Moon Festival Time-Restricted Missions or Quests

The Moon Festival Time-Restricted Mission was released with a number of new Decorations.  Briefly, some of the latter were included in a sale offer that appeared as a gift box in the upper right corner of the screen.  Among these items is a Duck Swimming Pool that will give 1 RC per day until 6 September, provided always that a Neighbour cleans it.

As usual with time-restricted Quests, the Moon Festival Mission is two-pronged.  It consists both of a Collections Mission and a traditional Quest sequence.

The Collections Mission belongs to the class wherein ANY Crop, Tree, Animal or Machine can yield the required Item.  In this case, Elixirs randomly are found in any harvest.


Elixir Collections Mission:

Collect Elixirs from all kinds of Crops, Trees, Animals and Machines!

Bow and Arrow: 50 of these
  1st one costs 1Elixir

Panda Toy: 5 of these
  1st one costs 100 Elixirs, 2nd one costs 75 Elixirs.  You will need to place two on your Farm to complete the traditional Quest sequence.

30 OP:  30 of these
  1st one costs 1 RC

Organic Fertiliser: 20 of these
  1st one costs 2 RC

You need to redeem one of each of these four prizes to unlock the final Prize, a Laurus Tree.  The Laurus Tree alternatively can be purchased in the Market for 6 RC.  Once unlocked, you will need 250 Elixirs to redeem the Laurus Tree.

As always, the Collections Mission building, in this case Hou Yi's House can be upgraded to Level 5.  At Level 5, you will receive two Elixirs instead of one randomly when you harvest Items.  You need to spend 5 RC on one material to bring the bullding to Level 5.  All other materials either can be redeemed (in the form of the Bow and Arrow) or requested from Neighbours (in the form of the Jade Hairpin).

N.B.  31 August:  Since the Collections Mission began, despite the fact that I upgraded my Hou Yi House to Level 5 on the very first day, collection of Elixirs has been EXTREMELY slow on my Farm.  I receive next to none from Crops, and only a few from Trees, Machines and Animals.  For me, the Nectar and Beehives appear to yield the most, oddly enough.  I completed the traditional Moon Festival Quest sequence quickly only because I purchased the Laurus Tree for 6 RC.  I still have not collected enough Elixirs to redeem it, although I was able to redeem the two Panda Toys required in the Quest sequence.  I do not know if other players are experiencing this issue, but if so, it may be worth reporting.  Collections NEVER were this slow in any other Mission for me.


Moon Festival I:
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Felicia:  Wow, I'm so excited!  I'm going to visit a pen pal in China and guess what?  The Chinese Moon Festival is around the corner.  Let's complete our tasks on the farm and go!

Place Hou Yi's House on your Farm
  Find it in the Specials section of the Market and purchase for 500 Coins.  Will be active for 9 or 12 Days if purchased on first day of Mission.  (Market states 12, but message states 9)

Harvest 40 Corn
  Skip for 20 RC

Harvest 40 Blueberries
  Skip for 20 RC

Felicia:  I will start packing my bags now!  Oh, I almost forgot to pack my gift for my pen pal!

Reward: 85 Coins, 10 XP

Moon Festival II:
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Felicia:  here I am!  I wonder if I will recognise my pen friend from the picture.  Oh, I think the girl who is coming towards me is her.  She's so beautiful!  Gulp... Uh, my stomach is warning me!  She says she knows the perfect place to eat!

Produce 40 Sacks of Wheat Flour
  Skip for 20 RC

Prepare 10 plates of Dumplings
  Skip for 10 RC

Complete the orders on the Order Board
  N.B.  There is no option to skip this Task.  When you access your Daily Order Board, however, you can skip any of the three Tasks given there individually.  Skipping them is extremely expensive, however, and not recommended.  It is far better to purchase ingredients if you need to complete specific Recipes for which you lack ingredients and to use Fertiliser to reach whatever total of any Crop is needed if you do not have that total in your Barn.

Felicia:  I love dumplings and it's a perfect start of our journey to China.  My friend will tell us the story of a special festival.

Reward: 90 Coins, 12 XP

Moon Festival III:
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Felicia:  'A long time ago, there were 10 suns in the sky.  Crops died, water dried and people suffered!  A brave man called Hou Yi shot down nine suns and saved the world!  As a result, he received a bottle of elixir!'  Can we make elixir out of wine?

Produce 40 glasses of Cherry Juice
  Skip for 20 RC

Produce 40 Bottles of Wine
  Skip for 20 RC

Harvest 40 Cabbages
  Skip for 20 RC

Felicia:  Do you think people will like this wine elixir?

Reward: 100 Coins, 12 XP

Moon Festival IV
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Felicia:  One day some one tried to steal the elixir!  In order to protect the elixir, Hou Yi's wife Chang'e swallowed everything in one gulp.  She was so brave but it was also so risky!  She deserves a beautiful pair of earrings for this brave action!

