o----------------------------------------------------------------------------o
| HARVEST MOON |
| SNES/Virtual Console Edition |
| |
| FAQ/WALKTHROUGH |
| Version 1.2 (April 21, 2008) |
| |
| By The Admiral |
| Email: Admiral1018@yahoo.com |
o----------------------------------------------------------------------------o
Introduction
------------
When I originally read about the premise for Harvest Moon in 1997, I thought
the video game industry had truly come to a dead end. A game based solely on
farming? How did this one possibly get off the drawing board? Over half a
dozen sequels later, Harvest Moon has made me feel quite foolish. It did what
would seem to be the impossible – it made a repetitive, seemingly boring
concept into something fun and enjoyable. As with most RPGs, the enjoyment
comes from the continual progress: creating something from nothing, earning
rewards for your hard work, and finding new and effective ways to do the same
old tasks.
Yet despite its relatively simple objectives, the information available about
Harvest Moon remains some of the most inaccurate and incomplete I have ever
read. To make matters worse, people have conflated subsequent games in the
series with this one, resulting in numerous bad strategies and erroneous
tactics. That is why this guide was created. Whether you are a novice
looking for the most effective way possible to approach a task each day, or an
expert seeking the perfect score, this guide should help you. And most of
all, it should finally put an end to many of the egregious errors and time
wasting tips that have plagued gamers for years.
==============================================================================
D I S C L A I M E R HM01
==============================================================================
This FAQ is meant for personal use only and cannot be reproduced for
commercial use under any circumstances. No portions of this guide may be
reproduced, in part or in entirety, without the written consent of the author.
If you would like to use any part of this guide in your FAQ or website, I will
probably give you permission if you ask, but you must ask first (Email:
Admiral1018@yahoo.com). The Harvest Moon title, as well as all contents
within, is copyright of Natsume, 1997.
==============================================================================
T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S HM02
==============================================================================
To jump to any section of this guide quickly, click the Edit option on the
toolbar, then go to Find and type in the index number listed in the right
column. You can also press Ctrl+F to bring up the search box in most browsers
and text editors.
DISCLAIMER................................................................HM01
TABLE OF CONTENTS.........................................................HM02
USING THIS GUIDE..........................................................HM03
OVERVIEW
1. STORY AND OBJECTIVE....................................................HM11
2. SCORING................................................................HM12
3. CONTROLS...............................................................HM13
4. LOCATIONS..............................................................HM14
5. TOOLS & ITEMS..........................................................HM15
6. FARMING................................................................HM16
7. HOUSE UPGRADES. .......................................................HM17
8. LIVESTOCK & ANIMALS....................................................HM18
9. SEASONS, TIME & WEATHER................................................HM19
10. FESTIVALS.............................................................HM1A
11. RELATIONSHIPS & MARRIAGE..............................................HM1B
12. THE DAILY GRIND.......................................................HM1C
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
1. STARTING OUT...........................................................HM21
2. RANCH..................................................................HM22
3. TOOLS..................................................................HM23
4. CROPS & GRASS..........................................................HM24
5. LIVESTOCK..............................................................HM25
6. FESTIVALS..............................................................HM26
7. RELATIONSHIPS..........................................................HM27
8. MARRIAGE & FAMILY......................................................HM28
WALKTHROUGH
1. SPRING – YEAR 1........................................................HM31
2. SUMMER – YEAR 1........................................................HM32
3. FALL – YEAR 1..........................................................HM33
4. WINTER – YEAR 1........................................................HM34
5. SPRING – YEAR 2........................................................HM35
6. SUMMER – YEAR 2........................................................HM36
7. FALL – YEAR 2..........................................................HM37
8. WINTER – YEAR 2........................................................HM38
9. SPRING – YEAR 3........................................................HM39
10. SUMMER – YEAR 3.......................................................HM3A
APPENDIX
1. POWER BERRY LOCATIONS..................................................HM41
2. SECRET ITEMS & UPGRADES................................................HM42
3. STAMINA USAGE..........................................................HM43
4. SELLING PRICES.........................................................HM44
5. THE HAWKER.............................................................HM45
6. RELATIONSHIPS & AFFECTION SCORE........................................HM46
7. RANCH DEVELOPMENT SCORE................................................HM47
8. HAPPINESS SCORE........................................................HM48
9. RANCH MASTER SCORE.....................................................HM49
10. ENDINGS...............................................................HM4A
11. TIPS AND TRICKS.......................................................HM4B
CONTACT INFORMATION.......................................................HM04
REVISION HISTORY..........................................................HM05
CREDITS...................................................................HM06
==============================================================================
U S I N G T H I S G U I D E HM03
==============================================================================
This FAQ is divided into 4 sections to help you most easily find the
information you're seeking. This will hopefully save you time and prevent you
from reading any unnecessary spoilers. The four sections are explained below.
1. OVERVIEW: This section contains the basics of gameplay, farming,
tools, livestock, events, and other fundamentals. Some parts of this
section are rudimentary and are intended for players who are new to the
game. Others, such as the ones on farming, livestock, and relationships,
are much more in-depth and will be useful to veterans and first timers
alike. In general, this section contains few to no spoilers, and even
potential spoilers are noted in advance.
2. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS: The answers to some of the more common
stumbling points are contained here. This section is divided by
functional area of the game and is intended to address specific questions
without spoiling other parts of the game. If you are stuck on something,
see if your question is answered here first.
3. WALKTHROUGH: As its name implies, this is a detailed walkthrough of the
game. Since Harvest Moon is a non-linear, open-ended experience, this
section shows just one possible method of playing. However, the
walkthrough will give instructions on how to do everything as soon as
possible, assuming your intentions are to achieve a perfect score and
complete any goal as soon as possible. The walkthrough does contain some
spoilers as they occur, so please keep this in mind before reading.
4. APPENDIX: This is a reference section that contains information on special
items and upgrades, detailed farming and relationship statistics,
information on getting a perfect ending and scores, interesting secrets,
and more. The appendix is largely a reference source containing numerical
and statistical information about the game. This section does contain
spoilers, so please be warned in advance.
______________________________________________________________________________
O V E R V I E W
______________________________________________________________________________
The following section gives overview information on all areas of the game and
should give a solid framework for anyone playing this game. While some
sections are fairly basic, the later sections on farming, livestock, and
relationships are highly detailed and useful for veterans and new players.
==============================================================================
1. S T O R Y HM11
==============================================================================
You are Jack, a young man whose parents have just given him a ranch. Jack's
parents are going away for two and half years, and during that time they have
entrusted Jack to fix up the old ranch and begin a productive, adult life.
Jack's parents expect him to engage in farming, raising livestock, maintaining
and improving the ranch, getting married, and starting a family.
Despite Jack's parents' expectations, there are numerous styles of play in
this game. You can attempt to become a millionaire, amassing as much money as
possible. You can play as a serial bachelor, spending all day talking to
women and all night at the bar. You can become a rugged outdoorsman, choosing
to spend your days fishing and hanging out at the mountain. You can settle
down as a family man and have two children, forsaking any farm work to spend
time with them. Or, you can do a bit of all these things. The choice is
entirely yours.
=============================================================================
2. S C O R I N G HM12
=============================================================================
The game ends after two and a half years when Jack's parents return (after the
third summer), and you will be scored on the life you led during the time they
were away. The game scores you in three different ways. The first is on how
much of the ranch is covered and developed. This is called the Development
Rate. The second is on Jack's happiness, which is a measure of how
"satisfying" his life is. This is referred to as the Happiness score. The
third is on how well Jack manages the ranch and all other aspects of farm
life. This is referred to as the Ranch Master score. These scores are
loosely independent. For example, it possible to receive a high Happiness
score but low Ranch Master score, and vice versa.
In general, the game encourages you to balance as many activities as you can
for the best score. In addition to these scores, there are numerous endings
to this game, each depending on how you played during your time on the ranch.
The exact scoring calculations can be found in the appendix, but you will need
to excel at all the following categories to receive the best ending and score.
GENERAL GOALS
=============
- Save a lot of money
- Get married
- Have children
- Upgrade your house
- Grow and sell all four types of crops
- Raise as many cows and chickens as possible
- Brush and talk to all cows to increase their affection
- Develop as much of the farm as possible (with fence, crops, or grass)
- Develop strong relationships with the five single girls in town
=============================================================================
3. C O N T R O L S HM13
=============================================================================
The controls for Harvest Moon are simple and intuitive. You control your
character from an overhead point of view and the controls do not change at any
point in the game.
DIRECTIONAL PAD (UP/DOWN/LEFT/RIGHT)
- Moves Jack vertically and horizontally in the direction pressed.
Y-BUTTON
- Uses the tool in the active hand.
- At the pond on the mountain, use the Y button to cast the fishing rod into
the water.
X-BUTTON
- Toggles between the two tools you are carrying.
B-BUTTON
- Cancels a selection or closes a screen.
- Used to sprint. You will sprint in the direction you are facing so long as
the button is held.
- Used to jump over the fence on your ranch and off cliffs at the mountain.
A-BUTTON
- This is the main action button. It is used to speak with people, pick up
items, examine objects, or interact with anything else.
- Selects a command on a menu screen.
R-BUTTON
- Causes Jack to whistle and summon his horse. It is most effectively used
when standing in a straight line facing the horse.
L-BUTTON
- Causes Jack to whistle and summon his dog. This is the easiest way to move
the dog. It is most effectively used when standing in a straight line
facing the dog.
START
- This exits the demo and takes you to the title screen. It is not used
during the game otherwise.
SELECT (Z-button if using a Gamecube controller on the Virtual Console)
- This brings up the menu screen, which displays the date, money, and shows
the item in Jack's active hand. This effectively pauses the game. It can
not be used while holding an item.
==============================================================================
4. L O C A T I O N S HM14
==============================================================================
There are three main locations where most of this game takes place: the Ranch,
the Town, and the Mountain. Below are maps and descriptions of each area,
along with several other key areas on your ranch.
