24 December 2013

Christmas Eve: Time-Restricted Santa's Journey Quests

A new series of Quests has appeared on Christmas Eve.   As usual, there are two different threads to follow.  First,  you must collect Christmas Presents from Crops, Animals, Trees and Machines in order to redeem them for the ultimate Reward of a Mistletoe Tree.    The Santa Claus Decoration allows you to collect prizes that ultimately can be redeemed for the Mistletoe Tree.




The Santa Claus Decoration can be upgraded to Level 5 to 'Improve your Luck'.  What this means essentially is that at Level 5 you will receive two Christmas Presents from any harvest randomly instead of one.  There are four regular Prizes:  Shooting Star (the second item needed to 'improve your luck'), an Ice Cat (a decoration), a Sack of Bait (used in Fishing) and a Thunderstorm (used to speed growth time of everything on the farm).  When you have redeemed one of each, you will unlock the Mistletoe Tree.

The first item required to 'Improve your Luck' is a Chocolate Santa.  You can request these from your Neighbours.  Remember that they will be in your Gift Box and that you must use them from THERE.  The second item, the Shooting Star, can be redeemed for 1 Christmas Present each.  Remember that these as well will be in your GIFT BOX and must be used from that location!

The second thread is a sequence of Quests entitled Santa's Journey.  You have 11 days to complete Santa's Journey.  The first step is to place Santa Claus, a temporary Decoration from which Rewards can be redeemed, on your Farm.  The ultimate prize for completing the Santa's Journey sequence is a Reindeer.

The following Quests require a large quantity of Harvests from Fruit Trees as well as Recipes from your Kitchen, many of them new.  If you are disposed to spend RC on anything, you may wish to do so for Super Watering Cans in order to hasten fruit tree Harvests.  (A balloon carrying Super Watering Cans should appear over your farm today as well.)

The new Christmas Recipes are given at the end of this post as well as on the Kitchen Page of this Guide.

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Santa's Journey Quests
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Santa's Journey I

Place Santa Claus on your farm
  (Santa Claus costs 500 Coins and lasts 9 days)

Prepare 6 Gingerbread
  Skip for 6 RC

Produce 40 Beef
  Skip for 20 RC

Reward: 80 Coins, 16 XP

We're off to a good start and the free food was great.  Don't tell Mrs. Santa, she thinks I just eat the carrots left for the reindeers.


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Santa's Journey II
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Santa:  I love to pass the German Christmas Market on the way.  What a delight and it's on for a whole month.  I should tell my elves to prepare one for the north pole!

Response:  Los geht's!

Harvest 20 Grapes
  Skip for 10 RC

Prepare 10 Christmas Stollen
  Skip for 10 RC

Prepare 10 glasses of Mulled Wine
  Skip for 10 RC

Reward: 85 Coins, 17 XP

So many snack, driks and decorations!  I love it!  I haven't got stuck in a chimney yet so I ca't have eaten as much as last year.


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Santa's Journey III
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Every one in Germany is happy now.  Lit's fly over to Poland.  They are already waiting with nice food!  They have at least 12 dishes for their Christmas Dinner!

Fruity!  W droge!


Harvest 10 Cherries

Harvest 10 Bananas
  N.B.  A Banana Tree takes almost a full day to produce Fruit.  It is here that it is advised to use Super Watering Cans to complete the task

Prepare 10 bowls of Dried Fruit Compote

Reward: 90 Coins, 18 XP

Santa: All the Polish dishes were delicious!  Let's give them their presents.  I can't wait to see their happy faces when they open them!



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Santa's Journey IV
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Santa:  Good night, Netherlands!  Luckily the sleigh is already half weight.  I already had to loosen a bit my belt.  Poor Rudolph...

HoHoHo!  Gaan!


Prepare 6 Gingerbread
  N.B.  You will need Soft Dough and Aniseed
  Skip for 6 RC

Prepare 6 Speculoos
  N.B.  You will need Pepernoten (Cinnamon and Rye) and Tai Tai (Wheat Flour and Honey)
  Skip for 6 RC

Collect 15 Plates from Neighbours
  Skip for 15 RC

Reward: 100 Coins, 20 XP
Got one that I can't resist here!  Speculoos... I took some more for the rest of the journey.  Hurry up!

