Insect Garden, Seaside Pass and Farm Beauty Contest

Some new options in the game appear to be confusing for some players.

Insect Garden

We are finding our way here still, but the insect garden is next to the Botanicak Garden and linked to it.  To some extent, the flowers growing in your Botanical Garden determine the insects that will be attracted to your Insect Garden.

There is a timer for these as well.  Certain rare insects only will appear on set days.  I do not think these days are the same for every one, although I need more time to confirm this.  I believe the week is a matter of consecutive days.  The rarest insect of all, the Dreamy Papilio, only appears on Day 7. Its favourite flower is the Mega Rose.

Now there are two different markets connected to the Botanical Garxen as well.  One sells Garden tools and ordinary Level 1 flowers as previously, but a welcome change is that you can buy ALL Garden tools at one time.   The limit of 99 has been eliminated as well. Appearance no longer is random.   If needed, you can buy all of them every day.

The other Market accepts Insect Coins, earned by catching insects with a net.  There are two different nets by the way.  One is crafted in the island Hardware Store using 1 Wooden Cylinder and 1 Cotton Cloth.  The other can be purchased for 1 RC.

The different insects have different values in Insect Coins.  You can use these coins to purchase Level 1 Friendship Flowers or two new Levell 1 Flowers in the form of the Helios Flame Sunflower and the Coryphantha Cactus Flower.  Each costs 400 Insect Coins.

In theory, you can catch one insect in a buddy's garden each day.  Whether or not a buddy's insect garden is open for you to catch an insect may be determined by that buddy's actions.  I have tested this now more than once.  When I visit a buddy OK did not catch all insects in his/her garden that day, I am able to catch one.  If that Buddy has caught the quota, the garden is shut.   You may consider leaving a couple of rare insects in your garden for your Buddies once you have the rewards you need.

To discover what day it is in your Insect calendar, look at the insects currently in your garden.  For example, the Chafer appears only on the even numbered days.  The Blue Morpho on  1, 2, 6 and 7.  The Leaf Moth on Days 1, 3 and 5.  Sk by seeing which ones are present, you often can work out where you are in terms of Day 7 when the elusive Dreamy Papilio appears.

Seaside Pass

The Seaside Pass is similar in some ways to the Daily Quests and sometimes performance of a task is rewarded by both.

There are two rows for the Seaside Pass.  If you opt to purchase the premium Decoration for Seaside (currently a Flamingo), you will unlock the second row of tasks and rewards as well as adding points.

Without the premium decoration, you still can earn both daily rewards and seasonal rewards, but you are limited to those on the first row.

Note that one daily task is to claim votes in the Farm Beauty Contest. Another is to dig 10 Chests.  Claim Daily Quest Silver Box. Claim Dedicated Farmer Bonus once.  Complete 3 Orders on the Order Board.  Some of these overlap with Daily Quest tasks.

There are other rewards apart from farm Aids.  On the free row, there is a Summer Flamingo Avatar. On the premium row, there is a Summer Flowers Avatar Frame.  Note that the premium Decoration gives 100 bonus points that can be counted towards rewards.  You can opt to  

exchange TC for Points to earn rewards faster,  but I believe the Seaside Pass premium row is unlocked only.by purchasing the decoration. 

Farm Beauty Contest

There are farmers who still do not understand how this works, even at high levels.  

Really, the most important reward is given when you reach a total of 4000 votes.  There is no reason why even lower level farmers should not be able to achieve this using o ly the votes given by the four characters who assess your Farm every day. 

The important requirements are having a variety of Crops, Trees, Animals, Machines, a few but not that many farm Expansions, four pets fully outfitted and on the Farm (not in the Pet House), a decent total of Landscape Points, and as decent number of Theme decorations.  Theme items are shown in a little red book in the Farm Beauty Contest Menu.

By completing and placing the new base in any Farm Beauty Contest, you usually will increase votes for theme by 9 votes per day. Premium decorations often give 6 or 9 more votes per day as opposed to the 3 votes given to non premium decorations.