=====
RANCH
=====
The ranch is where you will spend most of your time. The primary activities
include farming and maintaining livestock. Note that this is just the fenced
off area of the ranch. The ranch extends beyond this map and contains several
other structures (trees and well) that are important later on in the game.
o-----------------------------------------------------------------------o
| RANCH MAP |
o-----------------------------------------------------------------------o
| |
| |
| ################################# |
| # ================---- ############################### |
| # = =||||| ============ # |
| # = ________ =____| ======== ____ ========= # |
| # =/--------\ = E _______ / \ ________ # |
| # =| D _ | = __ /-------\( { } )/--------\ # |
| # |____|_|_| = |__|| G ||\____/|| I | # |
| # . ===== |--|| _ || || _ | # |
| # . F |___|_|_|| H ||_|_|____| # |
| # . . |______| . # |
| # .......................................... # |
| # . . # |
| ############## ### . ________ # |
| | # ___ . /--------\ # |
| |A C # |(_)| . | J | # |
| | __ # |_|_| . | _ | # |
| | |[]|# . |____|_|_| # |
| #### B |__|# ............ ###### |
| # ################################################### |
| ####### |
| |
o-----------------------------------------------------------------------o
Location Purpose
--------- -------
A: Entrance Entrance to farm
B: Shipping area Place livestock here to sell it
C: Shipping bin Place crops/fruit/fish here to sell them
D: House Live/sleep here (see additional map below)
E: Wood shed Wood storage; get additional fence pieces from here
F: Horse stable Horse stays here once found
G: Cow barn Houses your cows
H: Grass silo Stores fodder; sign shows current fodder count
I: Chicken coop Houses your chickens
J: Tool shed Stores your tools
====
TOWN
====
The town is where you buy items and socialize. Most festival are held here,
and your future wife lives here. You will spend a decent amount of time at
the town, and it is important to be familiar with all the locations.
o------------------------------------------------------------------------o
| TOWN MAP |
o------------------------------------------------------------------------o
| ______________ + + + # |
| ==/--------------\== ___|___ + + # ``````````` |
| = | E | = / \ + + # ``````````` |
| = | /\ __ /\ | = ### / /\ \ + ...... |
| = | _|..|_ | = # | D __ | # . _________ |
| = |___| .. |___| = # |__|..|___| # . /---------\ |
| = .. = # .. #### . | C _ | |
| =========..========= # .. ```# . |___|.|___| |
| .. ####### .. ############ . ``` . ``` |
| .................................................................... |
| . .... .... . |
| . |------------|....|--------|....|-------------| . |
| . | | _____ . |
| . | |~~| | | & | . |
| . | |~~| | | | B . |
| . | |~~| | |_____| ...A
| . | | . |
| . - F - . |
| ... |````| ................... |
| . - |````| - _________ . |
| . | | /---------\ . |
| . | | | K _ | ## . |
| . | | |___| |___| # . |
| . | | # . |
| . | |################ . |
| . |------------------|......|-------------------| . |
| . ...... . |
| .................................................................... |
| . ################## . |
| . _________ _________ _________ # _______ # . |
| . /---------\ /---------\ /---------\ # /-------\ # . |
| . | G _ | | H _ | | I _ | # | J _ | # . |
| . |___|.|___| |___|.|___| |___|.|___| # |__|.|__| # . |
| . . . . ###-#######.###### . |
| .................................................................... |
| |
o------------------------------------------------------------------------o
Location Purpose
-------- -------
A: Entrance Entrance to town
B: Peddler Mat Peddler appears here on Sundays
C: Flower Shop Buy seeds and grass; Nina lives here
D: Church Services held Sundays
E: Mayor's House Mayor, his wife, and Maria live here
F: Town Square Festivals are held here; people socialize on Saturdays
G: Bar Open at night; Eve works/lives here
H: Restaurant Sells cake; Ellen lives here
I: Tool Shop Sells tools; Ann lives here
J: Livestock Dealer Buy/sell cows and chickens; buy livestock items
K: Fortuneteller Receive advice on dating and marriage
========
MOUNTAIN
========
The mountain is the embodiment of nature. It is meant to be a tranquil and
relaxing place. You can pick fruit and catch fish from here for money. You
can also chop wood for extra materials. The most useful location is probably
the hot springs, which restore stamina each time you jump in.
o---------------------------------------------------------------------o
| MOUNTAIN MAP |
|------------------------------------ ------------------------------|
| G | |
| |________________ | &&& |
|& | | &&&&& __ ______ |
|&& |_________________| &&& ||/~~~~~~\ |
|& &&& F |||~~~~~~| |
| &&&&& \______/ |
| &&& ___________________________|
|____________________________ #| /\ #|~~~~|#|
| #| /__\ C #|~~~~|#|
| #| #### ##|
| _ #| |
| |____| |______________ #| |
|& E | #| |
|&& |______________| &&& |
|& &&&&& |
|_________________________ &&& &&& |
| #|~~~|# |####### B &&&&& |
| #|~~~|# |________ &&& &&& |
|& @@ &&&&& |
|&& D ________@@_____________| &&& &|
|& # &&|
|########################### A &|
o---------------------------- -------------------------------------o
Location Purpose
-------- -------
A: Entrance Entrance to Mountain
B: Carpenters' House Upgrades your house
C: Fisherman and Pond Catch fish
D: Mysterious Spring Revealed later in the game
E: Mountain Cave Collect cave herbs
F: Hot Springs Restores stamina
G: Path to summit Entrance to mountain summit
============
JACK'S HOUSE
============
Jack's house begins as one room but can be expanded. This is where you save
the game and go to sleep at night. There are numerous trinkets and irrelevant
items within, so only the useful ones are denoted above.
________________________________
| |___| # \====/ | #|| ___ |
| | B C |____|||___||
| | D |_____|
|____| o E |
| _____ |
| | | |
| | | |
| |_____| |
|-------| o |
|-------| |
| |
|______________ A _______________|
Item Purpose
---- -------
A: Entrance Entrance to house
B: Diary Save game/activate sleep at night
C: Calendar Shows current date
D: Log Book Shows farm inventory (money, livestock, animals)
E: Television Shows the next day's weather
========
COW BARN
========
Cows are kept in the barn. Each cow has its own dedicated stall and feeding
bin. Cows only eat from their specific trough, so make sure this is where you
place the food. You can take cows outside, but it is strongly recommended
that you keep them here.
________________________________
| |
| ____ _ _ ____ |
| 12 | | | | 6 |
| ____|_| |_|____ |
| ____ _ _ ____ |
| 11 | | | | 5 |
| ____|_| |_|____ |
| ____ _ _ ____ |
| 10 | | | | 4 |
| ____|_| |_|____ __|
| /--|
| D |__|
| ____ _ _ ____ |
| 9 | | | | 3 |
| ____|_| |_|____ |
| ____ _ _ ____ |
| 8 | | | | 2 |
| ____|_| |_|____ |
| ____ _ _ ____ |
| 7 | | | | 1 |
| ____|_| |_|____ |
| |
| __ _ |
|/__\B | | C |
||__|__________ A _________|_|___|
Item Purpose
---- -------
A: Entrance Entrance to barn
B: Shipping Bin Place milk in here
C: Pregnancy Stall Pregnant cows rest here; has own feeding bin
D: Fodder Chute Take fodder out of here
#1-12: Cow Stalls Dedicated cow stalls; feed cows in the bins
============
CHICKEN COOP
============
Chickens are kept in the chicken coop. While you can take them outside, it is
strongly advised that you keep them in here.
______________________________
| | | |
| | D | |
| ========================== |
| |
|___ |
|---\ |
|___| C |
| |
| |
| ___ ___|
|/___\ B E ___|
||___|_________ A _____________|
Item Purpose
---- -------
A: Entrance Entrance to coop
B: Shipping Bin Place eggs in here
C: Fodder Chute Take fodder out of here
D: Feeding Bin Place fodder here to feed chickens
E: Egg Incubator Place egg here to breed chickens
==============================================================================
5. T O O L S & I T E M S HM15
==============================================================================
Tools and items are one of the more integral aspects of Harvest Moon. This
includes everything from mastering the basic farming equipment to acquiring
special items and upgrades to understanding fruits and produce. Listed along
with the description of each tool is the stamina usage. This is the amount
depleted each time the Y button is pressed while this tool is equipped. See
the Farming section for more on stamina,
This section is completely SPOILER FREE. Nothing is revealed here that is not
also revealed in the instruction manual or game's introduction. For the
information on how to obtain special items and upgrades, you will be referred
to the appropriate section of the appendix.
TOOLS
=====
Below is a list of basic tools in the game. Almost all of these are stored
and equipped in the tool shed.
HAMMER The hammer is used to break rocks and remove broken fence
pieces around the ranch. The hammer can destroy small
stones in a single blow, but requires 6 hits without moving
to split a large boulder. You begin the game with this tool
in your shed.
COST: Free
STAMINA USAGE: 2
SICKLE The sickle is used to cut a single square of fully grown
grass, which can then be used as fodder to feed the
livestock. The sickle can also cut down crops and bushes
around the ranch. You begin the game with this tool in your
shed.
COST: Free
STAMINA USAGE: 2
AXE The axe is used to chop up the large tree stumps on your
ranch and on the mountain. Cutting those stumps produces
wood, which is added to your wood shed. It takes 6 blows
without moving to cut up a stump. You begin the game with
this tool in your shed.
COST: Free
STAMINA USAGE: 2
HOE The hoe is used to plow the land around your ranch, which
is required before crop or grass seeds can be planted. The
hoe will plow a single square of land. Keep in mind that if
you plow a square and would like to undo that, you may do so
by placing a fence piece over that square. You begin the
game with this tool in your shed.
COST: Free
STAMINA USAGE: 2
WATERING CAN The watering can is used to water crops. It must be filled
with water at a pond before it can be used (press Y button
to fill) and can hold enough liquid to water 20 crops before
needing to be refilled.
COST: Free
STAMINA USAGE: 2 (water and fill)
GOLDEN HAMMER The golden hammer is imbued with a special power and allows
you to destroy even the largest boulders in a single blow.
Unfortunately, by the time you obtain this tool, there are
probably no large boulders left to destroy.
COST: Found or 2000 G from Tool Shop
STAMINA USAGE: 4
GOLDEN SICKLE The golden sickle is an incredibly useful upgrade, allowing
you to cut 9 squares of grass in a 3x3 pattern with Jack in
the center. This saves considerable time once you have a
lot of grass planted and need large amounts of feed for all
your livestock.
COST: Found or 2000 G from Tool Shop
STAMINA USAGE: 8
GOLDEN AXE This massive blade allows you to split wood stumps
in a single blow. The golden axe is very useful for
collecting additional wood from the mountain, which is
required before you can fully upgrade your home.
COST: Found or 200 G (yes, two hundred) from Tool Shop
STAMINA USAGE: 8
GOLDEN HOE The golden hoe rips through the ground in front of its user,
allowing you to plow six squares (6x1) at once. This is
very helpful if you are plowing long rows or entire fields,
but it can be annoying if you want to plow in tight area or
make specific patterns. Overall, it's a worthwhile upgrade.
COST: Found or 2000 G from Tool Shop
STAMINA USAGE: 8
SPRINKLER The sprinkler is arguably the single best upgrade in the
game. It allows you to water 9 squares at once (3x3 area)
AND it never needs to be filled up at a pond. It should
save you a considerable amount of time during daily
chores. The sprinkler works best with a parallel or extreme
"C" formation of crops (see Farming section for more).
COST: 2000 G from Tool Shop
STAMINA USAGE: 8
CROP SEEDS The flower shop sells seeds for different types of crops.
In the spring, you can purchase turnip and potato seeds. In
the summer, tomato and corn seeds are for sale (see Farming
section for more on crops). When used, Jack will throw the
seeds in the air and cover a 3x3 area of land around him,
assuming that the ground has been plowed.
COST: 200 for Turnips/Potatoes, 300 for Tomatoes/Corn
STAMINA USAGE: 1
GRASS SEED Grass seed is sold at the flower shop during the summer and
spring and is planted in a 3x3 area just as crop seeds are.