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Santa's Journey V
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Santa:  I managed to avoide falling into the Thames while admiring the Christmas Lights of London.  Will they have mince pies again this year?  I loved them last time!

Bravo!

Prepare 6 Chocolate Gingerbread
  Skip for 6 RC

Prepare 6 Glasses of Mulled Wine
  Skip for 6 RC

Make 10 Cherry Chocolates with Chocolate Machine
  N.B.  The Chocolate Machine was a Reward for completing an earlier Quest but now can be purchased in the Marketplace for 8 RC.
  Skip for 10 RC

Reward: 100 Coins, 20 XP

Santa:  I didn't get any mince pies, but the trip was even better than last year.  Ther eare great chefs around the world!

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Santa's Journey VI
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Not many people get to fly along the Champs Elysees and around the Eiffel Tower.  Every one loves French food, especially Blitzen.  Last year we were late because he ate too much, he could hardly take off.

Bonsoir!

Harvest 6 Pecans
  N.B.  Harvest from Pecan Tree

Prepare 6 Yule Logs
  Skip for 6 RC

Produce 40 glasses of Orange Juice
  N.B.  Use the Juice Machine
  Skip for 20 RC

Reward: 110 Coins, 22 XP

No problems taking off this time and an easy journey across to Italy.  Milan always looks great at night.



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Santa's Journey VII
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Next stop can be quite tricky.  It's hard to land the sleigh in Venice.  I'm looking forward to the challenge and the reward of some more Christmas food.  They have a Christmas Cake called Panettone!

Andiamo!

Prepare 15 Christmas Stollen
  N.B.  Ingredients are Soft Dough and Grapes
  Skip for 15 RC

Prepare 10 Bowls of Fruit Salad
  N.B.  Ingredients are Banana and Cherry
  Skip for 10 RC

Prepare 40 bottles of red Wine
  N.B. Use the Wine Maker
  Skip for 20 RC

Reward: 120 Coins, 23 XP

I'm so proud of Rudolph.  He organised the other reindeers and we got through Venice safe and sound.

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Santa's Journey VIII
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It's great to be Santa.  I get to try so much food from around the world.  Oh, Turrones... this is the smell of Christmas in Spain!

Vamos!

Produce 40 Raisin Chocolates in the Chocolate Coating Machine

Prepare 10 Turron

Prepare 10 Christmas Dreams

Reward: 120 Coins, 23 XP

I can't fit down the chimney now.  I'll have to sneak through the door.  What a year.  I need a siesta!

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Santa's Journey IX
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Santa:  Now that every one from Europe is happy, US and Canada are next.  I hope they have left me some cookies and milk and I love how they decorate their houses.
 

Prepare 20 glasses of Egg Nog
  Skip for 20 RC

Prepare 20 Light Muffins
  Skip for 20 RC

Place a Christmas Tree on your Farm

Reward: 122 Coins, 25 XP

We're nearly done.  The free food was great but remember not to tell Mrs. Claus.  She thinks the reindeers ate all the food.

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Santa's Journey X
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Santa:  It's so cold.  Luckily we're off to South America to warm up.  Good for me however.  Rudolph prefers the cold.  Let's see what snacks Brazil prepared!  The kids are already in bed, they want to wake up early for their presents!

Vamos la!

Prepare 10 Egg Tarts
  Skip for 10 RC

Prepare 10 Chocolate Pave
  SKip for 10 RC

Prepare 10 Grilled Flank Steaks
  Skip for 10 RC

Reward: 122 Coins, 25 XP

Hurry up, Christmas Eve is almost over!  Then the countdown for the new year begins!

Santa's Journey XI
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What a great year!  I kept all my resolutions for this year.  I loved trying all the new dishes from around the world!  However, I have one task left to fulfill.  One special wish for a girl named Felicia.

What is it?

Place a Mistletoe Tree on your Farm
  N.B.  This is the final reward for collecting Christmas Presents.  It can be purchased in the Market as well.

Prepare 5 Baskets with Pecan Bread
  Skip for 5 RC

Produce 60 Bottles of Champagne
  Skip for 30 RC

Reward: 125 Coins, 26 XP

Santa:  I am full and in a good mood!  She always wanted a reindeer on the farm!  I can't break her heart, so let's make her wish come true.  Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Final Reward is a Reindeer.  He eats Mistletoe and produces Reindeer Fur that sells for 40 Coins.