There are players who believe there is no point in registering if they cannot reach maximum votes.  That is absurd. There are Farm aids as well as Coins that are given at lesser totals, and this is where you earn purple mystrons. The decoration given at 4000 votes is cleanable.  Furthermore, by voting each day, you earn a gift box that contains rewards.such as OP, purple Mystrons and coins. 

I do not know if requirements have changed at all, but lower levels farmers confirm you do not need even the 30 x 30 expansion to receive maximum votes for 'big farms'.  Do register as many items in your Gallery as possible to receive 18/18 for Gallery.  A farmer with only 2284 Landscape Points confirmed she receives maximum votes of 24/24 for 'beautiful paths with high Landscape Points'. 

I have written many posts in the past about the Farm Beauty Contest and how to maximise your own character votes.  The totals may have changed, but with 16 different Crops, 16 different Trees, 12 different Animals and 12 different Machines on your Farm, you should receive maximum for those categories.

Beehives and  Butterfly Houses count as Animals.

There actually are two different Beauty Contests.  One is for the votes that give the Decoration at 4000 and an avatar and a couple of RC at 6000, but the other is for rank.  Only the top 100 farmers in the world are ranked.  With 2000 votes above 6000, you will not be in the top 100.  To rank in the top 10, you need between 12,000 and 13,000 votes.

I know I have requested that farmers who use this site vote for HM. Freyashawk.  This is for rank, for trying to be in the top 10 to give visibility to this site.  I never ask for votes for any other farm.  

In this current Contest, they gave increased the theme total.  Thus actually helps the farmer, because the total of votes needed to attain the rewards has not changed.   All it means is that they are counting more thene items on your Farm.

You do not need more than 200 votes per day to attain 4000.  You do not need more than 300 to attain the final rewards at 6000.  In fact, it is possible than the actual total is less for both as there is one extra voting period. 

Remember always that the screenshot you submit determines your Farm's value in votes.  If you forget to place your new completed base or take all four pets out of the Pet House,  submit a new photo.   Otherwise do not meddle with it.  Often it will disappear if there is a new update.  Do not worry.  It still counts.  Do not take a new one!

Note that theme decorations are included in the Lucky Wheel for each contest.Contest.  There are four that can be found for the us Contest. Some theme items can be purchased in the Market.  That means you can use RC instead of cash to buy them.  As far as new premium items are concerned, they usually are worth more votes than other theme items and will be used in future contests.  They tend to give better gift boxes when cleaned as well.  

Finally, I hate to have to make this clear, but I never made a penny from this game and never shall.  I make no money from Google,  have never asked for gift cards or friendship flowers even.  If any one claims to be me and asks fir remuneration of any kind, that person is an imposter.  I only request votes.  If any one does try to claim to be me to obtain financial advantages, please report that to me at once!

Christmas 2016

(Above, one of the prettiest Decorations of all time, the Snow Tree Arch.  You can stack it on the Snow Base or place it directly on your Farm.  It has sparkling lights and is lovely.)



Snow Base
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You will find it in the Decorations section of the Market for 3000 Coins,  It will be unfinished.  To purchase all Materials will cost 30 RC.  If you prefer, you can purchase Materials in the Daily Special Deal section of the Market for 70 TC each.  Remember, however, that this is a slow process as you can purchase one of each item only each day.  30 RC completes it instantly.

The items that can be stacked on the Snow Base are: Christmas Crystal Ball, Snow Magician, Snow Tree Arch and Festive Angel all in special sales and all can be stacked on this base. In Daily Special Deals, you will find materials for sale for the base, if you didn't complete it last year. They cost 70 TC each or yiou can use RC and buy directly from the Base. Other items that can be stacked: Snowman, Snow Globe, Ice Queen, Bunny Snow Girl, Autumn Arch, Balloon Gate, Welcome Sign, Welcome Arch, Christmas Fence, Wind Up Reindeer, Candle Decoration, Tree Reindeer and Small Snowflake Fence. The only new item for sale at present is the Festive Angel.