Harvest 50 Lotus Flowers
  Skip for 25 RC

Craft 8 Pairs of Earrings of Love in Beauty Shop
  Skip for 8 RC

Fish 20 times with the Squid Hook
  Skip for 20 RC

Felicia:  This story is so interesting!  I wonder what will happen next!

Reward: 100 Coins, 14 XP

Moon Festival V
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Felicia:  After drinking the Elixir, the body of Chang'e ascended towards the moon.  On the moon there was only a palace, a rabbit and a laurus tree.  Chang'e was curious and went to check out the laurus tree.

Place a Laurus Tree on the Farm
  (from Hou Yi's house)
  Skip for 10 RC
  N.B.  To spend 10 RC is totally counterproductive in any circumstance here as you can purchase the Tree in the Market for 6 RC if you have not redeemed it yet from Hou Yi's House.

Harvest 6 Laurus Leafs
  Skip for 6 RC

Craft 6 Laurus Wreaths in Beauty Shop
  Skip for 6 RC

Felicia:  I never knew you can make such beautiful wreaths using laurus leafs!

Reward: 110 Coins, 14 XP

Moon Festival VI
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Felicia:  After Hou Yi found out what happned to his wife, he felt desperate because he wasn't able to rescue her and can never see her again.  What a poor couple... Let's do something for them!

Produce 20 Bowls of Lemon Ice Cream
  Skip for 10 RC

Harvest 50 Tomatoes
  Skip for 25 RC

Produce 8 Tiramisu
  Skip for 8 RC

Felicia:  I hope these treats can heal their broken hearts a bit!

Reward: 110 Coins, 15 XP

Moon Festival VII
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Felicia:  One night, Chang'e explained Hou Yi in a dream how they can see each other again.  Once per year, she can come back for several hours, but only if Hou Yi makes a mooncake on August 15th.  Shall we help them?

Prepare 20 Ice Cream Mooncakes
  Skip for 20 RC

Prepare 30 Sausage Mooncakes
  Skip for 30 RC

Prepare 20 Nut Mooncakes
  Skip for 20 RC

N.B.  You will need to prepare a total of 70 Mooncake Dough as an ingredient for each of these Items.  Do this in advance if you can!

Reward: 110 Coins, 15 XP

Felicia:  Luckily there is a way for them to meet each other every year!  I'm so happy for them!

Moon Festival VIII
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Felicia:  This story passed down from generation to generation.  Every year, people sacrifice different kinds of mooncakes to remember them.  I feel hungry now, could you prepare some snacks for me?

Produce 60 Loaves of Black Bread
  Skip for 30 RC

Produce 12 Bowls of Peach Ice Cream
  Skip for 6 RC

Harvest 60 Lavender
  Skip for 30 RC

Felicia:  These are so good!  Thanks a lot!

Reward: 120 Coins, 16 XP

Moon Festival IX
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Felicia:  That was such an interesting story!  What do I see there?  Is it the Palace Museum?  Most of the ancient emperors have lived here.  Do you want to have a look and maybe buy some souvenirs for Grandma and Darryl?

Collect 20 Window Papers from Neighbours
  Skip for 20 RC

Have 2 Panda Toys on the Farm
  N.B.  Redeem with Elixirs from Hou Yi's House
  Skip for 12 RC

Fertilise your Neighbours' Farms 40 Times
  Skip for 40 RC

Reward: 120 Coins, 16 XP

Felicia: The Palace Museum was so impressive!  But unfortunately the time has come to say goodbye and go back to the farm.

Moon Festival X
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Felicia:  I'm back on the farm!  We have to share this beautiful story of the Chinese Moon Festival!  Not only with our family, but also with all our friends!  But first, let's finish some tasks on the farm!

Prepare 8 Bowls of Dumpling Soup
  Skip for 8 RC

Harvest 5 Dates
  Skip for 5 RC

Prepare 10 Bowls of Boiled Fish with Pickled Cabbage
  Skip for 10 RC

Reward: 120 Coins, 16 XP

Felicia:  All my friends loved the story!  And they said they want to pay a visit to China themselves one day!  How about you?

FINAL REWARD:  Rabbit Statue, yielding Purple Gift Bag when cleaned.



Strategies for Mission
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One can prepare for completion of this Mission as follows:

First of all, it always is a good idea to make as many ingredients in advance as possible, particularly where Kitchen Recipes are concerned, as Power is limited to a default of 30.  More Power can be obtained from the various Gift Bags that can be received as Rewards for having Decorations on your own Farm or visiting Neighbouring Farms.  Even so, it is a good idea to make some of the Basic Recipes for use in the future.

When one studies the new Recipes, one can see a need for Beef Sausage and Turkey Sausage.  If you do not have these in the Barn, you may wish to make a fair number of both.  That requires Pasture to feed the Limousin Cattle to produce Beef and Rice to feed the Turkey to produce Turkey Meat.  One then needs the Salami Machine to produce the Sausage.  You will need to make a Dish called Sliced Sausages using 2 Beef Sausage and 1 Turkey Sausage for each.  More details are given in the paragraph about Moon Festival VII but suffice it to say now that you will need a total of 60 Beef Sausage and 30 Turkey Sausage to complete the task.