Once planted, grass grows on its own without watering and
can be cut after 9 days. Cut grass will then regrow and can
be repeatedly cut every 9 days. Grass grows in every season
except winter, but can only be planted in the spring or
summer. Grass even survives the winter, so there is no need
to replant it in the spring. Keep in mind that there is no
way for you to remove grass once planted, so carefully
choose a location that does not interfere with crop growth.
COST: 500 G
STAMINA USAGE: 1
PAINT Paint is used to coat your house in a soft, cream color.
Paint is not available until you have fully upgraded your
house, and has no use once the house is painted.
COST: 1500 G
STAMINA USAGE: 2
COW BELL The cow bell is used to summon and direct your cows. To
most effectively use it, stand in a straight line facing
your cow. The bell is given to you for free from the
livestock dealer when you purchase your first cow.
COST: Free
STAMINA USAGE: 1
BRUSH The brush is used to groom cows, which increases their
affection towards you by 3 points. Cows with higher
affection levels produce larger types of milk, so brushing
them every day is very important to your cash flow. See the
Livestock section for more on cows.
COST: 800 G
STAMINA USAGE: 1
MILKER The milker is used to get milk from your cows. Simply walk
up the cow and press the Y button to milk it (make sure the
cow is not moving). Keep in mind that only adult cows
produce milk (the ones you buy from the livestock dealer are
still calves). Cows can only be milked once per day, and
will not produce milk if they are sick, crank, or pregnant.
COST: 1800 G
STAMINA USAGE: 0
COW FEED Cow feed is a substitute for fodder. It provides 12
feedings. Despite what the game says otherwise, there are
no downsides to using this feed versus grass feeding.
However, cow feed is an extremely expensive way to nourish
your cows. Only buy it if you are stuck in the dead of
winter and have run out of fodder.
COST: 1000 G
STAMINA USAGE: 2
CHICKEN FEED Like cow feed, chicken feed is a substitute for fodder. It
provides 12 feedings. The chickens cannot tell the
difference between the two, so there is no adverse effect to
using it. However, since chickens do not get sick or die if
unfed, it's probably best to just not feed them. Save the
money for cow feed in a desperate situation.
COST: 300 G
STAMINA USAGE: 2
MEDICINE The medicine is used to treat sick or cranky cows. While
it's probably a waste if the cow is cranky, you definitely
need to use this on a sick cow to prevent it from dying.
This item also has an odd bug when combined with the miracle
potion below. It will immediately eliminate the pregnancy
period, so a cow will give birth the day after it is used.
COST: 1000 G
STAMINA USAGE: 1
MIRACLE POTION The miracle potion is used to make a cow pregnant. Pregnant
cows balloon up and are placed in the stall at the bottom of
the barn. Pregnancy normally lasts for 21 days, but it can
be sped up using the medicine bug above. The miracle potion
will not work on a cow if there are already 12 in your barn
(it will just be wasted). The miracle potion is also bugged
in that it will cure sickness and crankiness when used on a
cow. Overall, this item is a waste of money. When you
factor in the amount of time that is needed to produce an
adult cow, it is much more efficient to just buy them from
the livestock dealer.
COST: 4000 G
STAMINA USAGE: 1
SADDLE BAGS While not really an item in the same sense as the others
above, the saddle bags for your Horse become the single
greatest tool for increasing the money you can generate.
Once the horse is fully grown, the shipper will bring you
some saddle bags that serve as a mobile shipping bin. This
completely eliminates the time needed to run back and forth
between the bin and allows you to grow crops anywhere on the
farm.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SECRET ITEMS
============
There are several very rare items that remain shrouded in mystery. Below is a
brief description of each. More details on all of them are found in the
"Secret Items & Upgrades" section of the appendix.
CLOCK The clock is a very useful item that tells you the time of
day whenever you press the Select button.
SNOW GEM Also referred to as the Seed of the Snow Flower, the snow
gem is a mysterious seed sold by the peddler at the Flower
Festival. It needs to be planted on the mountain summit.
MAGIC BEANS This item is truly a mystery, both in regards to its use and
how to acquire it. Like the snow gem, it also needs to be
planted at the summit.
TURTLE SHELL Little is known about this item, but it is rumored that the
shell protects from natural disasters. Even so, it may just
be another ornament.
MONEY TREE Farmers have always dreamed of a magical tree that sprouts
from the ground and literally grows money. Does such a tree
exist? Unlikely, but you may have the chance to acquire
something called a "money tree" at some point.
GOLDEN EGG The golden egg is a mythical object that is said to exist
somewhere within the clouds. No one in the game knows
anything about it, but it would most likely fetch an
extraordinary price if sold.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CROPS, PRODUCE, FRUITS, AND OTHER
=================================
Crops, produce, and fruits constitute the vast majority of money you can earn
in this game. Crops are planted and harvested on your ranch, produce is
collected from your livestock , and fruits are picked from the mountain.
CROPS Crops are grown from seeds you plant on the ranch. There
are four types of crops in this game: turnips, potatoes,
tomatoes, and corn. Once the crop is ripe, it is ready to
be picked and sold. You do so by lifting up the item and
putting it in the shipping bin. Fully grown crops will stay
good indefinitely until picked and no longer need to be
watered. Crops sell for varying amounts based on the type.
See the "Farming" section below for more.
EGGS Eggs are laid by the chickens in your coop. Each chicken
will lay one egg per day so long as it is being fed
routinely. Chickens will NOT lay eggs if left outside.
Eggs can be placed in the shipping bin in the bottom left
corner of the coop. Unlike crops, eggs do not last
overnight, so you must sell eggs in the same day they are
laid to be paid for them. The shipper pays 50 G per egg.
MILK Milk comes from the cows you raise in your barn. Only adult
cows produce milk, and each cow can be milked once per day
providing it is not sick, cranky, or pregnant. Milk comes
in three sizes: small, medium, and large. Small milk sells
for 150 G, medium milk sells for 250 G, and large milk sells
for 350 G. The type of milk the cow produces depends on its
affection score. See the "Livestock" section for more on
cows and milk.
POWER BERRY Also called Berries of the Power Tree, Power Berries
resemble reddish apples and are hidden throughout the game.
Eating a Power Berry will increase Jack's maximum stamina by
10. The garden at the top of the ranch displays the number
of Power Berries eaten (each flower represents a berry).
There are 10 Power Berries in the game, and you will need to
find them all to receive the best ending.
FISH Fish can be caught from the pond in the mountain during the
spring, summer, and fall seasons. Speak with the fisherman,
then walk to the bench next to the pond. Press the Y button
to cast the lure and eventually you will snag something when
the rod wiggles. Press Y again to pull it up and you may
have a fish (otherwise, you will have junk). The fish can
be eaten, given as a gift, or sold. The shipper pays
300 G for a fish, so it is a great source of money early on.
FRUITS Fruits and other edibles grow on the mountain during the
various seasons. Wild berries grow in the spring, tropical
fruit grows in the summer, mushrooms and poison mushrooms
grow in the fall, and cave herbs grow all year round. These
items can be eaten, given as gifts, or sold to the shipper
for 150 G (wild grapes and mushrooms) or 200 G (all the
others).
FLOWERS Flowers grow on the mountain and are sold from the flower
shop in the summer and spring for 300 G. Flowers can be
given as gifts to the various girls in the game, and this is
their primary use. They cannot be sold. The ones you pick
from the mountain are identical to the ones in the flower
shop, so buying them is a waste of money.
CAKE Cake can be purchased from the restaurant for 500 G. It can
be consumed to restore stamina (complete waste) or given as
a gift. Given its price, the cake does not justify a
purchase in either case. It cannot be resold if purchased,
so avoid buying this item.
FULLMOON BERRY The Fullmoon Berry is a special fruit that only grows for a
few days in the fall (day 10 to day 12) and is found on the
mountain summit. You can pick one berry during each of the
days the flower is in bloom. It makes a great gift but also
fetches 600 G from the shipper.
PERFUME Perfume is sold at the Flower Festival and is meant to be a
gift for one of the ladies in the town. There are three
types of perfume – violet, lilac, and rose – and each color
appeals differently to the various girls. Each sells for
1000 G. The perfume is a BIG WASTE of money and should
never be purchased. The effect on the girls' affection
towards you is minimal, so save the cash.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BUYING ITEMS
============
There are several sources for obtaining new items in this game, and it will be
important to familiarize yourself with all of them.
FLOWER SHOP The flower shop sells crop seeds, grass seed, and flowers.
TOOL SHOP The tool shop will occasionally offer new tools, so you
should check in periodically. This store will also sell any
of the golden tools if you miss them along the way.
LIVESTOCK DEALER The livestock dealer buys and sells chickens and cows. He
also sells animal feed, cow medicine, and the miracle potion
for breeding cows. He sells chickens for 1000 G and cows
for 5000 G. If you purchase a chicken, he leaves the bird
behind his shop. If you purchase a cow, he delivers it to
your ranch.
PEDDLER The peddler appears in the town square on Sundays and
makes an appearance at certain festivals. The peddler only
sells two items in the game: the Snow Gem (at the Flower
Festival) and the Blue Feather. Information on how to
purchase the Blue Feather can be found by exploring the town
and speaking with the townspeople.
HAWKER The hawker is a wandering merchant who shows up at your farm
on occasion. He will often try to barter with you, asking
to exchange one item for another, but he does sell one item
as well. For more information on the hawker, see the
"Hawker" section of the appendix.
FESTIVALS At a few of the festivals, you are given the chance to buy
unique items like perfume and rice balls. With the
exception of the Snow Gem sold by the peddler, all items for
sale at festivals are novelties and are generally a waste of
money.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SELLING ITEMS
=============
There are only a few possible buyers for goods in this game, but it is
important to make the most of each.
SHIPPER The shipper is the main buyer and seller of goods in this
game. He stops by the ranch each day at 5:00 and collects
any items you have placed in your main shipping bin,
either bin in the coop and barn, or horse's saddle bags.
Any money for these goods will be automatically added to
your account by the time you wake up the next day. Place
anything you want to sell in these bins, including crops,
produce, and fruits picked from the mountain. You will NOT
be paid for any goods placed in the shipping bin after 5:00,
so save those for the next day. The shipper comes every day
of the week, including weekends.
LIVESTOCK DEALER The livestock dealer purchases your chickens and cows. To
sell an animal, place it in or lead it to the corralled area
just to the left of the shipping bin, then visit the
livestock dealer and tell him you want to sell the animal.
He will stop by your farm later in the day and pick it up
The livestock dealer pays 500 G for chickens and varying
prices for cows depending on the type of milk they produce -
5000 G for small milk, 8000 G for medium milk, 10,000 G for
large milk. He will not purchase chicks, calves, sick cows,
cranky cows, or pregnant cows. The livestock dealer is
closed on the weekends.
PEDDLER The peddler appears near the entrance to town on Sunday
unless it is raining or snowing. He will purchase almost
any item that the shipper will and usually pays a higher
price. To sell an item, place it on the table next to him.
DO NOT throw the item at him or it will be wasted. A
complete list of the prices the shipper and peddler pay for
items can be found in the "Selling Prices" section of the
appendix.