XMas Tree
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Like the Snow Base, this is a stackable base from last year.  You will find it in the Activity Tokens Shop for 50 Activity Tokens.  Ornaments purchased with Activity Tokens both this year and last year can be stacked on the Tree and you can have two of them if you wish.

The new Ornaments are:

XMas Golden Star: 500 Activity Tokens
Bunch of Presents: 300 Activity Tokens

As there were more Ornaments last year than the total that could be stacked at any point in time, you can use the second Tree for the extra Ornaments.

At present, you can earn the Activity Tokens by filling the highlighted Order on the Daily Order Board.  You can purchase new Orders by refreshing the entire Board.

Farm Beauty Contest
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There is a new Farm Beauty Contest.  Theme items include the Snow Base and its stackable decorations as well as the XMas Tree and its new Ornaments.  I will add a comprehensive list later here.  The Reindeer is an Animal that qualifies for Theme and the Mistletoe Tree is a Tree that is a Theme item.  Some of the Decorations that are Theme items can be purchased in a Buddy Share Box or found on your own Lucky Wheel if you do not have them from an earlier date.

Theme Items:
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Trees:
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Mistletoe Tree
  Available in Market

Animals
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Reindeer
  Available in Market for 6 RC

Decorations
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Snow Flake Deco
  Decorations Reward for current Farm Beauty Contest when you reach 4000 points

Bunch of Presents
  Available in Activity Mystrons Shop; can be stacked on XMas Tree

Christmas Crystal Ball
   Available from past and now in special Sale Offer

Xmas Golden Star
  New in Activity Tokens Shop, stackable on Xmas Tree

Santa's Legs
   From past, randomly found in Mystrons Shop

Christmas Sled
  From past

Christmas BAckdrop
  Not yet available

Wind Up Reindeer
  Not yet available

Xmas Snowman
  From last year, Activity Tokens Shop

Festive Angel
  Available as special offer

Christmas Cake
  Available in Market for 12,000 Coins

Gingerbread Man
  Available on Lucky Wheel or Buddy Share Box or Mystrons Shop randomly

Snow Tree Arch
  From past and available now in Special Offers

Christmas Tree
  Available in Market for 10,000 Coins

Snow Magician
  From past and in special offer currently

Bunny Snow Girl
  From past

Snow Base
  From past and can be purchased incomplete now in Market

XMas Tree
  From past and now available again in Activity Tokens Shop

Christmas Candle
  Available in Market for 5 RC

Candle Decoration
  From past and now in Lucky Wheel and Buddy Share Box

Gluhwein Cup
  From past and now in Lucky Wheel and Buddy Share Box

Gingerbread House
  From past and now in Lucky Wheel and Buddy Share Box

Mini Christmas Tree
  In Market in Decorations section for 3 RC

Xmas Stocking
  From last year, Activity Tokens Shop

Tree Reindeer
  From past

Xmas Shooting Star
  From last year, Activity Tokens Shop

Xmas Gingermen
  From last year, Activity Tokens Shop

Christmas Wreath Fence
  Last year Calendar Reward

Singing Elves
  From past, or now randomly in Yellow Mystrons Shop or Lucky Wheel or Buddy Share Box

Christmas Train
  From past

Boosting Votes in the Farm Beauty Contest

I suppose the first question is: why on earth should I participate in the Farm Beauty Contest if I am at a fairly low level and cannot hope to compete with the 'power farmers'?  Well, if you have reached Level 16 to unlock the Farm Beauty Contest, you really ought to participate because in doing so, you will earn valuable Farm Aids and Farm Aids are useful to every one.  You need to register in order to Vote and if you Vote daily, you can earn a Gold Treasure Chest filled with Farm Aids.  There is a little logistic problem here in that, after voting, you need to return to the Vote screen to claim your Treasure Chest Reward.  Do so, though, because it is worth the effort.

Vote for Harvest Moon or Rosewood Farm by all means if you feel inclined to do so, but the most important aspect of this, for YOU, is to Vote.  Should you try to earn Votes as well?  Again, you can earn Farm Aids another other Rewards with every 200 Votes you receive.  A low level Farmer may not be able to obtain 200 Votes every day, but it is cumulative.  It is here that the following information may help a farmer whose level is not very high.