There is an Ice Cream Recipe that requires Grape Ice Cream as one of the Ingredients.  If you do not have any in your Barn, you may wish to make some.  You will need only 20 Grape Ice Cream for this Recipe.  If you do not have an Ice Cream Machine, you do need to buy one as Ice Cream of various types is featured in the Moon Festival Quest sequence.

In this case, the Collections Mission has only one Reward, and this is a Laurus Tree that can be purchased in the Market for 6 RC.  Placement of two Panda Toys is one of the Tasks in the Quest sequence, so you should try to redeem these as soon as possible.  You can find Elixirs randomly in ANYTHING in this Mission, which makes matters easier.

You will need a total of 70 Mooncake Dough as an ingredient for Recipes required in Moon Festival VII.  It is best to make all of these in advance if you can.  You will need to make 70 Dishes to complete Moon Festival VII, each of which uses Mooncake Dough as one of the ingredients!

Furthermore, as indicated earlier, you will need to make Sliced Sausages as one of the ingredients in the 30 Sausage Mooncakes in Moon Festival VII.    The Nut Mooncakes require two Recipes as ingredients.  One of these is the Mooncake Dough and the other is Nut Paste.  In other words, Moon Festival VII is one of the most Power-intensive Quests that you will experience.  

I personally always find the seafood items the most difficult to obtain for these time-restricted Quests.  You will need a total of 8 Seaweed and 10 Smoked Mackerel for Moon Festival x.


New Recipes have been added to the Kitchen Menu as follows:

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New Recipes
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Mooncake Dough: 144 Coins, 1 XP
  Ingredients: Wheat Flour x 2, Honey x 2

Nut Paste: 188 Coins, 1 XP
  Ingredients: Nut Mix, Maple Syrup

Nut Mooncake: 371 Coins, 1 XP
  Ingredients: Mooncake Dough, Nut Paste

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Sliced Sausages: 228 Coins, 1 XP
  Ingredients: Beef Salami x 2, Turkey Sausage

Sausage Mooncake: 389 Coins, 1 XP
  Ingredients:  Sliced Sausages, Mooncake Dough

Ice Cream Mooncake: 273 Coins, 1 XP
  Ingredients:  Grape Ice Cream, Mooncake Dough

History and Significance of the Autumn Moon Festival
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Known as the Autumn Moon Festival, it is considered the second most important Festival according to the Lunar Calendar.  In 2014, the Autumn Moon Festival will be celebrated from 6 September to 8 September, although the actual main day of the Festival will be 8 September.

Originally a Han Festival, the Autumn Moon Festival has been celebrated by all the people of China for many centuries.  The most popular tale that is associated with this Festival is that of Chang'e and her husband Hou Yi.  This is the tale that is told by Felicia in the Moon Festival Quest in Seaside.

The story is associated with a period of extreme drought.  It is said that, at that time, there were 10 Suns in the heavens, causing a terrible heat and drought in the world.  The hero Hou Yi shot down nine of the suns, leaving only a single sun in the sky.

People came from everywhere to see the amazing man who had saved the world from drought. One of these individuals was a man named Peng Meng.   Later, Hou Yi married a very beautiful woman named Chang'E.

Wangmu, the Queen of Heaven encountered Hou Yi one day when he was on his way to meet his friend Peng Meng.  She presented him with a special Elixir that would cause him to ascend instantly to heaven to become a god.  Instead of drinking it himself, Hou Yi took it to his wife and asked her to keep it.  Regrettably, Peng Meng saw his friend give the Elixir to Chang'E.

Three days later, when Hou Yi was out hunting, Peng Meng visited the house to confront Chang'E, demanding that she give the Elixir to him.  Chang'E swallowed the Elixir herself rather than yielding to a man who had proven to be a false friend to her husband.  She then flew into the heavens, but her great love for her husband sent her to the Moon which is the heavenly body that is closest to the Earth.

When Hou Yi returned home to find that his wife had vanished from the Earth, he cried out her name.  Suddenly, a figure that resembled the dear form of his beloved appeared in the Moon.  He then offered the food that she loved most to her and, following his example, the people of the land began to offer sacrifices to Chang'E with their prayers for peace and good fortune.

Sacrifice to the Moon is a very ancient custom and not restricted to China.  There are other legends that are associated with the Moon and one concerns the Rabbit.

Three immortals once incarnated themselves into three old people, then begged for food from a fox, a monkey and a rabbit.  The fox and the monkey both gave food to the immortals but the Rabbit had none to give.  The Rabbit cried, 'You can eat me!' and leapt into the fire.  The immortals were so moved by the sacrifice of the Rabbit that they sent the animal to the Moon to become an immortal Jade Rabbit.  Since then, the Rabbit can be seen in the Moon, residing with Chang'E in the Moon Palace, and pounding immortal medicine for all those who reside in the heavens.