==============================================================================
6. F A R M I N G HM16
==============================================================================
Farming is the engine that drives your financial fortunes during the first
year of the game. This section details everything from clearing the land in
preparation for crops to advanced techniques for making the most money
possible in a season.
======
FENCES
======
Your farm starts with a small fence surrounding it. You can move the fence by
pulling the pieces from the ground and reorganizing them. New fence pieces
are obtained from the wood shed, but you need to first stock the shed with
materials by chopping stumps. Chopping stumps produces six pieces of wood,
and you can chop the ones on the mountain for additional materials once your
farm is depleted.
So what's the point of a fence?
- Looks nice
- Helps develop the ranch
What are the downsides?
- Fence breaks when it rains/snows and needs to be fixed
- Broken fence pieces attract wild dogs and make cows cranky
When it rains or snows, there is a chance that some pieces of the fence will
break. You should always inspect the next day after a storm. Broken pieces
can be removed with the hammer and then replaced. If you have any broken
pieces, there is a chance wild dogs will come at night. The dogs are
characterized by high pitched barking after you go to bed, and they will eat
any chickens you leave outside (you will find chicken feathers the next day).
The more broken pieces, the greater the chances that dogs will come. Once you
exceed about 15 or so broken pieces, the dogs will come every night until the
fence is fixed.
The interesting thing to note about a fence is that you do not need to have
one at all. If you don't have a fence, the pieces can never break, meaning
wild dogs will never show up and cows will never become cranky when left
outside. There is no downside at all to not having a fence, despite what some
sources claim. If you want to remove the starting fence, either throw the
fence pieces in a pond or walk off the screen while carrying them.
Similarly, a small corral or inner fence area will not protect chickens if
wild dogs show up, even if the chicken is safely enclosed from the rest of the
property. The poor bird will still meet its maker if it is anywhere on the
farm when the dogs appear.
Unlike other Harvest Moon games, stone fences (fences made from small stones)
are not practical in this game. While they cannot break, they are a hassle to
navigate (you cannot jump over them) and they hurt your development rate score
at the end of the game. Stones are not a good alternative, so avoid using
them.
The decision on whether or not to have a fence is up to you, but the main
rationale should be because you like the appearance. Since most players keep
their fence, this guide will assume you choose to do the same. However, going
fence-less is easier and probably wiser than keeping one, especially if you
ever leave animals outside.
====================
CULTIVATING THE LAND
====================
Before you can begin laying crops, you need to clear the ranch of the various
debris that litters it. There are four types of debris and each is removed in
different ways:
Type of Debris Method of Removal
-------------- -----------------
Bush/Weeds Pick up and throw or cut with sickle
Small Stone Throw in a pond or smash with hammer
Large Rock Break with hammer (hit 6 times without moving)
Tree Stump Chop with axe (chop 6 times without moving)
You do not need to clear the entire ranch on the first day, but you should at
least clear a large area south of the shipping bin. You should also do all
the clearing at night and leave the day for making money (from either crops or
from collecting fruit/fish from the mountain).
=======
STAMINA
=======
Stamina is a hidden numerical value that measures your ability to use tools.
Each time a tool is used, your stamina decreases by a small amount. Your
maximum stamina is 100 at the beginning of the game and increases by 10 for
each Power Berry you eat. You can see the number of Power Berries eaten over
the course of the game by looking at the secret garden behind Jack's house.
Each flower represents one Power Berry.
As you chop trees and smash boulders, you will notice Jack becoming physically
tired and eventually unable to work. Below are the gestures Jack makes based
on his stamina:
Percent of
Action Max Stamina
------ -----------
Pat Brow 50%
Panting/Sweating 25%
Stumble 12.5%
Collapse 0%
Once Jack collapses, he cannot use tools any more until his stamina is
replenished. Note that this does not include any actions involving the A
button, so Jack can still pull weeds and lift small stones at zero stamina.
To replenish stamina, you need to either eat something (like wild fruit), jump
in the hot springs, or go to sleep. Hot springs are the most efficient
method. You regain 24 stamina each time you jump in, so 5-6 dips will restore
you to maximum in the early parts of the game. A complete listing of the
effect that various items and actions have on stamina can be found in the
"Stamina Usage" section of the appendix.
=======
PLOWING
=======
Once the field is cleared of debris, you need to plow it before planting
seeds. Plow the field using the hoe from the tool shed. As you plow the
field, you may dig up various items. You can dig up one of each of these
items per day:
1. COIN (worth 10 G) or MONEY BAG (worth 50 G)
2. MOLE: Resident pest. Just ignore it.
3. POWER BERRY: You can find up to two from random digging.
Before you waste hours looking to get rich, keep in mind that you can only dig
up one money item per day (either the coin or money bag). After you've found
one, do not waste any more time looking for more that day.
Despite the various rumors about them, the moles you dig up randomly have no
purpose. They have no adverse effect on crops or livestock, so just ignore
them.
You can also find a couple of Power Berries at random, and you should spend
time digging until you unearth them both. These cannot both be found in the
same day.
===============
CROP FORMATIONS
===============
When you're ready to plant crops, it's important to keep different formations
in mind. Crop and grass seeds are thrown down in a 3x3 pattern. While you
can plant everything in a 3x3 pattern, you will actually end up wasting
considerably more time and resources than if you chose one of the other
formations.
The biggest drawback to the 3x3 pattern at the start of the game is that it
becomes impossible to water the center square once the crops start to grow.
This will result in crops growing to maturity on the outer eight squares while
the inner square stays unchanged. You can water the square again once the
other crops have grown and are harvested, but then you are forfeiting the
space for growth of a new batch of crops. The solution is to deliberately not
plant crops on one or more of those squares, and there are several ways to do
this. While it may seem wasteful to plant less than the maximum amount you
can from each seed bag, you will see in the next section why this is not the
case.
Below are five possible types of crop formations. In each image, an "X"
represents a square that has been plowed while the others are unplowed. If
you accidentally plow a square and wish to undo it, place a piece of fence
over that area. It will turn the soil back to the regular, unplowed variety.
3x3 X X X
Formation X X X
X X X
Donut X X X
Formation X X
X X X
"C" X X X X X X X X X X X
Formation X X X X X X X X X X
X X X X X X X X X X X
Extreme "C" X X X X X X X X X X X
Formation X X X X X X
X X X X X X X X X X X
Parallel X X X X X
Formation X X
X X X X X
=====
CROPS
=====
Once the land is plowed, it's time to plant the crops. Regardless of type,
all crops need to be watered each day to grow. After a few days, crops will
begin to sprout and will change appearance a few times before being ready for
harvest. Crops will not die if you don't water them, but they will never grow
beyond their current stage either. When a crop is ripe, approach it and press
the A button to pick the vegetable. It may be hard to tell when turnips and
potatoes are ripe, but you can see a picture if you watch the game's
introduction. If, for some reason, you wish to remove a crop once it's
sprouted, you can use the sickle.
To get paid for crops, they must be placed in the shipping bin before the
shipper arrives. He shows up every day at 5pm, just before it gets completely
dark. You are not paid for anything placed in the shipping bin after the
shipper has come, so DO NOT PLACE ANYTHING IN THE SHIPPING BIN AT NIGHT. Save
the crops for the next day.
Different crops grow in different seasons, and there are certain
characteristics you should keep in mind. In spring, you can grow turnips and
potatoes. These crops can only be picked once, and you will need to replant
them after each harvest. In summer, you can grow tomatoes and corn. After a
long period before the first harvest, tomatoes and corn will regrow every
three days if you continue to water them. This makes he overall profit margin
on summer crops a lot higher.
Before delving into strategies, let's look more closely at the different
crops.
o----------------------------------------------------------------------o
| Category | Turnip | Potato | Tomato | Corn |
|--------------------------+----------+----------+----------+----------|
| Season | Spring | Spring | Summer | Summer |
|--------------------------+----------+----------+----------+----------|
| Cost per bag | 200 G | 200 G | 300 G | 300 G |
|--------------------------+----------+----------+----------+----------|
| Days to Grow | 4 | 7 | 9 | 12 |
|--------------------------+----------+----------+----------+----------|
| Days to Regrow | N/A | N/A | 3 | 3 |
|--------------------------+----------+----------+----------+----------|
| Revenue per Crop | 60 G | 80 G | 100 G | 120 G |
|--------------------------+----------+----------+----------+----------|
| Revenue per Bag | 480 G | 640 G | 800 G | 960 G |
| ("C" Formation) | | | | |
|--------------------------+----------+----------+----------+----------|
| Profit per Bag | 280 G | 440 G | 500 G | 660 G |
| ("C" Formation) | | | | |
|--------------------------+----------+----------+----------+----------|
| Revenue per Bag | 360 G | 480 G | 600 G | 720 G |
| (Parallel Formation) | | | | |
|--------------------------+----------+----------+----------+----------|
| Profit per Bag | 160 G | 280 G | 300 G | 420 G |
| (Parallel Formation) | | | | |
|--------------------------+----------+----------+----------+----------|
| Maximum Harvests | N/A | N/A | 7 | 6 |
| per season | | | | |
|--------------------------+----------+----------+----------+----------|
| Maximum Profit per | N/A | N/A | 5600 G | 5760 G |
| Season ("C" Form.) | | | | |
|--------------------------+----------+----------+----------+----------|
| Maximum Profit per | N/A | N/A | 4200 G | 4320 G |
| Season (Parallel Form.) | | | | |
o----------------------------------------------------------------------o
If it's not overwhelmingly obvious, summer crops are much more profitable than
spring crops. A single bag of potatoes can only produce a profit of 280 G,
but a bag of corn can yield 5760 G. This analysis may make spring crops seem
like a waste, but you can still make a great deal of money if you plant
enough. Also, the game cushions the margin on the summer crops because
hurricanes can occur during that season. As hurricanes can destroy up to 30%
of your crops, you need the extra margin to stay afloat.
=============
CROP STRATEGY
=============
Below are some valuable strategies for making the most of crops. The most
important tip is to harvest as many crops as quickly as possible, and these
tips should allow you to do that. When it comes to crops, Time = Money. Keep
this in mind as often as you can.
LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION
During the first year, the single most important strategy is to plant crops as
close to the shipping bin as possible. I know the demo shows them just below
the tool shed, but do not do this. The best way to maximize profits per day
is to minimize the time it takes to pick all your crops. Even if you do not
have many crops, you can always use the extra time that day to pick
fruit/catch fish from the mountain for additional money.
FORMATION, FORMATION, FORMATION
Building on the last strategy, it should start to become obvious why a "C"
formation works better in the first spring than a 3x3 formation. If you use a
3x3 formation, the outer crops will all ripen before the center one. Once you
pick those 8 outer crops, you will have a lone crop that requires another few
days to grow. If this crop is near the shipping bin (which it should be), it
is now taking the place of other crops. Using the C formation, all crops are
picked and replanted in the same day. This saves time and allows you to make
more money. In the summer of year 1, you may wish to use the extreme "C"
formation once you have the sprinkler. This is less efficient monetarily, but
it allows you to water an entire patch of crops at once, saving significant
real-world time. In the second and third years, you should be using the
parallel formation. See the strategy three down on the horse for more.
