Cooking in Animal Parade

In my own first game, I had no trouble purchasing any Cooking Utensil from the General Store in the first week of Spring, and yet other players have emailed me asking why they are unable to buy Cooking Utensils. The option is 'locked' in their games.

In many Harvest Moon games, cooking or shipping Cooked Dishes can unlock some new options or bring rewards. As soon as Bo repaired the Garmon Mines District Bridge in my first game (Wednesday in the first week of Spring), I bought the Matches and began to use them rather lavishly. I bought Sardines from Ozzie as well as catching my own fish and grilled all of them, saving most of the Grilled Sardines for use as Recovery Items and shipping the rest.

I was not certain why one should purchase Recipes when you can experiment in your Kitchen to add the same Recipe to your Cookbook without paying anything at all, but to be on the safe siad, in case there was some hidden virtue to the actual purchases, I bought the inexpensive Herbal Tea Recipe from Irene, the Grilled Sardines Recipe from Ozzie and a Boiled Egg Recipe from Hanna in Flute Fields.

Furthermore, in the first week, I went from house to house, collecting all the Recipes from the various kitchens.

It is possible that any one who is unable to buy items that should be available at Level 1 at any of the Shops has failed to perform one of the above. I can't imagine what else could prevent the purchase.

Althought there is a link between the FORGES and the Red Bell, there was no impediment to me either with respect to purchasing or using any Kitchen Utensil before I completed the Red Bell Quest. That rather surprised me, I confess, as I initially assumed I'd only be able to use the Matches and Cutting Board before the power of Fire was restored, but that was not the case at all.

Incidentally, for those who may be interested, I will try to have a preliminary Animal Parade Cookbook Recipes Guide on IGN later today. If there is no real virtue to purchasing the Recipes from shops, then a Recipes Guide will be of significant benefit to players who haven't the time or inclination to experiment intensively in their kitchens.

Unlocking New Options in Animal Parade

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My Walkthroughs tend to be very detailed. In fact, some players may consider them TOO detailed, because I enjoy the text of character Dialogues and Events and therefore often include them in my Guides.

If you read my Animal Parade Walkthrough, it still is not quite as detailed as I would like it to be, but I do update it daily. It will include all necessary Events and Dialogues and at present, includes the entire Animal Whistle Quest, the Red Bell Quest and the starting Events and Dialogues for all the other Bell Quests apart from Edge's Bell.

If you do not read my Walkthrough, there is a general rule that you can follow that will allow you to unlock every new option that does not depend on obtaining actual Items:

TALK TO EVERY ONE AS OFTEN AS POSSIBLE!

This is the key to most Harvest Moon and even Rune Factory Events and the key to unlocking new options in both series. If you do not experience a key Dialogue, often you cannot unlock a new Character or option. Coversation is important in any Harvest Moon or Rune Factory game for other reasons as well. It provides vital information about a Character's likes and dislikes. It usually raises Heart Levels, although not as much as an actual desired Gift would.

In Tree of Tranquility and Animal Parade, enter every Shop or building that is open to speak to every Character inside. Go behind the counter to speak to any individual who is working. If you see some one wandering about outside anywhere on the Map, speak to him or her. Follow EVERY path on the map. Use the 'Check' option when it appears.

Note that you must enter specific screens in order to trigger Events. You will encounter Chase for the first time when you enter the Church Grounds, but you have to walk in the right direction to do so. If you cannot trigger the Event, leave the screen and re-enter. You simply have to walk towards the right area in the Church Grounds.

Meeting Mira for the first time in Tree of Tranquility required a similar movement. In my first game, I triggered the Event immediately. In my second game, I forgot to walk towards the right path and failed to trigger the Event until I remembered to do so.

An excellent, but too often ignored resource both in Tree of Tranquility and Animal Parade is the Map that you carry everywhere you go. In Animal Parade, simply press the '1' button to open your Map. (In fact, this proved awkward for me initially, as the '1' Button had a quite different function in the last game I played on the Wii, so I initially would press it, thinking I would open my Rucksack and open the Map instead...)

The Map not only shows you where places of interest are located. If you use the 'Zoom' function by pressing the 'Z' Button, then press 'A' at any designated location, you will see the hours of operation of any business, as well as the day on which the business is shut. Referring to your Map therefore can prevent you from wasting considerable time in the early stages of the game when you are likely to slog off to a shop only to discover that it is shut...

Much time is spent in both games in walking to and from different Districts. Do not waste any of that time. When you visit a District, take Gifts for every one. Speak to every one and visit every Shop, not only in order to buy items that you need, but to trigger new Events. If you fail to find a Character who should have been unlocked at the start of the game, it is because you did not experience the necessary dialogue or event...

Your Horse in Sunshine Islands

This is nothing more than a quick post about an aspect of the game that has bewildered many players (including me, initially!) In Island of Happiness, you could ride your horse... although Sunshine Islands follows Island of Happiness in many respects, you NEVER can ride your Horse in Sunshine Islands. It is not a question of allowing the Horse to become an adult as in earlier Harvest Moon games. Nor is it a question of Heart levels. Even at maximum 10 Hearts, you cannot ride the Horse.

The Pets who live in your Stable can be entered in Animal Contests. You can practice the mini-game (that constitutes the method by which the actual Contest is won) for each Pet daily. The Horse pulls a little sled in the mini-game and that is ALL he/she does in Sunshine Islands. The Dog catches a flying disc or 'frisbee'. The Cat plays with a toy on a stick.

Note that your chances of winning the Animal Contests improve as the Pets' Heart Levels increase but the 'Mood' of the Pet always is random. Even at maximum 10 hearts, the Horse can be out of sorts when you enter the Contest and resist. The Dog can display the 'black cloud' at 10 Hearts and be restricted to the distance to which this Mood will restrict him/her. The Cat may be inattentive and slow to respond initially...

Always save your game BEFORE you go to Meadow Island to compete in any Animal Contest that involves a Pet. Although training speeds will improve, the mood of the Animal during the actual Contest could be poor. YOu can win an Animal Contest even at a low heart level if you are lucky. You can lose it if you are unlucky even at maximum Heart Level. The chances of loading a GOOD Mood or GOOD level of attention initially improve with increase in Heart Levels but you always can be given a bad result at random...

Another Beguiling Silver-Haired Bachelor in Animal Parade

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As soon as I caught sight of him, my heart was set on winning the Harvest King in Animal Parade... or so I thought, until I met the Wizard. I had suspicions from the start that I would be susceptible to the Wizard as well... after all, he has long silver hair and he works magic... and although he is aloof, he is not quite a god, making him easier to court. What really sealed my fate, however, was the way I felt about his relationship with the Witch Princess. Although she is not an official Rival, the thought of another woman being close to him made me JEALOUS. Not an emotion I encourage in myself even in real life, but it made me aware of the necessity of marrying him at least in one file. So I probably shall split my game after courting all the Bachelors, then marry the Wizard in one file and save the other for the Harvest King. For those players who never played ToT, I would recommend one of the original Bachelors, at least in your first game. Having played Tree of Tranquility rather extensively at one point, I went through the Courtship and Marriage Events with every Bachelor before I chose one as the father of my child.
It makes perfect sense, therefore, for me to choose other new characters in Animal Parade... As usual, though, I shall court ALL bachelors and even propose to them all if I can before I settle down with any one.

First Visit to Harvest Goddess in Animal Parade

Animal Parade First Day Walkthrough

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A little Walkthrough for the first week in Spring has been added to my General Guide but I do not know if it will be uploaded before Monday afternoon. I therefore thought it might be useful if I copied the information here.


First Day Walkthrough

If you follow this Walkthrough religiously, you will have a full set of tools by Wednesday and in fact, will have every basic tool apart from the Hammer on the first day of gameplay.

Begin your Day at 10.00 a.m. on 2 Spring by walking northwest towards the Garmon Mine District to find Bo at the broken bridge. Here you will obtain an Axe as well as a Quest to recover his Toolbox from Mayor Hamilton so that he can fix the bridge. The Bridge is the only connection at present between Harmonica Town and the Garmon Mine District. Until it is repaired, you will not be able to visit the Blacksmith, Carpenter, General Store OR the Garmon Mine and Harvest Goddess Spring. If you waste no time and spend your money judiciously, you can induce Bo to fix the Bridge by Wednesday morning on the 4th Day of Spring.

To do this, your next step is to visit Harmonica Town. Go to the Town Hall to speak to Mayor Hamilton. He will ask you to meet every one in Harmonica Town.

Harmonica Town is built in tiers and is extremely picturesque. In fact, as you explore the narrow walkways that lead upward from shop to shop, you will find access to rooftops and tiny elevated gardens.

Within this shopping area are the following:
Simon's Photos
Sonata Tailoring
Chorale Clinic
Brass Bar
Ocarina Inn
Fishery
School
Wizard’s House

The School will be untenanted at this point and the Wizard’s house will be locked. You can enter all the other businesses, however, to experience little Events in each.

At the Sonata Tailoring, you will meet Shelly and her granddaughter, Candace. Luna, sister of Candace, is absent, and the business is in a terrible state.

As you walk towards the Brass Bar, you will experience your introduction to Kathy. She will take you into the Bar, shut usually during the day, in order to serve you a cup of tea. There you will meet her father, Hayden.

When you enter the Ocarina Inn, you will experience an Event with Yolanda and Maya, her granddaughter. Maya will give you a Cookie and suggest that you eat it ‘when you are tired’. This is a clue as to the potency of Sweets against Fatigue.

Before you go to any other shops, walk west towards the end of the Pier to experience an introduction to Jake and Colleen, owners of the Ocarina Inn and Maya’s parents. Now, when you return to the Inn, they will be inside working as well.

At the Chorale Clinic, Irene will inform you that the Doctor, Jin, is absent, and urge you to stay healthy as her abilities are limited.

At the Fishery, you will meet only Ozzie, but he will mention Toby and Paolo and tell you that you may be able to find them in Flute Fields. He will give you 3 Char.

Throughout the map, you should be alert for wild animals. In Harmonica Town on the first day, you should be able to find an Orange Tabby and a White Tabby Cat as well as a Collie. Pet them all to earn a little affection with them.

You must leave the shopping area and walk north into the Church Grounds in order to meet the other Characters. Enter the Church first to experience an Event with Mira and Perry. Afterwards, go west into the Church Grounds to experience an Event that introduces you to Chase.

In the Church Grounds area, you can meet two more dogs, a Beagle and Pyrenees as well as a Black Cat.

When you have met all possible Characters in this area, Finn will announce the fact and suggest that you return to speak to Hamilton. Now, when you confront the Mayor again, he will give you Bo’s Toolbox and ask you to deliver it to him.

If you wish to explore the Lighthouse in this first visit to Harmonica Town, you will find a puzzle there in picture form... one clue is missing, however.

You should be able to complete all of these Events by 3.30 p.m. to 4.00 p.m. Now you must go to the other end of the Map, to Flute Fields in the northeast, in order to make the most of your first day.

You may wish to save your game at your Ranch on the way to Flute Fields in case something goes wrong. You probably should organise the contents of your Rucksack as well. With so many gifts, you will have no empty slots if you do not store some items either in your Tool Box or in the shipping container temporarily.

The Shipping Containers throughout the Map can be used for temporary storage as long as you empty out the items you wish to keep BEFORE you go to bed at night. Items are shipped after you go to sleep.

In Flute Fields, your first destinations will be Marimba Farm, Horn Ranch and the Watermill. When you go to Marimba Farm, you will meet Craig, Ruth and Taylor. Players of Tree of Tranquility will remember how Taylor had left the area before they ever moved to the Islands. In Animal Parade, you have the opportunity to witness the historical argument between Taylor and his father. In fact, when you meet Taylor alone outside, he will go off on his journey to find Seeds strengthened with your support. In return, he will give you 9 Cabbage Seeds.

Pop into Chase's house and search his kitchen for a Recipe for Tomato Risotto before you leave.

Your primary goal at this point is to persuade Bo to repair the bridge. If you wish to rush back to the Garmon Mine Bridge to give Bo the two items tonight, you can do so before the first day ends. You can do this in a single visit tomorrow as well if you take ALL the items he requests with you. After you give him the Toolbox, he will ask for a Strawberry and some Milk as he is far too famished to work properly. You can purchase the Strawberry from Ruth at Marimba Farm and the Milk from Hanna at Horn Ranch. You will begin the game with 1000G. Buying the two items is a good investment as it will give you access to the General Store on the 2nd or 3rd day of the game, on 3 or 4 Spring. The reason you need the earliest possible access to the General Store is to purchase Matches. With Matches, you will be able to grill fish!

Go now to Horn Ranch and enter the main building to meet Hanna and obtain a Sickle, then go into the Barn to find Cain. He will offer you a Calf! Choose the colour you prefer and he will give you both the Calf and a Brush.

Make one last stop at the main building today to purchase some Fodder for your new animal. Remember that Horn Ranch is shut on Wednesday and plan accordingly. Do not forget to purchase Millk from Hanna as well.

On your way home, take the little detour to the Watermill and you will experience an Event with Toby. After introducing himself to you, he will give you his old Fishing Rod. Now you can fish!

When you go home, you will find that you have many chores to do. First, you must make certain that you feed your new Calf and brush her. Then you must water existing crops and plant new ones. Tilling the soil may yield some added income randomly as gold coins often are found in the earth.

On the 1st day of gameplay on 2 Spring, I found no wild items anywhere, but on the morning of 3 Spring, you should be able to find Common Mushrooms, various Coloured Herbs, Raspberries, Sea Urchins and Seashells in the fields and on the beaches.
Remember that shipping is calculated after you go to bed. If you have been able to catch any fish, you may wish to ship them.

On your first day, you will find three ripe Turnips in your ‘starter’ field. You can ship all three or ship two and keep one... you need to have more than 400G to purchase the Matches on Wednesday at the General Store.

On the morning of 3 Spring, after feeding your Calf, brushing her and using the large Bell to send her out in the Field, provided the weather is fine, go immediately to the broken Bridge, making certain that the Toolbox, the Strawberry and the Milk are in your Rucksack. You will find Bo there even at 6.00 a.m. Give him the Toolbox and he will speak of his hunger, requesting a Strawberry and some Milk. Give each item to him and he will pronounce himself ready to tackle the project of repairing the Bridge. He will tell you that he will visit you when the repair has been completed.

It takes one full day for Bo to repair the Bridge. You begin the game on Monday, 2 Spring. If you give Bo the three items on Monday, 2 Spring, you will be able to visit the Garmon Mine District on Tuesday, 3 Spring. If you give him the items on Tuesday, you will be able to visit Garmon Mines District on Wednesday, 4 Spring. This schedule is important because all the businesses in the Garmon Mines District are shut on Thursday. If you do not give Bo all three items on Tuesday, you will not be able to buy Matches at the General Store on Wednesday. If you complete the sequence one day later and unlock the Garmon Mines District on Thursday, you will be required to wait until Friday to shop.

Although there are no time limits for completing Quests and Tasks, making an effort to complete all the above in the first day will make your entire life easier. Energy is a priority always at the start of any Harvest Moon games. The items you find in the wilds do not recover much Stamina, but a Grilled Fish will!

My Walkthrough enables you to begin the Red Bell Quest on Friday, 6 Spring as you can complete the Animal Whistle Quest without any trouble on Thursday, 5 Spring, even when the Shops in the Garmon Mine District are shut, provided you follow all the Steps of speaking to all the Characters in the Garmon Mines Shops on Wednesday after attempting to follow the path to the Harvest Goddess Spring.

When you meet the Harvest Goddess, the 'main' Story begins as she sets you the Quest to ring all the Bells in order to restore the Goddess Tree. The 'Bells Quests' in Animal Parade are the equivalent of the Rainbow Quests in Tree of Tranquility and each Bell is allocated to one of the Harvest Sprites that you met in ToT. Meeting the Harvest Goddess will result in the gift of your first Power Berry, increasing your Maximum Stamina.

Although you can 'take your time' in completing any goal and indeed various Characters will recommend this, completion of the Red Bell Quest offers so many benefits in the form of FIRE POWER that it is a goal you may wish to exert yourself to complete as quickly as possible.


Animal Whistle Quest

Animal Parade Calendar of Birthdays and Festivals

This is the Calendar of Birthdays and Festivals I created for the Animal Parade General Guide.


Here is my preliminary Calendar of Birthdays and Festivals. The items listed with each Birthday are 'suggested easy gifts'. What this means is that they are items that you can obtain very easily even at the start of the game and if not the 'Most Favourite Gift', nonetheless a Birthday Gift that will be acknowledged happily and therefore will raise Friendship/Affection Levels as well as eliciting an acknowledgement that it is the Character's Birthday.

Note that you must have at least 10 Characters at 3 Hearts in order to begin the Purple Bell Quest. Remembering Birthdays is an excellent way to start.

Although the Birthdays of all Eligible Bachelors will be included on your Calendar if your Character is a Girl and similarly, the Birthdays of all Eligible Girls included if your Character is male, no other Birthdays ever are added, even when you give a Gift to some one on his/her Birthday.

The only Gifts that will be recognised AS Birthday Gifts by any Character are those items that meet with a response either of a 'burst of hearts' or a 'single heart'. The Gifts that are received with a burst of musical notes, while accepted happily by an individual, will not elicit any Birthday acknowledgement.
The dates of all Birthdays and Festivals are listed in this Calendar with a suggested Birthday Gift in brackets next to each Birthday. The Items may not be a ‘Most Favourite Gift’ but it will be a gift that is easy to obtain and one that is inexpensive and yet will raise Friendship and Love Levels. For each Season, all Crops and Flowers that can be grown have been listed as well as all Items found in the Wilds. A Fish section has been included for each Season, providing a list of those varieties of Fish that can be caught ONLY in that specific Season or during two Seasons at most. More detailed information about ALL varieties of Fish is provided in the Fishing section of the Guide as well as the Items Shipping List Guide. Where I have listed ‘Sea Urchin’ as a preferred Gift, it indicates for the most part that ANY raw shellfish collected at the shore would be acceptable, including Mussels, Oysters and Clams. Shellfish tends to be seasonal.

Spring


Spring Crops

Spring Crops are as follows:
Single Harvest Crops: Cabbage, Lettuce, Potato, Spicy Pepper, Turnip
Multiple Harvest Crops: Cocoa, Flax, Strawberry, Wheat
Spring Flowers: Hyacinth, Lavender, Pansy, Pinkcat Flower, Tulip
Items found in the Wilds: Blue Herb, Green Herb, Purple Herb, Yellow Herb, Blueberry, Raspberry
On the Beach: Sea Urchins

Spring Fish

Spring and Summer: Dorado,
Spring and Autumn: Mackerel, Skull Jellyfish
Spring and Winter: Huchen, Pacific Halibut, Pacific Herring, Rock Trout, Tarpon, Yellowtail

Spring Festivals and Birthdays

5 Spring: Ramsey’s Birthday (Herbal Tea, Turnip)
6 Spring: Ruth’s Birthday (Tulip, Sakura Seashell)
9 Spring: Toby’s Birthday (Sea Urchin, Sakura Sea Shell)
13 Spring: Hamilton’s Birthday (Tulip)
14 Spring: Flower Festival
17 Spring: Phoebe’s Birthday (Mushroom (White), Iron or any Refined Ore, Yellow Wonderful)
20 Spring: Perry’s Birthday (Tulip, Herbal Tea)
21 Spring: Hayden’s Birthday (Sea Urchin, any cocktail)
22 Spring: Theodore’s Circus
23 Spring: Chase’s Birthday (Sea Urchin)
25 Spring: Luna’s Birthday (Tulip, Sakura Seashell)
27 Spring: Sue’s Birthday (Tulip, Pineapple Juice)
28 Spring: Animal Festival

Summer


Summer Crops

Single Harvest Crops: Blue Herb, Cucumber, Green Herb, Honeydew, Onion, Sugarcane, Tea Leaves, Watermelon
Multiple Harvest Crops: Corn, Tomato
Summer Flowers: Begonia, Hibiscus, Lily, Morning Glory, Sunflower
Items Found in the Wilds: Green Herb, Purple Herb, Red Herb, Yellow Herb, Blackberry, Raspberry
On the Beach: Mussels and Oysters

Summer Fish

Spring and Summer: Dorado
Summer and Autumn: Bonito, Conger Eel, King Salmon

Summer Festivals and Birthdays

3 Summer: Kathy’s Birthday (Sea Urchin, Mussel)
6 Summer: Cain’s Birthday (Boiled Egg, Corn)
7 Summer: Firefly Festival
8 Summer: Luke’s Birthday (Tulip, Banana)
10 Summer: Yolanda’s Birthday (Herbal Tea, Boiled Egg)
14 Summer: Dale’s Birthday (Remedy, any Cocktail)
17 Summer: Summer Festival
18 Summer: Owen’s Birthday (Boiled Egg, Sea Urchin, Mussel)
19 Summer: Taylor’s Birthday (Tulip)
21 Summer: Samson’s Birthday (Coconut, Hibiscus)
23 Summer: Barbara’s Birthday (Tulip, Pinkcat Flower)
26 Summer: Selena’s Birthday (Sakura Seashell, Sea Urchin, Mussel)
27 Summer: Chloe’s Birthday (Tulip)

Autumn


Autumn Crops

Single Harvest Crops: Carrot, Grape, Purple Herb, Red Herb, Rice, Spinach
Multiple Harvest Crops: Bell Pepper, Eggplant, Pumpkin, Yam
Autumn Flowers: Blue Mist, Chrysanthemum, Cosmos, Moondrop, Rose
Items Found in the Wilds: Blue Herb, Green Herb, Red Herb, Yellow Herb, Blueberry, Cranberry
On the Beach: Clams

Autumn Fish

Spring and Autumn: Mackerel, Skull Jellyfish
Summer and Autumn: Bonito, Conger Eel, King Salmon
Autumn Only: Salmon
Autumn and Winter: Angler Fish and Cod

Autumn Festivals and Birthdays

2 Autumn: Bo’s Birthday (Tulip, Mushroom*)
5 Autumn: Renee’s Birthday (Sakura Sea Shell, Sea Urchin, Mussel)
6 Autumn: Craig’s Birthday (Raspberry Cocktail, any Cocktail)
14 Autumn: Moon Festival
16 Autumn: Anissa’s Birthday (Tulip, Blue Herb, Herbal Tea)
20 Autumn: Irene’s Birthday (Purple Herb, Herbal Tea)
21 Autumn: Julius’ Birthday (Tulip, Rose, Herbal Tea)
22 Autumn: Theodore’s Circus
24 Autumn: Maya’s Birthday (Sea Urchin, Mussel)
27 Autumn: Harvest Festival
28 Autumn: Jake’s Birthday (Hyacinth, any Cocktail)

Winter


Winter Crops

Single Harvest Crops: Buckwheat, Yellow Herb
Multiple Harvest Crops: None
Winter Flowers: Anemone, Green Bell Flower, Snowflake Flower
Items found in the Wilds: Blue Herb, Green Herb, Purple Herb, Red Herb, Blackberry, Cranberry
On the Beach: Laver Seaweed

Winter Fish

Autumn and Winter: Angler Fish and Cod
Spring and Winter: Huchen, Pacific Halibut, Pacific Herring, Rock Trout, Tarpon, Yellowtail

Winter Festivals and Birthdays

2 Winter: Gill’s Birthday (Tomato Juice, Blue Herb, Remedy)
3 Winter: Pascal’s Birthday (Sea Urchin)
4 Winter: Hanna’s Birthday (Sakura Seashell, Morning Glory)
5 Winter: Harmony Day Festival
7 Winter: Candace’s Birthday (Snowflake Flower, Herbal Tea)
8 Winter: Simon’s Birthday ( Remedy, Yam)
10 Winter: Mira’s Birthday (Sakura Seashell)
11 Winter: Starry Night Festival
12 Winter: Colleen’s Birthday (Rose, any Cocktail)
14 Winter: Calvin’s Birthday (Sea Urchin, Boiled Egg, any Cocktail)
19 Winter: Shelly’s Birthday (Tulip, Sakura Seashell)
20 Winter: Paolo’s Birthday (Sea Urchin, any Shellfish)
22 Winter: Theodore’s Circus
23 Winter: Ozzie’s Birthday (Sea Urchin)
26 Winter: Jin’s Birthday (Herbal Tea)
28 Winter: New Year’s Festival

*Mushroom is the White Mushroom, not the Common Mushroom

Move Over, Harvest Goddess! The Harvest King Beckons...

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Those of us who played Harvest Moon Cute on the DS have a passing acquaintance with the Harvest King, but it is in Animal Parade that we actually are given an opportunity to interact with him. In fact, if you play the game as a girl, you actually (Be still, my heart, be still!) can court and MARRY him! In More Friends of Mineral Town, you had the choice of marrying a Magical Being in the form of the Kappa, but that green creature of the waters never appealed to me as a romantic partner. The Harvest King on the other hand, is everything a romantic soul could crave, physically and spiritually!

I expect players can guess that I will 'set my Cap' for him!

Incidentally, he can be found, very appropriately on the Mountaintop and his favoured Gifts include Shining Grapes, Shining Apples and Apple and Grape Cocktails.

Well, I have a long way to go if I expect to gain his attention, let alone his exalted HEART! Best take the first faltering steps towards success in Animal Parade...

Later: IGN published my very preliminary General Guide for Animal Parade. Its purpose at this point in time is to establish the URL as well as giving as many little facts as I could provide in a few hours. By Monday, the Guide should be a lot bigger and far more useful. I tried to create a little Calendar of Birthdays and Festivals. I have followed ToT official birthdays for characters who are in both games. If I am mistaken, I'll have to 'eat my words', but birthdays usually are consistent for characters from game to game.

Animal Parade Marches Joyously into my Heart

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This is nothing more than an announcement that my own copy of Animal Parade has arrived, complete with darling Duck and Sunshine Island's Pink Pig! I will begin my General Guide for Animal Parade now and hope that I can race against the clock to send at least a preliminary version to IGN before their deadline of 4.00 p.m. (PST) on a Friday afternoon... the Friday in question being Friday the 13th! This is a day that actually was NOT considered unlucky in many pagan traditions... it obviously has been lucky for me personally today.

The music at the portal of your new Adventure in Animal Parade could not have been calculated better to rouse my own excitement. It is traditional 'carousel' music, a stirring march that transports me instantly to one of my favourite memories from chilchood. I love the carousel. I still love it. When I mount one of those brightly-caparisoned wooden steeds and feel the wind in my hair as I ride the magical circle of enchantment of chilchood, my cares gradually are stripped from me and all the burdens of adulthood can be pushed to the back of my soul for a few golden moments. Animal Parade very fittingly has the same sort of music as the player spiritually mounts the 'ride' to adventure... (The Wii instruction to: 'Put on and tighten your wrist strap' only strengthens the illusion of riding a carousel actually, remembering the leather straps to be worn as a child to prevent an untimely tumble from the horse.)

If you watch the opening film in Animal Parade carefully, you won't need a Game Guide from me.... Although that statement isn't entirely accurate, it is a marvelous, enchanting film and it DOES give hints as to most of the vital elements and options in Animal Parade.

Another heartfelt thanks to Natsume!

N.B. No, I am NOT finished with Sunshine Islands by any means, but I would like to make a start on Animal Parade.

Severe Storms in Sunshine Islands

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The following information about Severe Storms is included in my General Guide for Sunshine Islands but as some of it is generally applicable to Harvest Moon, I thought I would include it in a post as well.


Effects of Severe Storms

As in any Harvest Moon game, severe storms in the form of Typhoons or Blizzards can occur in Sunshine Islands. As Taro’s predictions are completely accurate for the next day, you should be forewarned on the day prior to any severe storm.

For example, if there is to be a Blizzard, Taro will tell you as much:
Taro: Good morning! Wait... No, not good morning! There’ll be a blizzard tomorrow! Oh, no!

Although a few Harvest Moon games allow you to venture forth on the day of a severe storm, Sunshine Islands follows the traditional rules, forcing you to remain inside your Farmhouse on the day of any severe storm.
The only practical activity that you can perform on such a day is to cook. If you wish to use any Tool to change your point totals in Winter, you can do this as well but the easiest way to make certain that a Wonderful appears at Chen’s Shop the next day is by cooking.
What I have done successfully is save my game last on the morning of the storm. I then cook one dish. If, when I go to Chen’s Shop the next morning, no Wonderful appears on the Menu, I reload and cook 2 Dishes... I keep adding one dish to my count until a Wonderful appears. Using this system, I have managed to persuade him to sell an Orange Wonderful on the day after a Blizzard. Remember that Wonderfuls only appear on this basis in Winter and the maximum appearance is one every three days.
The effects of any severe storm are many:

Your Poultry and Livestock, if they did not have sufficient feed for the day of the storm, will have suffered some Stress. There are ways to mitigate this, by having extra feeders in your Chicken Coop and Barn. If you are fortunate enough to have a Sunny/Clear/Cloudy Day prior to the Typhoon or Blizzard, you can set your Chickens outside to feed, bringing them back into the Coop only at night. If you do this, they will not consume the food in their feeders until the next day, which will be the day of the Storm.

In any Season but Winter, provided you have ripe Grass growing in your Field, any Livestock taken outside for the day can feed themselves, but there has to be a square of ripe Grass for each Animal. Again, if the weather is Sunny/Clear/Cloudy on the day prior to the Storm, your Livestock can eat outdoors, saving the Fodder in their feeders for the day of the Storm.

A number of Branches, Stones, Stumps and Boulders of varying sizes will be deposited randomly throughout the map, including your own field. In any Season apart from Winter, tilled and planted squares are as likely to be their destination as any other location on your field, which means that a random number of Crops may be destroyed. The actual configuration probably is set when you go to sleep on the night of the actual Storm but, as you cannot do much during the day of the Storm, you may wish to save your game before you go to bed on the Eve of the Storm.

If you awaken to find that a particularly valuable Crop has been decimated, simply reload and try again.

Apart from the Stress and possible damage to Crops, a Typhoon or Blizzard can be perceived as positive in some respects. Once you have cleared the initial Boulders and Stumps from the map in the first Spring, you never will see any Stumps or Boulders again unless there is a severe storm. Lumber always is a priority in Sunshine Islands and Material Stone is a far better material for your Refrigerator and Cabinet than Wood. Although Mythic Stone may be the best material as items kept within a Mythic Refrigerator or Cabinet NEVER lose any Freshness or Rank, a Material Stone Refrigerator and Cabinet will keep your items fresh far longer than the Wooden Refrigerator and Cabinet. You really should upgrade both to Material Stone as early as possible in the game. The cost is not high if you can provide your own Materials. Otherwise, it is a little prohibitive, but there is no reason why you cannot collect at least 200 pieces of Material Stone for these two projects.

Another effect of any Typhoon or Blizzard is the possible destruction of the Fruit Trees you have planted on Fruit Island. If you learned your lessons about Fruit Trees properly, you will know that a fence built for each Tree will prevent it from being destroyed in a Severe Storm. To build a Fence, throw a single piece of Lumber or Material Stone onto the large square where your Tree has been planted. It will become a small fence automatically. These fences do not last, sadly, so it always is a good idea to visit your orchard on the day prior to any Severe Storm to build new fences for each Fruit Tree that no longer has one.

A positive benefit can be derived on any Severe Storm day in Winter from your character’s inability to perform ordinary tasks. Provided the Storm does not occur on a Thursday, making the next day Friday, the day when Chen is not open for business, you can cook in order to force a Wonderful to appear on his menu the next day. What I have done successfully more than once is to save my game last on the morning of the Blizzard. I then begin by cooking a single Dish and going to sleep immediately afterwards. If, when I visit Chen's Shop the next morning, there is no Wonderful in his menu, I reload back to the morning of the Storm and this time, I cook two dishes. I repeat this process again and again, each time cooking only one more dish, until a Wonderful appears.

Remember that the maximum number of Wonderfuls taht can appear in Winter at Chen's Shop is one Wonderful every three days. If you have found a Wonderful at Chen's shop within two days of the Storm, there is no point in performing the exercise. If the Storm falls on Thursday, there is no point either, as Chen's Shop will be shut on Friday.

The Value of Accessories in Sunshine Islands

First of all, I would like to state that ALL of my Sunshine Islands Guides have been updated and contain much more information than they did yesterday. In fact, rather to my chagrin and embarrassment, I found that the General Guide contained some early misconceptions still in certain sections (even though the correct information was given in others!) so those have been corrected. I wish I had more time to edit, but there are so many details still to be added to all the guides. You always can contact me if there's a contradiction anywhere but I would be happier if my Guides didn't contain any of those.

I wrote a number of new sections for each of the guides including the General Guide. In the process of completing the Accessories List, I wrote a section on the value of the various Accessories.

Harvest Moon games tend to have a common foundation and many of the Accessories will be familiar to veteran players. Their 'value', however, may vary according to the game you are playing. I remember how excited I was when I first encountered the Witch Princess Earrings in HM DS. To have an Accessory that would restore BOTH Stamina and Fatigue seemed too good to be true!

Well, in fact, it IS too good to be true in Sunshine Islands. Here are the sections from my General Guide that deal with Accessory Effects.


Accessory Effects

As you have four slots in which to equip tools and/or accessories, you can equip more than one Accessory that has the same type of effect, making the effect cumulative. For example, when you purchase the Medium Harvest Goddess Pendant, you can equip it WITH the Small Harvest Goddess Pendant. The cumulative effect of both Pendants will be almost the same as that of the Large Harvest Goddess Pendant. The most significant difference is the need to use two slots instead of one. What this means in practical terms is that you may wish to use your Orichalcum to purchase a different type of Accessory in the early stages of the game, while continuing to use the Small and Medium Harvest Goddess Pendants to achieve maximum Stamina.

Unfortunately, the Witch Princess Pendants are a little disappointing. Although they increase both Maximum Stamina and Fullness, the actual degree of their effect is far less than that of the Harvest Goddess and Kappa Pendants. If you wish to be able to own a Godhand or one of the two Rings that alter the flow of time, however, you must buy all the Witch Princess Pendants first…

My own experience has shown that the best early configuration is to equip the Small and Medium Harvest Goddess Pendants with the Small Kappa Pendant, leaving one slot free for any Tool. When you can afford to purchase the Medium Kappa Pendant, exchange it with the Small Kappa Pendant. Increasing maximum Stamina has far more practical advantages than any increase in maximum Fullness.

The Small Kappa Pendant with the Medium Kappa Pendant will increase Maximum Fullness almost to the same extent as the Large Kappa Pendant would if equipped alone. As previously stated, however, increase in Maximum Stamina is more useful than increase in Maximum Fullness. As you only have 4 slots for equipment, it is far better to use the Small and Medium Harvest Goddess Pendants together with a Medium Kappa Pendant than to equip two Kappa Pendants.

Once you have Small and Medium Harvest Goddess and Kappa Pendants, you should collect 60 Orichalcum in order to buy the Large Harvest Goddess Pendant. When this has been achieved, you can equip the Large Harvest Goddess Pendant in one slot and the Small and Medium Kappa Pendants in two of the others, leaving one slot as always free for a Tool. When you have these accessories equipped, you will be in a fairly strong position in terms both of Stamina and Fullness. The considerable increase in your Energy Bars will aid you immensely in your exploration of the Mine.
Ultimately, when you have collected another 60 Orichalcum, you can obtain the Large Kappa Pendant and divest yourself of the Small and Medium versions.

Accessories that you no longer want or need either can be stored in your Beauty Box or sold to Chen. For the most part, their resale value is fairly low. The Small W. Princess Pendant, for example, can be sold for 1500G.

A vital Accessory that is sold by Chen instead of Charlie is the Teleport Stone, sold for 100,000G. It becomes available at Chen’s Shop as soon as you have 100,000G in your total earnings.

Effects of other Accessories

For those who are excited by the marketing descriptions of the various Earrings and Friendship Pendants, it may be useful to know how effective each actually IS in improving your life. You then may understand why I recommend the Pendants above the Earrings in terms of Stamina and Fullness effects.

Pendants increase the actual Bars in terms of potential Maximum Stamina and Fullness. The Earrings simply restore increments of Stamina and Fullness to your existing Energy Bars.

The Small Harvest Goddess Earrings, for example, restores 1 point of Stamina every half hour. The Medium Harvest Goddess Earrings do the same in half the time. The Large Harvest Goddess Pendant restores 1 point of Stamina every 3 minutes. If that sounds good to you, reflect for a moment on the value of Food in comparison. The actual effect of 1 point of Stamina is the same that you would obtain if you consumed a bag of flour raw. In other words, it is negligable. At the same time, remember that these Accessories MUST REMAIN EQUIPPED in order to function. Do you really have an empty equipment slot that could not be employed more profitably?
The Witch Princess Earrings may appear to be the ultimate Accessories with their description of having the power to restore BOTH Stamina and Fullness but their actual function for each is less practical than the Harvest Goddess and Kappa Earrings.

The Small Witch Princess Earrings restore 1 point of Stamina and 1 point of Fullness every TWO HOURS. Can you wait that long for the effect of a raw bag of flour??? The Large Witch Princess Earrings, which require a total of 100 precious Orichalcum to create restore 1 point of Stamina and 1 point of Fullness every half hour. In other words, it is an expensive Accessory that does very little even in the space of half an hour.

Friendship Pendants at first glance might be mistaken for the resource of the lazy or anti-social player but in fact, if you do not EARN Friendship through your own actions, the Pendant will not do it for you! What the Friendship Pendants do is augment the Friendship that your own actions have earned. The Small Friendship Pendant will give you a 20% boost whenever you earn any Friendship points. The effect of the Medium Pendant is a 50% boost and the Large Friendship Pendant increases Friendship Points by 100%. In other words, the Large Friendship Pendant doubles the value of any action you undertake, whether it is speaking to an individual or giving him/her a preferred Gift. This Accessory actually can be valuable, especially if you equip it before you embark on your daily ‘meeting and greeting’ rounds of the Islands.

No doubt the Witch Princess will be very cross with me for slagging off her Earrings, but however elegant they may be, they really are not worth their weight in Orichalcum...

At least, that is my experience...

Making Rare Items in Harvest Moon and Sunshine Islands

When I first played FoMT and made the four Suns in my Kitchen, I wondered about their purpose. In Friends of Mineral Town, they had no real practical purpose... Then came HM DS and Cute DS, where the four Suns could be obtained in the Mine. In these games, they had a vital task to perform. They acted as surrogate 'Suns' in your Basements.

On to Island of Happiness, where the four Suns were put to similar use in your Greenhouse. Now we reach Sunshine Islands, where the four Suns can be purchased from Chen once you have your Greenhouse.

There are no Recipes for Suns in Sunshine Islands, but there are Recipes for OTHER rare items that delight me.

Any veteran player of Harvest Moon will have followed the rare Red Magic Flower, sometimes given other names such as Blue Red Magic Flower. In FoMT and MFoMT, a bag of Blue Magic Flower Seeds when planted had a chance of producing a Red Magic Flower.
In Island of Happiness, you could find them growing wild near the Mine on occasion. In Sunshine Islands, although they do grow wild (but are as uncommon as they were in IoH), you can MAKE them in your Kitchen! Admittedly, the Recipe requires another rare item in the form of Alexandrite but the idea that one can create a Red Magic Flower is enchanting.

Another rare item familiar to veteran players is Gold Lumber. The most expensive building material that exists (apart from Mythic Stone, useful in 'building' a Refrigerator and Cabinet where items stay fresh forever), it is available in almost every Harvest Moon game at the local Carpenter's workshop for a rather high price.
In Sunshine Islands, you can buy Gold Lumber from Gannon, but you can MAKE it as well in your Kitchen, using a piece of Gold. Were the piece of Gold Ore the only ingredient, we'd all be rich... The catch here is that you need a Million Gold Ticket as well... (The Recipe calls for Copper and Silver Ore, but that is easily obtained, even by a pauper.) I recall that there were inventive players in HM DS and Cute DS who attempted to make Golden Lumber from Gold Ore... but in vain, of course. Now they can do it in Sunshine Islands!

All those players who never truly understood the purpose of the Tickets in other Harvest Moon games now have a very practical use for them. In fact, the Million Gold Ticket is one of Lily's Favourite Gifts, rather unsurprisingly. although not as well-received as the Pirate Treasure. (After all, she is an avowed Treasure Hunter!)
The tickets always had a practical use for millionaires and billionaires in any Harvest Moon game, by the way, if not so much for ordinary folk. There is a limit to the amount of money that 'fits' into your Earnings total. If you exceeded that amount, all of your labours would be as nought in terms of shipping. By purchasing a Ticket and stashing it in your Cabinet, you could continue to add to your earnings.
Tickets always are items that need to be shipped once to complete the Shipping List as well.

All of these various permutations in rare items in Harvest Moon are so typical of the creators of these games. The creativity of these artists is boundless. Here you have a very well-defined Universe. Characters may appear in more than one game and when they do, they always are consistent with the earlier appearances in terms of their histories, likes and dislikes. Nonetheless, each game usually adds depth to existing characters as well as introducing new ones. Most items tend to be the same from game to game but there are new methods of obtaining them or new uses for them. What this does in a way, is to provide players with a sense of security, that they 'live' in a stable world and yet, it always reminds them that this Harvest Moon world is magical. Every item can surprise you. New potential lurks like an unsprouted seed within every Crop.

I wish I could eavesdrop on the initial creation of a new Harvest Moon game, to witness the brainstorming that must occur. 'What if...?' 'What if the player could MAKE Gold Lumber in his/her Kitchen?' 'Red Magic Flowers are used in so many Recipes... but we don't want to make them too common in the Wilds. What if the player could MAKE them in his/her Kitchen?' 'Yes, but you can't make that too easy either. Let's add a valuable item to the Recipe.' 'What about Pink Diamond?' 'Good, but not rare enough. Let's make it Alexandrite.' It is possible that all of these dialogues would be internal, in the mind of a single artist... but I imagine that all the artists who work on new Harvest Moon games have some input. It is the sort of world that captures the heart of any one who comes close to it in any way.

It makes me sad to think of all the people who never even heard of 'Harvest Moon' and who never played a single game... Perhaps this will change gradually and they will become as famous as any Classic in literature. They certainly deserve to be.

N.B. Only a few examples were given for each of the rare items. They do appear in other Harvest Moon games as well...

Wedding to Shea in Sunshine Islands

I took a break from typing lists and 'hard facts' into my Sunshine Islands Guides in order to record the Proposal Event with Shea and subsequent Wedding a week later:



Once again, Freya reloaded afterwards and remained single. I have recorded Denny's Events as well now.

Later: For all the players who have had trouble with Marriage in Sunshine Islands, there ARE requirements apart from the usual Harvest Moon general requirements in terms of Heart Level (deepest red), experiencing all Heart Events (the last of which is the 'date' in SI), having raised Mystic Islands, met the Harvest Goddess as well as Nathan and Alisa, buying the Spouse Bed and having a Blue Feather to make your Proposal.

In every case, you must have received ALL the Sun Stones that the individual has to offer. In other words, you must have obtained the Eligible Girl's/Bachelor's Personal Sun Stone and his/her Owner Sun Stone (if he/she IS head of household or owner of a home). In Shea's case, there is an added requirement in that you need to have obtained Wada's Sun Stone as well.

The reason for this is logical, actually. After marriage, your Spouse will live with YOU. This means that he/she no longer will live at the old address and you therefore cannot hope to trigger the Event that yields the owner Sun Stone any longer. In Lily's case, although she simply has a guest room at the Inn, she does have her own 'Owner' Sun Stone as well as her Personal Sun Stone. Will has one for his Ship... individuals who do not possess them include Natalie and Elliot as it is Taro who holds the Head of Household Sun Stone in THAT family.

Incidentally, if you are using cheats to obtain your Sun Stones, God help you, because I certainly can't. I strongly advise against the use of Cheats in any Harvest Moon or Rune Factory game. These games have too many variables to allow for cheats to be effective. Inevitably, something will not work... and it could be your chance to marry!

Mining In Sunshine Islands

Mining

Mining in Sunshine Islands requires three Farm Tools: a Hammer, Hoe and Watering Can. The Watering Can is used to melt Lava in order to clear spaces AND obtain a rather popular gift item in the form of Gelatin. This is a new option in Sunshine Islands.

As in Island of Happiness and some of the other Harvest Moon games, you can descend to lower floors either via stairs or a Pitfall.

A different Gem may be found on each floor on the first 9 Floors. Note that oddly, you may find a different correspondence on your first visit to the Mine but after that, it should be as follows:
Floors B1 through B9:
B1: Amethyst
B2: Agate
B3: Fluorite
B4: Peridot
B5 Topaz
B6: Ruby
B7: Emerald
B8: Sand Rose
B9: Moonstone
When you reach the 10th Floor:
Dum=Da-Da-DAA! You’ve reached the 10th floor of the mine for the first time! Hm? Who am I? Can’t tell you yet. See ya!
(If you have raised Mystic Islands and met the Harvest Goddess by throwing an acceptable offering into the Pool there, the Harvest Goddess will show herself and make an announcement of similar sort in the Mine whenever you reach a new ‘goal’ in terms of reaching a lower floor of the mine.)
Note that Stone Tablets can be found first on the 50th Floor using a Hoe, and on every 25th Floor after that. Only one Stone Tablet can be found on any allocated Floor. After shipping the first Stone Tablet to complete the entry in your Shipping List, stash them in your Rucksack to gain Mining Points daily from each.
Floor B10: Adamantite
11th through 24th Floors: All Gems apart from Diamond, Pink Diamond and Alexandrite
25th Floor: Orichalcum
26th through 49th Floors: Copper, Silver, Gold
Floor B50t: Mythic Stone and, using your Hoe, Stone Tablet
51st through 74th Floors: All Gems (including Diamonds) and All Ores apart from Mythic Stone, including Mystrile, Adamantite and Orichalcum
Floor B75th: Stone Tablet in floor (using Hoe), but nothing in Rocks
Note that you will find neither stairs nor pitfalls on the 75th Floor unless you have raised your Mining Degree at least to Level 5.
76th to 99th Floors: Copper, Silver, Gold, Mystrile
Floor B100: Nothing apart from Stone Tablet , obtained by using a Hoe
101st through 124th Floors: All Gems apart from Pink Diamond and Alexandrite
Floor B125: Alexandrite and by using a Hoe, a Stone Tablet
B126 through B149 Floors: All Gems apart from Pink Diamond and Alexandrite
Floor B150: Diamond and Pink Diamond
B151 through B174 Floors: All Gems apart from Pink Diamond and Alexandrite
B175: Nothing apart from the Stone Tablet you can find with your Hoe
B176 through B199 Floors: All Gems apart from Pink Diamond and Alexandrite
Floor B200: Nothing apart from the Stone Tablet your can find with your Hoe
B201 through B224: All Gems apart from Pink Diamond and Alexandrite
Floor B225: Adamantite and Orichalcum and, with a Hoe, a Stone Tablet
B226 through B249: All Gems apart from Pink Diamond and Alexandrite
B250: All Gems and All Ores and, by using a Hoe, a Stone Tablet
B251 through B254 Floors: All Gems and All Ores
B255: Wonderful from the Harvest Goddess and, by using your Hoe, 1-2 Stone Tablets

Mining Strategies

Your worst enemy in the Mine does not consist of Pitfalls but your own Energy limits. By carrying as many Provisions as possible and ALWAYS using a Recovery Item before your Stamina decreases below the halfway point, you will avoid passing out.
Lava is an impediment that can conceal a stairway but you can find Gelatin in any piece of Lava after using Water on it three times. Gelatin is an item that is quite well-regarded as a Gift by more than one Eligible Girl.
If you study the Mining List above, you will see that the best Floors to explore extensively in the early stages of mining are:
Floor 10: Find as much Adamantite as possible to use in creating Makers
Floor 25: Find as much Orichalcum as possible to use in creating Accessories
Floor 50: Find as many Mythic Stones as possible to ship for income
Floors 51 through 74: These are the earliest Floors that hold most of the Gems as well as most of the Ores. The only Gems you cannot find here are the very rare Pink Diamond and Alexandrite. The only Ore you will be unable to find is Mythic Stone.
My own strategy usually is to save whenever I reach a new Floor, then use a Pitfall to fall lower until I am within one or two floors of Floor 25 and Floor 50. I make certain to reach Floor 25 to collect Orichalcum, always needed, and then to reach Floor 50 to collect Mythic Stone, certainly needed for income in the first couple of years. You can find from 5 to 7 pieces of each of these special items on their designated Floors. I never have found more than 7, however.
From Floors 51 through 74, you will find your greatest number of items, both in the form of Ores and Gems. There usually is at least one piece of Orichalcum as well as one piece of Adamantite on EACH of these Floors. It therefore makes no sense to allow yourself to fall through a Pitfall unless the Pitfall takes you only one floor lower, as you then will run the risk of skipping some of these Floors.
As previously stated, it is best to save your game as soon as you arrive on any new Floor, unless you have arrived via Pitfall and lost too much Energy in the process. The amount of Energy you lose when you fall is based on the number of Floors that you travel in your fall. One or two floors therefore is to be preferred, even if it is less tedious to fall through all the Floors that hold little of benefit.
An important consideration in Mining in Sunshine Islands is increasing your skill and Mining Points through experience. Collecting even Junk Ore will add to your Mining Degree Points. You will find that the lowest Floor to which you are able to descend in the Mine is determined by your Mining Degree Level. It therefore makes little sense to push your way to the 75th Floor when your Mining experience is too low to permit you to descend any further. Whenever your Mining experience is too low, NEITHER STAIRS NOR PITFALLS WILL APPEAR NO MATTER HOW MANY TIMES YOU RELOAD!
Spending a lot of time exploring each of the Floors between Level 50 and Level 75 probably is the best way to increasing your Mining Degree total and obtain the largest amount of income. Further benefits are Orichalcum and Adamantite totals, which will allow you to order vital Accessories and the Makers that are used to process Ranch Products and Grains.

Using Wonderfuls in the Mine

Some of the Wonderfuls will have no power in the Mine but Green, Orange and Purple Wonderfuls in your Hoe and Hammer can prove very helpful. Knowing Charlie’s schedule can allow you to trade Wonderfuls from tool to tool, setting Yellow, Green and Purple in the Hamer and Hoe for the duration of any Mining expedition, then taking them back to Charlie for dispersal and use in different Tools.

Inside the Mine, an Orange Wonderful set into your Hammer will allow you to find more Gems and Ores in the Rocks you smash and, when set in your Hoe, will allow you to find more Black Herbs and Coins in the ground. The number of potential Stone Tablets found on any allocated floor will not change. In fact, as the Watering Can is used to find Gelatin in Lava, setting an Orange Wonderful in it will increase the amount of Gelatin you can find.
The Orange Wonderfuls, however, are less vital than a Green Wonderful in this context. Green Wonderfuls decrease the amount of Stamina required for each use of the Tool into which they are set. Stamina always is a valuable commodity inside the Mine. When you are farming, the best place for your Green Wonderfuls to be set probably is your Watering Can but whenever you plan an expedition to the Mine, you may wish to load your Hammer and Hoe with them as well.
The Purple Wonderfuls are the least important as they simply add 2G to the value of items that are obtained using the Tool in which they are set. This is of minor significance compared to the other Wonderfuls.

Alexandrite and Red Magic Flowers

Alexandrite is a valuable item in its own right but it becomes doubly so when used in a Recipe to create the rare Red Magic Flower. Although you can find Red Magic Flower on Sprout Island randomly during the Autumn Season, you can make it in your Kitchen using the rather more common Blue Magic Flower and Alexandrite. To obtain any Recipe, you must give an ingredient to a specific Chef. In this case, you must give Blue Magic Flower to Haila at the Café.

Mining Degree Points

Although you cannot see the total number of points that you have earned in any Degree Category, it is useful to know how many can be earned by any given action or achievement.
The values are as follows:
Use your Hoe, Hammer or Watering Can: 1 point
Descend to another Floor using stairs or Pitfall: 1 point
Obtain any Gem or Ore: 2 points
Ship any Gem or Ore: 2 points
Obtain a new variety of Gem or Ore: 15 points
Participate in the Mining Contest: 100 points
Win 1st Place in the Mining Contest: 1000 points (and a Wonderful as 1st Prize)
Win 2nd Place in the Mining Contest: 700 points (and 3 Wonderful Pieces)
Win 3rd Place in the Mining Contest: 500 points (and 2 Wonderful Pieces)
As you can see, every piece of Junk Ore that you obtain is worth as much as any rare Gem or Ore in terms of your Mining Points. Shipping Junk Ore will give you the same number of points as shipping any rare and expensive item, even if it will not yield as much income!
As previously indicated, the lowest Floor that you can access at any given time in the Mine is determined by your Mining Degree point total. The correspondences are:
For 0 through 500 Points: Floor B10
For 501 through 2000 Points: Floor B25
For 2001 through 5000 Points: Floor B50
For 5001 through 10000 Points: Floor B75
For 10001 through 15000 Points: Floor B100
For 15001 through 20000 Points: Floor B150
For 20001 through 25000 Points: Floor B200
For 25001 through 30000 Points: Floor B250
With 30001 Points, the Mine is yours to command.

This information is included in my Sunshine Islands General Guide but for those who prefer to access this site, this post should be fairly helpful in terms of exploring the Mine on Volcano Island. Note that, in many respects, the correspondences between Floors in IoH and Sunshine Islands are identical.

Links for Sunshine Islands Guides by Freyashawk

You now will find links to my various Guides for Sunshine Islands on the right side of this page, under the heading of Sunshine Islands.

As usual, ALL of these Guides are 'works in progress'. With hundreds and hundreds of pages in my game journal, there still is a great deal of information that needs to be added to each of the Guides, as well as a little 'Initial Walkthrough' section for the General Guide.

Even so, the General Guide should contain the information you need to make a decent start in the game. The Courtship and Marriage Guide contains the schedule of every Heart Event both in the 'boy version' and the 'girl version'. For each of the Bachelors, I have included the actual text of most of the Heart Events and will continue to add to that.

My Calendar Guide will contain the text of every Festival Event and information for each of the Animal Contest Festivals. At present, the Calendar itself is fairly complete with all Crops that can be grown in each season, Wild Items that can be collected, all Birthdays with at least one suggested Gift and all existing Festivals as well as those that can be unlocked.

The Characters Guide deals with every Character in Sunshine Islands, including the Harvest Sprites. I still need to add many of the Friendship Events to it, but it does contain all the vital information in terms of Gifts and Birthdays.

I had hoped to complete the Cookbook Recipes Guide before the game was released today, but it involves so much typing and numbers (Stamina/Fullness) that it simply could not be completed if I wished to put together the other Guides as well. It does contain the majority of Recipes, including Optional Ingredients. The General Guide actually has some Cooking sections that give some easy early Recipes with alterations that are easy to obtain and will improve them.

To answer a question that has been posed to me many times today, yes, I will be writing Guides for Animal Parade as well but as I had no access to this game prior to its release (unlike Sunshine Islands), it will take longer for me to be able to produce them.

Proposal and Marriage to Will

Here is a video that shows the Proposal and Wedding Events for Will in Sunshine Islands. It includes details of basic marriage requirements. The video begins with stills, but then is followed by videos of the Wedding Event and finally, the actual Proposal Event in video form. The text is far clearer in the screenshots, but I felt viewers would appreciate the actual Event as well.



And no, Freya is not happily married to Will as she still must continue the single life for awhile in order to experience ALL Proposal Events and Weddings with ALL Bachelors before she can settle down to a permanent life... It almost broke her heart to be forced to reload back to a point where she lived alone in her farmhouse, Blue Feather still safely stashed in the Cabinet, awaiting future use.

A Vampyre in Sunshine Islands!

With the release date of Sunshine Islands approaching quickly, I had decided not to make any more videos until my Strategy Guides were completed. I experienced an Event, however, that I could not resist sharing.

It is a Friendship Event that requires your Character to have a Friendship Level above 6 Hearts with Felicia and Mirabelle. In this Event, the identity of a possible Vampire is disclosed:



In Sunshine Islands, as I have explained in my Guides, the Heart Levels that you can access on the Characters or Relations Page of your Farm Menu as well as the icons that appear with the portraits of Characters who are eligible for marriage do not represent the precise point totals upon which all Events and new options are based. They are nothing more than general indications of your Affection or Friendship Levels with any individual or animal. It is the point total that is the true requirement in each case. With respect to all Friendship Events, the point total requirement is BETWEEN 6 and 7 Hearts. You therefore need to continue to raise Heart Levels after you reach 6 Hearts with any Character before you can experience the special Friendship Events.

In Friendship Events, the Friendship Level requirement usually pertains to more than one individual, unlike the Heart Events that are a part of Courtship. In the case of 'Rumours', you must have raised both Felicia's and Mirabelle's Friendship Levels above 6 Hearts. In the case of 'Natalie's Father', another Event that occurs at Taro's house, giving details about Felicia's husband, the father of Elliot and Natalie, you must raise the Friendship Levels of the entire family.

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.

Natsume's Facebook and Twitter Pages

Natsume now has Facebook and Twitter pages for those who have access to these resources.
Natsume Inc. on Facebook
Natsume on Twitter

History of Boats in Harvest Moon

More than one player asked me to describe Will's Ship in Sunshine Islands. I promised to make a brief video tour of his yacht. This is the result. In the process, I added footage of various boats from previous Harvest Moon games, including the mysterious boat at the pier in Mineral Town (FoMT/MFoMT), the small boat that takes you to the Island in HM DS/Cute DS and the Ship that brings Mineral Town visitors to and from Sunny Island in Island of Happiness.

The Harvest Goddess Festival in Sunshine Islands

One of the most beautiful traditions in Harvest Moon is the Harvest Goddess Dance, usually performed by all the Girls for the Bachelors of the village. In Sunshine Islands, it is performed at the Meadow on the occasion of the Harvest Goddess Festival on 8 Spring to mark the Birthday of the Harvest Goddess. Shea is the only Bachelor who does not attend, although you will have the option to invite only a Bachelor at Green Heart or higher. The other Bachelors will be paired with your 'Rivals' for the Dance.

Rather coincidentally, Shea reached Green Heart on the day before the Harvest Goddess Festival. I therefore experienced his Green Heart Event as I prepared to ask the Bachelor of my dreams to accompany me to the Dance. His Green Heart Event actually includes a little dance. I therefore combined the Harvest Goddess Festival with Shea's Green Heart Event in this video:

Sunshine Islands Characters Video Guide

I spent almost three days compiling the following video which gives all the Characters in Sunshine Islands, their Birthdays, Most Favourite Gift and an Easy Gift for each. My laptop kept rebelling, making the process much more frustrating than it ought to have been. Added to that, I insisted on doing the research to find the 'Most Favourite Gifts' of some of the new Characters. As you can give only a single gift each day, this involved ENDLESS travel via Teleport Stone,as well as cooking various expensive dishes without ever saving the results as my character has not reached a point where she can spend gold like water yet... All I can say is 'Thank God for the Teleport Stone!' Otherwise, the research would have been far more time-consuming than it was.

Some 'Most Favourites' should have been obvious, but I experimented with a few non-starters before I realised that, as a self-confessed 'treasure hunter', Lily NATURALLY would love Pirate Treasure more than any other item. The joy I experienced when my theory proved to be correct made it all worthwhile. Even so, I could have lived through another season perhaps in Sunshine Islands in the amount of time I spent on this project. I only hope it will prove useful to players.



I do have some misgivings about a few of the 'official' Most Favs from Island of Happiness with respect to Characters in Sunshine Island, and will continue to try new items on these individuals. It always has been my understanding that the true 'Most Favourite Gift' elicits a response that is unique to that item. Cheese is given as Mirabelle's Most Fav. and Yogurt is given for Julia, yet almost any Ranch Product will elicit the same Response from each of these Characters. This leads me to believe that these items are worth +500 Points rather than +800 Points.

Later: I discovered that my misgivings with respect to Julia were well-founded. It is not plain Yogurt but Superb Yogurt that is her Most Favourite.

Julia for Superb Yogurt: Superb yogurt! This really is as good as they say. Thanks!

Is a difference of +300 Points truly significant in the general scheme of things? Not at all. In fact, the only vital aspect of ANY Gift in Sunshine Islands is that it produce a Response that is accompanied 'with music'. A gift that is worth only +300 Points will be received 'with music' and you actually can raise any Character to maximum Heart Level without giving many Gifts at all, provided you 'Meet and Greet' the individual daily.

Basic Rules of Gift-Giving in Sunshine Islands

Using Taro as a primary example, this video gives the basic rules of Gift-Giving in Sunshine Islands. In many respects, it may be useful to players of Island of Happiness as well, although there are differences between the two games, mainly in terms of the rewards for Gifts and increased Friendship Levels.

Characters who appear in both games do tend to have the same likes and dislikes in both. Taro is a pivotal Character in Island of Happiness as it is he who will give your Character his/her Fishing Rod. In both games, speaking to him each morning will give your Character an infallible prediction of the weather for the next day.



N.B. I usually publish the link to the actual video as soon as it is created by YouTube, but often the video has not been processed fully at that point in time. If you try to access the video and receive a message to the effect that it is 'unavailable', it simply means that YouTube has not processed it completely yet. Wait half an hour, then try again. Thanks!

Your Degree in Mining and Fishing in Sunshine Islands

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Sunshine Islands may be slightly easier than Island of Happiness in terms of obtaining and using Grains and Grain Products, but in other areas, it is equally challenging.

I could be wrong about this, as personal experience always has an element of luck attached to it, but it took far longer for me to catch a Medium Fish in Sunshine Islands than it did in Island of Happiness. In terms of acquiring a Fishing Rod, however, it is possible to achieve this almost immediately in Sunshine Islands. No longer is the Fishing Rod a gift, but is sold at Gannon's Shop for 5000G.

This brings me to the subject of balance in your priorities. Both games rather cleverly force your character to involve himself/herself regularly in all activities. Island of Happiness did this by linking the appearance and continuing presence of both Main and Subsidiary Characters to your own shipping performance. If you neglected mining for a full season, certain Characters would leave the Island. Main and Subsidiary Characters in Island of Happiness were linked to ALL activities: Farming, Ranching, Fishing, Cooking and Mining. In Sunshine Islands, it is your point totals in each area that determine a variety of things, including the appearance of Wonderfuls in Chen's Shop in Winter, your ability to make progress in the Mine and your ability to cook certain Dishes successfully. As in Island of Happiness, your point totals are not visible to you, but your title often will give you an indication of your progress.

It was when I was exploring the Mine that I discovered the degree to which my point totals determined my ability to reach new floors. Maintaining your Energy Levels in the Mine is critical both in Island of Happiness and Sunshine Islands. Without a large quantity of provisions, you will be in danger of passing out. As in IoH, there are both stairs and pitfalls to enable you to move downward. A new option in the form of lava rocks that contain 'gelatin' has been added to Sunshine Islands. You must use your Watering Can on the lava to melt it. This requires energy as well...

In any case, I was able to reach the 75th floor with recovery items still in my Rucksack only to discover that the floor contained neither stairs nor pitfalls. As in Island of Happiness, each time you reload on any given floor, the configuration will change. Having failed to find either stairs or pitfalls, I therefore reloaded... only to be met with the same result. After an entire (real life) day on the 75th floor, I admitted defeat.

The next time I explored the Mine, I had purchased a second Watering Can in order to guarantee that I would be carrying sufficient water to melt EVERY piece of lava on the 75th floor. I had a large stash of Recovery Items to enable me to smash every Rock and use the Hoe on every square on the 75th floor. This time, nothing would stop me...

To give myself an even better chance of succeeding, I saved my game on the 74th floor instead of the 75th, after finding the stairs there.

Each time I descended to the 75th floor, it would be virgin territory, completely different from the previous time.

Two (real) days later, I again admitted defeat. In attempt after attempt, having dissolved every piece of lava, smashed every rock and used the Hoe on every square, I still could not find either stairs or pitfalls on the 75th floor.

There had to be a logical answer, and of course there was. You cannot move past the 75th Floor if your Mining Degree level is too low. In other words, you need to spend time REGULARLY in the Mine to raise your Mining skills. It is not enough to make lightning trips to the Mine for Orichalcum, Adamantite, Mythic Stone or any other valuable Ore/Gem. I had thought myself very clever to have reached the 50th Floor to collect Mythic Stone fairly early in the game but I overestimated my ability to succeed in the Mine.

Furthermore, I expect that my habit of saving before I smash Rocks and then reloading if the Rock I smash contains nothing valuable actually did not benefit me in terms of gaining Mining Degree points. I would imagine that the number of Rocks you smash as well as the number of Squares you dig contributes points towards your Mining Degree Level.

Certainly, in Fishing, it was sheer quantity that determined my ability to catch Medium and finally Large Fish. You must do a lot of fishing and a lot of mining as well as growing and harvesting a lot of Crops in Sunshine Islands. In terms of Ranch Animals, however, it is Quality of product rather than quantity that unlocks the rare breeds. That, however, requires regular care and attention to your existing Ranch Animals in order to raise the level of their Products.

I have no doubt that I will not be the only player foolish enough to spend a couple of real days in the Mine on the 75th floor ... if the player does not have a guide to the game or has not read this post! One can be extremely stubborn and determined in Harvest Moon. The number of players, for example, who have written to me after exhaustively exploring the designated floors on the 3rd Mine in HM DS/Cute DS for (real) days without success, searching for the last Cursed Tool, could fill a Senate Meeting.

Knowing that you CANNOT pass the 75th Floor if your Mining Degree Level is too low should prevent a great deal of frustration and wasted time and energy. It would be far better to visit the Mine regularly to smash everything in sight on the initial 10to 30 floors, even if you take home a Rucksack heavier with Scrap Iron than any valuable ore or gem.

In fact, looking back at my experiences in Island of Happiness, I wonder if the same may apply there to the appearance of stairs or pitfalls on the 100th Floor. I had many experiences on the 100th floor where I was unable to find a pitfall and had to dig exhaustively to find the stairs... Could it be that, as your experience levels in Mining increase, stairs and even pitfalls might appear more readily on the 100th Floor in Island of Happiness as well?

Will and Arthur, Will's Green Heart Event in Sunshine Islands

Although I have confessed my own weakness for Will, the new Bachelor in Sunshine Islands, I am not going to neglect ANY of the characters in the game. It was only because I have received quite a few requests for more videos about Will that I have created this one now. All Heart Events for Eligible Bachelors and Girls will be included in my Courtship and Marriage Guide. So far, I have made far more progress in the 'Girl's version' than the 'Boy's version' but I intend to play both exhaustively when time permits.

Here is Will's Green Heart Event in Sunshine Islands:



I think I had best continue work on my Guides now for awhile rather than making more videos this weekend! It is time-consuming to make videos, even if they are obviously very amateur in quality. I use the basic Windows programme and it is very unsatisfactory. It is slow, rebellious and often becomes so unyielding that I am forced to restart my computer...

In any case, videos of Heart Events for OTHER bachelors should be next on my list. Popper, Denny's Blackbird, was given dialogue first in Frantic Farming. In Sunshine Islands, you will hear from Popper again.