Another Chinese legend that is associated with the Moon concerns a man from the time of the Han Dynasty named Wu Gang.  He attempted to follow the immorals into heaven to become one of them but made an error and therefore was banished to the Moon to chop the Laurel Tree  This Tree grows in front of the Moon Palace.  Each time it is cut down, it will grow back instantly.  Cutting it down eternally is the punishment of Wu Gang.

The Laurel Tree has been associated with immortality as well as victory throughout the world even in the most ancient cultures.  The Greeks and Romans believed that chewing the leaves of the laurel would allow humans to contact the gods.   The seers chewed laurel leaves before they made pronouncements about the future.  Laurel leaves were burned as well to create visions.   One of the most famous was the Oracle of Delphi who both chewed laurel and bay and inhaled the fumes of the burnt leaves as well as drinking from the sacred waters before entering the altered state of consciousness to deliver pronouncements that were considered to be communications from the gods.

In China, the special food of the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival always has been the Moon Cake.  This is a special round cake that often is filled with delicacies such as nuts and honey.

The Cooking Stand in Family Farm Seaside

The Cooking Stand is a fairly new option in Family Farm Seaside.  It is a Building and, like the Beauty Shop and Kitchen, once built, it cannot be deleted, sold or stored.  Unfortunately, all of these buildings occupy a significant amount of land.  If they occupied less space, it would be far easier for farmers to accommodate them all.  Do you need a Cooking Stand?  Well, obviously you can farm without it, but if you wish to complete all Quests and Missions and obtain all possible Rewards in the game, you will need to build one.

The Cooking Stand is an interactive building that allows neighbours to purchase Dishes from you by tapping on the icon of a Roast Turkey that hovers above the Stand when they visit your Farm.  The Reward for doing so is a Gift Bag that may contain any or all of the items that can be found randomly in any Gift Bag such as the Cleaning Gift Bags or April Rain Gift Bags.

The Cooking Stand operates in a different fashion from any other building in that it is the vehicle for a sort of Bingo game wherein Medals are earned by selling a total of 200 Dishes from each 'Round' in the game.  Four Medals can be earned when the Farmer completes any Round.  The Medals will be placed randomly on the Bingo Card.  You need to have four in a row to win any Reward.

In every Round there is a total of four different Dishes that can be made.  You can make up to 60 of each Dish.  In other words, by requiring only a total of 200 Dishes, you can choose which of 40 possible Dishes NOT to make.

I do not know if every Farmer is given the same list of four Recipes or not.  Whenever a Round is completed, however, one does not advance automatically to the next Round.  When I completed Round 2, I had to wait three days for Round 3 to be unlocked.  It therefore is not particularly to the Farmer's advantage to race through any Round.  Make your Dishes and put them out for the Neighbours to purchase but do not make sacrifices in the form either or RC or ingredients that you may need to complete a specific Quest or Mission in order to complete any Round.

In my game, the four Recipes in the third Round  are as follows:

Butter
Orange Crumble
White Wine Crab
Chocolate Pave

As previously indicated, I need to sell a total of 200 of any combination of these four dishes to complete the 'Round' and earn four Medals that will be distributed randomly on my 'Bingo' Board.

Oddly enough, Chocolate Pave was one of the Recipes in the first round as well.

Mysteries of the Past Time-Restricted Missions

As usual, the new time-restricted Mission is a Collections Mission in tandem with a traditional Quest sequence.

The Collections Mission is as follows:

Collections Mission
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Try to collect Scarabs when making farm products

70 Green Scarabs from Spinach
50 Blue Scarabs from Grape Jam
30 Yellow Scarabs from Cheese Burger
10 Red Scarab from Hazelnut

Reward:  Cat Statue and Date Tree

N.B.  The Date Tree can be purchased in the Market as well for 6 RC

The traditional Quest is as follows:

Mysteries of the Past I
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Can you believe it!  While Felicia was in Korea, grandma bought me a tour trip to Egypt!  She said it's a reward for my good grades and good work on the farm!  Let's finish all the tasks on the farm before leaving!

Harvest 40 Grapes
  Skip for 20 RC

Harvest 8 Oranges
  Skip for 8 RC

Produce 40 Cheddar Cheese
  Skip for 20 RC

Darryl:  Awesome!  Now let's pack our stuff and we're ready to go!
Reward: 85 Coins, 10 XP

Mysteries of the Past II
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Darryl:  Don't tell others, but I'm actually afraid of flying!  Perhaps I should get some snacks with me just to have something to bite on when I am stressed in the plane.  And I definitely should get some parachutes.  You know, just in case...

Produce 40 Apple Juice
  Skip for 20 RC

Prepare 10 Sandwiches
  Skip for 10 RC

Collect 20 Parachutes from Neighbours
  Skip for 20 RC

Darryl:  I was so nervous but thanks to the nice flight attendants, I could calm down and enjoy the flight.