About a week ago, I asked for volunteers for a project that would help us discover how we could increase our Vote totals in the Farm Beauty Contests.  I would like to thank all the volunteers from my Facebook Family Farm Seaside Freyashawk Group who performed the tedious tasks of logging their changes and resulting votes day after day.  Now finally, I think I have some idea of how this works.

First of all, the idea that every change will be worth 1 Point is misleading.  Felicia and
Darryl have a total of 80 potential Votes and Dad and Grandma have a total of 72  potential Votes, and these are divided between four different categories as follows:

Felicia:
Charm Points
Theme Items
Animals
Expansions

Dad:
High Level
Expansions
Machines
Theme Items

Darryl:
Charm Points
Theme Items
Large variety of Crops (used to be Trees)
Gallery Registration

Grandma:
High Level
Charm Points
Trees
Gallery Registration

We wondered initially why one Farmer's Vote total with Felicia would improve when additional Animals were placed on the farm and why another Farmer's Votes from Felicia showed no change.

Although three of the Characters give Votes for 'Theme related Decoration' and the description in the Menu states for each that: 'Felicia, Dad and Darryl will give you 1 more votes every day', this is NOT the case at all.  Whether or not you receive a Vote when you place another Theme-related Decoration is based on the number of Votes the Character has given for EXISTING Theme Decorations.  With a total of 80 potential Votes, the maximum number for Theme-related Decorations from Felicia and Darryl would be 20 each.  For Dad with only a total of 72, probably 18 maximum.  Thus, once you have received the maximum for the existing Theme Decorations on your Farm, placement of additional Theme Decorations will not change the Vote.  It is the same where Charm is concerned.  A point was reached on Harvest Moon Farm where even another purchase and subsequent placement of a high Charm valued Theme-related Decoration changed NOTHING in terms of Character Votes.  It raised total Charm Points on the Farm but that was all.

This is the only explanation that makes any sense frankly and would explain why a fairly high level Farm like Harvest Moon would show no change in Vote totals after placing three more Theme decorations but a low level farm's Votes would be boosted by the addition of even 1 more Theme Decoration.

The same would hold true for additional Trees placed or additional Machines.  Grandma likes Trees but once you receive her maximum of 20 Votes for the Trees on your Farm, any additional Trees will not change her Vote total.

Note that the Farm Beauty Contest has a number of different components to it.  The first is the Vote total that gives Rewards listed on a chart and include one Decoration and one Avatar Reward as well as RC for the two final Rewards.  These are earned by raising your cumulative Vote total by 200 points.  You really have to earn at least 200 Votes per day to be able to win all possible Rewards on the chart before the Contest expires.  The Rewards grow better progressively.  They all include Purple Mystrons, used to purchase, inter alia, Materials for the Salad Machine when the activity that initially gave the Material has expired.

The second component is related to your Charm Point total.  Unlike the Votes and those Rewards, this part of the Contest deals with your Global rating, comparing you with all other farmers.  It is here that low level Farms really do not stand a chance, nor do MOST Farms in fact.  Harvest Moon, after loading the Farm with Charm Point Decorations, still ranks only 44th globally.  There is no chance whatsoever that she could win a Trophy at the end of the Contest.

Why then do Farmers with Charm totals of less than 1800 load their farms with hundreds of ladders or fireworks?  It is pointless...  I did it myself to some extent, but now intend to curtail that quixotic activity, because my Charm Point totals NEVER will be good enough to rival those of the top ten or even top thirty.

Nearing the end of the 2nd Farm Beauty Contest, it is clear that BALANCE really is the key to obtaining Character Votes.  In other words, cluttering every plot on your Farm with Firecrackers or even Balloon Doors (Theme-related in this one) is counterproductive after a point.  You would do better to have a balance between Crops, Trees, Animals, Machines and Decorations as well as the greatest number of Expansions and Gallery Registrations.  BALANCE.