Mistletoe Tree, Santa Claus time-restricted decoration and the Christmas Reindeer are shown above.



New Recipes have appeared in the Kitchen as well.  They do not appear to be time-restricted but they are required to be made for the Santa's Journey Quest Sequence:

Mulled Wine: 178 Coins, 1 XP
  Ingredients:  1 Wine, 1 Aniseed

Fruit Salad: 91 Coins, 1 XP
  Ingredients:  Bananam Cherry
'
Dried Fruit Compote: 303 Coins, 1 XP
  Ingredients:  Mulled Wine,  Dried Fruit Compote

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Eggnog: 282 Coins, 1 XP
  Egg, Condensed Milk

Egg Tart: 917 Coins, 1 XP
  Ingredients:  Egg Nog, Soft Dough

Chocolate Pave: 973 Coins, 1 XP
  Ingredients:  Egg Tart, White Chocolate

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Christmas Stollen: 761 Coins, 1 XP
  Ingredients:  Soft Dough, Grape x 2

Turron: 378 Coins, 1 XP
   Ingredients: Rice x 3,  Chocolate

Chrismtas Dream: 1187 Coins, 1 XP
  Ingredients: Christmas Stollen, Turron


Thanks to Eloise Osgood for sending me a list of the quests I had not yet completed myself.









18 December 2013

Jubilation for Farmers who Celebrate Christmas: Christmas Trees and Angel Candle in the Market




New Christmas Decorations including two Christmas Trees have appeared in the Marketplace.  A Tree trimmed with Decorations that can be produced in the Ornament Machine in the original Family Farm game can be purchased for 10000 Coins.  Another Tree, actually the Festive Shaker produced in the Workshop in the original game, can be purchased for 3 RC.  Finally, the gorgeous Angel Candle that can be produced in the Beauty Shop in the original Family Farm game can be purchased for 5 RC in Family Farm Seaside.

The screenshots displayed below show the items in both games as well as the Decorations Menu in the Marketplace in Seaside.

In the original Family Farm, the trimmed Tree is a Quest, allowing one to trade items created in the Ornament Machine and elsewhere for Decorations to trim the Tree.  When the Tree is complete, one obtains another Reward in the form of special Christmas Animals.

The second Tree is one of the 'Festive Shakers' that can be crafted in the Workshop in the original Family Farm.

The Angel Candle is crafted in the Beauty Shop as previously stated.  It is one of my favourite decorations.

The other new Decoration that has appeared in the Market is a Christmas Cake that can be purchased for 12000 Coins.

In January 2014, a new option in the form of Cleaning for specified Decorations was added to the game.  The Christmas Trees as well as the Angel Candle are eligible for Cleaning, an action that gives a 'Gift Bag' containing a random Item that can vary from Gasoline to OP or Power.







11 December 2013

New Christmas Time-Restricted Quests



As usual, the Quests are in tandem.  The first involves the collection of 'Carols' from four different harv

70 Purple Carol Scores from Grape harvests
50 Orange Carol Scores from Orange Jam
30 Red Coral Scores from Apple Juice
20 Black Carol Scores from Dark Chocolate Tree

The Rewards are an Aniseed Tree and a Nutcracker Decoration

The second is a traditional Quest/Mission sequence, given below.  There are eight Missions or Quests in this sequence and many of them require the use of Sugar in one form or another.  You will need to have a decent supply of Cane to make Sugar in the Sugar Machine as well as using it afterwards in the Candy Machine and in the Kitchen for a couple of different Recipes.

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A Winter Fairy Tale Quests
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A Winter Fairy Tale I
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Place a Snow Globe on your farm to cheer Daryl Up
  (This is a decoration found in the Market for 3000 Coins)

Harvest 20 Apples

Produce 40 Buffalo Milk Cheeses

Reward: 80 Coins, 16 XP

Oh, look at the sparkling snow globe!  Thank you so much.  I feel much better now.  Let's start looking for the lost present.