FUNDING CROPS EARLY ON
It's possible to be harvesting 3-4 patches of crops each day by the middle of
the first spring. Many gamers are surprised to hear this and wonder how it's
possible to earn enough money to fund all those crops so early. The key is to
pick fruit and catch fish from the mountain. You can put fruit in the
shipping bin for 150 G and fish for 300 G. In a typical day, you can probably
pick 2-3 pieces of fruit or catch 1-2 fish, allowing you to earn 300-600 G per
day. This is enormous in helping you afford extra crops early. During the
first week, you should take care of whatever business you have in town, then
spend the remainder of the day on the mountain. Leave all chores until night
(clearing the ranch, planting/watering crops, etc.) where they can be done at
your leisure.
HARVEST CROPS EVERY DAY
The best way to build money early on is to make sure that you are harvesting
crops every day. To do this, you need to plant crops every day. It's best to
lay out your farm in advance and know where you will be planting and picking
crops on any given day. This allows you to harvest methodically and
accurately predict your future income.
USE THE FORCE, ER, THE HORSE
In the second and third year, the location of the crops becomes irrelevant as
the horse is a moveable shipping bin. If you use the horse right, you can
manage a ranch that is 50% or more covered with crops. The key is to keep the
horse as close to you as possible so that you minimize the walking distance.
You should never have to walk more than 2-3 squares to throw crops into the
horse's saddle bags. The horse works most effectively when crops are planted
in the parallel formation, and you should use this layout exclusively in years
2 and 3. Your crops should be in long rows or columns as shown below. An "X"
denotes a planted crop and # is a piece of fence. The fence acts to keep the
horse in place so it doesn't move up or down.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX#
E D C B A
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX#
The letters, A through E, denote places where your horse will be positioned
when you harvest. Leave the horse in those lettered spots and pick crops as
quickly as you can by throwing them at the horse. The horse sometimes
wanders, but if he is stuck between two rows of crops (or the two fence
pieces), he won't stray very far. You should alternate the direction you
harvest in the spring and summer to make sure the horse is pinned. For
example, in the spring, you may wish to position the horse at location B while
Jack starts picking crops at location A. You would then mount the horse and
get off at location C. In the summer, it would be more effective to position
to horse at location A and start collecting crops moving away from that spot.
When you reach location B, whistle by using the R button to call the horse,
then repeat. The reason for this switch is because the crops disappear when
picked in the spring but stay in the summer, so you can use them to keep the
horse from straying in the summer. In both seasons, the key is to remain as
close to the horse as possible.
Finally, some sources say that you must throw crops onto the side of the horse
or it will "eat" them instead of store them. This is untrue. You can throw
crops right at the horse's face or rear and you will receive credit. The
important thing to note is the saddle bags. They should flare up when you
throw a crop at the horse. Sometimes the horse will "freeze" in position for
a few seconds and the saddle bags will not inflate. Although this is pretty
normal, you are not paid for crops when this happens. If you notice it
happening more than once at a time, whistle for the horse or do something to
get him moving again. This should fix the problem.
HARVEST INTO NEXT SEASON
Although it may seem odd, spring crops will grow and can be harvested in the
summer. The one rub is that they must be planted during the spring. One
strategy is to plant as many crops as you can on day 30 of the spring. Since
summer crops take 9-12 days for a first harvest, the spring crops will still
allow you to generate crop revenue until the summer ones are ready. If you
take this approach in year 1, make sure to reserve the space closest to the
shipping bin for summer crops. Use the areas a bit further or to the north
for the spring ones. Also, do not stock up on spring crops at the expense of
summer ones. Make sure you have enough money saved to buy 12-15 bags of corn
or tomato seeds within the first 3 days of summer (this costs 3600-4500 G).
Only use anything above this for additional spring crops.
LEAVE CROPS OVERNIGHT
If you can't pick all the crops before the shipper arrives, just leave them
overnight. Crops will last indefinitely until picked. Once ripe, they do not
need to be watered either. Also, if the shipper comes when you still have a
crop in your hand, do not throw it away or waste it by putting it in the
shipping bin. Give the crop to your wife as a gift or take it to Eve at the
bar for some added affection points.
WATER WHEN IT RAINS
Odd as it may seem, if you plant seeds while it's raining, you still need to
water them. This is a bug in the game, but it's a bug you still need to
factor in as you play. In the summer, you also need to water tomato and corn
plants on the days you pick the vegetables if it's raining.
=====
GRASS
=====
Grass is the main source of feed for your livestock. Once grass grows long
enough, you can cut it with your sickle and store it in the feeding silo as
fodder. The exact grass requirements for the animals are discussed in the
next section.
Grass is planted the same way crops are, and should always be placed in a 3x3
formation. From the initial planting, grass takes 9 days to grow to its
maximum height and will change colors a few times as it matures. When fully
grown, grass is usually a deep, rich green (in the spring and summer) or dark
gold (in the fall). It will take a while to identify, but you should get the
feel for the right color after a few cycles. After being cut the first time,
grass will regrow every 9 days and can be cut repeatedly.
Grass can only be planted in the spring and summer, but it will still grow in
the fall. In the winter, the grass is covered by snow and does not grow.
Grass will survive the winter and does not need to be replanted in the
following spring.
One of the biggest flaws in this game is that GRASS CANNOT BE REMOVED ONCE
PLANTED. Because of this, it is vitally important to determine where you want
grass planted in advance. In general, you should avoid having any grass in
the southern half of the farm, as this is where crops should be planted. It's
best to either use the area east of the tool shed or north of your home,
around the secret garden.
Grass can be destroyed by summer hurricanes, and a few patches will also be
killed by the winter. These will remain eyesores until replanted.
==============================================================================
7. H O U S E U P G R A D E S HM17
==============================================================================
You can upgrade your house twice in the game. In addition to looking nicer
and improving happiness, house upgrades are required for marriage and a
family. You upgrade your house by speaking to the carpenter in the mountain.
The carpenter's house can be found just south of the fishing pond. Upgrading
your house requires both money and wood, and the upgrades are completed 3 days
after the carpenters begin work (or 4 days after you pay them). Here are the
costs of the upgrades:
Upgrade Money Wood
------- ----- ----
House Upgrade 1 5,000 250
House Upgrade 2 10,000 750
The first upgrade widens your house a little bit, but the changes are not
significant. This renovation is required before you can get married. The
second upgrade adds a new wing to your house where the beds are now placed.
You receive an additional bed and a baby cradle. Outside, your house now
receives a porch. This second upgrade is required before you can have
children.
Once your house has been upgraded twice, you can paint it. Paint will be for
sale at the tool shop as soon as the second addition is complete. Paint
increases happiness and stops your wife from nagging, but is purely for
aesthetic value otherwise.
To earn extra wood for the upgrades, you can chop the tree stumps on the
mountain. Each time you exit and re-enter the screen, the stumps will
reappear and can be cut repeatedly. It is recommended that you chop these
trees at night.
Finally, when you first speak to the carpenters, one of them tells you that
you will a special gift if you upgrade your house before the end of the first
summer. It is worth trying to meet this target to earn the reward.
==============================================================================
8. L I V E S T O C K & A N I M A L S HM18
==============================================================================
Animals play an integral role in Harvest Moon, both in terms of the money you
can generate and your overall happiness. There is an extreme amount of
misinformation regarding livestock in the various FAQs and other sources for
this game, so hopefully this section will clear that up.
This section gives details on the grass requirements for livestock, detailed
information about chickens and cows, and an overview of the other animals in
the game.
GRASS REQUIREMENTS FOR LIVESTOCK
================================
In order to buy animals from the Livestock Dealer, he demands that you have
enough grass to support them. Specifically, you must have 16 squares of grass
for each animal, and this grass must be planted before the animal can be
purchased. Each bag of grass seed can produce up to 9 squares of grass (3x3
area), so each animal requires just under 2 bags of planted grass. When
calculating the required grass, the Livestock Dealer counts chicks and baby
cows as well, even though these animals do not yet require any fodder. This
is the same number found by adding the chickens and cows total in the
inventory book inside your house.
o----------------------------------------------------------------------------o
|EXAMPLE |
|You want to buy a cow. You currently have 2 chickens and a baby chick on |
|the farm. How much grass do you need to have before the Livestock Dealer |
|will sell one to you? You need to have enough grass for the existing |
|animals (including the chicks) plus enough grass for the new animal. This |
|totals four animals. Each animal requires 16 squares of grass, so you need |
|64 squares of grass, or roughly 8 bags worth. |
o----------------------------------------------------------------------------o
There are no grass requirements for animals you breed yourself. Keep this in
mind during the winter and fall if you want to increase the number of
livestock but don't have enough grass to buy from the dealer. Another
alternative in that scenario would be to sell off all but one chicken (less
profitable and easy to breed) to buy as many cows as possible. Then, after
the cows are bought, you can start breeding chickens again.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CHICKENS
========
Chickens are simple, low maintenance animals. They provide a nice addition to
your income without requiring much care or much time. The main downsides to
chickens early on is the grass requirement, but that should not discourage you
from raising them.
STAGES: Chickens begin as eggs, hatch as chicks, and grow into chickens.
GROWTH: An incubating egg takes 3 days to hatch into a chick. A chick
takes 7 days to grow into an adult. Note that chickens bought
from the Livestock Dealer are already adults.
FEEDING: Chickens require one piece of fodder per day. To feed them, place
the fodder in the trough at the back of the coop. Do NOT throw
the fodder at the chickens directly, as this does nothing. You
can use chicken feed as a substitute for fodder with no penalty
(despite what the livestock dealer says). Eggs and chicks do not
require any food.
HEALTH: Chickens are very resilient. They never get sick or die from
starvation, so you can ignore a chicken for the entire game and it
will be just fine. The only threat to a chicken is wild dogs. If
you leave a chicken outside and the ranch has broken fence pieces,
wild dogs will come at night and eat it. THERE IS NO REASON TO
EVER LEAVE CHICKENS OUTSIDE.
PRODUCE: Chickens will lay 1 egg each day if they were fed on the previous
day. If a feeding was missed on the previous day, chickens will
not lay eggs again until they have been fed for 3 consecutive
days. Eggs will disappear in one day if not collected.
MONEY All eggs sell for 50 G if placed in the produce bin in the bottom
left corner. Chickens themselves can be sold for 500 G.
BREEDING: To grow your own chickens, simply place an egg in the incubator
bin at the bottom right side of the coop. The egg will grow and
hatch into a chick on its own in 3 days.
STRATEGY There's not much to say about chickens. Feed them every day and
collect their eggs. Early in the game, when you are still
struggling financially and are starting to buy cows, chickens may
be somewhat of a burden as they all require 16 squares of grass
(including chicks). Instead of spending a lot on more grass,
simply sell off all but one of the adults.
If you are running out of fodder during the winter, stop feeding
chickens and save the fodder for cows. The only downside is that
the chicken will stop laying eggs until fed again for 3 days
straight, but this is far cheaper than the problems associated
with cows.
