preferably a Strawberry. She will appear and thank you for your offering. If it is a strawberry, she will tell you that she absolutely loved your gift.

After you have paid your respects to the newly returned Goddess, visit the Sprite Company Tree and press 'A' in front of the large Jar in the upper right corner of the outer chamber where the Sprite Teams have their postboxes.

A baby Sprite will poke his head out of the top of the jar. Guts then will tell you that he is a baby Harvest Sprite lost when all the Sprites disappeared. He has been so very busy that he completely forgot about the Baby's existence! He then will delegate the responsibility of caring for the Baby to you.

Bringing up Baby has its own rewards. When you have given the Baby 255 gifts, you may find him willing to grant you a wish from time to time...

The Baby loves Pudding and Ice Cream, incidentally. Each will raise his FP by 9 points.

It is Autumn now in Forget-Me-Not Valley and I discovered my second Giant Crop of the year this morning when I went into my field. I have a Giant Yam. My first Giant Crop was a giant Pumpkin in Summer. Actually, I could have had a Giant Turnip one day in Spring, but I had gone ahead a day temporarily simply to test an event and did not wish to save the results, so the Giant Turnip remains one of those parallel futures that never came to pass.

Harvest Moon games always include delightful little details that really are not that significant but which add richness to the tapestry of the game. Speaking to the Harvest Sprites who work for you often can elicit a remark that is hilarious or simply bizarre. Who would have thought, by the way, that Harvest Sprites are addicted to television programmes? Koto apparently is addicted to some weekly soap opera...

If you are fortunate, you may find an opportunity to do more than shop when you ring a business in Mineral Town. From time to time, both May and Pastor Carter will be willing to talk to you. When the option appears, you may wish to take advantage of it, because you never know where it might lead.

The 60th Sprite I rescued in this particular game was Vail who is rescued when you ship your first Green Pepper. My 101 Sprites Guide lists all 101 Sprites and the means by which each is rescued. There is a separate section that lists the 60 easiest Sprites to rescue. 60 is the magical number here as it results in the rescue of the Harvest Goddess.

I am surprised always by the number of players who send me emails, telling me that they have experienced all four heart events for a prospective spouse, have the individual at 60,000 AP (deep red heart level) but cannot understand why the person keeps rejecting the Blue Feather and the proposal of marriage it accompanies.

You MUST rescue the Harvest Goddess in HM DS or HM Cute DS before you can marry ANY ONE. The Harvest Goddess, after all, rings the bells at all weddings and her blessing upon any nuptials is a sine qua non in this game.

In my current game of Cute, I have experienced all four heart events for each of the 'ordinary' Valley bachelors but have experienced only 2 heart events for most of the Mineral Town bachelors. I have experienced two and a half heart events for Skye and am anxious to know if I can trigger the next one or not. Sad to say, although I now have Skye at Green Heart level, Part I of his next event only can be experienced on a sunny Friday. Tomorrow IS Friday but it is the Harvest Festival. It is very seldom indeed that any event can be experienced on a Festival Day. What this means effectively is that I have to wait another week before I will know whether or not I still can trigger Skye's heart events in this game.

Meanwhile, as soon as the first Valley bachelor reached Orange Heart level at 50,000 AP, I was able to buy the Blue Feather from Karen's Supermarket. It is in my rucksack now, awaiting the appropriate time for a marriage proposal.

There is one more requirement for marriage that needs to be met: the Big Bed. If you upgrade your house twice, the next item offered by the Shopping Network will be the Big Bed. I actually chose NOT to upgrade my house a second time at this point, as I am not ready to USE the Big Bed but I am ready to cook. As the Shopping Network offers only one item each week, I feel that a Kitchen and all kitchen utensils must take precedence over the Big Bed...

In a couple of weeks, I shall have all Kitchen implements AND my second house upgrade, allowing me to buy the Big Bed when it is offered. At this point, however, even though the Harvest Goddess has been rescued and two bachelors are about to reach red heart level, I am not ready to marry. Once you marry, you no longer can experience any more Heart Events for obvious reasons. I would like to experience the Heart Events for every bachelor before I finally pose the question to one of them.

More Energy Tips for HM DS and HM Cute

It is interesting to note the very different effects of different cooked dishes made using the same ingredients. For example, using a simple tomato, you can make all sorts of different dishes in Harvest Moon DS or Harvest Moon Cute.

There are players who completely ignore the various effects of 'Recipes' in Harvest Moon games and who make the dish only once in order to complete their Shipping List. There are other players, like myself, who delight in every permutation of Harvest Moon games and who explore every possible avenue from mining to cooking in order to maximise their enjoyment of the world encapsulated in Harvest Moon.

One does forget some details, however, especially when one has played other games and written guides for them in the interim. By writing my new guides for HM Cute, I am able to revisit my original guides for HM DS and improve them.

In both games, it takes almost two seasons to complete the Kitchen with all implements. The Shopping Network offers one item each week and no more, apart from the items offered exclusively to the Harvest Sprites. As your character cannot acquire korobos, the Harvest Sprite items are out of reach. If you pay close attention to the descriptions of those items, you will understand that they are extremely impractical in any case.

