24 January 2020

The Year of the Rat Quest and Gift Packet Collection Mission




A new 11 day timed quest has been released in tandem with a Collection Mission that celebrates the Lunar New Year that will begin on Saturday, 25 January.  The Reward for the Collection Mission is a Chives Planter, a 'Collectable' Item.

POST COMPLETE!

Gift Packet Collection Mission
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70 Pink from Oat
50 Yellow from Rye Flour
30 Red from Black Forest Cake
10 Green from Wafer Tree

Reward: Chives Planter, a new 'Collectable'.  There is a way now to speed the collection from a 'Collectable', by using OP!  This is a fairly new option, but  I still would advise farmers to focus on the Collection Mission to obtain and place this Chives Planter as quickly as possible to at least begin the production of Chives.  I did not look for this immediately, but it appears that collection occurs approximately every eight hours, and  that 78 OP would be required to harvest at once.  When I took the option, I received 4 Chives.  I believe the actual amount you receive each time is somewhat random, but I received 4 each time today.

Incidentally, the 'Gift Packet' probably is Hong Bao or Lai See, a red envelope usually filled with money or coins that traditionally is given by the elders of any household to the younger members.




When I was a student at University, other students who came from Asia and celebrated the Lunar New Year would exchange red envelopes and two Clementine or Mandarin oranges.   In England at the time, what often was wrapped in red was a 2 p. coin or Tuppence in the old currency.  This was considered appropriate because of the number 2, an even number.   (Always give an even number and use both hands.  Red and Gold are the most auspicious colours.  Do not wrap anything in white paper, as white is the colour of death.  If you give paper money, new money is best.  It is not the value, but the quality that counts here, apart from the number being even or odd.  You often see $2 bills that have been altered to include New Year Animal icons or other New Year symbols being offered on Ebay and Amazon in recent years for that reason. )



(Coin chosen for New Year gift in red packet to exchange with other students at University)
Mind you, I received a severe scolding from a very traditional Chinese friend who, when I began to follow this tradition with my own daughter, told me the giver should be a MALE.  He certainly would have frowned upon the student exchange of 2 New Pence coins between peers!

Note:  I set my Batch Production at 160 for the Animal/Machine that needs to produce 70 of the Collection item, and at 100 for the Animal/Machine that needs to produce 30.  I always am able to obtain the total required using these settings.  I always activate the Monkey Boost that decreases the OP required in any case before I begin one of these timed quests.  Where the Tree is concerned, I have noticed that a Premium Tree like the Wafer Tree has a better rate of dropping the item required than any Coin Tree (like Apple, Orange and so on.)

Note as well that when you place the Chives Planter, you will receive a prompt: Get Gift.  You then will be given 14 Chives instantly to use in the Quest once you have transferred them from your Gift Box into your Barn, so go to your Gift Box and tap on 'Use'!

RESEARCH LAB TECHS:  You can use 'Out of Nowhere' to produce Machine products, and 'Wild Hunger' to produce Animal Products for Quest tasks, but they cannot be used to produce the Packets for the Collection Mission.  For any farmer who has not unlocked Mechology or Zoology, Goldfinger can be used to produce a smaller amount of the required items in tasks.

Note from Freyashawk:

My heartfelt thanks to every farmer and dear friend who voted for HM. Freyashawk in the Farm Beauty Contest that ended a few hours ago.  At No. 7 at reset, continuing as No. 7 two hours before the contest was due to end, the rank dropped to 10 in that last two hours.  I mention this simply to give farmers an idea of the actual effect of the difference in time zones.  Asia definitely has an advantage in that last voting period.  For me, however, No. 10 is as good as No. 4!  It is when one drops below 10 that changes are significant.  Nonetheless, it is not a matter of personal ego, nor of obtaining 2 RC and an Avatar that matter, but rather making certain that players who link the name Freyashawk with strategy guides for games, and have done for over two decades, realise that Freyashawk still is active, and that the site still is recognised as being useful.  In all honesty, though, after seven years of updating this site for farmers, it does inspire me when I receive this small recognition for my work.  Players who simply perform the tasks to complete a Quest or Activity often do not realise how much more effort is required to make a guide for that Quest or Activity.

Incidentally, there is a small advantage here when I do rank in the top 10 in that I receive a few Farm Aids in a bag.  To complete these posts as quickly as possible, I speed the growth of ALL Crops to mature instantly by using either Weather or Fertilisers.  Although I set the Monkey Boost to decrease OP, I always use double OP in order to speed the production so as to be able to collect instantly.  It actually can be costly, but help in the form of rewards of Fertilisers and Weather Farm Aids really do make a small difference here!