It is here that Harvest Moon Farm never will reach the maximum of 80, 72, 80, 72 Votes with the four Characters because I am too attached sentimentally to the Iris Crop that no longer is available in the Market.  As long as many plots on my Farm are occupied by the Iris flowers, I cannot raise my Votes with these Characters much.  I could remove some Decorations and replace them with Animals or Machines and that might gain me a couple of Votes with Felicia and Dad respectively but at this point, I am too weary of it all.  With all the Charm points I could cram onto Harvest Moon, I never reach a global rating that would give me any Trophy, even the lowest grade.  Thanks, however, to the Votes of other Farmers, I hope to receive all the Rewards this time, including the Avatar of the Ferris Wheel.  Even Rosewood, thanks to Farmer support, may obtain the Whale Decoration.

I embarked upon the research project mainly in order to try to help low level farmers.  Having created a new farm on a friend's Kindle device recently in order to ascertain how the game had changed since I first wrote my Missions Guide and how difficult it would be to make progress without investing in substantial amounts of RC, I began to wonder how low level Farmers best could succeed in the monthly Farm Beauty Contests.

My suggestions now are as follows:

First of all, your Votes with the four Characters are based on your CURRENT Farm photo.  Whenever you make any improvements, make certain that you take a NEW photo before evening when the Votes are counted, so that the Characters' Votes will reflect your Changes.

Second, remember that each aspect of farming that a Character likes has a maximum value of 20 Votes.  Log your own changes to see when you have gained the maximum in each situation.  In other words, add Animals for Felicia until her Vote no longer changes when you add one more Animal.  Add Machines until Dad's Vote no longer changes when you add another Machine.  Add Trees until Gransma's Vote remains unchanged and add a variety of Crops for Darryl until his Vote fails to change with the planting of a new Crop.

Other aspects of the game that will increase points are Expansions and Gallery Registration.  Register as many Items as possible BEFORE you take your daily Photograph.   Two Characters like Gallery Registration although it is possible that Grandma's rules for giving Points for this are different from Darryl's rules.

Three out of four Characters do give Votes for Charm Points but remember that in each case, the maximum number of Votes you can gain from any of these Characters for Charm is 20.  This is quite separate from the global rating that has no limit, by the way, but know that, once the Votes of Felicia, Darryl and Grandma no longer increase with the placement of a new Decoration, it means that you have reached 20 with them.

Obviously, the goal is to rate 80/80 Votes for each Character, although I suspect that is difficult indeed.  I certainly could not manage it myself.  As previously stated though, you need only 200 Votes per day really to be able to collect all the Rewards before the current Contest ends.

The Votes of other Farmers can help you reach this goal.  I certainly am extremely grateful to all the Farmers who have cast their Votes for Harvest Moon and Rosewood Farms.  Thanks to them, I may have a chance this time round!  Rosewood was unable to win the Backpack in the first Contest and both Rosewood and Harvest Moon failed to win the avatar and RC that were the final Rewards on the board.

For low level farms, then, your best option is to plant as many different Crops as possible, add as many Animals, Machines and Trees as possible, expand your Farm as many times as you can and register as many items as you can.  Actually, for all of us, the main goal is to make certain that we receive at least 200 Votes per day.



MYSTERY SHOP AND FARM BEAUTY CONTEST
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This is really a note for low level farmers or fairly new farmers.  Do not underestimate the value of the Mystery Shop and the effects of your daily Votes in the Farm Beauty Contest.  Your Votes will give YOU a Treasure Chest filled with Farm Aids, including Purple Mystrons.   The Purple Mystrons have a new department in the Mystery Shop where you can purchase Salad Machine materials when the activity that gave them has expired.

The Yellow Mystron Department is invaluable to farmers who have missed many of the time-restricted Quests of the past.  Here you can purchase some of the special Decorations that were given as Rewards in these old Missions.  Some of them actually are cleanable Decorations, but they ALL have Charm Point values.

Blue Mystrons are given only when a Farmer has completed the entire Reward Path on the Daily Order Board.  Each Order then will yield a single Blue Mystron.  The Blue Mystron Shop has the final Decorations for many of the time-restricted Missions from the past.  It takes forever to earn sufficient to buy one Decoration but at least you have hope that one day you will have a special Decoration you missed initially.