Reward: 90 Coins, 12 XP

Mysteries of the Past III
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Darryl:  Our tour group finally arrived in Alexandria!  After all that travelling, I really need some good snacks, so let's eat around!  But we need to hurry, because we will go to our next destination in Egypt in a few days.

Prepare 10 Arabic Kabsa
  Skip for 10 RC

Prepare 10 Spinach Dumplings
  Skip for 10 RC

Prepare 10 Orange Smoothie
  Skip for 10 RC

Darryl:  I love this place!  Thank you grandma for such a nice present!

Reward: 100 Coins, 12 XP

Mysteries of the Past  IV
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Amazing news!  Our tour guide told us that we will contiinue our trip to Cairo now.  I think I'll need to get some extra money for tickets and for some souvenirs!

Complete Order Board

Harvest 4 Dates
  Skip for 4 RC
  N.B.  The Date Tree is a reward from the Collections Mission.  You can purchase it in the Market as well for 6 RC.

Prepare 4 Rice with Dates
  Skip for 4 RC

Darryl:  We are so lucky to arrive in this city with more than a thousand years of history!

Reward: 100 Coins, 14 XP

Mysteries of the Past V
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Darryl:  I can't wait to see the legendary pyramids!  Maybe I can even see the pharaoh's tomb and real mummies!  Let's prepare some food for the trip!

Prepare 6 plates of Wakame Salad
  Skip for 6 RC

Produce 20 bowls of  Peach Ice Cream
  Skip for 10 RC

Prepare 10 cups of Sakura Tea
  Skip for 10 RC

Darryl:  That was unbelievable!  I'm sure Felicia will be afraid of mummies!  I bought a mummy souvenir to scare here, haha.

Reward: 110 Coins, 14 XP

Mysteries of the Past VI
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Darryl:  We went to the Museum of Egyptian Antiquities and it was so impressive!  We have seen Tutankhamon's treasures, sarcophagi, ancient monuments and so on!  But let me tell you more during dinner!

Prepare 6 Lemon Fish
  Skip for 6 RC

Produce 50 Grape Juice
  Skip for 25 RC

Place a Cat Statue on your Farm
  N.B.  Reward from Collections Mission
  Skip for 10 RC

Darryl:  The ancient Egyptian culture is so rich!  Oh, I bought a cat statue for grandma in the museum shop.  Do you think she will like it?

Reward: 110 Coins, 15 XP

Mysteries of the Past VII
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Darryl:  The guide told us an ancient legend where the Nile flooded.  They say it happened because the goddess Isis was crying fo the death of her husband Osiris.  There are three stages of the flood cycle:  the flood, the sowing and the harvest.

Water your trees 4 times
  Skip for 4 RC

Harvest 50 Lotus Flower
   Skip for 25 RC

Harvest 4 Hazelnut
  Skip for 4 RC

We should use these magic tears on the farm more often to speed things up.

Reward: 110 Coins, 15 XP

Mysteries of the Past VIII
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Darryl:  Today we're visiting the Sphinx of Giza.  It's the statue of a lion with the head of a Pharaoh.  I will need a parasol to protect me against the sun.  Oh, and please don't forget to bring some sandwiches and drinks!


Collect 20 Colourful Parasols from Neighbours
  Skip for 20 RC

Prepare 10 Cheese Beef Sandwich
  Skip for 10 RC

Produce 60 Orange Juice
  Skip for 30 RC

Darryl:  The Sphinx is so mysterious!  Thankfully our neighbours could provide me with a parasol.  It's really hot here!

Reward: 120 Coins, 16 XP

Mysteries of the Past  IX
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Darryl:  I've learned so much about the Egyptian culture on this trip!  We're flying back tomorrow, so let's enjoy a nice goodbye dinner with our friends here!  They said they will prepare the main course and I can help with the dessert!

Prepare 6 Sayadia
  Skip for 6 RC

Prepare 4 Koshaf
  Skip for 4 RC

Produce 20 Lemon Cakes
  Skip for 10 RC

Darryl:  We have to take the plane back to the Farm soon.  I hope I can come back next year with Grandma and Felicia!

Reward: 120 Coins, 16 XP

Final Reward:  Sphinx Decoration

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New Kitchen Recipes are:
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Rice with Dates: 475 Coins, 1 XP
  Ingredients:  Rice x 4, Date

Sayadia: 694 Coins, 1 XP
  Lemon Fish, Rice with Dates

Khoshaf: 180 Coins, 1 XP
  Ingredients:  Nut Mix, Date


Strategies for the Mission
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In Mysteries of the Past IV, you will need to harvest 4 Dates from the Date Tree and will need to use Dates to make one of the Recipes.  You can purchase a Date Tree from the Market for 6 RC if you wish, but it would be better to complete the Collections Mission if possible as you will need the Cat Statue to complete Mysteries of the Past VI.

As with any of the recent Missions, some of the Tasks require use of the Kitchen to prepare dishes, which means that you need 1 Power for every Dish.  Some of the Recipes have ingredients that are made in the Kitchen using other Recipes.  Try to make everything you can in advance so that you do not have to wait for your Power to be replenished.  The default Power is 30, but by having cleanable Decorations on your Farm or by visiting your Neighbours to clean their Decorations, you can add more Power to your Total as some of the Cleaning Gift Bags randomly contain a few Power or OP.