Returning to the kitchen, however and to Harvest Moon in general, players should understand that there is a reason why one should collect items and store them even before you are able to buy a Refrigerator or Shelf. Your first opportunity to acquire a Refrigerator and Shelf will occur in the first Summer, but there are many Spring crops and wild items that are needed to complete Recipes. If you keep a few of these in your Rucksack until you are able to buy the Refrigerator and Shelf, you will be pleased that you did.

The kitchen becomes available in the first Summer as well, provided always that you expanded your house once and bought the other items offered by the Shopping Network. As previously stated, cooking implements then are offered each week, beginning with the Mixer. At the start of the second week of Autumn, you should have a Mixer, a Frying Pan and a Steamer, giving you far more choices in Recipes than you had with only a Kitchen.

A Tomato is a Summer crop but it is recommended that you collect quite a few tomatoes and ears of corn and store them in your Fridge before the season ends. You ultimately will be able to order up to three Basements from Gotz and grow crops in any season in them but in your first Autumn, you probably will not have a Basement. In any case, it is rather pointless to expand your house twice and spend your gold on a Basement before the first Winter. Your energy and gold are better spent on a Kitchen, Kitchen implements, tool upgrades and Makers from Grey.

By the second week in Autumn, I usually have three Animal Barns, three Bird Barns, a Mushroom Shed, a Maker Shed, all Makers and a full set of Blessed Tools. I upgrade my house only ONCE in order to be able to buy the Fridge, Shelf, Kitchen and all Kitchen implements as early as possible. If you upgrade your house a second time, the Big Bed will be offered immediately. There is absolutely NO POINT in buying the Big Bed BEFORE you have rescued 60 Sprites and the Harvest Goddess. Even if you have a bachelor at red heart level and have experienced all four of his Heart Events, he will not accept your marriage proposal until the Harvest Goddess has been rescued.

The reason I have 3 Animal Barns and 3 Bird Barns so early in the game is to rescue Sprites, by the way. At this point in the game, I have rescued 59 Sprites. I will be able to rescue the Harvest Goddess within a few days. All I need to do is ship 1 Bell Pepper to rescue the 60th Sprite...

The subject of this post ostensibly was Energy Tips, however, not gameplay tips in general.

Taking 1 Tomato harvested in Summer, one can make the following in the second week of Autumn in the first year.

First, one could eat the Tomato raw. That would give you: +3 SR -1 FR, restoring your Stamina by 3 points and reducing your Fatigue by 1 point. This is NOT the best use for your Tomato, however, as you might have guessed.

Without using any Utensils, you can use the Tomato to make a Salad. 1 Tomato by itself will make a Salad and that will give you +20 SR -5 FR, restoring 20 points of Stamina and reducing your Fatigue by 5 points.

If you have the Mixer, however, you can make Tomato juice with 1 Tomato. That will give you +20 SR -20 FR, restoring both your Stamina by 20 points AND reducing your Fatigue by 20 points!

Thus, if you need both Stamina and Fatigue recovery, use your Mixer and 1 tomato to make a glass of Tomato Juice. It is far more potent than a Salad made with the same tomato.

Furthermore, it is far less expensive to consume two glasses of Tomato Juice made in your own kitchen than to buy a Turbojolt XL from Van for 2000 Gold.

Here again are the values of 1 Tomato in different forms:

1 Tomato raw: +3 SR -1 FR
Salad: +20 SR -5 FR
Tomato Juice: +20 SR -20 FR

As you can see, it pays to use your Kitchen and raw ingredients wisely in Harvest Moon.

Rock's Methods of Courtship: Talk about Lumina!

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Rock is the eternal adolescent, totally clueless but ultimately with a naive charm that allows him to breeze through life and win hearts as he does. His Yellow Heart Event is so quintessentially Rock that one cannot help but be won over, despite the fact that he makes an utter mess out of everything!

Basically, the event begins with Rock alone in his room, creating a master plan of seduction. He believes it is imperative NOT to let you know that he likes you. When you enter, he proceeds to wax eloquent about Lumina. Both screens darken again and again to portray the passage of time as he relates experience after experience in which Lumina shines brilliantly.

Finally, you are given a choice between two responses:
Are you dating Lumina?
Stop talking! Please!

If you beg him to stop talking, he will be injured beyond belief, asking: 'Is it that bad to have a conversation with me?'

He will order you to leave but, once the door has slammed behind you, be utterly distressed by the turn of events.

'Oh no! Now I've really done it! She'll never talk to me again...'

Then, however, with that sunny and optimistic disposition that characterises him, he will console himself: 'No! I can get her back! Next time I see her, I gotta be more cheerful!'

Freya, however, did not ask him to stop talking, as she had some interest in discovering the true state of affairs. She asked him instead if he were dating Lumina.

Rock was completely taken aback by THAT question, although he even had stated quite clearly: 'I bet Lumina would make a great wife.'