The Year of the Rat
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I will add a section at the end of this post that will give detailed information about the Lunar Calendar and Zodiac.  The Year of the Rat officially will begin on 25 January this year.  It is not as simple as the application of a specific Animal to each year, however.  

Lunar Calendar and Zodiac from China

The link will take you to an excellent Chinese site that explains the Zodiac and the qualities given to each Animal in every one of its aspects.  I will write about all of this, however, at the end of this post for those farmers who distrust links to other sites!

This will be the Year of the Metal Rat, by the way.

Crop List
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40 Corn
40 Carrots
40 Tomatoes
40 Wheat
40 Rice
50 Rye
50 Lilies
50 Spinach
60 Onions
60 Mushrooms
60 Tea Plants (Island)
60 Mint (Island)
60 Tulips

Batch Production List
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40 Eggs
40 Ketchup
40 Wheat Flour
40 Turkey
40 Buffalo Milk Cheese
50 Oat Flour
50 Wool
60 Wool Yarn (Island)
60 Beef
60 Minty Morocco Tea (Island)
60 Lily Essential Oil (Island, and Essential Oil Machine will require Mastery)

Special Task Requirements
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You will be required to fish 8 times with the Squid Hook in Part 13, and tend 15 Flowers in your Botanic Garden as one of the final tasks.

Thus, do not cast a net if you wish to complete the Quest as quickly as possible, and do not tend ANY flowers in your Botanic Garden until you reach the final part of the Quest.

Unless the developers change something, and that has occurred in the past, there is no task that requires your Pets to dig Chests.

You will need the Spinach Lasagne Stove House Recipe.  The prices are shown in the Market only if one does not own the Recipe, but the cost of skipping the task is 9 RC, and I feel that it probably is almost the equivalent of the price of the Recipe itself.

Here are the directions for making a successful Bronze Star Spinach Lasagne, which is what is required for the task:

Cook 3 Spinach Lasagnas in the Stove House
  Skip for 9 RC
  Each requires 1 Pasta, 3 Buffalo Milk Cheese, 1 Spinach Salad, 7 Power


  Place all ingredients and set timer for 9 minutes and 20 seconds.  The Bronze Star will activate before that timer expires, and you can tap 'Finish'.  

The Year of the Rat Quest
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The Year of the Rat 1
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Penny: Hello?  Have you met my new Pet, Binky?  Isn't he the cutest?

Harvest 40 Corn
  Skip for 10 RC

Collect 40 Eggs
  Skip for 10 RC

Harvest 40 Carrots
  Skip for 10 RC

Reward: 2500 Coins, 160 XP

Penny:  Hey!  No need to scream like that!  Binky will jump out of his skin!

The Year of the Rat 2
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Penny: Binky is really friendly.You do not have to be frightened of him!

Harvest 40 Tomatoes
  Skip for 10 RC

Produce 40 bottles of Ketchup
  Skip for 10 RC

Harvest 8 Cherries
  Skip for 8 RC

Reward: 2500 Coins, 160 XP

Penny:  Would you like to hold him?  Well, I shan't push you to do it!

The Year of the Rat 3
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Penny:  Many people do not like rats, but they actually are wonderful pets and companions.  They are very intelligent and are willing to learn tricks for their owners.  Would you like to see Binky play a game of 'fetch' with me?

Harvest 40 Wheat
  Skip for 10 RC

Produce 40 bags of Wheat Flour
  Skip for 10 RC

Prepare 8 Batter
  Skip for 8 RC
  Each requires 2 Wheat Flour and 1 Egg

Reward: 2500 Coins, 170 XP

Penny:  Do you see?  Binky can play 'fetch', jump through hoops, and perform a multitude of cute tricks for me.  He actually appears to enjoy it as well.

The Year of the Rat 4
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Penny:  I did not bring Binky today simply to show off his skills.  There is another reason why here is here... can you guess what that is?

Harvest 40 Rice
  Skip for 10 RC

Produce 40 Turkeys
  Skip for 10 RC

Produce 40 Wheels of Buffalo Milk Cheese
  Skip for 10 RC

Reward: 2500 Coins, 170 XP

Penny:  I will give you a hint:  it is linked to the Lunar Zodiac.