Some Unfortunate New Options in Seaside

New regrettable options in Family Farm seaside


I recently wrote a post about another game, comparing it unfavourably to Family Farm Seaside, adding that Seaside was 'almost perfect' as a mobile game.  Well, as usual, I should not have been so very positive as almost immediately afterwards, some rather regrettable new options were added to the game.

First of all, the log-in screen and Calendar no longer appear automatically.  They are represented by a tiny icon in the left top corner of the screen.  If you fail to tap on that icon, you will miss your log-in, even if you play the game for hours.

Next, there is a new floating advertisement that actually FOLLOWS the farmer as he/she works.  I do not mind the fact that there is an option to watch a commercial video to earn Green Mystrons but I dislike the aggressive nature of this advertisement.

Then there is the new Bingo game in the form of the Cooking Stall, an item that, once built, cannot be deleted or stored.  Unlike the Seafood House and Beauty Shop, however, the Cooking Stand is not really a productive item apart from filling a Bingo card very slowly in different rounds.  This is an option that was taken, I believe, from FarmVille and I never liked it in that game.

In fact, one of the reasons I liked Seaside so much was that there was a certain simple elegance to the game.  It was a farming simulation game pure and simple, with an option to cook and fish. 

Fishing always was problematical in Seaside and never my favourite option but it has become more and more unpleasant as Quests now demand an impossible total of items.  Remember that the Items caught when fishing are RANDOM.  There are specific lists for each of the Hooks that you can use, but within the scope of that list, the actual item you catch is random.  Moreover, you are given only 7 attempts.  If you want more, you have to wait.  In time, you will be given more.  If you do not wish to wait, you can pay premium cash for extra attempts. 

When a Quest required 5 of a specific Fish in the context of a Recipe or Task, it could be difficult enough to obtain the number.  Now, however, we have a Recipe in the first round of the Bingo that prompts the player to make 60 of a specific Dish that requires 1 Smoked Mackerel for each.  In other words, you need 60 Mackerel and that is caught with a hook that requires 200 Bait to use.  Very expensive and very time-consuming.  You can purchase a Mackerel with 1 RC if you wish.

The first round of the Bingo has 4 different Recipes, and you need to 'sell' a total of 200 to unlock the next round.  That means that, at the very minimum, if you sell 60 of the other three Recipes, you still need a minimum of 20 of the Recipe that requires the Mackerel...  Perhaps I am mistaken and each player has a different Recipe to produce, but I cannot imagine that other Players will be fortunate enough to avoid the Recipes that involve Seafood.

What is the point of all this?  Very little in my considered opinion.    The Bingo Card has 16 slots and you can fill a total of 4 by selling 200 of the Recipes demanded by the game.  I suppose some fortunate players might be able to fill a row of four, but in my game, the places filled are entirely disparate and do not connect at all.    I do not like this sort of mini-game at all.  I prefer to use my own efforts rather than relying upon Dame Fortune. 

In fact, recently, Family Farm Seaside made some offers that carried with them a random reward.  Of course, I did not receive the good reward.  It was a matter of luck and I am singularly devoide of the favours of Lady Luck in these games.  Why do this to loyal players???  Better to offer the same reward to every one, in my view.

There are items that other players have that I never have been offered in a game where I have played continuously for over 400 days.  Why am I not entitled to purchase a male or female Cupid?  I have been on a farm that had FOUR female Cupids (or Putti).  How did this individual obtain four when NONE ever were offered in my game?  Players who have played less than 100 days evidently were able to obtain these items.  Are there different offers depending on the platform on which you play?  Are tablet owners less fortunate than Nook or Kindle owners?  It is all very vexing and I am disappointed with the powers that be at Seaside.  I hope that they will reconsider the new trend of copying FarmVille, a game that has increasingly FEWER fans and players and go back to the fairly simple and elegant methods that made Seaside unique and enjoyable.

Finally, there now are a number of fairly LARGE buildings that once constructed, cannot be removed by any means from the player's farm.  These include the Kitchen, Beauty Shop, Seafood House and now, Cooking Stand.  Why do these buildings have to occupy so much space?  Why have no new land expansions been offered???

Mud Festival Time-Restricted Quests

Korean Mud Festival Collections Mission and Traditional Quests
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Collections Mission

70 Purple Rubber Boots from Fern Flower Crop
50 Blue Rubber Boots from Blueberry Jam
30 Yellow Rubber Boots from Mayonnaise
10 Pink Rubber Boots from Sakura Flower Tree

Rewards: Yacht Decoration and Chili Pepper Bush

The Yacht cannot be cleaned but the Chili Pepper Bush will produce fruit every four hours.