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A Winter Fairy Tale II
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The thief left a clue behind, some footprints!  They have very tiny paws and it leads right to this mouse hole!  There is a note!  'A treat from childhood, thiny size will give you.  The Ghost from the Past!

Harvest 6 Dark Chocolates
  Skip for 6 RC

Prepare 10 Gourmet Apples
  Skip for 10 RC

Produce 40 Cheese Burgers
  Skip for 20 RC

Reward: 85 Coins, 17 XP

It works.  I am tiny!  Wow, if I ever meet this Ghost from the Past, I have to thank him.  Time to go into the mouse hole.

N.B.  IN ORDER TO COMPLETE THE NEXT QUEST IN THE SEQUENCE, YOU MUST COMPLETE THE COLLECTION OF CAROL SCORES IN ORDER TO OBTAIN THE ANISEED TREE, UNLESS YOU WISH TO USE RC TO SKIP THIS STEP.  I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND THAT, HOWEVER.  IT WOULD BE BETTER TO SPEND RC ON FARM AIDS TO COMPLETE THE COLLECTIONS FASTER BY RIPENING GRAPES OR WHATEVER.  NOTE THAT YOU CAN PLACE AS MANY JAM MACHINES AND JUICE MACHINES AS WILL FIT ON YOUR LAND.

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A Winter Fairy Tale III
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Now that I'm knee-high, what should i do?  I've just met a gingerbread man.  He seems to have a clue, but he won't say a thing.  He's afraid of something so I better leave him alone for now.


Harvest 6 Aniseed from the Aniseed Tree (collection mission)
  Skip for 6 RC

Prepare 6 Gingerbread so the gingerbread man has a friend
  Skip for 6 RC

  The Ingredients for Gingerbread are Soft Dough and Aniseed, so you may wish to make Soft Dough in advance if you have not completed the Carol Score Collections.

Prepare 20 Sinterklaas Marzipan
  Skip for 20 RC

  The Ingredients for Sinterklaas Marzipan are Sugar Cubes and Almond Paste, both of which are made in the Kitchen.  Preparation for this step would include the harvest of Cane and the making of Sugar in the Sugar Machine in order to create Sugar Cubes, made with Sugar x 2.  Almond Paste simply requires Almonds and White Chocolate, both of which are harvested from Trees.

Reward: 70 Coins, 18 XP

This gingerbread woman looks pretty good!  If he doesn't want to talk now, I don't know what else to do!



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A Winter Fairy Tale IV
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The gingerbread man finally told me the evil Mouse King stole my present and that I can find him at the Candy Mountain.  This climbing is going to be delicious!

Harvest 40 Grapes
  Skip for 20 RC

Harvest 10 Cherries
  Skip for 10 RC

Place a Nutcracker on your Farm
  N.B.  The Nutcracker is the second reward from the Carol Score Collections.

Reward: 100 Coins, 20 XP

Just in case something happens, the nutcracker will protect and save my farm from any harm!

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A Winter Fairy Tale V
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The evil Mouse King is just a very bitter mouse but not a bad mouse.  The Ghost from the Future advised us to remind him of the Christmas spirit so he can be good again.

Find 10 Straw Angels by harvesting Wheat
  Skip for 10 RC

Prepare 10 Fruity Christmas Trees
  N.B.  Ingredients for these are Cherry x 1 and Grape x 3
  Skip for 10 RC

Prepare 10  jars of Apple Jelly
  N.B.  Ingredients for Apple Jelly are Maple Sugar x 2 and Apple Jam x 6.  For 10 Apple Jelly, therefore, you will need 60 Apple Jam and 20 Maple Sugar.  Maple Sugar is made in the Sugar Machine from Maple Syrup harvested from a Maple Tree.
  Skip for 10 RC

Wow!  The food looks like a little Christmas party!  It just has to melt his heart.

Reward: 100 Coins, 20 XP

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A Winter Fairy Tale VI
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The Mouse King seems more willing to give us the gift back now and he even asked us for a favour!  If we do well, I am sure we will get the stolen gift back.

Collect 10 Gramophones from your Neighbours
  Skip for 10 RC

Harvest 40 Carrots
  Skip for 20 RC

Produce 40 Angora Hair
  N.B.  Feed Carrots to the Angora Rabbit
  Skip for 20 RC

Reward: 110 Coins, 22 XP

Wow!  He said he would even give me another present beside the machine he stole.  But... what machine?