Special Reward: Mission Gift Box containing Farm Aids

The Year of the Rat 5
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Penny:  According to the Chinese Zodiac (adopted by some other cultures as well), this year will be the Year of the Rat.  I thought you might be interested to learn about the attributes of the Rat according to the Zodiac.

Harvest 50 Rye
  Skip for 12 RC

Produce 50 bags of Oat Flour
  Skip for 12 RC

Prepare 8 Cake Flour
  Skip for 8 RC
  Each requires 2 Oat Flour and 2 Rye Flour

Reward: 2500 Coins, 180 XP

Penny:  Astrology from every culture and period of history is an essential subject for any Witch or Wizard, and I study hard!  So please pay attention!

The Year of the Rat 6
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Penny:  Once upon a time, in the heavens far away, the Jade Emperor invited some animals to visit him.  Among these was a Rat.

Harvest 50 Lilies
  Skip for 12 RC

Prepare 8 Wafer Graveyards
  Skip for 8 RC
  Each requires 1 Wafer and 1 Black Forest Cake*

*Both of these are items from the Collection Mission, so you should have them yourself.  Without a Wafer Tree, you cannot complete the Collection Mission.  Once the timer expires, you will be able to access this Quest from the Lighthouse, but you will not be able to perform the Collection Mission.  Of all the Collection Mission Rewards, however, the 'Collectables' tend to be less expensive when they are placed in the Market after expiration of the Collection Mission that offered them initially than the premium Trees or Stove House Recipes in their RC price (or sometimes when offered for TC).

Harvest 8 Gisela Cherries
  Skip for 8 RC

Reward: 2500 Coins, 180 XP

Penny:  Of course, the Rat scurried instantly to go to the Palace.  After all, being invited to the Heavens by the Jade Emperor was an incredible honour, and apart from that, Rats are extremely curious by nature!

The Year of the Rat 7
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Penny:  One of the other animals invited to this event was a Cat, and as Cats are perceived generally as more desirable than Rats, the little Rat became a bit worried that the Cat would outshine him in the eyes of the Emperor!

Produce 50 bundles of Wool
  Skip for 12 RC

Harvest 8 Rosemary
  Skip for 8 RC

Prepare 8 Roasted Turkey with Rosemary
  Skip for 8 RC
  Each requires 1 Roast Turkey and 1 Rosemary

Reward: 2500 Coins, 190 XP

Penny:  The cleverness of the Rat often is underestimated, however, and he devised a plan.

The Year of the Rat 8
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Penny:  The day before the event, the Cat asked the Rat if he would awaken him early the next morning so he could prepare for the meeting with the Jade Emperor, and suggested they travel together.  Unfortunately, the Cat underestimated the Rat's cleverness and ambition!  The Rat had no intention of giving the Cat any aid, and decided he would not awaken him at all.

Harvest 50 Spinach
  Skip for 12 RC

Place a Chives Planter on your Farm
  (Reward from Collection Mission)
  Skip for ???  (Usually the price for skipping the task is 10 RC, never worth doing!  Any farmer who can pay 10 RC to skip this task would be better served by completing the Collection Mission, even if he/she has to purchase a Premium Tree to do so.  Trees seldom if ever cost more than 10 RC.)

Prepare 8 Longevity Noodles
  Skip for 8 RC
  This is a new Kitchen Recipe
  Each requires 1 Wheat Flour and 2 Chives.  If you placed your Chives Planter recently, you will have at least 14 Chives from the instant 'Gift'.  You can use OP now to speed collection.

Reward: 2500 Coins, 190 XP

Penny:  When the Cat finally awakened that day, he had missed the event in the Heavens completely!  That is when the Cat became the eternal enemy of the Rat, and he still wages an endless war against the clever rodent!

Special Reward: Snow Pet House Ears

The Year of the Rat 9
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Penny:  On the way to the Jade Emperor's Palace, the Rat found himself in a bit of trouble.  His path led him to a very deep and rapid flowing river, so deep and fast that he doubted his ability to swim across it.

Harvest 60 Onions
  Skip for 15 RC

Produce 60 Wool Yarn
  Skip for 15 RC
  This is an Island task

Prepare 8 Spinach Salad
  Skip for 8 RC
  Each requires 2 Spinach and 2 Onions

Reward: 2500 Coins, 200 XP

Penny:  Rats can swim.  They have amazing skills really, but a river that deep and swift probably would have been the end of him.

The Year of the Rat 10
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Penny:  The Rat could not continue his journey without a new plan.  As he stood at the water's edge, however, he was approached by another Animal who had been invited to the Jade Emperor's Palace.