In tandem with the Collections Mission is a traditional Quest sequence:

Korean Mud Festival Quest
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Mud Festival I
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Felicia:  Can you believe that?  Darryl just said my skin is super dry!  Is it true?  Oh!  I hope some fruits can help my skin.  I need fruits!

Harvest 12 Apples
  Skip for 6 RC

Harvest 40 Tomatoes
  Skip for 20 RC

Harvest 6 Lemons
  Skip for 6 RC

Felicia:  The fruits didn't help a lot.  I heard there's a Mud Festival in Korea.  Maybe my skin will shine again after some Korean mud!

Reward: 85 Coins, 10 XP

Mud FEstival II
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Felicia:  Yeah!  I decided to go to Korea.  The countryside around Daecheon is beautiful!  Let's put on some famous Korean BB cream, makes some snacks and relax before everything starts!

Collect 20 BB Cream from engibhours
  Skip for 20 RC

Prepare 10 Sandwiches
  Skip for 10 RC

Produce 40 Glasses of Grape Juice
  Skip for 20 RC

Reward: 90 Coins, 12 XP

Felicia:  I think I look much better already with the Korean BB Cream on my face!  It works.  I can feel it!

Mud Festival III
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Felicia:  The Mud Festival requires the right outfit.  It's time to wear my bikini!  And you know what else is missing?  Right, flowers!  Can you help me harvest some?

Harvest 4 Jasmine
  Skip for 4 RC

Harvest 50 Fern Flowers
  Skip for 25 RC

Craft 4 Flower Rings in the Beauty Shop
  Skip for 8 RC
  N.B.  The Flower Rings do not have to be completed to count towards this goal.  Beginning the project will satisfy the requirement.

Reward: 100 Coins, 12 XP

Felicia:  My Korean friend said my handmade flower ring suits me well!  Hihi!  Now let's go to the festival on the beach!

Mud Festival IV
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Felicia:  Oh!  I almost forgot to bring some food to the beach.  I'm pretty sure we will get hungry after playing near the sea.

Buy 1 Picnic Basket
  N.B.  If you have one on your farm, this will complete the task automatically.

Prepare 10 Fried Seasoned Chicken
  Skip for 10 RC

Prepare 10 Mixed Noodles
  Skip for 10 RC

Reward: 100 Coins, 14 XP

Felicia:  Now we are all prepared!  Let's go to the beach!

Mud Festival V
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Felicia:  There are so many people putting mud all over their bodies!  I also want a mud massage!  It migt sound disgusting, but it looks so cool!  Oh!  Is that a yacht over there?

Fish 10 Times with the Bone Fishhook
  Skip for 10 RC

Craft 2 Beauty Masks in the Beauty Shop
  Skip for 4 RC

Place Yacht Decoration on your Farm
  Skip for 10 RC

Reward: 110 Coins, 14 RC

Felicia:  We can go diving to get rid of the mud and look for some clams!

Mud Festival VI
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Felicia:  We are in Korea, so we have to try as many Korean dishes as possible.  I heard it's a bit spicy though.  Do you think I can handle it?

Place Chili Bush on your Farm
  Reward from Collections Mission
  Skip for 10 RC

Prepare 4 Clam Soup
  Skip for 4 RC

Prepare 4 Spicy Noodle Soup
  Skip for 4 RC

Reward: 110 Coins, 15 XP

Felicia:  It was more spicy than I expected, but I do feel cooler after sweating, hihi!

Mud Festival VII
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Felicia:  I want to cool down more, so it's time for some ice cream.  You can't visit the beach and not have ice cream.  What's your favourite ice cream?

Produce 30 bowls of Grape Ice Cream
   Skip for 15 RC

Produce 30 bowls of Lemon Ice Cream
  Skip for 15 RC

Produce 6 bowls of Matcha Orange Ice Cream
  Skip for 6 RC

Reward: 110 Coins, 15 XP

Felicia:  Yippee!  Now I'm full of energy.  What shall we do next?

Mud Festival VIII
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Felicia:  Look! There's a competition for digging up clams!  I have never done this before, but it sounds so much fun!  Let's see who can dig up more clams!

Collect 20 Clam Buckets from Neighbours
  Skip for 20 RC

Prepare 4 Spicy Grilled Chicken
  Skip for 6 RC

Craft 2 Starfish Mirrors in the Beauty Shop
  Skip for 4 RC
  N.B.  Note that you need Lavender Bouquets, Starfish and Glass to make the Starfish Mirror.  Glass can be requested from Neighbours.

Reward: 120 Coins, 16 XP

Felicia:  While digging for clams, I also found some starfish and made a starfish mirror!  It looks beautiful!

Mud Festival IX
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Felicia:  We spent all day in Daecheon and it's getting dark now.  We might need to go back soon.  I really want to give my new Korean friends some gifts.  They say Koreans really love sweet treats.

Prepare 10 Chocolate Pave
  Skip for 10 RC

Prepare 10 Chocolate Dream Bars
  Skip for 10 RC

Produce 60 Blueberry Candy
  Skip for 30 RC

Reward: 120 Coins, 16 XP

Hooray!  They really liked the snacks I made!  I've had a really good time in Korea and look at my face, it's shining now!