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A Winter Fairy Tale VII
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Anyway, i need to find my way back home.  The Ghost from the Present told me that having an item from a modern Christmas would help me to get back.

Produce 40 Sugar Popcorn
  N.B.  Make this in the Popcorn Machine

Produce 10 Tiramisu
  N.B.  Make this in the Cake Machine.  Requires Chocolate, Egg and Wheat Flour

Produce 10 Chocolate Gingerbread
  N.B.  Requires Dark Chocolate and Gingerbread

Cakes are now associated with Christmas, so perhaps that will help me to get back.  Fingers crossed.

Reward: 120 Coins, 23 XP
 

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A Winter Fairy Tale VIII
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It worked!  We can now open the present.  However, I need Grandma Blair's scissors but she won't let me borrow them before finishing the Yule Log.  Let's give her a hand!

Harvest 10 Lychee
  Skip for 10 RC

Produce 10 Lychee Candy
  N.B.  Make this in the Candy Maker
  Skip for 10 RC

Produce 10 Yule Logs
  N.B.  Yule Logs require Lychee Candy x 2 and Dark Chocolate.  You are asked to produce 10 Lychee Candy in this Quest but you will need 20 in fact to complete 10 Yule Logs.
  Skip for 10 RC

Oh, the Mouse King stole the old chocolate machine, not the Sinterklaas present!  Find the machine in your giftbox!

Reward: 120 Coins, 23 XP

FINAL REWARD:  Chocolate Coating Machine and Gingerbread House Decoration

The Chocolate Coating Machine is familiar to players of the original Family Farm, but is new to Seaside and is slightly different in the ingredients used and the products it makes.  It make the following:

Raisin Chocolate: 105 Coins
  Ingredients:  Dark Chocolate, Grape

Cherry Chocolate: 51 Coins
Ingredients:  Dark Chocolate, Cherry

Almond Chocolate: 57 Coins
  Ingredients:  Dark Chocolate, Almond

Peanut Chocolate: 240 Coins
  Ingredients: Dark Chocolate, Peanut

As you can see, the most valuable product is the Peanut Chocolate but, if you previously have grown hundreds of Grapes in pursuit of the Purple Carol Score, you may find it useful to make the Raisin Chocolate!


Finally, there are Recipes where the Dark Chocolate is used:
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Kitchen Christmas Recipes
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New Christmas Recipes in the Kitchen are as follows:

Yule Log: 469 Coins, 1 XP
  Ingredients:  Lychee Candy x 2, Dark Chocolate

Fruity Christmas Tree: 234 Coins, 1 XP
  Ingredients:  Cherry, Grape x 3

Chocolate Gingerbread: 697 Coins, 1 XP
  Ingredients:  Gingerbread, Dark Chocolate

Gourmet Apple: 54 Coins, 1 XP
  Ingredients:  Apple x 3, Dark Chocolate

Gingerbread: 632 Coins, 1 XP
 Ingredients: Soft Dough, Aniseed

Christmas Indulgence: 728 Coins, 1 XP
  Ingredients: Gingerbread, Gourmet Apple

10 December 2013

When it is Better NOT to Produce or Sell an Item

It appears that many of the new Quests will include some Seafood Item.  In the last time-restricted Quest, one needed a specific number of Hairtails.  Fishing results are somewhat random, although the bait and the position where the fishing rod is placed do determine the catch to some extent.    I therefore feel it is best to save all fish that are caught until a Quest or Mission requires them.  Otherwise, one may find oneself in the frustrating position of fishing again and again for a specific item that one does not catch.

I previously had smoked all the Fish I had caught.  I will not do so again.  It simply is not worth the frustration when a new Quest requires a specific Fish.

There are other situations where it is better to hoard the items one collects or at least keep a specific number, such as 100 of each in the Barn for use in a future Quest or Mission.  The Crops and Trees unlocked at higher levels usually will not be required for time-restricted Missions or Quests.  One therefore can use the items without fear that they may be required the next day in a new Quest.  It is the low level basic stuff of life that is required usually or, in the case of the recent Quests, the NEW items.  In any event, there are plenty of items one can sell without having recourse to the raw Fish.