He protested, 'No way!!!' He then added: 'Ac... actually! I like you way more than her, Freya! I just ... didn't want you to know, so I talked about Lumina and stuff!'

The truly touching declaration is given only if you speak to him AFTER the event ends, before you leave the room. He then will tell you: 'Sure, I like Lumina, but I like Freya the most of all!'

I admit that he is immature and irresponsible, but he IS awfully cute... and my heart melted when he told me he liked me 'the most of all'. I still hope to marry Skye, but if that is impossible, I may offer Rock my Blue Feather...

Next, I am off to the yurt to experience Gustafa's 4th Heart Event... Griffin and Marlin were the first to reach Yellow Heart as I gave them gifts on their birthdays, receiving the x5 bonus for those gifts. As Griffin is thrilled with the simple gift of a small fish, it is easy to court him. Marlin loves wine, making him a little more expensive to court, but still easy. If you have treated all bachelors fairly equally, Carter still may be the last to reach Yellow Heart, unless you gave him Lithographs every day... I didn't have the energy for that, so boosted him +300 AP daily with a riceball instead. Now that I have a kitchen, I can give him Sashimi and that speeded the process greatly.

Sad to say, there is NOTHING to give Skye that will raise his AP more than +300 daily until you have a Pot... At the start of Autumn, the Pot has not been offered yet, so I am forced to court him at a snail's pace with toiletries or jewelry.

The Little Things in Harvest Moon: Virtues of Cooking

In an earlier post, I listed the first Cooked Dishes that could be made in Harvest Moon DS and Harvest Moon Cute DS as soon as you acquire a kitchen but do not have any implements. In that post, I concentrated on the value of Cooked Dishes as gifts for other people. In this post, I am going to discuss the virtue of Cooked Dishes primarily in terms of restoring energy.

The first implement that you can obtain from the Shopping Network is the Mixer. With the Mixer, you can transform Fruits and Vegetables into Juices and Lattes and make a couple of very important basic items like Butter and Ketchup. You actually can make Fish Sticks as well.

Again, I am not going to list ALL the Mixer Recipes here but only the ones that can be made in the first half of the first Summer of gameplay.

Fruit Juice
1 Strawberry

Fruit Latte
1 Fruit Juice
1 Milk

Vegetable Juice
1 Cucumber
1 Milk

Vegetable Latte
1 Vegetable Juice
1 Milk

Mix Juice
1 Fruit Juice
1 Vegetable Juice

Mix Latte
1 Mix Juice
1 Milk

Strawberry Milk
1 Strawberry
1 Milk

Tomato Juice
1 Tomato

Peach Juice
1 Peach

Grape Juice
1 Wild Grape

Butter
1 Milk

Ketchup
1 Tomato
1 Onion

Fish Sticks
1 Medium or 1 Large Fish

Here are the energy values for each of these dishes:

Fruit Juice: +20 SR -15 FR
Fruit Latte: +30 SR -15 FR
Vegetable Juice: +20 SR -20 FR
Vegetable Latte: +30 SR -20 FR
Mix Juice: +50 SR -30 FR
Mix Latte: +60 SR -20 FR
Strawberry Milk: +30 SR -15 FR
Tomato Juice: +20 SR -20 FR
Grape Juice: +7 SR -13 FR
Peach Juice: +10 SR -10 FR
Fish Sticks: +5 SR -1 FR

Butter: +1 SR -0 FR
Ketchup: +1 SR -0 FR

It will come as no surprise to discover that the energy values of Butter and Ketchup are minimal. What is interesting is the difference between the Energy Values of a Medium Fish consumed without cooking preparation, the same Medium Fish blended in a Mixer into Fish Sticks and the same Medium Fish made into Sashimi as a 'No Tool' Recipe. Here are the values:

Medium Fish eaten raw: +4 SR -1 FR
Fish Sticks: +5 SR -1 FR
Sashimi: +30 SR -3 FR

The simple act of throwing a crop into a Mixer can enhance its energy values enormously. Not all crops can be made into Juice, but many can. Here are the differences between the raw crop and the same crop as Juice:

Strawberry Milk: +30 SR -15 FR
Strawberry: +5 SR -2 FR

Tomato Juice: +20 SR -20 FR
Tomato: +4 SR -1 FR

Grape Juice: +7 SR -13 FR
Wild Grape: +10 SR -2 FR

Peach Juice: +10 SR -10 FR
Peach: +2 SR -3 FR

As you can see, in most cases, the Stamina value will be far greater if the crop is made into Juice. The Fatigue recovery will be substantially greater as well. The only anomaly here is the Wild Grape. It has a much higher Stamina value when consumed raw BUT its value in terms of reducing Fatigue is far greater when made into Juice. Grape Juice, by the way, can be made either with a regular Grape from a grapevine or from a wild grape.

Very often, players of Harvest Moon games become seduced by the concept of Elli Leaves and focus on them exclusively when cooking for energy purposes, but as you can see, there are many easy recipes for cooked dishes that will restore energy significantly. Elli Leaves cannot be made until you have EVERY cooking implement in your kitchen. The recipes given here require nothing more than the Mixer.