FINAL REWARDS:  Turtle Statue and Persimmon Tree

New Recipes in the Kitchen are:
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Clam Soup: 58 Coins, 1 XP
  Ingredients:  Scallop, Chili Pepper

Mixed Noodles: 270 Coins, 1 XP
  Ingredients:  Udon,  Cucumber Kimchi x 2

Spicy Noodle Soup: 358 Coins, 1 XP
  Ingredients:  Clam Soup, Mixed Noodles

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Spicy Rice Cake: 632 Coins, 1 XP
  Ingredients:  Soft Dough, Chili Pepper

Fried Seasoned Chicken: 406 Coins, 1 XP
  Ingredients: Turkey x 2,  Ketchup x 2

Spicy Grilled Chicken: 1099 Coins, 1 XP
  Ingredients:  Spicy Rice Cake, Fried Seasoned Chicken


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Strategies for Completing the Missions
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This is one of the first Missions/Quests that focuses on the Beauty Shop.  You do not need energy or Power to craft Items in the Beauty Shop but you will need a completed Beauty Shop if you wish to perform all the tasks without paying RC to skip them.  The Beauty Shop is an attractive building and although it cannot be sold or stored once it is placed, it will add to the aesthetic beauty of your Farm.

Extra slots can be added to the Beauty Shop in the same way that they can be added to the Seafood House.  Request materials from your Neighbours if you wish to add slots.

As always,  some of the ingredients for the Recipes needed to complete Tasks in this Mission are themselves Cooked Dishes.  For example, you will need 10 Udon to make the Mixed Noodles in Mud Festival  IV.  You have a default of 30 Power.  Make the Udon in advance if you can to make certain that you have sufficient Power later when you reach Mud Festival IV.  Other 'Ingredients' that are in themselves Recipes include Egg Tart for use in Chocolate Pave and Blueberry Krispy Bars for use in making Chocolate Dream Bars.  You will need 10 of each.

In fact, the Chocolate Pave is the third in a series of three Recipes.  You need to make Eggnog first in order to make Egg Tart.  Eggnog is made with Condensed Milk and an Egg.  Condensed Milk is another Kitchen Recipe, one of those I consider a 'staple' and try to make on a regular basis for future use.  Egg Tart is made with Eggnog and Soft Dough, another 'staple' Recipe.  What this means, in effect, is that you need 30 Power to make 10 Egg Tarts unless you have made the Eggnog and Soft Dough in advance.  This is a good illustration of the wisdom of preparing a list of staple 'ingredients' in advance of any time-restricted Quest.  You always will find a use for them at some point, so never sell those Dishes!

Unfortunately, Chocolate Pave is one of the Dishes used in the first Round of the Cooking Stand that was released yesterday.  If I had known that the Dish would be featured in a time-restricted Quest today, I would not have made so many, using up much of my stock of Egg Tarts!

There are other Ingredients that are made in Machines.  You will need a KimChi Machine to make Cucumber KimChi for Mud Festival IV.  Another Ingredient is Ketchup, made in the Sauce Machine.   60 Sugar will be needed for the final task in the traditional Quest sequence to produce Candy.  Animal Products needed for Recipes include Turkey and Beef.  Make certain that you have these in stock in advance if possible. 

As always, it is a good idea to focus on the Collections Mission first in order to obtain the Rewards as these are needed to complete Tasks in the Mud Festival Mission.  At present, it is not possible to purchase the Chili Pepper Bush or the Persimmon Tree in the Market.  Whether or not they will become available within the next 11 Days before the end of this Mission is unknown.  At this point in time, the only way to obtain Chili Peppers is either to complete the Collections Mission so that you can place the Bush on your farm or purchase the Chili Peppers needed for the Recipes.

Mud Festival V requires placement of the Yacht Decoration.  Mud Festival VI requires placement of the Chili Bush.  To skip these Tasks is expensive and counter-productive really.  In this case, as the Chili Bush produces 1 Chili every 4 Hours, it would be better to use a Super Watering Can to hasten the harvest instead of buying a Chili Pepper for each Dish made in the Kitchen.  In situations where the Reward is a 'Collectable' like the Herb Garden, you cannot speed production, but harvest from any Tree can be made instantaneous by using a Super Watering Can.



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History of the Boryeong Mud Festival
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Unlike most of the other Festivals showcased in Seaside's Time-Restricted Quests or Missions, the Korean Mud Festival is not an old one.  The first Festival was held in 1998 as a way to attract attention to the cosmetics industry in Korea.  The mud in Boryeong is very rich in mineratls and is used for a wide range of cosmetics.

The mud is taken from the Boryeong mud flats and then transported to the beach area of Daecheon for the purpose of the Festival which is held in the summer season and continues for a fortnight.  Mud pools, slides, a mud prison and ski slopes made of mud are erected.  The festival was designed to attract foreigners and indeed has been very successful.