Finally, the Coin Mystery Shop sells EVERYTHING, from Farm Aids, to Avatars, to Crops you may not have been able to unlock yet.  It does not sell  Machines or Animals or Trees but those can be found in the Green Mystron Shop. 

FARM BEAUTY CONTEST TROPHIES
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Your total number of Charm Points is not really going to determine the number of Votes you receive from the Characters once you reach their ceiling of 20 each for Charm.   All it does is place you 'globally' and it is so unlikely that most of us ever will make it into a place that will gain us a Trophy that it probably is a crying shame to ruin our Farms by cramming them full of unnecessary and sometimes unattractive duplicate Decorations.  For example, with over 1600 Charm Points, Harvest Moon Farm is only 49th globally... what chance there???

What an ordinary Farmer should do with respect to the Farm Beauty Contest is to try to earn as many of the Rewards as possible without fretting over it too much.  My second Farm, Rosewood, failed even to gain sufficient Votes for the Backpack in the first Contest but having created the Farm only a year ago, never will have 100% completion in terms of Gallery Registration so what difference can it make really?

If Development does not consider the suggestions of players to remove the various Trophies from the Gallery, even Harvest Moon will have lost the potential for 100% completion and, in practical terms, that is poor marketing on the part of FunPlus because one of the reasons many of us BUY every new Decoration released is to try to keep 100% completion a possibility.  With no hope of gaining 1st Place ever in a Beauty Contest, or even 2nd or 3rd, might as well stop buying Decorations we don't particularly like or want!  I hope they will remove those Trophies from the Gallery.  After all, there are other items, such as the Special Sheep you are given when you have registered all four of the Sheep from the Daily Orders Board Rewards, that do not appear in the Gallery.

The main reason I began my little research project was for the low level or new farmers  They will not receive that many points for Expansions, High Level or Decorations but if they know how much each Animal, Tree and Machine will count, they can raise their points each day with those.   I started a new farm recently on a friend's Kindle to see how hard it would be, and it can be frustrating and difficult... time-restricted Missions only are unlocked at specific levels and it is hard to complete Activities.  If they do not feel that the Farm Beauty Contest is hopeless, it will make the game more fun while they attempt to raise their Levels and unlock new options.  By the way, the Contest is only unlocked at Level 16.

Actual Examples:
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One Farmer wrote:
 1 test starting numbers: 66/80. 62/72, 66/80, 56/72 - day 2 numbers the same after adding 1 tree but not changing snapshot - day 3: 67/80(1 tree), 63/72(1 machine, 1 beehive), 55/80, 56/72. and I changed the snapshot. So I'm guessing beehives don't count but why oh why did I lose 11 points for my crops? Now that's a lot and I know they were all planted.

Interpretation:  Day 1 and Day 2 are the same because she did not submit a new photo.  On Day 3, she received 1 additional Vote from Felicia for the Beehive.  She received an additional Vote from Dad for the new machine.  She probably had the maximum of 20 Votes for Trees from Grandma before she added a new one, so that did not change.  As for the Crops, it is a 'variety' that increased Darryl's Votes... Day 3 Crops may have had less types than Day 1, thus losing her some Votes with Darryl.

Harvest Moon added new Theme-related Decorations and other Decorations with better Charm Points, boosting her Charm point total by over 30 points but, even after taking a new photo, all four Characters gave the SAME Votes!   She planted a greater variety of Crops as well.  To me, this means that she has reached the 'ceiling' of 20 Votes for Charm and for Theme-related Decorations.  The reason she does not have full 80 Points with Felicia is few Animals now on Farm and with Dad because of few Machines being placed.  Grandma's Votes remain a mystery.  HM has registered ALL possible Gallery items apart from Flamingo and new Trophies and has ALL Trees on Farm.  But Votes remain low at 55/72.  The only possible reason would be her Level which is neither high nor low at 83.

Low Level FArms who planted a wide variety of Crops substantially increased their Votes with Darryl and new Machines, Animals and Trees counted as well... because they had few on the Farm previously.