If you are breeding chickens to sell for money, you may want to
place the chicks in your house. This way, you will know when they
are fully grown and can save the trip to the coop. It also clears
up the coop a bit and prevents the extra birds from getting in
your way.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
COWS
====
Unlike chickens, cows require a major investment of time and energy. However,
the reward is worth it. A full barn of cows producing large milk can generate
4200 G per day, every day of the year. Raising cows is also essential to
Jack's happiness and your ending scores.
STAGES: Cows have a fairly prolonged life cycle. The physical stages they
can appear in are the following: baby, child, adult, and pregnant.
See the Summary table below for more specifics on each stage.
GROWTH Baby cows grow to child cows in 14 days. Children grow to adults
in 21 days. When you buy a cow from the livestock dealer, it is
in the child stage.
AFFECTION Cows are sensitive creatures and have a hidden score that gauges
their feelings for you called the Affection Score. The cow's
affection score is what determines the type of milk it produces.
Unfortunately, there is no way to see the cow's score during the
game. The maximum affection score is 255. The actions that
change affection score are the following:
Action Effect
------ ------
Talk to cow +1 (once per day)
Brush cow +3 (once per day)
Cow becomes pregnant +10
Feed Cow 0
Use Medicine on cow 0
Cow gives birth 0
Cow misses feeding -8 (cow may become sick)
Cow is left in the rain/snow -8 (cow may become sick)
Cow becomes sick -20
Cow becomes cranky -30
FEEDING Cows require one piece of fodder per day. The fodder must be
placed in the feeding bin directly in front of the stall where the
cow appears when you enter. Cows will not eat food out of other
bins, and this will count as a missed feeding. Also, do not throw
fodder at the cow directly, as this does nothing. If you leave
cows outside, they will eat the grass and not require additional
feeding from you in all seasons except winter. Note that you do
NOT need to feed baby or child cows. They cannot get sick and
there is no penalty to affection score from a missed feeding.
Pregnant cows must still be fed. While they cannot get sick,
their affection score will still decrease each day they are not
fed.
HEALTH Cows are highly susceptible to illness and mood swings. The two
adverse states the cow can enter are "Sick" and "Cranky."
SICK Cows become sick from either missed feedings (in the barn)
or being left outside in rain or snow. The cow will not always
get sick from these things, but the chances are about 50% that it
will. Note that no more than four cows can get sick in any given
day. A sick cow's face turn grey and the animal becomes
sluggish. You will also receive a message when speaking to the
cow that it is sick. While sick, cows do not produce milk. You
can cure sickness by using the medicine purchased at the
livestock dealer. If not cured, cows will die 6 days after
becoming sick (do NOT let this happen, as it is very expensive
and destroys your happiness score). Note that only adult cows
can become sick. Babies, children, and pregnant cows are
immune.
CRANKY Cows can also become cranky under certain situations. A cranky cow
will have slanted eyes and appear generally angry and
unresponsive. Cranky cows do not produce milk. One way cows
become cranky is if you beat the animal with a tool. The
game stores the total number of times you hit each individual
cow over the course of the game. Once you have hit the cow 10
times, it will become cranky the next day. This can occur
repeatedly, so do not intentionally harm the cows. The other
way cows become cranky is when left outside with broken fence
pieces on the ranch.
Crankiness will typically wear off after 2 days, but you can
remove the condition immediately by using the medicine. Note
that if you leave cows outside in poor conditions and do not
improve them, the crankiness state will keep resetting each day.
This means you lose 30 affection points and prolong the period
that the cow will be unhappy.
PRODUCE Adult cows will produce one unit of milk each day. The specific
size of the milk depends on the cow's affection score. Cows will
not produce milk if sick or cranky. You must purchase the milker
from the tool shop to milk cows. Note that cows still produce
milk when left outside.
Type of Milk Affection Score
------------ ---------------
Small 0-95
Medium 96-191
Large 191-255
MONEY Different size milk and the cows that produce them sell for
different amounts of money.
Milk Money
---- -----
Small 150 G
Medium 250 G
Large 350 G
Sell Cow Money
-------- -----
Produces small milk 5000 G
Produces medium milk 8000 G
Produces large milk 10,000 G
BREEDING To breed cows, you need to buy the Miracle Potion from the
livestock dealer for 4000 G. Use the potion on the cow and it
will become pregnant the next day. Unlike subsequent games, cows
can still become pregnant after they have been milked for the day.
Pregnant cows balloon up and are moved to the special stall in the
bottom right. Use the bin by that special stall when feeding
them. Cows take 21 days to give birth after becoming pregnant,
and you can see the number of days remaining by talking to the
cow. After being born, a baby cow will be placed in a free stall
(you will need to name it) and the pregnant cow returns to normal.
If you use the Medicine on a pregnant cow, it will reduce the
pregnancy time to zero and the cow will give birth the next day.
This is a bug, but it is useful to save time. The Miracle Potion
will also cure a cow of sickness or crankiness when used (in
addition to making the cow pregnant). This is also a bug, but it
makes breeding cows more cost effective.
You cannot impregnate a cow when you already have 12 cows in the
barn. Using the Miracle Potion on a cow in this case will just
waste the item.
SUMMARY The table below summarizes much of the confusion from above with
regards to the cows' conditions and requirements.
o----------------------------------------------------------------------------o
| Type of | Need to | Type of | Can Get | Can Get | |
| Cow | Feed? | Milk | Sick? | Cranky ? | Notes |
o------------+---------+---------+---------+----------+----------------------o
| Baby | No | None | No | No | Born from pregnant |
| | | | | | cow. Grows to child |
| | | | | | in 14 days. |
|------------+---------+---------+---------+----------+----------------------|
| Child | No | None | No | No | Type of cow bought |
| | | | | | from livestock |
| | | | | | dealer. Grows to |
| | | | | | adult in 21 days. |
|------------+---------+---------+---------+----------+----------------------|
| Adult 1 | Yes | Small | Yes | Yes | Have an affection |
| | | | | | score of 0-95 |
|------------+---------+---------+---------+----------+----------------------|
| Adult 2 | Yes | Medium | Yes | Yes | Have an affection |
| | | | | | score of 96-191 |
|------------+---------+---------+---------+----------+----------------------|
| Adult 3 | Yes | Large | Yes | Yes | Have an affection |
| | | | | | score of 192-255 |
|------------+---------+---------+---------+----------+----------------------|
| Pregnant | Yes | None | No | No | Use Miracle Potion |
| | | | | | on adult cow. Gives |
| | | | | | birth after 21 days. |
o----------------------------------------------------------------------------o
Note: All 3 adult cows appear the same.
There are may tips and strategies that will help you more effectively raise
cows. Keep the following in mind:
DO NOT LEAVE COWS OUTSIDE
If you remember only one tip you read, remember this one. Do not leave cows
outside! Unlike in later Harvest Moon games, there are no benefits to the
cows happiness or affection from being outside. However, there are
significant downsides. The cows risk both sickness and crankiness from being
left outside, especially if it rains or snows. Cows are also much harder to
milk since they move around, and milking them outdoors wastes valuable day
time. Time stands still inside the barn and has a convenient shipping bin in
the corner, so that is a much better place to do it.
DO NOT FEED CHILDREN AND BABIES
Only adults and pregnant cows need to be fed. Children and babies can never
get sick, and their affection scores are not lowered by a lack of food.
Conserve your time and fodder and don't feed them
DON'T BREED COWS, BUY THEM
Unless you just want to see what happens, do not waste time breeding cows.
When you factor in the pregnancy time and additional time as a baby, breeding
adds 35 days to the life cycle of the cows. That's 35 fewer days of milk
production from the new cow. You also lose milk production from the pregnant
cow for 21 days while it's pregnant. The only benefit I have ever seen in
favor of pregnancy is that the baby cow will produce large milk when it
reaches adulthood. This is true if you talk to and brush it every day, but
this is just a function of being able to raise the affection score while the
cow is a baby. It does not get you large milk any sooner than it would a
purchased cow; it just trades days when the cow is usually producing small and
medium milk for no production at all. Overall, you're at least 7000 G worse
off economically from breeding, and possibly a lot more depending on the milk
type of the pregnant cow. Just spend the extra 1000 G and buy it.
BRUSH AND TALK TO COWS EVERY DAY
Brushing and talking to cows each day increases their affection score.
Bushing adds 3 points and talking to them adds one point. These actions only
increase the score once each day, so doing it more frequently is a waste. You
can eventually stop brushing and to them (see next point).
GET ALL COWS' AFFECTION SCORE OVER 200
Cows begin producing large milk at 192 affection, and there is no practical
use for a score higher than that. However, your ranch master score at the end
of the game is calculated based on the affection rate of ALL cows (not just
the highest score), so you should raise them all to at least 200 to get the
most points. To ensure this affection score, you need to brush and talk to
cows for two days after they start producing large milk. Of course, if they
get sick or cranky, you will need to brush and talk to them again to restore
the affection.
WATCH THE BODY LANGUAGE
As you will often experience, cows will start moving away from you when you
begin brushing them. They may also enter a group and make it hard to tell who
is who. This is where body language is useful. If you brush or talk to a cow
for the first time, it will blink its eyes (semi-circles) and shake its tail.
If the cow starts walking away when you brush it but still makes these
gestures, the brush counted and increased its affection score. If you try
talking to or brushing the cow more than once per day, it will not make these
gestures. This should signal that your actions are not improving its
affection score.
EXIT AND RE-ENTER TO RESET POSITIONS
If you have a lot of cows and find them moving around a lot, exit and re-enter
the barn. They will reappear in front of their stalls.
COW SLOWDOWN
Once you have around 9 or more cows, the game will noticeably slowdown inside
the barn. There is really nothing you can do about this. Leaving the cows
outside causes an even more extreme slow down.
MOVE COWS WITH THE BELL
When you begin pushing a cow, it will start walking in that direction until it
hits something. You can guide them this way, but it is very annoying. If you
need to move cows (say, to sell them), use the bell that the livestock dealer
gives you. Stand in a straight line from the cow, use the bell, and the cow
will walk right to you. To move the cow outside, lure it to the barn entrance
with the bell, then push it into the door. Continue using the bell outside to
direct it.
YOU CAN LEAVE PREGNANT COWS OUTSIDE
This is the one real exception to the "no animals outside" rule. Pregnant
cows cannot get sick or cranky, so there is no downside to leaving them
outdoors. Since they are not producing milk anyway, leaving them outside
simply eliminates the need to feed them. You will need to move the cow back
inside when it's time to give birth, so keep track of the remaining days and
move it inside when it's time.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DOG
===
On the second day of the game, Ellen stops by and gives you her dog, Koro (you
may rename the dog if you would like). The dog will then remain with you for
the duration of the game and generally stays in whatever area you leave it.
You do not need to feed Koro or put any other effort into taking care of him.
Unlike the cows, he does not have an affection score.
There is a lot of incorrect information about Koro's purpose, both within the
game and from external sources. For the most part, Koro has no use. To
dispel some of the rumors, Koro does not bark or chase away wild dogs at
night, he does not increase your happiness, and he does not scare away moles.
You also do not need to take him in when it rains, despite what your wife may
suggest. Koro has been reported to cause some glitches when left in a barn or
coop with a lot of livestock, so you should avoid placing him there.
During the game, it does not matter where you leave Koro, so just put him
someplace out of the way. You can even bring him back to Ellen's house or
leave him on the mountain and it won't make a difference. To move Koro
quickly, press the L button and he will run after you. This is a lot faster
than picking him up.
With all that being said, there is one rumor regarding the dog that is true.
You do need to hug your dog 100 times to receive the best ending in the game.
This is a totally random requirement that is never hinted at during the game,
so I am mentioning it here to save you frustration. Hugging your dog just
means picking him up once with the A button, so you can actually fulfill this
requirement in a few minutes.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
HORSE
=====
You will find a baby horse (foal) on the first day you enter the crossroads in
the winter of year 1. You will be prompted to choose a name. The horse takes
refuge in the stall attached to the barn and does not need any feeding or
other care.
After 21 days, the foal will grow to an adult. When this happens, the tool
shop owner will stop by and give you saddle bags. These allow the horse to
carry crops and other saleable goods, transforming it into a moveable shipping
bin. You can also ride the horse by standing next to it and pressing the A
button. The horse runs very quickly and is a great way to travel across the
ranch. You can even jump over fences with the horse by pressing the B button.
Other than as a harvesting and transportation aid, the horse has no real
purpose. It does not have an affection score, so you do not need to worry
about its treatment.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
OTHER ANIMALS
=============
The game features cameos from several other types of creatures. Many of these
sightings increase Jack's happiness, but almost none of them have much use
beyond that.
BIRDS When you leave the house in the morning, you may see a small group
of birds in the shipping area that quickly fly off. These birds
appear randomly and can show up in any season. They increase your
happiness by 2.
WILD DOGS Though never seen, wild dogs may enter your ranch at night if you
have any broken fence pieces. You will hear them barking after
you go to sleep. These dogs will eat your chickens if they are
left outside. Keep your fence repaired at all times to ward off
these pests.
MOLE When plowing land on the farm, you may unearth a mole. Moles can
be picked up and carried around, but will quickly burrow back into
the ground when dropped. Moles have no real significance in the
game. They do not adversely affect crops, and, despite guides
that claim otherwise, they do not bother the livestock or your
dog. They do have one "interesting" use if brought to the Harvest
Festival – they will be cooked in the stew and eaten by Jack!
Other than this, they play no role.
FISH Fish can be caught in the small pond on the mountain by borrowing
the fisherman's rod. Catching a fish will raise your happiness
by 2. You can then do whatever you want with the fish (eat it,
sell it, give it away, throw it back).
FROGS When cutting grass, you will occasionally see something jump/drift
away. It may be hard to tell, but this is a frog. Seeing a frog
will increase your happiness by 2.
P-CHAN This is Ellen's blue bird that she keeps caged in the back of the
restaurant. P-Chan is involved in a special scene with Ellen, but
he has no direct role otherwise.
SQUIRREL In the spring, you can see squirrels in the southeast corner of
the mountain, near the tree just below the carpenter's house.
Regardless of how hard you try, you can never catch a squirrel.
Seeing this creature boosts your happiness by 10, and you can spot
one on each day that it is not raining.
BUTTERFLIES Butterflies will appear on the mountain in the spring. They are
purely decorative.
MONKEY You will occasionally see a monkey in the hot springs on the
mountain in the spring. He is added for comedic effect and has
no other purpose. Ann even jokes about him later in the game.
RABBIT In the fall, you can spot a rabbit in the northwest corner of the
mountain, right near the area where Nina hangs out on Sundays.
Spotting the rabbit increases your happiness by 10. There is also
a special scene featuring the rabbit and the hunter that you may
experience later in the game. This is discussed in the
walkthrough.
FOX You can find foxes on the mountain in the winter by walking around
near the hot springs. As with the other seasonal animals, fox
sightings increase your happiness by 10.
==============================================================================
9. S E A S O N S, T I M E, & W E A T H E R HM19
==============================================================================
The following section describes how the different seasons, days of the week,
times of day, and weather factor into the game. These are important to fully
understand when planning any strategy.
SEASONS
=======
There are four seasons in the game, each lasting 30 days. There are a few
notable differences among the seasons.
SPRING During the spring, flowers are in bloom and everything is alive.
The spring crops are turnips and potatoes. On the mountain, you
can pick Wild Grapes and sell them for money. You can also spot
squirrels and butterflies in this season. The spring has two
holidays: the New Years Festival (day 1) and the Flower Festival
(day 23). You do not celebrate the New Year's Festival in the
first year.
SUMMER During the summer, heat sets in and everyone gripes. The summer
crops are tomatoes and corn. On the mountain, you can pick
tropical fruit and sell it for money. There are no unique animals
that appear in this season. The summer is also hurricane season,
and you can experience numerous disasters if you are really
unlucky. During year 1, your ranch will be hit by lightning
one night and create a very loud noise. There are no holidays
this season.
FALL The fall is dramatically different from the previous seasons.
Everything starts to die and no crops can be grown, although grass
can still be cut. You can pick mushrooms and poison mushrooms
from the mountain for money. You can also spot rabbits in the top
left corner of the mountain. The fall has two holidays: the
Harvest Festival (day 12) and the Egg Festival (day 20).
WINTER In the winter, the ground is covered with snow and nothing grows.
You cannot plant crops or pick fruit from the mountain. You can
still collect cave herbs from the mountain cave for money, as is
possible in every season. You can also spot a red fox near the
hot springs. In year 1, an earthquake will occur sometime during
the season. The winter has two holidays: the Thanksgiving
Festival (day 10) and the Star Night Festival (day 24).
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DAY OF THE WEEK
===============
The days of the week are the same as the real world ones, and stores are
closed as one would expect on the weekends.
WEEKDAYS Weekdays are Monday through Friday. During the week, stores are
open and the people are either at their jobs or working somewhere
around town. The bar is open every night. All holidays in the
game occur during a weekday.
SATURDAY Saturday is the day of rest and relaxation. Stores are closed and
most people are unwinding somewhere in the town, public square, or
mountain. Saturday is also the traditional day for marriage
proposals (except for Nina, whose day is Sunday). The bar is open
on Saturday night. The shipper will still come in the evening.
SUNDAY Sunday is the day for worship. Stores are closed and most
townspeople will be in church. Some of the less religious folks
will still relax around town or in the mountain. The Peddler also
shows up on Sundays near the town entrance and will buy your
goods for higher prices than the shipper. The bar is closed on
Sunday night. The shipper will still come in the evening.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NIGHT AND DAY
=============
Time plays an important role in the game, and most events will only occur at
certain times. If you obtain the Clock, you can see the exact time by
pressing the Select button – it will appear on the menu screen. Without the
clock, you will need to rely on the changing color of the sky to determine the
time.
DAY Daytime is when you should pick crops, collect produce, and
(6AM-3PM) take care of any business in town. In general, going indoors
during the day will stop the clock, although there are some
exceptions (mountain cave and underground passage). Some
festivals start mid-day (3pm), and you must arrive at the town
before that time if you wish to participate.
EVENING The evening sky is still slightly lit, but it signals the end to
(3PM-5PM) the day. Stores will close, people will say they should be
getting home, and the shipper arrives. It is very important to
make sure anything you wish to sell is in the shipping bin before
5pm, as you will not be paid otherwise. If you are married, your
wife will serve you dinner at this time (she starts serving it at
3pm). This is also when the bar opens.
NIGHT Once the sky turns black, it is nighttime. Night in this game is
(6PM) infinite, and it never gets any later than 6pm. You can play the
game for hours and the time will not advance. You should use this
to your advantage and take care of most chores at night
(water/plant crops, cut grass, maintain the ranch, etc.).
Remember, you are NOT paid for anything put in the shipping bin at
night, so don't do it. If you are married, your wife will go to
bed at 6pm.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
WEATHER
=======
Weather is determined randomly in the game for every day except holidays. You
can find the next day's weather by watching the television in your house.
SUNNY Most days will be sunny. When the sun is out, people wander about
the town and mountain and engage in usual daily activities.
You can propose to a girl only when it is sunny, and certain
other events will also occur only when it is nice out.
RAIN It rains in every season except for the winter. During the rain,
people avoid being outside and typically head indoors. The
mountain summit is also closed off in this weather. You do not
have to water your planted crops when it rains, and this can save
you a lot of time once you have a significant amount of the farm
covered (you still need to water any seeds you plant, however).
For this reason, rain is usually a welcome occurrence in the
spring and summer. The downsides to rain are that it breaks your
fence pieces, causes weeds to grow, and can make cows sick if left
outside.
SNOW Snow occurs in the winter and is effectively the same as rain.
Unlike rain, there are really no advantages to snow, as no crops
grow in the cold anyway. Some of the townspeople will have
different messages on the day before or day of a snow storm.
HURRICANE Hurricanes are vicious, destructive storms that occur during the
summer. Hurricanes are totally random, so you may survive the
summer without experiencing any, or you may incur three, four, or
more in extreme circumstances (the theoretical maximum is 10 in a
single season). Hurricanes can occur any day from day 2 to
day 30. During a hurricane, you are not allowed outside your
house and cannot do anything on that day. The hurricane will
destroy large parts of your crops and grass, and there is no way
to avoid this. On the day before and after a hurricane, all the
townspeople will have different messages talking about the
storm. To adequately prepare, make sure you watch TV every night
before going to bed to know if a hurricane will occur the next
day.
==============================================================================
10. F E S T I V A L S HM1A
==============================================================================
The game has its own set of holidays that are observed each year. You can
view a list of holidays by looking at the calendars in either the church or
mayor's house. You are required to participate in the Star Night Festival and
New Year's Festivals, but all others are optional. Still, it is recommended
that you partake in all the festivals, as many offer unique items or a boost
to happiness. On the day before a holiday, the townspeople will usually have
special messages describing the upcoming festival. Note that the holidays are
arranged so that they will always occur during a weekday in the course of the
game.
SPRING 1 – NEW YEAR'S FESTIVAL
During the New Year's festival, the townspeople gather on the mountain summit
at the first light and pray for a successful and productive new year. You do
not celebrate this festival in year 1.
SPRING 23 – FLOWER FESTIVAL
The Flower Festival commemorates the blooming of the spring flowers. The
festival begins at 3pm, so do all your daily chores before heading to town.
It is held in the town square and attended by all the townspeople. The
festival offers you a unique chance to buy the Snow Gem from the Peddler or
perfumes from the flower shop owner. The latter are a complete waste of
money, so do not feel the need to buy them. After speaking with all the
townspeople, talk to the mayor's wife and mayor on the left side to begin the
dance. You can choose any of the town girls as your partner.
FALL 12 – HARVEST FESTIVAL
The Harvest Festival is similar to the American Thanksgiving holiday. The
townspeople get together and share food, celebrating the recent harvest. This
is another optional festival, so complete any chores before heading to it at
3pm. It is customary that you bring something to eat to this festival, and
any edible item will do (there is no penalty if you forget, however). After
eating, speak with all the townspeople and finally to the mayor. The festival
ends with a dance.