Harvest 60 Mushrooms
  Skip for 15 RC

Harvest 60 Tea Plants
  Skip for 15 RC
  This is an Island Crop
  N.B.  Island Crops, like Island Animals and Machines have Dev. Point requirements.

Prepare 8 Soft Dough
  Skip for 8 RC
  Each requires 1 Cake Flour and 1 Batter

Reward: 2500 Coins, 200 XP

Penny:  The other Animal who was on his way to the Palace was an Ox.  Every one knows the strength and sturdiness of the Ox!  He would have no trouble at all when he forded the river!

The Year of the Rat 11
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Penny:  The Rat asked the Ox if he could climb onto his back to cross the river with him.  As the Ox was a pleasant creature, he agreed instantly.

Collect 60 Beef
  Skip for 15 RC

Harvest 60 Mint
  Skip for 15 RC
  This is an Island Crop and it requires a specific number of Dev Points to unlock it.

Prepare 8 Dumplings
  Skip for 8 RC
  Each requires 2 Beef and 1 Soft Dough

Reward: 2500 Coins, 210 XP

Penny:  The Ox had no trouble fording the river with the Rat clinging to his back.

The Year of the Rat 12
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Penny:  When they reached the far bank of the river, the Rat leapt instantly from the Ox's back, and abandoned him so that he could run as quickly as possible in order to be the very first to arrive at the Palace to introduce himself to the Jade Emperor.

Harvest 60 Tulips
  Skip for 15 RC

Harvest 8 Chinese Toon
  Skip for 8 RC

Prepare 8 Plates of Chinese Toon Salad
  Skip for 8 RC
  Each requires 1 Chinese Toon and 3 Mushrooms

Reward: 2500 Coins, 210 XP

Penny:  Yes, the Rat arrived first at the Palace, and the Jade Emperor was very impressed by that.  It is why he designated the Rat as the first sign of the Zodiac.

Special Reward: Island Mission Gift Box

The Year of the Rat 13
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Penny:  Many people do not like rats at all, so if you were born in the Year of the Rat, you might think initially that this was not positive.  You could not be more mistaken!

Fish 8 times with the Squid Hook
  Skip for 8 RC

Produce 60 Minty Morocco (Tea)
  Skip for 15 RC
  This is an Island task

Prepare 8 bowls of Dumpling Soup
  Skip for 8 RC
  Each requires 1 Dumplings and 1 Egg Soup

Reward: 2500 Coins, 220 XP

Penny:  As with every other Animal of the Zodiac, Rats have their own positive attributions and strengths.

The Year of the Rat 14
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Penny:  Those born in the Year of the Rat are both cheerful and filled with energy, much like their Animal counterparts.  They can be rather shy as well, however.

Harvest 12 Cedar Wood
  Skip for 4 RC
  This is an Island Task

Produce 60 bottles of Lily Essential Oil
  Skip for 15 RC

Prepare 8 Chinese Dumpling Soup
  Skip for 8 RC
  Each requires 1 Dumpling Soup and 2 Chives

Reward: 2500 Coins, 220 XP.,

Penny:  Rats know how to deal with complicated and difficult problems.  They succeed therefore in business, as they are very intelligent where finance is concerned as well.

The Year of the Rat 15
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Penny:  So you see, Rats are more wonderful than you thought, both in the real world and in the Zodiac!

Craft 6 Wooden Aroma Bottles
  Skip for 6 RC
  This is an Island task
  Each requires 2 Wool Yarn and 1 Cedar Wood and 1 Power.  Unlocking this option in the Workshop requires a specific Dev Point total.

Craft 6 Lily Aroma Bottles
  Skip for 6 RC
  Each requires 1 Wooden Aroma Bottle, 1 Lily Essential Oil,  1 Distilled Water.  Task takes 8 minutes to complete but counts as soon as the item enters the slot in the Beauty Shop

Prepare 8 bowls of Pasta
  Skip for 8 RC
  Each requires 1 Cake Flour and 1 Ketchup

Reward: 2500 Coins, 220 XP

Penny:  If you or any member of your family was born in the Year of the Rat, you should be proud and happy about that.

The Year of the Rat 16
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Penny:  I must go now, but if you would like to play with Binky again, watch him perform more tricks, or simply learn more about the Zodiac, let me know!

Take care of flowers in the Botanic Garden 15 times
  Skip for 15 RC

Cook 3 Spinach Lasagnas in the Stove House
  Skip for 9 RC
  Each requires 1 Pasta, 3 Buffalo Milk Cheese, 1 Spinach Salad, 7 Power
  The cost of the Recipe in the Market if you do not have it would make it better to purchase the Recipe if you lack it than pay to skip the task.
  One of my Community members did a wonderful job of making a table with all of the Stove House Recipes on my site, but in this case:
  Place all ingredients and set timer for 9 minutes and 20 seconds.  The Bronze Star will activate before that timer expires, and you can tap 'Finish'.

Prepare 8 Dumpling and Noodle Soup
  Skip for 8 RC
  This is a new Recipe
  Each requires 1 Chinese Dumpling Soup and 1 Longevity Noodles

Reward: 2500 Coins, 230 XP

Penny:  Bid farewell to the nice farmer, Binky!  See you soon!  Happy New Year!



Final Reward:  Lucky Rat Statue for Seaside

N.B.  The Lucky Rat Statue Decoration can be stacked on the Ice Base.  It is worth 10 Landscape Points, and gives a Purple Gift Box when cleaned.

Collection Set:  The Collection Set consists of the Chinese Toon Tree, the Chives Planter and the Lucky Rat Statue.  Register before timer expiration to receive the bonus Reward of Gallery Book Friendship Flower as well as ordinary rewards of 88 Green Mystrons and 1 RC.

Zodiac
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The Zodiac that is attributed primarily to the Chinese, but used in many different countries primarily in Asia is generally believed to have originated with the Han Dynasty, based on the Gregorian Calendar.  The Chinese Zodiac, known as Sheng Xiao, is based on a cycle of twelve years.  Each year in that cycle is attributed to an Animal Sign.  In order, these are:  Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep/Ram/Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig.

The number 12 is vital throughout the system.  One ji equals twelve years, one year has twelve months, one day has 12 time periods called shi chen.  In most years, there are twelve full moons.  The original of this Calendar thus was based on astrology.  With the twelve heavenly stems and twelve earthly branches, each Animal sign is associated with an Earthly Branch.  The Animal Years thus are:  Zi Rat, Chou Ox, Yin Tiger, Mao Rabbit, Chen Dragon, Si Snake, Wu Horse, Wei Sheep, Shen Monkey, You Rooster, Xu Dog, and Hai Pig.

Similar to the tale told by Penny in this Quest, the Calendar was created according to the arrival time of each Animal to the Heavens.

The Animal Year of birth is called his or her Ben Ming Nian, Zodiac Year of Birth.  Each individual will experience his/her birth year Animal sign every twelve years.

If you find yourself in your own Ben Ming Nian, you may offend 'Taisul', the God of Aging, who has charge of illness, economic loss, physical injuries and other obstacles in their life and career.  To diminish these unlucky effects, one can wear red underwear, stockings or waist belts given by elders, as red is the colour of good fortune, life and power.  Pendants and bracelets with auspicious images can assist as well, according to ancient traditions.

Traditional Chinese New Year Celebrations Timeline
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If you are interested in following or at least understanding many of the traditions associated with the extended festival in China known as the 'New Year Celebrations', here is a very useful timeline:



I copied the following from a Chinese site.  (Link given above) .  It gives the time of day that is associated with each Zodiac Animal:  


Rat
Zi Shi: 11 p.m. to 1 a.m.
This is the time rats actively seek food.
Ox
Chou Shi: 1 to 3 a.m.
This is the time that oxen ruminate.
Tiger
Yin Shi: 3 to 5 a.m.
Tigers hunt prey and display fiercest nature.
Rabbit
Mao Shi: 5 to 7 a.m.
The Jade Rabbit on the moon is busy pounding medicinal herb with a pestle.
Dragon
Chen Shi: 7 to 9 a.m.
Dragons are hover in the sky at that time to give people rainfall.
Snake
Si Shi: 9 to 11 a.m.
Snakes start to leave their burrows.
Horse
Wu Shi: 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
With the sun high above, other animals are lying down for a noon break while the unconstrained horse is still vigorous.
Sheep
Wei Shi: 1 to 3 p.m.
It is said that if sheep ate grass at this time, they would grow stronger.
Monkey
Shen Shi: 3 to 5 p.m.
Monkeys become lively.
Rooster
You Shi: 5 to 7 p.m.
Roosters return to their roost as it is dark.
Dog
Xu Shi: 7 to 9 p.m.
Dogs begin to carry out their duty to guard entrances.
Pig
Hai Shi: 9 to 11 p.m.
All is quiet and pigs are sleeping soundly.

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