Preparing for the Next Farm Beauty Contest
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As the current Farm Beauty Contest is set to end in less than two days, it is rather pointless for Farmers who have not close to a significant Reward such as the Whale Spring Rider Decoration to scramble to attempt to achieve the impossible.  A balance bctween Crops, Animals, Trees, Machines and Decorations is the key to obtaining Votes from the four Main Characters.   Theme related Decorations as well as Charm Points count as well but you need to divide the potential total of Votes for each category that appeals to any Character by four, as previously stated.  In other words, I doubt that Charm Points can give more than 20 Votes from a Character who likes them.

Instead of loading your Farm with duplicate inexpensive Decorations such as Laadders or relying now upon a few more Votes from fellow farmers, it would be a good idea to organise your farm for the next Contest.  You can do this by achieving a balance between the different items that can be placed.  Use the final day or two to see how substitution of one type of item by another affects the Votes of the four Characters.

Your Charm total determines your Global rating but frankly, it is almost impossible for an ordinary farmer to boost Charm to the point of winning a Trophy.  Harvest Moon Farm at best has found itself on occasion at 35 globally.  The reward for this, should it remain between 100 and 11, is one of the dull lowest Treasure Chests.  One has to be at a rating better than 11 to receive a Silver Chest.  At 35, what was the point of ruining the real Charm of my Farm?

Rosewood is at 7718 Rank globally.  Quite hopeless!  In other words, don't bother with this unless you are in the top ten!

It is the Votes you receive from the four Characters that are more valuable really than Global Rating.You can obtain various farm aids as well as Purple Mystrons both by achieving totals and by voting.  in fact, it is the act of Voting that gives you the best rewards throughout the course of the contest, as I have explained earlier.  Work on balancing the items on your Farm and simply try to improve totals by a few Votes for each Character if you can.

New Farm Beauty Contest

With the last big update in Family Farm Seaside came the release of a new option that changes the rules in terms of how you choose to decorate your own Farm, if you choose to avail yourself of this new option.

The Farm Beauty Contest is a new icon in your Menu as well as appearing on your screen near the top whenever you obtain points from Neighbours or have points to give to your Neighbours.  You are given 3 points per day to 'vote' for Neighbours' farms.  Doing so will give you some Rewards, by the way, in the form of a gold Treasure Chest that contains random Farm Aids.

There are two different window in the Menu when you open it.  The first is 'My snapshot' which deals with your Farm, your Charm total and so on and the other is 'Vote for others' which is where you can visit other Farms to use your three Votes.

When you tap on 'My Snapshot', you will have a number of possible choices.  The first is to take a photograph of your Farm for viewing by Neighbours.  The next is to collect your Votes by tapping on the various icons at the bottom of the window.  Tap on the Neighbours' votes first and then move on to collect points from Felicia, Dad, Darryl and Grandma. 

Tap on Rewards to collect any current Rewards.  Until the current Contest, Grilling and Chilling' ends, the only Rewards to collect are those that are given for specific Ballot totals.  Claim them when you can for Coins and 5 Purple Mystrons.  As you advance up the Reward page, you will find Farm Aids are added to the Rewards that you collect and, ultimately, two special Bobo items and RC.

The Beauty Contest is based fundamentally on your Charm total, although the four main Characters have their own reasons for giving you their Ballots, including size of farm, number of Trees or Animals on the farm and so on.  The specific theme that is current will give you Ballots with them as well.  At present, it is 'Chilling and Grilling'.  Having the specific items that are designated as part of the current theme will give you advantages.

Charm total is based on Decorations that are currently placed ON your original Seaside Farm.  For those of us who had attempted to clear our farms of clutter, this new development has reversed the trend completely.  Now the goal is to place as many Decorations as possible on your Farm, whether or not those Decorations are cleanable.  Each Decoration now has a specific Charm rating.  Your total Charm will be displayed at the top left of the screen in a box with a red clover icon.

The Votest that you receive from your Neighbours have nothing to do with your Charm total, by the way and may or may not have anything to do with your photograph.  Your Neighbours have the option to choose how to disperse their 3 Votes as follows: 'Random pick', 'Great farmers', My Neighbours'.  It is the last of the three that will allow you to choose specific Neighbours.   If you have many personal friends who play the game, you are more likely to receive Votes from the 'My Neighbours' category.

Voting is a little more labour-intensive, I think, than it should be.  It requires a specific trip to the Farm in question to deliver the Vote rather than being available whenever you visit a Neighbour's farm for cleaning and collecting XP and Cooking Bags.  Perhaps this will change in future.  After all, the Farm Beauty Contest is new.

It can be fun to see how many Votes you have earned during the course of a day but I have a feeling that ordinary Farmers like myself never will obtain First Prize...  I never have gained a top position in the Global Events in the original Family Farm for the computer either.  In this context, there are a number of new items in the Gallery consisting of various Bauty Contest trophies.

For those of us who upgraded our Warehouses again and again in order to be able to store unwanted or unliked Decorations, now all those Decorations must be found a place on the Farm again.   I am certain I am not the only Farmer who sold an unliked Decoration once it had been registred in the Gallery, thinking I would have no further need for it.  Well, now that Grandma's Bike, which I sold TWICE (sold the first and then bought another with Yellow Mystrons in order to register it when the Gallery option was released), is part of the 'Chilling and Grilling' theme and I must decide whether or not to use my precious Yellow Mystrons to purchase a third one!

There was a time when I tried to make certain that my Farm had clearly visible Decorations that give out the valuable Blue Cleaning Boxes.  Now, that is impossible if one wishes to compete in the Beauty Contest.  Once again, Cleaning Brush icons are cluttered everywhere, and sometimes the one associated with the Blue Box is obscured by ones for lesser rewards...  What can one do???

The fact os the matter is that almost all colours of Cleaning Boxes are worth something, even if only in the form of completing an Achievement for collecting a specific total.  The Blue Boxes and the Golden Boxes contain the best Farm Aids but it one visits all Neighbours regularly, one should be able to receive a goodly number even if one cannot target the best Decorations now.

It will be interesting to see how many Farmers participate in this new Beauty Contest option.  Most appear to be participating now in the Cooking Contests.  After all, the 'Final Reward' always is a Decoraiton that yields a Blue Gift Box when cleaned.  Many of these are animated as well.  The only problem now will be to find an empty spot where the Decoration can be placed.

With all Decoraitons now having a Charm point rating, tye ability to purchase special Decorations using Yellow or Blue Mystrons becomes even more attractive as an option.  Originally, apart from any personal aesthetic preference for a Decoration, the only Decorations that actually had an effect when placed were the Cleanable ones.  Now they ALL have a Charm rating.  Primarily that Charm total depends on the size of the Decoration, the number of plots it occupies on your Farm in other words.

They really need to give us another Farm Expansion...

You can purchase Decorations no longer available in the regular Decorations section of the Market using Yellow Mystrons or Blue Mystrons.  Yellow Mystrons are given for completing the Weekly Activity, randomly in the Gold Treasure Chests and sometimes for cleaning special Decorations sold in sales for a sepcific number of days.  At this point in time, there is a Boy Grass Hair Deer for sale that will give 10 Yellow Mystrons for 5 days when cleaned.  After that, it simply gives Purple Cleaning Gift Boxes.  The Weekly Activity gives a Reward of 10 Yellow Mystrons when completed.  1 Yellow Mystron sometimes is to be found in the Gold Treasure Chests at the end of the Daily Quest path.

Blue Mystrons can be obtained only when you have completed all other Rewards on the Daily Order Board 'path'.  Once you have received the Gasoline Sheep, you can begin to earn Blue Mystrons for each Order completed.  You need 300 Blue Mystrons to purchase any Decoraiton in the Mystery Shop.  These tend to consist of the Final Rewards for special time-restricted Missions in the past.

In the Yellow Mystron Mystery Shop department, you need 100 Yellow Mystrons to purchase any Decoration.  Some will be cleanable and others will not but they all now have Charm totals.