FALL 20 – EGG FESTIVAL
The Egg Festival is similar to Easter, and the main event is the egg hunt.
You will need to search around town to find different colored eggs to win the
contest. The winner of the egg hunt receives a prize. The egg hunt can be
quite challenging. If you lose, simply reset and try again, as you need to
win the event in both years to receive the best ending.
WINTER 10 – THANKSGIVING FESTIVAL
Despite the name, the Thanksgiving Festival is similar to Valentine's Day.
All the women in town prepare cakes and give them to men they like. Speak
with all the single girls in town that day. You will receive a cake from any
girl who has more than 3 hearts in her diary. Unlike other holidays, the day
does not end when you leave this festival.
WINTER 24 – STAR NIGHT FESTIVAL
The Star Night Festival is supposed to be the night when the stars are most
beautiful in the sky. All the townspeople celebrate in their own way,
visiting different locations and partaking in various traditions. When the
day begins, you will be asked to choose one of five places to spend the night.
Each place is where one of the town girls is spending the evening. Talk to
the girls the day before to find out where they will be. There is essentially
no difference in any location, although some are occupied by more people and
have more engaging dialog. If you are married, be sure to visit the same
location as your wife.
==============================================================================
11. R E L A T I O N S H I P S & M A R R I A G E HM1B
==============================================================================
There is a considerable amount of incomplete or outright bad information
available about how to impress girls and what needs to be done once married.
This section is intended to help clarify exactly how the relationship system
works and how you can minimize the hassles of pleasing your wife. It also
details the exact requirements for having children. While no plot elements
are revealed, some players may consider this level of detail to be a spoiler
for the game, as this information is not readily available in the manual or
from playing tips. Keep this in mind before reading. The companion section
to this one is the "Relationships & Affection Score" section of the appendix,
and it contains numerical values for the various effects on affection score.
================
THE SINGLE GIRLS
================
There are five single girls in the town with whom you can develop
relationships and marry. It may be difficult to tell the girls apart at
first, as they do not use their first names very frequently, but the
descriptions below should help.
ANN
Ann is red-haired girl who lives in the tool shop. Ann loves working on
machines and creating new inventions, although she never seems to have much
success. Her mother passed away and she is raised by her father, who often
wonders if Ann's hobbies will prevent her from finding a husband. Ann is not
a very good cook, although she tries her best. She is probably the most
tomboyish of any eligible girl. Ann can be found inside the tool shop during
the week, in front of the tool shop on Saturday, and in church on Sunday.
ELLEN
Ellen is the brown-haired girl who lives at the restaurant with her parents.
She visits the ranch on the second day and gives you the dog. Ellen loves
animals and is often found hanging around the livestock dealer's shop, which
is owned by her uncle. Ellen's father is the town drunk, and Ellen worries
relentlessly about him. She is also an excellent baker, probably due to her
employment at the restaurant. Despite her somewhat tomboyish appearance,
Ellen is one of the more feminine and domesticated girls in the game. In case
you're curious, she does let her hair down after getting married. Ellen can
be found in front of the livestock dealer's shop during the week, behind the
shop on Saturdays, and in church on Sundays.
EVE
Eve is the blonde girl who wears a red cocktail dress and works at the bar.
She also lives in the back room there. Eve is probably the most complex
character in the game. No one knows what happened to her parents, but her
closest known relative is the hunter in the mountain. Eve worries about him
frequently and is terrified of losing him. This partly contributes to her
serious abandonment issues, which come out during scattered conversations in
the game. While not clearly an alcoholic, Eve has a definite affinity for
alcoholic ("juice") drinks and even brews her own. She is intended to be the
most physically attractive girl in the game and is definitely the most
outwardly flirtatious. It is somewhat fitting that she also comes with the
same baggage you would expect in this type of girl. She is constantly lonely
and extremely jealous. When married, Eve is the hardest wife to keep happy
(more on this below). She can found in the town square during the week
(although not in the early morning), at the bar during the night, near the hot
springs on Saturday, and skinny dipping in the hot springs on Sunday.
MARIA
Maria is the blue-haired, religious girl who spends most time inside or in
front of the church. Maria's parents are the mayor and mayor's wife, and she
lives in the mayor's mansion. She has the most stable family life of all the
characters, and is the typical goody-two-shoes type. She also likes children
and looks forward to having her own. Outside of prayer, playing the organ,
and raising kids, Maria does not have many other well developed passions. You
can find her in front of the church during the week and inside the church on
the weekends.
NINA
Nina is the pink-haired girl who lives at the flower shop. Nina loves flowers
and nature, but she hates when others disrupt it. She is raised by her
mother, the flower shop owner, and it is implied that her father has passed
away (her mother can be found in the graveyard on Saturdays in the fall).
Nina seems rather carefree and very in touch with the earth, although she is
also somewhat detached from the rest of the town. Along with Eve, she is the
only girl in the game who is not religious. Nina can be found outside the
flower shop during the week, inside the mountain cave on Saturdays, and in the
top left corner of the mountain on Sundays.
=============
FORTUNETELLER
=============
The Fortuneteller is a pretty good source of advice on marriage and the girls
in the game. The book in her house gives some useful basics on developing
relationships and marriage proposals, so it is advised that you read it. If
you approach her enough times, she will eventually ask you which girl you
like. After choosing, she will give you a somewhat helpful overview of that
girl and her likes/dislikes. Be cautioned that her information is not 100%
accurate with regard to the girls' preferences, so use the information in this
guide instead. Still, the Fortuneteller offers more color on relationships
than this FAQ can, so consult her throughout the game and listen to what she
says.
===============
AFFECTION SCORE
===============
Each of the single girls has a numerical score that represents her feelings
towards you called, simply, an affection score. The affection score increases
when you have certain conversations with the girls, give them gifts, or engage
them at the festivals or other events. You can get a rough idea for the
affection score by looking in the diary for each girl. The diary will show a
number of hearts, which are graphical representations of affection score
ranges. Affection scores go from 0 to 999.
Below is a list of how affection score translates into hearts in the girls'
diaries. The ranges are not linear, so the gap between hearts occurs at
different scores.
Hearts in Affection
Diary Score
--------- ---------
1 0-49
2 50-119
3 120-199
4 200-249
5 250-299
6 300-399
7 400-499
8 500-599
9 600-799
10 800-999
It's possible to set a girl's affection score higher than 999 using cheat
codes. When this happens, the diary just says "......Th-thank you." Once the
cheat codes are removed, the girl's affection score will return to 999 as soon
as you do anything that would normally affect it. It's never possible to see
this message without cheating, so it's an interesting touch added by the
programmers.
Affection score affects the girl's actions and dialog with you in some
conversations and determines if she will marry you. Your score at the end of
the game also takes the affection scores of each girl into account, so it's
best to maximize this value for all five girls, regardless of whom you marry.
Once a girl's affection score reaches 200 (or 4 hearts in the diary), you will
experience her special event. This always entails someone stopping by your
ranch first thing in the morning and informing you of some issue or problem.
Aiding the girl during her special event will result in a 50 point boost to
affection score. You will not receive these unique event scenes once you are
married, so try to experience them all before choosing a wife. A description
of these events is in the appendix.
=======================
RAISING AFFECTION SCORE
=======================
There are three main ways to raise a girl's affection score:
1. Have conversations where the girl asks you a question
2. Give the girl a gift
3. Engage the girl in certain events (like dancing at festivals)
By far, the easiest way to raise a girl's affection is through conversation.
The conversations that raise your score are the ones where the girl asks you
to choose between two options. Typically, the more flattering or affirmative
answer will increase the score the most, but even the second choice will still
have a positive effect. The exact impact of these scores varies by situation,
so consult the appendix for a complete list.
Whether or not a girl asks you a question depends on the season, day of the
week, and weather. If, for example, you find that Maria will ask you a
certain question on a sunny Tuesday in the fall, she will ask this same
question every weekday that season. You can exit and re-enter the screen
repeatedly to keep asking and answering the same question, earning points each
time. Keep in mind that most girls have two messages they will say at any
given point, so speak to the girl repeatedly if you know she is supposed to
ask you a question but hasn't yet.
The ideal scenario is to engage in these conversations with girls indoors.
When inside, time is stopped, allowing you max a girl's affection within a
single game day. It is not possible to do this with all girls, however, so
for some you will be forced to have conversations outside. Below is a list of
the times that an indoor conversation is possible.
Girl Season /Time Location
---- ------------ --------
Ann Summer and Winter, weekdays Tool shop
Ann All season, Sunday Church
Eve Spring, all nights but Sunday Bar
Eve Winter, all nights but Sunday* Bar
Maria All seasons, Sunday Church
* Eve does not ask you a question, she just serves you juice. You receive 2
points to affection score each time you talk to her and do not need to leave
the screen. This does not work on snowy nights or nights before special
events, where her comments are different.
The second best way to raise affection score is through gifts. In general,
you pick up an item and throw it at the girl to give a gift. She will usually
thank you or tell you she likes it, which boosts affection score. It is
possible to give a girl a gift that lowers affection score, and this is the
case with things like weeds and poison mushrooms.
The impact of gifts varies by girl, as each has her own preferences. A full
list of the effects of all items is list in the appendix, but below are the
top affection-boosting items for each girl.
Ann Ellen Eve Maria Nina
--- ----- --- ----- ----
Crops Eggs Flower Eggs Cake
Cake Milk Cake Milk Flower
Eggs Crops Eggs Crops Eggs
Milk Fruit Milk Fruit Milk
Fruit Fish Crops Flower Crops
Fish Flower Fruit Cake Fruit
The table above excludes perfume and the Fullmoon Berry, both of which are
available only at special times of the year. Also, some sources claim that
Nina likes only flowers that are purchased from the flower shop and not from
the mountain. This is false. The game treats both flowers the same.
The final way to boost affection score is through special events in the game.
These include things like dancing with the girl at festivals or joining her on
Star Night.
=====================
PROPOSAL REQUIREMENTS
=====================
To marry a girl, she needs to have an affection score of 256 or higher. This
is just slightly more than 5 hearts in the diary (5 hearts = 250 affection
score). You also need to have upgraded your house once. If both of these
criteria are met, the Peddler in town will sell you the Blue Feather on
Sundays, assuming it is not raining/snowing. The Blue Feather costs 1000 G
and is the game's equivalent of an engagement ring. The feather is placed in
the tool shed and you equip it like any other item.
Before proposing, it is STRONGLY recommended that you get your wife's
affection score as high as possible, at least to 10 hearts in her diary. It
is much easier to raise this score while you are single, and getting married
with a high score allows for some leeway to neglect her when wed.
============
THE PROPOSAL
============
Girls will accept marriage proposals only on certain days. The day is
Saturday for all girl except Nina, whose day is Sunday. It must be sunny on
the day you wish to propose, otherwise the girl will not be in the right
location and will not accept. If you try to propose on a different day, the
girl will tell you to ask her another time. If you try to propose to a girl
whose affection score is too low, she will tell you it's "too so