22 May 2020

Secrets of Gemini Activity Stage Activity

There are mini-quests that can be completed in any order to complete the constellation.  You can activate one wand per day or pay 2 RC to activate additional wands.

Here are the little task Groups.  You have two hours to complete any activated mini-quest, so it may be helpful to have a preview of the Crops and Batch Production items needed so you can prepare in advance before you receive the new Wand at reset.

When the entire Constellation is complete, you can tap on the final Reward to claim it.  It is a Gemini Decoration for Seaside that is both cleanable and stackable.  It gives a Purple Gift Box when cleaned.

Secrets of Gemini 1
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Harvest 20 Dandelions
  Skip for 10 RC

Produce 20 Dandelion Bouquets
  Skip for 10 RC

Prepare 8 cups of Dandelion Honey Tea
  Skip for 8 RC

Reward: 1500 Coins, 150 XP

Secrets of Gemini 2
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Harvest 20 Daisies
  SKip for 10 RC

Produce 20 Ostrich Feathers
  Skip for 10 RC

Craft 3 White Cord Necklaces in the Beauty Shop
  Skip for 3 RC

Reward: 1500 Coins, 150 XP

Secrets of Gemini 3
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Harvest 8 Lychees
  Skip for 8 RC

Produce 20 Lychee Candies
  Skip for 10 RC

Prepare 8 Yule Logs
  SKip for 8 RC

Reward: 1500 Coins, 150 XP

Secrets of Gemini 4
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Use Squid Hook to fish 3 Times
  SKip for 3 RC

Produce 6 Smoked Yellow Croakers
  Skip for 5 RC

Process 3 Scallops in the Seafood House
  Skip for 3 RC

Reward: 1500 Coins, 150 XP


Secrets of Gemini 5
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Harvest 20 Lavender
  Skip for 10 RC

Harvest 8 Coconuts
  Skip for 8 RC

Prepare 8 Lavender Cupcakes
  Skip for 8 RC

Reward: 1500 Coins, 150 XP


Secrets of Gemini 6
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Harvest 20 Cucumbers
  Skip for 10 RC

Produce 20 Buffalo Milk Cheese
  Skip for 10 RC

Prepare 8 plates of Lavender Cheese
  Skip for 8 RC

Reward: 1500 Coins, 150 XP

Secrets of Gemini 7
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Harvest 20 Pineapples
  Skip for 10 RC

Produce 20 jars of Pineapple Jam
  SKip for 10 RC

Harvest 8 Mangosteens
  SKip for 8 RC

Reward: 1500 Coins, 150 XP

15 May 2020

Rainy Day Quest and Colourful Umbrellas Collection Mission




(Beautiful parasols... actually not that good for.a Rainy Day as often made from paper, but exceedingly lovely)

A new 11 Day Quest has been released in tandem with a Collection Mission,  The reward for the Collection Mission is a Blackthorn Bush, a premium Tree essentially.

70 Yellow Umbrellas from Rice
50 Blue Umbrellas from Oat Flour
30 Red from Fox Balloons Balloon Machine
10 Green Umbrellas from Peach Tree*

Note that collections from non-premium Trees, like the Peach Tree (purchased for Coins) usually require far more harvests.

*Rate of Collection from Peach Tree was about 1 in 5 for me.

The Balloon Machine is a fairly new Machine that costs 20 RC.  This is going to be a difficult decision for players who do have not earned sufficient RC or are not able to purchase RC. do not know if the Balloon Machine has appeared (randomly) in the Green Mystrons shop or not.

Incidentally, Fox Balloons are made from Pitaya and Balloon Plants.  

I suggest that players turn off their automatic switch for their Pets, until they have completed the task.  Do not cast a Net either if you wish to complete this Quest quickly, as fishing with a hook is required.  Tending of flowers in the Botanical Garden is required as well as one of the very last tasks.

You will need the Pilaf Stove House Recipe as well.

Pilaf Recipe:
   Ingredients: 2 Beef, 2 Carrots, 1 Wheat, 1 Garlic, 1 Red Bell Pepper, 6 Power
   Place all ingredients and set timer for 27 seconds.  Tap 'Finish' after Bronze Star activates.

Other Strategy Tips
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Do not despair if you are a low level player and cannot complete this Quest with its very extensive Crop requirements.  I suspect that the Balloon Machine now will appear again and again in Quests, however, so suggest you purchase it if you can.  The developers are making it more difficult even for high level farmers.  Witness the recent Sakura Cow Activity which was brutal!

In any case, if you can, complete the Collection Mission in order to obtain the new premium Tree in the form of the Blackthorn Bush.  Unfortunately, it is this Collection Mission that requires the Balloon Machine, costing 20 RC.  There is a task that requires the Balloon Machine as well,  The tree will become available in the Market once the Quest expires, and the traditional Quest moves to the Lighthouse.  Unfortunately, the Tree will have an RC price as well, so it always is good to complete a Collection Mission that is linked to an 11 day Quest if you can.  The traditional Quest sequence can be completed later from the Lighthouse.  These quests are divided into four parts, each of which has four different task groups.  When you complete any quarter, it will count when you later go to the Lighthouse to continue, but if you do not complete a Quarter, you will be forced to perform all the tasks in that group again.

N.B.  The developers included no dialogue for this Quest.

Note from Freyashawk:  I really appreciate the votes farmers give me in the Farm Beauty Contest as a vote of confidence for this site.  I have been maintaining this site for seven years now basically, logging every Quest and new options.  It is a big job, and it has become increasingly difficult for me.  When farmers make the effort to send their votes to HM. Freyashawk in the Farm Beauty Contests, it really does inspire me to continue to update the site.  I write posts for each Beauty Contest to help farmers obtain all of the votes they need from their own farms and the four Characters who vote for different categories.  Your votes to my farm are for RANK, not to achieve the little decoration and the small amount of RC that is given for reaching 6000 votes.  Without neighbour votes, I never could place in the top ten.  I therefore send my heartfelt thanks to every farmer who understands this and votes for HM. Freyashawk.

Secondly, there are a large number of Facebook groups for this game.  I am happy for any of them to post links to my site or at least credit Freyashawk with any information they copy and use.  I work very hard to maintain the site, and credit should be given where credit is due.

Crop List
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40 Carrots
40 Oat
40 Red Bell Peppers
40 Corn
40 Pitaya
40 Wheat
50 Balloon Plants
50 Potatoes
50 Dandelions
50 Spinach
60 Rye
60 Mustard
60 Watermelons

Batch Production List
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40 Beef
8 Apple Juice
40 Eggs
40 Wheat Flour
50 Sugar
50 Wheat Bread
60 Rye Flour
60 Mustard Sauce
20 Chestnut Flour. (Island)
60 Watermelon Balloons
60 Dried Cranberries (Island)
20 Cranberry Bread (Island)
8 Lychee Candy

Collectable Collections
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15 Kale

Special Tasks
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Dig 8 Chests on Paths
Fish with Dolphin Hook 10 times
Cook 3 Pilafs in the Stove House
Tend Flowers in Botanical Garden 15 times

Rainy Day Quest
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Rainy Day 1
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Harvest 40 Carrots
  Skip for 10 RC

Produce 40 Beef
  Skip for 10 RC

Harvest 8 Apples
  Skip for 8 RC

Reward: 2500 Coins, 160 XP

Rainy Day 2
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Harvest 40 Oats
  Skip for 10 RC

Collect 20 jars of Honey
  Skip for 10 RC

Produce 8 glasses of Apple Juice
  Skip for 8 RC

Reward: 2500 Coins, 160 XP

Rainy Day 3
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Harvest 40 Red Bell Peppers
  Skip for 10 RC

Harvest 40 Corn
  Skip for 10 RC

Collect 40 Eggs
  Skip for 10 RC

Reward: 2500 Coins, 170 XP

Rainy Day 4
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Harvest 40 Pitaya
  Skip for 10 RC

Harvest 40 Wheat
  Skip for 10 RC

Produce 40 sacks of Wheat Flour
  Skip for 10 RC

Reward: 2500 Coins, 170 XP

Special Reward: Mission Gift Box

Rainy Day 5
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Harvest 50 Balloon Plants
  Skip for 12 RC

Produce 50 bags of Sugar
  Skip for 12 RC

Prepare 8 jars of Peach Confiture
  Skip for 8 RC
  Each requires 2 Peach and 1 Sugar


Reward: 2500 Coins 180 XP

Rainy Day 6
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Harvest 50 Potatoes
  Skip for 12 RC

Produce 50 Wheat Bread
  Skip for 12 RC

Prepare 8 Honey Cake
  Skip for 8 RC
  Each requires 1 Wheat Bread and 1 Honey

Reward: 2500 Coins, 180 XP

Rainy Day 7
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Collect 50 Dandelions
  Skip for 12 RC
  (Actually should be Harvest, as they are Crops)

Collect 15 Kale
  Skip for 15 RC
  This is a Collectable, and you can perform this task even if the item is in storage.  Use 59 OP to speed production, but results always will be random.  One harvest can give you 1 Kale or 4 Kale!

Prepare 8 Dandelion Honey Tea
  Skip for 8 RC
  Each requires 1 Dandelion and 1 Honey

Reward: 2500 Coins, 190 XP

Rainy Day 8
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Harvest 50 Spinach
  Skip for 12 RC

Place Blackthorn Bush on your Farm
  Reward from Collection Mission
  Skip for ?  (Usually cost is 10 RC to skip, but mine was placed, so cannot see that)

Prepare 8 Blackthorn Jelly
  Skip for 8 RC
  This is a new Recipe
  Each requires 1 Blackthorn Berry and 1 Sugar

Reward: 2500 Coins, 190 XP

Special Reward:  Unicorn Pet House Ears

Rainy Day 9
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Harvest 60 Rye
  Skip for 15 RC

Produce 60 sacks of Rye Flour
  Skip for 15 RC

Dig 8 Chests on the Path
  Skip for 8 RC
  (If you turned off the automatic digging in your Settings, turn it on again now, but remember to collect any open Chests or you will not move forward!)

Reward: 2500 Coins, 200 XP

Rainy Day 10
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Harvest 60 Mustard
  Skip for 15 RC

Produce 60 Bottles of Mustard Sauce
  Skip for 15 RC

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

Reward: 2500 Coins, 200 XP

Rainy Day 11
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Harvest 20 Chestnuts
  Skip for 15 RC
  This is an Island 'Fruit' Tree, so you can use Watering Cans to speed harvests

Produce 20 bags of Chestnut Flour
  Skip for 15 RC
  This is an Island Machine

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

Reward: 2500 Coins, 210 XP

Rainy Day 12
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Harvest 16 Oak Wood
  Skip for 3 RC
  This is an Island 'Wood' Tree, which means that you cannot use Watering Cans to speed harvests, but you either can use Weather Aids like Rain or you can use the Electric Saw to obtain 2 pieces of Oak Wood for each Harvest

Harvest 8 Tangerines
  Skip for 8 RC

Prepare 8 Tangerine Pies
  Skip for 8 RC
  Each requires 1 Tangerine and 1 Soft Dough

Reward: 2500 Coins, 210 XP

Special Reward: Island Mission Gift Box

Rainy Day 13
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Harvest 60 Watermelons
  Skip for 15 RC

Collect 60 Watermelon Balloons
  Skip for 15 RC

Fish with the Dolphin Style Hook 10 times
  Skip for 10 RC
  Note that you still can 'Miss' three casts to be able to use your default 7 casts for this task without spending anything apart from bait.

Reward: 2500 Coins, 220 XP

Rainy Day 14
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Produce 60 Dried Cranberries
  Skip for 15 RC
  This is an Island Task

Produce 20 loaves of Cranberry Bread
  Skip for 10 RC
  This is an Island task

Prepare 8 Kale Detox Smoothies
  Skip for 8 RC
  Each requires 2 Apple Juice and 1 Kale

Reward: 2500 Coins, 220 XP

Rainy Day 15
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Harvest 8 Lychees
  Skip for 8 RC

Produce 8 pieces of Lychee Candy
  Skip for 8 RC

Prepare 8 Mustard Potato Salad
  Skip for 8 RC
  Each requires 1 Mustard Sauce and 1 Potato

Reward: 2500 Coins, 230 XP

Rainy Day 16
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Cook 3 Pilafs in the Stove House
  Skip for 15 RC

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

Prepare 8 Blackthorn Cakes
  Skip for 8 RC
  Each requires 1 Blackthorn Jelly and 1 Honey Cake
  This is a new Recipe as well.

Reward: 2500 Coins, 230 XP


Special Final Reward: Puddle Fun Decoration for Seaside

The Collection Set consists of the Balloon Machine, the Blackthorn Bush and the Puddle Fun Decoration.  Register all three before the timer expires to receive a bonus decoration in the form of a Gallery Book Friendship Flower as well as the usual rewards of 88 Green Mystrons and 1 RC.

08 May 2020

Story of Rapunzel Farm Beauty Contest, Thorns Base, Balloon Bake Collection

Note:  The post for the Mother's Day Road Trip Quest is below this one.

The current Farm Beauty Contest is 'Story of Rapunzel' and the new Theme Items are the Thorns Base, and three premium items that can be stacked on it.  The Thorns Base was given in one of Felicia's Messages, and the first material was provided with it.  The other three materials are linked to specific game activities.  The second was found in the Highlighted Order Board.  The third is found in special Thorns Base Cooking Stand Bags.  Remember that the Thorns Base counts up to 9 votes for Theme only when it is completed.  It can boost theme votes considerably but only when completed.

I will add some tips about the Farm Beauty Contest at the end of this post later.  The main tip is to tap on the Red Book icon, then tap on any theme item.  You will see a search tool then that will show you if and where you have the item in question.  If it is in storage, you will be taken to your Barn.  If it is placed on your farm, you will be taken to the area where it is placed.

A new Collection Activity is linked to an item called the Balloon Bike that can be found in Felicia's Message.  Place it, then collect Yellow Activity Balloons randomly from any Crop, Tree, Animal or Machine.  It is completely random, but many players place a large quantity of Beehives, then grow Clover so that they can collect Honey.  This gives a player two different chances for the Balloons, either from the Clover or from the Honey.

Tap on the Balloon Bike, then on 'Improve your Luck' to upgrade the Bike.  You then 'Ask' Neighbours for Funny Frog Balloons at each Level of upgrade, and trade the Balloons you have collected from your Farm for Funny Bear Balloons.  These are the only materials until attempt the final Level 5 Upgrade when you will need to pay 8 RC for a Funny Duck Balloon as well as the 10 Funny Farm Balloons and 5 Funny Bear Balloons.  At Level 5, finally, you will receive 2 Balloons instead of 1 from any Farm Crop, Tree, Machine or Animal but it remains totally random.

Once upgraded, you can trade the Balloons you obtain for three other Rewards in order to unlock the Final Reward.  The Funny Bear Balloons cost 1 Yellow Activity Balloon each but will be sold out when you perform the final upgrade.  The other rewards are:

Flower Chair: 200 Yellow Activity Balloons
Watering Can: 10 Yellow Activity Balloons
Thunderstorm: 50 Yellow Activity Balloons

You must collect one of each to unlock the ability to obtain the Balloon House.  This requires 400 Yellow Activity Balloons.

Although the collection of the Yellow Activity Balloons is random, harvesting from premium Trees and using Batch Production often yields more Balloons than the simple harvest of Crops.  As indicated initially, it is helpful to grow Clover in large quantities if you have a large number of Beehives on the farm for Honey production.  You then have a chance to obtain the Balloons both from the harvest of the Clover and the collection of the Honey from the Beehives.

Neighbour Requests:  Note that there is a limit to the number of requests you can make daily in the Global Chat for materials.  It is better to wait to allow Neighbours to respond with the number of Balloons required for any level of upgrade than to request again BEFORE you collect enough Balloons to upgrade to the next level.  Obviously, if you do not have 300 active neighbours, your progress may be slower and you may have to ask more than once.  You really gain very little by upgrading the Level unless you are willing to pay 8 RC to upgrade to Level 5, thereby obtaining 2 instead of 1 Balloon (randomly) from any Crop, Tree, