Name of the Island in IoH

The island where you wash ashore in IoH may be called 'Sunny Island' for convenience but one of the ultimate rewards if you bring every character to the island is the ability to rename the Island!

Go to the Harvest Goddess and make an offering as usual to experience the Event.


Name of the Island
HG: Thank you for all your offerings.
You’ve been on this island awhile, Freya!
There was once no one on this island. But it’s become so much more lively now!
I’ve just heard that you became a Ranch King, right?
As a reward, I’ll let you rename the island! It’s my gift to you, Freya!
So, go ahead and pick a cool new name for the island!
Freya Island, eh?
It's a good name! I like it!
All right, we're gonna use that name from now on!
Okay, see ya!

As Island of Happiness is rather complex, there may be more requirements to this than simply that of having brought all subsidiary characters to the Island. It is possible that you may need to have the Harvest Goddess at a certain minimum heart level and/or a specific number of Farming Degree points.

I actually had the Harvest Goddess at 10 Hearts and my actual title was Earth Ranch Duke (not King!) when I experienced this Event.

I don't think having the H.G. at 10 hearts is a requirement but it is possible that you may have had to have brought her a minimum number of offerings.

Maximum Energy Levels in Island of Happiness

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Change in ToT with respect to 'On the Hook'

For those players who have the ToT Official Strategy Guide that I wrote, I need to mention a change in the game itself. In the version I played, the Fish Shop sold raw fish. In the final version, Pascal sells grilled fish. What this means is that there now is no way to purchase raw fish or to add fish to your Items List unless you catch them yourself.

Remember that the only requirement with respect to triggering ANY Rival Heart Event in ToT is the heart level OF THE RIVAL. The strategy I advise is to avoid the Rivals completely until you have experienced all the Heart Events with every Bachelor or Eligible Girl. Raise the Rivals' heart levels only AFTER that in order to experience THEIR gift visits... If you intend to marry an Eligible Bachelor/Girl for whom there is a Rival, you may wish to forego that Rival's second gift visit, unless you can avoid the location where the final Rival Heart Event will occur until you have a chance to propose to the individual yourself.

As in Island of Happiness, you cannot meet every possible character if you do not allow ALL Rival Couples to marry as each of the Rival Couples has a child. You therefore may wish to choose your spouse from one of the Eligible Bachelors or Girls for whom no rival exists.

Gift visits either from characters of EITHER gender will not occur once you have married. Each of these visits is accompanied by the gift of an item. Some of the items are quite rare and valuable. It is to your advantage, therefore, to experience as many of them as possible BEFORE you propose to any one.

All details of Courtship and Marriage are included in the Official Strategy Guide for ToT. I cannot write too much about the game here, but I did wish to mention the chance that occurred with respect to the fish sold at the Fish Shop.

Later: Players complained that Cocoons were not available at the Brownie Ranch and in fact, neither Cocoons nor Wool can be purchased in the final retail version of the game.

Finally, if any players are having trouble with Courtship Events with Calvin or any other individual, please feel free to email me directly. Until there is official confirmation on this topic, I am not going to post about it, but will be happy to help players on an individual basis. Remember that you always can AVOID any specific floor in the Mine by falling through a pitfall and that you can LOWER any character's heart level usually by giving that individual a number of Failed Dishes. (There is a maximum of 15 points' increase to any one's heart level in a single day but no limit to the number of points by which you can decrease a character's heart level in one day in ToT. Remember always to make allowances for the initial 5 point increase you will earn simply by speaking to an individual.)

Island of Happiness: 'Winning' the Game!

Although there is no 'win' or 'lose' in most Harvest Moon games, you are rewarded when you complete goals. There often is a 'false' ending when you marry. Many players through the years have emailed me in desperation, telling me that their game ended when they married, asking me how to avoid that. Well, in fact, it's not a final ending. Very often, the credits will roll after your wedding in Harvest Moon.
If you have the courage to keep the system on and go through this, your game will resume afterwards...

In some Harvest Moon games, there are other 'endings' that reward you for your success but the game does not end afterwards in those cases either. IoH therefore has two 'endings', neither of which are final.

The first 'ending' is after your Wedding. The second occurs when you bring the last subsidiary character to the Island, completing the Inhabitants List. If, by the way, you did not allow all the Rival Couples to marry, thereby not being able to bring one or more of their Children to the Island, this will not prevent the Event from occurring.

The Event celebrates your success in creating a thriving metropolis from a deserted island.

On the morning after you fulfil the requirement to bring the last subsidiary character to the Island, you will receive a visit from Taro.

Taro: Hey, Freya.
You have a minute?

Taro enters.

Taro: There’s something I want to show you.
Can you come with me?

Me:(?)

You now will be at the Meadow. The townspeople surround you.

Taro: Well, I was thinking of hosting a festival tomorrow.

(All the residents are in a circle. There’s Gannon, Mirabelle, Felicia, Elliot, Chen, Julia and Natalie. My husband Vaughn stands next to me)

Me: (?)

Taro: When we washed up on this island, it was uninhabited…
The island was so empty but we started living here in the new world…

Me: (…)

Taro: We built everything one by one with our own hands. And then people started coming here.
As a result, there’s even a town where there are so many people on this island!

Felicia: We all owe it to Freya.
Freya, because of your great ranch, people came to this place.

Taro: I hope the island continues to prosper and I want to celebrate that with every one!

I nod.

Chen: Actually, I’ve already told everyone in the island.
We all wanted to surprise Freya.

Now I see all the subsidiary characters in different areas. The view moves slowly from one screen to the next…

Taro: Some came years ago, and there are some that came over the years on this island.
There are people that know this island completely, and there are those that don’t.
This island is made up of so many kinds of people.
All can join in this Festival!
We’ll celebrate together!

Now you will be treated to a fireworks display, after which the credits will roll for the second time.

My thoughst: I’ll remember this day for the rest of my life as the best.
Tomorrow will be great, too!

After the credits, your game will resume...

Vanishing Animals in IoH

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Acorn Festival in Animal Crossing

Although I have been immersed in Island of Happiness, I continue to receive emails regularly about other games I have covered in the past. In fact, 'Sims2 Castaway' and 'Animal Crossing Wild World' generate emails frequently. 'Chronicles of Narnia' when it finally was released in the U.K. generated a flurry of emails that only now is beginning to slow down a little. As games are released in different parts of the world, emails arrive from those quarters, forcing me to try to remember details about games that I have not had time to play myself for quite some time.

In any event, I am writing about Animal Crossing Wild World today because the question asked by the player inspires reflection of a philosophical nature. In fact, Harvest Moon and Animal Crossing have much in common philosophically. Although each creates a fantasy world, that world has very real rules of conduct and gameplay is designed to force players to recognise the value and power of Nature.

The player wrote to me as follows: 'I found your email on a page on the internet, and it said to contact you if we had any questions, and I can't find any acorns during the Acorn Festival week. Other residents in my town said you find them all over town but I haven't found 1, I just got mailed 1 by my mom! Please email back!! Thank you (Y)'

It had been a very long time since I visited my own Animal Crossing village. I knew that time travel could disrupt the appearance of acorns or any other item produced by Nature. In fact, time travel in Animal Crossing can cause great proliferation of weeds in your village...

In fact, after I queried her about time travel, the player referred to my General Guide and found the answer to her problem there.

Here it is:
'I found out why it didn't work: in my town I cut all the trees down and have 6 fruit trees around Tom Nooks shop, and on your page it says that you can only find them under the fruitless trees...'

I am writing about this issue here because it is not uncommon for players to be a little greedy where fruit trees are concerned. They cut down all the trees that display no fruit and plant fruit trees in their place.

When the Acorn Festival arrives, there are NO acorns in their village because the trees that did not produce fruits in fact are oak trees!

Every plant and every item found in Nature has a purpose. Harvest Moon reminds players of this by using the common weed in special Recipes. In fact, even errors in cooking have some use. 'Elli's Leaves' are made from Failed Dishes. The common Stone is used in a Recipe for Sweet Potatoes in many Harvest Moon games as well.

Do not be too quick to chop down a tree in order to substitute one that produces exotic fruit... Do not be too quick to dispose of all Weeds. There usually is a purpose for every item under the Sun.

Another Spring Thanksgiving married to Vaughn...

As stated in a previous post, Vaughn will not remain on the Island every day of the week after marriage, but his schedule changes completely. When single, he would visit the Island only on Wednesdays and Thursdays. When married to you, he will be absent from the Island completely on Wednesdays but returns Thursday, spending the morning at Mirabelle's Animal Shop, returning home after noon and remaining at home until the next Wednesday.

In the 5th Year, the Spring Thanksgiving Festival falls on Wednesday. Vaughn therefore was conspicuously absent throughout the day. I thought to myself, 'Oh, no, there's going to be a repeat of all the romantic occasions I had to spend by myself...'

Much to my delight, after I went to bed, Vaughn appeared somehow in the darkness to slip Chocolate Cookies into my rucksack as he had done the previous year. Apparently, he returned home early in order to be able to perform his romantic duties to me.

In a very odd twist, however, I awakened to discover that the Chocolate Cookies had lost half a day of Freshness. I suppose that is the price you pay for being married.
When delivered into your hands as a single woman, they would be completely fresh rather than being slightly stale!

Much Ado about Nothing: the Rival Couples Return!

*********************************************************
In an odd twist in Island of Happiness, after both husband and wife adjourn to Mineral Town for the birth of their child, the husband of any Rival Couple can be persuaded to return immediately afterwards by much the same actions that would encourage his return if he had left due to your neglect.

Pierre announced his return on the day after he left with Natalie. Denny returned a fortnight after he and Lanna went to Mineral Town for the delivery of their child. When Spring arrived, I began to grow crops in preparation for shipping to bring Elliot back...

I needn't have bothered. One full season after the departure of any Rival Couple to have the child in Mineral Town, husband, wife and child will appear on the Island.
The event will be announced by the husband at 6.00 a.m.

Here is the text of the return event for two of the Rival Couples:

15 Spring:

As soon as I awakened:

Pierre & Natalie, Back Again!

Long time no see, Freya!

Me: (!)

Pierre enters.

Pierre: Our child was born safely, so we’re back on the island.
Natalie and the baby are both here, so feel free to pay them a visit.
I’m cooking for three now!
See ya around.

When I visited Pierre's house, I did not experience an Event. In fact, neither Pierre nor Natalie referred to the child at all, but repeated the same statements as they had given before the blessed event.

I had to hunt for the child. The child is grown to the same age as Daria and others.

Jean: Are you Freya? I’m Jean. My dad and mom always talk about you.

Then: My dad is a great cooki! My mom is…

One day later, on 16 Spring:

Elliot & Julia, Back Again!

Long time no see, Freya.

Me: (!)

Elliot enters.

Elliot: Our baby was born, and we’ve just returned back from town.
Julia and the child are doing and doing well. Please come by and visit sometime.
All three of us are counting on you! See ya!

I promptly rushed to Mirabelle's House. Their child is dressed in blue.

Kelly: Who are you…?
You are a friend of Mommy and Daddy?
My name is… Kelly.

Then: My mommy and daddy are always mad at me.

Meanwhile, my own child, who now is a year old, born BEFORE any of the Rival Couples married, remains in his crib, a little peapod of an infant, while the children of the Rival Couples are walking and talking... My child only will be allowed to leave his crib (and share in his own birthday celebration) only when he reaches the age of 2.

Incidentally, perhaps I should caution players against giving Kelly any chocolate. When I gave her a piece as a sort of introductory gift, she turned on me, crying:
'You're mean! I'm gonna tell my daddy!'

Apparently, Elliot appears as a much stronger character now that he has fathered a child. I would have expected Julia's wrath to have been far more of a threat...
I was trying to be nice, of course, but as with any character in Harvest Moon, you cannot expect an item to be received well by every one.

Well, the mystery of the Harvest Goddess Festival this year is solved: the Rivals were NOT pregnant. They obviously had given birth to their children and were staying in Mineral Town awhile longer to allow their children to become toddlers at a prodigious rate.



In fact, the return of each Couple coincided with the anniversary of their Wedding a year ago. I can expect Denny and Lanna to return in about 10 more days.

Winning the Crop Festival in Island of Happiness

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Appeal to other Players for IoH Farming Degree Sub-Titles

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

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

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

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

For example, your character may be a:

Spicy Ranch Marquis

or a:

Dog Ranch Duke

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

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

Hidden Requirement for Rival Events and Returns

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Curiouser and Curiouser... Dance of the Pregnant Women...

Three of my erstwhile Rivals left the Island to have their babies in Mineral Town, followed instantly by their husbands. Pierre returned the very next day, claiming a need to continue to search for good ingredients, but Denny and Elliot remain absent.

Rather to my surprise, however, I arrived at the Harvest Goddess Festival to find all three pregnant women there with their husbands dancing attendance on them.


Natalie: Yo, Freya! I came back for the Harvest Goddess Festival.

Julia: Hi, Freya. I cam back today for the Harvest Goddess Festival.

Lanna: I wanted to see the Harvest Goddess Festival, so I cam back!

Elliot: Hello, Freya. Julia insisted we go to the Harvest Goddess Festival.
I just came along with her, but I’m glad that I did. It’s exciting!

Denny: Yo, Freya!
Lanna insisted on dancing at the Harvest Goddess Festival.
We got the doctor’s permission to come back for the day.

Pierre: I’m here with Natalie.
I’d really prefer that she rest…
But she looks happy, so I’m glad we came.

As their appearance had not chaqnged, it was difficult to tell whether they were pregnant or recovering from the delivery of their babies... whatever the circumstances, they remained 'Absent' on the Individuals List and the next morning, had taken the ship back to Mineral Town apparently.

This is a most intriguing game! If their 'couching' were similar to mine, they would no longer be pregnant but would be recovering from the blessed event. My child was born two full seasons after the announcement of my pregnancy. The Rivals left the island two full seasons after the announcement of THEIR pregnancies. This would have led me to suspect that the birth of their children would be accomplished immediately... but until the women return permanently with their children, I shan't be able to confirm anything.

The appearance of all of them at the Harvest Goddess Festival was a surprise, however, and it is characteristic of the creators of Harvest Moon to have entered that detail into the game, changing the dialogue of all the individuals involved to suit the circumstances!

Incidentally, see my later post on the return of the Rival Couples for the solution to this mystery!

Large Friendship Pendant in Island of Happiness

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

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

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

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

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

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

Making Money in IoH at the start

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Note that Seaweed is available only in the Spring Season.

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

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

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

New Items List Guide for Island of Happiness

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

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

A Rival leaves the Island to have her Baby...

Two full seasons after you witness a Rival Pregnancy 'Big News' Event, you will experience an Event at 6.00 a.m. at your farmhouse. Your Rival (or his Wife) is about to have her baby and needs to travel to Mineral Town. Will you see her off?
You agree automatically and find yourself at the beach. At the last moment, the spouse decides to accompany his wife on this historic journey.

Here is the text of Natalie and Elliot's Event:

Good Luck, Natalie.

Good morning, Freya!

Me: (!)

Pierre enters.

Pierre: Natalie is leaving for the hospital in town today to prepare for our new arrival.
If it’s not too much trouble, would you mind coming to see her off, Freya?

I nod.

Pierre (with music): Freya, I knew I could count on you. Thank you!

Now we are at the beach with Natalie, Pierre, Dr. Trent and Felicia as well as Mirabelle.

Mirabelle: You’ll give birth to a healthy baby. I just know it. You can do it!

Felicia: Please be cautious and remember the advice I gave you, Natalie.

Natalie: I-It’s so nice to see you all care about me so much… I’ll be fine. Don’t worry!
Okay… Pierre! Make sure you plan an epic meal for our return!
Pierre: (…): Of course! There will be a grand return feast for the both of you upon arrival!

Trent: Now, let’s get going, shall we?

He walks away.

Natalie: Thanks for seeing me off, everybody! I’m actually excited… See you all soon!

She leaves.

Pierre (…)

He continues to think (…)

I shake my head.

Pierre: (…) Sigh… You’re right. I’ll be a nervous wreck waiting here while my child is being born!

A moment’s pause, then:

Pierre: I can’t miss this… I need to be by Natalie’s side.

Mirabelle: I knew you’d say something like that.

Felicia: … Pierre, I know you’ll take good care of Natalie.

Pierre: I most definitely will. Okay, I’m off! Upon my return, I’ll be known as Pierre,
cook and father extraordinaire!

He leaves. The event takes an hour as I find myself back at home at 7.00 a.m.

The very next morning, I experienced a similar Event with Elliot and Julia.
Pierre returned a day later.

It appears to me that the return of any Spouse in these circumstances probably is based on specific shipping requirements. In other words, if you have been shipping Cooked Dishes regularly, (or at least cooking), Pierre will return automatically but if you have not been cooking or shipping Cooked Dishes, he will remain absent until you do. There were requirements of this nature with respect to the 4th and Final Rival Heart Event. Players have written to me to ask when the Spouses of a Rival who has gone to Mineral Town to have her baby would return. Some of them have experienced delays. I suspect that you must have shipped crops in the current season to facilitate Elliot's return and to have shipped Ores if Vaughn and Sabrina are married and he is the Spouse who leaves with his wife. Denny would return only if you have shipped fish regularly.

SPOILER: Note that, even if you cannot persuade the husband to return to the Island immediately, the entire family will return a full season after the Rival Couple's departure for Mineral Town, now accompanied by their child. The child will be a toddler, interestingly enough.

I still am testing this in my own game.

Odd but Cool Side-Effect of a Red or Blue Wonderful

One of the most annoying aspects of animal care in Island of Happiness is the way that livestock animals move aimlessly from place to place when your character is trying to milk the cow, shear the sheep or brush an animal. This becomes even more frustrating when you have Tools set with Wonderfuls and need to spend a moment or two charging them before they are used. By the time the charge is complete, the animal quite often has moved away!

Blue and Red Wonderfuls increase the range of your Tools. One uses them logically in farm tools first as it is very convenient to be able to till a 3 x 3 square or water the same area with a single use of the Hoe or Watering Can.

Setting a Blue or Red Wonderful in a Ranch tool, however, will have the same effect. Having an extra Red Wonderful, I set it in my Milker. Much to my amusement, I then was able to milk two cows simultaneously. I suppose one could keep stacking the Wonderfuls until one could 'service' the entire barn with a single charged use of the Milker, Clippers or Brush.

Question about IoH for Players to Answer

In Island of Happiness, if an Eligible Bachelor/Girl is at Yellow Heart or higher, there no longer will be a risk that he/she will leave the Island. My Question: is this true, perhaps for ALL characters, including Subsidiary Characters? Has any one experienced a situation where, after Subsidiary Characters had reached 8 hearts or higher, the Characters left the island after being ignored for a full season?

I suspect that they may NOT leave at that point... but it needs to be confirmed.

Pumpkin Festival after Marriage

Oddly enough, although I had added this detail to my Guides, I forgot it myself when the Pumpkin Festival occurred again in my game after marriage. The detail is this: you MUST enter your house BEFORE 6.00 p.m. to experience the Event. This is the case in other Harvest Moon games as well. It is not like 'A Special Occasion' where you need to enter after 6.00 p.m. to trigger the Event. At 6.00 p.m., the celebration is over. You will enter to find NOTHING on 30 Fall.

Fortunately, although I had forgotten this fact, I hadn't saved my game after 6.00 p.m., so I was able to reload to a point earlier in the day to enter the house in time!

Incidentally, all Stamina and Fullness will be restored fully, so perform as many tasks as possible WITHOUT using Recovery items before you enter the house.

Vaughn: Today is the Pumpkin Festival. Since you’re busy, I made snacks. Try these.
I walk slowly to the table where there are three plates loaded with Cookies.

I eat one.

Me: G O O D

Vaughn: Oh, yeah? People eat my food and I’m happy.

My thoughts: I’m stuffed. I hope I don’t get any cavities!

My son was still in his crib, too small to join the festivities.

Luckily, the Event ends at 6.00 p.m., allowing me to return to complete my chores.
In some Harvest Moon games, you are forced to go to bed directly after the Event, leaving much undone before the season changes to Winter...

Unlocking Mark and Chelsea in Island of Happiness

To bring Mark/Chelsea to the Island, you need at least 50% completion and you need to have brought all main characters to the Island. You therefore need to have unlocked all areas on the map as well as having visited them. You need to have met all the Characters, including the Harvest Sprites who act as the guardians of each area. Some players had not been able to unlock Mark or Chelsea even when these conditions were met. A 'hidden' requirement does exist, and I suspected that it might be simply a requirement in terms of total Farming Degree points.

In Island of Happiness, new options usually are unlocked by one of the following:
1. the arrival of a new Main Character;
2. the arrival of a new subsidiary Character;
3. shipping a required number of specified Crops.

The basic requirements for bringing Mark or Chelsea to the Island are approximately 50% completion as well as having brought all Main Characters to the Island and to have met all of them, including the Harvest Goddess by throwing an offering into her Spring. You need to expand the Hotel as well because that is where Mark/Chelsea will live.

A player left a comment to the effect that it may be related to Festival attendance which made perfect sense, but in fact, was disproven by players who managed to unlock the arrival simply by completing the original requirements of bringing all main characters to the Island and unlocking all areas. Other players had thought it was related to the ownership of ranch animals, which was logical but now has been proven to the contrary. A player with no animals apart from the horse was able to bring Mark/Chelsea to Sunny Island.

I would like to thank all players who wrote about their Festival participation, by the way. It is only when many players write about their game experiences that hidden requirements can be proven or disproven.

Now, however, there have been so many different combinations of events that have served to unlock Mark or Chelsea that it is evident it can be only one true requirement: current Farming Degree points.

Everything else in Island of Happiness is based on that variable, after all. Farming Degree, Farming Degree, Farming Degree: whether it is the colour of a Wonderful, the appearance of a Wonderful or the 'hidden' requirement for an Event or arrival of a new character. It always is proven ultimately to be related to the player's Farming Degree total, a variable based on every aspect of life in Island of Happiness.

I therefore will strike ALL specific 'hidden' requirements for the arrival of Chelsea or Mark from my guides now. Every player fulfills the 'hidden' requirement differently, because it is nothing more than total Farming Degree points. What would be most useful now is for players to tell me what their Farming Degree titles were when Mark or Chelsea arrived for the first time. Although you cannot see your precise point total, you CAN see your current Farming Degree title in your Menu.

All aspects of life in Harvest Moon are vital. You need to farm, ranch, fish, mine AND make contact with every one but finally, ship items regularly in order to maximise your success. Unlocking new options, arrivals and Events is linked not only to farming, ranching, mining and fishing but to SHIPPING as well.

In terms of the final Rival Heart Event that will allow a Rival couple to marry, there evidently are specific aspects of life that are linked to this Event.

I was able to trigger Denny's 4th Rival Event only when I began to fish again after neglecting that aspect of my life for a season or so. Another player was able to trigger Vaughn's 4th Rival Event after mining again. Obviously, Elliot's 4th Rival Heart Event would be connected with farming. Rival marriages therefore are linked to specific activities. Vaughn is not involved with mining at all but Sabrina is. Both Lanna and Denny are involved with fishing. I wonder, though, if there is a ranching requirement to be met as well in terms of Vaughn's 4th Rival Event as he is connected with Animals. Julia likewise is connected with Ranching.

You don't have to be aware of these requirements if you are performing all activities and shipping items in every category regularly. I always ship a fair number of Ranch products processed through the Makers as they are linked to subsidiary characters... so I would not know if this were a requirement in the case of Elliot and Julia's 4th Rival Event or Vaughn and Sabrina's 4th Rival Event. I would be very interested to hear from any player who had shipped the required number of ores for Vaughn/Sabrina's 4th Rival Event and yet had no animals or had shipped no Ranch Products recently and therefore could NOT trigger the Event. I would be interested in the same situation with respect to Elliot/Julia's 4th Rival Event...
In other words, does the Event have requirements solely where one partner is concerned or for BOTH the Rival and the Eligible Bachelor/Girl?

Each day, I marvel at the complexity of Island of Happiness as new situations uncover another twist or turn in the game...

Note that many new options are linked to the Subsidiary Characters in Island of Happiness. These Characters often are referred to as members of different teams, such as the 'Farming Team', 'Ranching Team', 'Fishing Team' and so on, although they each come to the Island for different reasons and operate independently of one another.

In order to unlock new farming options, you need to bring members of the Farming Team to the Island and by completing farming goals, you will bring new Farming characters to the Island. The same holds true with respect to Ranching options and the Ranching Characters. For example, players who have been unable to unlock a Sheep will discover that bringing more Ranch Characters to the Island is the solution. Thus, all aspects of the game are connected.

Surprising Responses in Island of Happiness

There are Subsidiary Farming Characters in Island of Happiness who profess to harbour an obsession with a specific Crop. In Rachel's case, the crop is the Turnip.
In Amy's case, it is the Yam.

For those who imagine that Harvest Moon games ever could be anything but subtle and complex, these two characters provide evidence to the contrary. Even veterans of Harvest Moon games need to be on their guard at all times with respect to characters. Never assume anything...

For example, with respect to Raquel and Amy, one might be led to believe that a gift of the Crop for which they profess a great obsession would be met 'with music' or at least some measure of joy. On the contrary, a gift of a Turip to Raquel or Yam to Amy is NOT advised.

In Raquel's Introduction, she will tell you:
Raquel: This place is fantabulous! It’s peachy-keen! IT’S THE BEE’S KNEES! Oh… umm… pardon me. I get a little overexcited sometimes. I’m Raquel. I work on a farm out by a city, but I’m on vacation! And vacations are DYNAMITE! You know what else is great? TURNIPS! Turnips are terrific! THEY’RE OFF THE HOOK! Oh… sorry. *ahem* Anyway, it’s super-awesome to meet you.

Then: Turnips are a Spring crop. Isn’t that AWESOME?!

Give her a Turnip of any Rank or Quality and she will tell you: This is… For the first time ever, I’m just not very excited…

In Amy's Introduction:

Amy: Hi! I’m Amy. I came here to see how you’ve been shipping such great fruit lately.
My real passion is yams, though. I’m OBSESSED with them. Is that weird?

Then: Yams grow fast, and can be harvested many times. They don’t sell for a lot, though.'

Give her a Yam of ANY Rank and Quality and she will respond: Hey, this is terrible…

In the circumstances, even a common Branch or Stone would make a better gift. For a Branch, Raquel will wax enthusiastic: 'This is KEEN! It's ACES! IT ROCKS THE HOUSE DOWN! Thank you.' For a Stone, Amy will respond (with music): Are you sure? Thanks a lot!

Incidentally, in none of these cases is the response a special reply designated solely for the 'special' item. It is the character's negative response to ANY item she dislikes.

I had given the Turnip to Raquel and Yam to Amy as an experiment, to see if either would elicit some extraordinary response or bit of secret, useful information... I was taken aback to discover that in both cases, the character detested the item.

As far as Subsidiary Characters are concerned, I had thought initially that shipping the item on a regular basis that brought them to the Island in the first place might suffice to keep them there, but this is not the case. What is most vital is to speak to every individual on a regular basis. Ignore Subsidiary Characters and they will leave in droves... They do return after a full season passes, so the damage is not irreparable, but every aspect of Island of Happiness definitely is more demanding perhaps than any other Harvest Moon game.

One could compare the Subsidiary Characters to the Sprites in HM DS/Cute DS to some extent. After all, there were methods by which each Sprite could be 'rescued'; in Island of Happiness, this could be compared to the requirement that needs to be met in order to bring a Subsidiary Character to the Island. Harvest Sprites once rescued would not disappear again, however. Furthermore, one could go to the Sprite Company Tree to leave gifts for almost every Sprite in his post box in order to increase friendship levels.

In Island of Happiness, although it is possible to find many of the Subsidiary Characters at one of the two Inns either in the morning or at night, this is not always the case. There are characters who appear only in a sometimes quite remote location for only a few hours each day... Finding a new arrival can be a sort of Treasure Hunt in that respect.

Nor can you 'rest on your laurels' in Island of Happiness. For a start, every seasonal Crop Festival features a different Crop. You need to grow an 'A' Rank crop of the specified variety if you wish to win the Contest. Unless you grow all Crops in your Greenhouse, you always will be threatened by the vagaries of the weather. In the year when 'the Strawberry' had been chosen for the Spring Crop Festival, I lost ALL the Strawberries I had been growing in my Field because of extreme weather conditions. Although the Strawberry is one Crop that requires only 'Normal' Light, it does insist upon 'Less' Sunlight... One really cannot control the weather effectively in Island of Happiness as it is determined six days in advance.

In future, I shall advise all players that do not own a Mythic Stone Refrigerator yet to grow the Crop that has been chosen for the Seasonal Crop Festival in the Greenhouse if they wish to guarantee that they will be able to produce an 'A' Rank of that Crop. 'B' Rank Crops will not win any Crop Festival Contest. Even though I had Strawberries in my Fridge that had been harvested as 'A' Crops earlier that Spring, they had deteriorated to 'B' Rank. The plots of Strawberries in my field were destroyed by an excess of Water or Sunlight only a few days before the Festival. New strawberry plants did not ripen in time for the Contest.

Success in farming requires a very fine balance in Island of Happiness. You can leave a Crop in the ground to grow further and gain potentially in terms of Rank but you have to make certain that it is not overloaded either with Sunlight or with Water! You can store Crops for future use at a Contest but if you do not have a Mythic Refrigerator, you must hope that their Rank does not deteriorate before they are needed.

I have not had the best of luck with my Fruit Trees either. Every single Apple Tree I planted initially was wiped out in one of the many Typhoons or Snowstorms that my character was obliged to weather.

In other Harvest Moon games, although Typhoons and Snowstorms may occur, they are not that probable. The odds are fairly remote usually. In Island of Happiness, on the other hand, I have experienced both Typhoons and Snowstorms on four consecutive days! That can be brutal...

There is something to be said for a game that is as challenging as Island of Happiness, however. One can reach the fourth or fifth year of the game without having achieved every possible goal. As stated, I was unable to harvest the humble Apple in the first couple of years, although I had many Peaches and even Bananas!

One of my last farming experiments is an attempt to grow Fruit Trees in the Greenhouse. I have been able to grow all Grains in the Greenhouse, but I wonder if a Fruit Tree actually can be made to yield Fruit. When it is fully grown, I intend to set the appropriate Sun in the Greenhouse to see if it will begin to produce Fruit. The problem with a Fruit Tree with respect to Greenhouse production in Harvest Moon is that it requires a specific season to flower and the next season to produce Fruit. It will be interesting to discover if it can be induced to produce Fruit beneath the artificial 'Suns'.

Your Farming Degree in Island of Happiness

Perhaps I am too impulsive in postulating theories with respect to Harvest Moon. Sometimes I wish I could play any new game for a year or two BEFORE I ever published a guide for it, but I do feel it is better to make guides available as soon as possible, even if they will need to be updated as new information comes to light.

Your Farming Degree is one of the fundamental points that affects almost every aspect of Island of Happiness. Unfortunately, you cannot SEE the number of points you have earned at any time, although you can see your current title on the front page of your Farm Menu.

One of the first variables that players discovered was affected by the Farming Degree total was the colour of any Wonderful that you receive as a prize at a Festival (or as a gift on your Anniversary).

There are specific requirements for the arrival of any new character and there are specific requirements for any Heart Event or Rival Heart Event. Even when these requirements are met, however, there are players who are unable to bring the new arrival to the Island or trigger a specific Event.

I am beginning to believe that the reason for this is the total number of points earned currently towards the player's Farming Degree. I expect there is a minimum point total that is required for almost EVERY new option in Island of Happiness.

It is the only consistent possible reason why one player can unlock a new arrival or experience an Event effortlessly when another fails to do so.

Farming Degree Points are earned in a number of different ways.

Here is the information as provided in my General Guide:

Players of other Harvest Moon games will be familiar with the Farming Degree. In many Harvest Moon games, including Island of Happiness, the player cannot view the actual point total although he/she can see the current Title earning on the front page of the Farm Menu.

Activities and achievements each are worth a specific number of points. Tool use as well as shipping will earn you points. Experiencing Events, attending Festivals and winning Contests all contribute points. The simple act of speaking to any character will earn points for you as well. Here is a list of all actions that will earn you points towards your Degree.

Incidentally, each for each year that you have played the game, 1 point is added each night to your Farming Degree total.

Activities that can Earn Points repeatedly:

Each Item Shipped: 1 Point
Each Fish Caught: 100 Points
Each Ore collected: 5 Points
Each item purchased: 5 Points
Each Tool Use: 1 Point
Each successful Dish Cooked: 10 Points


Each Animal provided Care: 1 Point per day
Each Individual you Greet: 1 Point per day

Activities that earn Points once:

Each New Dish Created: 50 Points
Each New Ore Mined: 20 Points

Festivals, Contests and Events:
Attend Festival: 100 Points
Win Contest at Festival: 1000 Points
Win 2nd Place at Festival: 700 Points
Win 3rd Place at Festival: 500 Points

Experience any Heart Event: 500 Points
Experience any Rival Heart Event: 500 Points
Experience any other Event: 100 Points

Marry: 500 Points
Have a Child: 2000 Points

As you can see, each Heart Event and Rival Heart Event that you experience earns you points towards your Farming Degree. It therefore is a good idea to experience ALL Heart Events for every eligible Bachelor/Girl before you propose to any one and then to experience all Rival Heart Events if possible.

Bonus Points:

It was thought that the Lithograph and Bottle, if carried in your Rucksack overnight would earn points towards your Farming Degree, but I do not believe that to be the case now after careful and tedious counting of each point I earned throughout the day in Winter when your total can cause a Wonderful to appear in Chen's Market.

The Lithograph can be found in the Mine on specific floors including Floor 150 and 255 by using your Hoe. The Bottle can be caught when fishing in the ocean only in the Spring season.

It was thought, based on other HM games that you went to bed at night, you would earn additional points based on the number of years you have played. Again, careful counting of total points earned each day did not confirm this in my own game.

Although you cannot see the total of points you have earned, you can see your current Title on the front page of the Farms Menu, displayed on the top screen of the DS.

The titles in ascending order are:

Novice Rancher, Levels 1-3
Level 1: 0 Points
Level 2: 500 Points
Level 3: 1000 Points

Amateur Rancher, Levels 1-6
Level 1: 2000 Points
Level 2: 3000 Points
Level 3: 4000 Points
Level 4: 5000 Points
Level 5: 6000 Points
Level 6: 7000 Points

Medium Rancher, Levels 1-6
Level 1: 10000 Points
Level 2: 11500 Points
Level 3: 13000 Points
Level 4: 14500 Points
Level 5: 16000 Points
Level 6: 17500 Points

Advanced Rancher, Levels 1-6
Level 1: 20000 Points
Level 2: 22000 Points
Level 3: 24000 Points
Level 4: 26000 Points
Level 5: 28000 Points
Level 6: 30000 Points

Expert Rancher, Levels 1-6
Level 1: 40000 Points
Level 2: 42000 Points
Level 3: 44000 Points
Level 4: 46000 Points
Level 5: 48000 Points
Level 6: 50000 Points

Super Rancher: 60,000 Points
Ranch Virtuoso 100,000 Points
Ranch Maestro: 110,000 Points
Ranch Knight: 120,000 Points
Ranch Baron: 130,000 Points
Ranch Viscount: 140,000 Points
Ranch Count: 150,000 Points

Ranch Marquis: 170,000 Points
Ranch Duke: 200,000 Points
Ranch Juggernaut: 300,000 Points
Ranch Prince: 500,000 Points
Ranch Chief: 700,000 Points
Ranch Master: 900,000 Points
Ranch King: 1,200,000 Points
Ranch Emperor: 1,500,000 Points
Ranch Angel: 2,300,000 Points
Ranch Archangel: 2,300,000 Points
Ranch Shaman: 2, 800,000 Points
Ranch Magus: 3,000,000 Points
Ranch Legend: 4,000,000 Points
Earth Rancher: 10,000,000 Points
Sky Rancher: 30,000,000 Points
Galaxy Rancher: 50,000,000 Points
Universe Rancher 100,000,000 Points

END OF SECTION OF THE GUIDE

In future, when players contact me with a problem in unlocking a new arrival or experiencing any event, I shall ask them for their current Farming Degree Title.
In this fashion, I shall be able to determine whether or not the difficulty resides in this factor.

In fact, in my next game, I will add this information to my game journal and make certain that I pay attention to the title my character has at the point of unlocking any new option.

There is a 'hidden' requirement for the arrival of Mark or Chelsea to the Island apart from the general requirements of unlocking all areas by having the bridges built and having brought all other Main Characters to the Island. The 'hidden' requirement is a specific number of Farming Degree points, rather than being connected to any other specific aspect of the game such as Festival attendance or acquisition of a specific number of animals. Every aspect of the game contributes to the Farming Degree title, which is why players were able to bring Mark or Chelsea to the island after performing specific actions in their own games, but these specific actions differ from game to game, making the only common consideration the points earned towards the Farming Degree.

Mark arrived on the Island in my first game as soon as I reached 50% completion and completed the last bridge to unlock all areas. Other players have had the same experience both with respect to Mark and with respect to Chelsea. The reason for this: we obviously had attained the requisite number of points in terms of our Farming Degrees BEFORE we achieved 50% completion or built the last bridge...

I never had any trouble in my first game in unlocking any new arrival but I did have trouble triggering Elliot's Purple Heart Event and Denny's 4th Rival Heart Event. Perhaps there is a shipping requirement for Elliot's Purple Heart Event and a fishing requirement for Denny's 4th Rival Heart Event... BUT it is possible that the requirement in each case is NOT a specific number of items shipped or caught but rather a minimum total of points earned towards your character's Farming Degree.

(Players have commented on this by declaring that there IS a shipping requirement both for Elliot's Purple Heart Event and for Natalie's Purple Heart Event, but the point I was trying to make was that it could be a 'Farming Degree' requirement instead. I have heard from players who swore up and down that they had NOT shipped 200 items but nonetheless had been able to trigger Elliot's Purple Heart Event. This led me to my 'perhaps' statement about the hidden requirement for the Event.)

It is a great pity that no Accessory such as the Love Bangle or Truth Bangle exists in Island of Happiness to display total points earned at any given moment. That would make it far easier in terms of obtaining a specific colour of Wonderful or indeed, in determining minimum total point requirements for any new arrival or Event...

I need to verify the values of the sub-titles that are attained at each level as well. For example, within the general Title of Ranch Marquis, there are a number of sub-titles: Bird Ranch Marquis, Pig Ranch Marquis Kind Ranch Marquis, Blond Ranch Marquis or... I believe that each probably represents a 'step' on the ladder to the next main title but I would love to know why 'Blond' was chosen as a sub-title!

I was rather insulted when one day, I looked at my Farming Degree title to discover that I had been dubbed a 'Pig Ranch Viscount'! I wondered if my tidiness or lack thereof had become an issue but when I became a 'Blond Ranch Marquis', I was perplexed even more. They are simply steps on a ladder. I am going to keep a more comprehensive game journal, noting every change in title, so that I can add the 'sub-titles' in proper order to my guide. I believe that 'Keen' directly follows 'Blond'.

In the absence of any Accessory, one should be able to use the current Title as a standard of measurement.

The 'hidden' requirement for unlocking Sheep simply is Farming Degree point total.
Although players initially thought that increasing their Animal population unlocked Sheep and would bring Chelsea or Mark to the Island once other requirements were met, this is not the case after all. Apparently, there is no such requirement in terms of unlocking Mark or Chelsea as a player with nothing more than a Horse was able to bring either Chelsea or Mark to the Island. Being able to unlock Mark or Chelsea is not simply a matter of 50% completion, having all Main Characters on the Island and unlocking all areas, as I had thought initially. There is another requirement... one that many players, including myself, fulfilled without ever knowing it to be a requirement.

I would like to thank players who wrote about their Festival attendance with reference to bringing Mark or Chelsea to the Island. It is not any specific action or achievement, however, but the total number of Farming Degree points that brings the character to the Island. Every player does it a different way. The ONLY common ingredient is an increase in Farming Degree points.

Another point should be made. When unlocking Ranch characters where the requirement is a need to have shipped 100 of any Ranch product, the product must have been made in the Maker to count. Making Cheese, Butter or Milk in your kitchen will NOT unlock any Ranch characters! It never occurred to me that any one would try to make the item in the kitchen in that sort of quantity... but I should have added that detail to the guide.

The Last Item in the Mine in Island of Happiness

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Every game is different in Harvest Moon and a player can do as he/she pleases in terms of obtaining special items and completing the Shipping List.

It is most probable, however, that in terms both of the Ores List and the Shipped Ores List, the last item to be completed will be the one at the very end of each List.

That item, as many veteran Harvest Moon players would have suspected from their experienced with other Harvest Moon games, is a Lithograph.

The Lithograph is an interesting item in every Harvest Moon game in which it appears. Like the 'Bottle' that can be caught when fishing at the ocean, it is a mystery item. In some Harvest Moon games, these items will trigger special events. In others, they have no specific function in the game apart from being necessary to complete the Items List.

In Island of Happiness, the Lithograph can be found on specific floors of the Mine when using your Hoe. One of these is Floor 255, the very lowest Floor of the Mine. On 255, there are no Rocks to smash. When you arrive, you will be greeted by the Harvest Goddess who will congratulate you for your efforts and decide that your labours merit a special gift. She then will give you either a Wonderful or a special Recipe. The colour of the Wonderful is based on Farming Degree total in the same way that the colour of the Wonderful given as a prize is determined by your total when you win any Festival Contest.

There are players who have tried to obtain more than one gift from the Harvest Goddess in a single day and have failed. (I suspect many of them used cheat codes of some kind to do it, as the journey to the bottom of the Mine is a long one, even if you have sufficient energy to make it and use Pitfalls rather than stairs. I do not recommend cheat devices for any Harvest Moon game, as they tend to corrupt the data. There are too many variables that contribute to any Event. It is important to make progress in every aspect of gameplay. A code usually artificially forces the game to allow an option that would not be obtained at that point in a natural way. It acts, however, only on a single point, rather than acting on all the variables that otherwise would be effected by your character's action. This puts everything out of balance. I prefer to find 'exploitations' in the game itself. I include those in my Guides but never include codes.)

In any case, however you make the journey to Floor 255 of the Mine, the Harvest Goddess will give only one gift per day in the same way that Manfred gives only one item per day.

If you have sufficient energy when you reach Floor 255, you can use your Hoe to search for a Lithograph. As with any special item found in the Mine, the location will be random and it is possible that you will not find one at all, but Island of Happiness usually is programmed to place an average number of special items on each of the Floors where they can be found. In other words, on Floor 100, where you can find Mythic Stones, you usually can find 5 - 7, I believe (speaking from memory alone here), although the actual Rocks in which they are found will change each time you reload once you have reached that Floor. In fact, the actual number of Mythic Stones to be found will change with each reload as well, although the total will remain within the 'average' allotted to that Floor.

Floor 255 is not the only Floor where you can find a Lithograph. Based on my own experience and those of other players who posted comments as to their results, the General Guide now includes all the locations where a Lithograph can be found as follows:

In the section that lists all the floors and each item found there:

Lithograph: Floor 25, 50, 100,
125, 150, 200, 225, 250, Floor 255


It was thought that keeping a Lithograph and/or Bottle in your Rucksack would earn you points towards your Farming Degree, based on previous Harvest Moon games, but careful counting of my own points did not confirm this at all.

Incidentally, your Shipped Ores List and Ores List are almost identical in Island of Happiness. The only difference is that the four Suns are included in the 'Shipped Ores' List but are not included in the Ores List, as you cannot find them in the Mine either by splitting a Rock or by digging in the ground in Island of Happiness. They can be purchased at Chen's Market in all seasons once your Greenhouse is built.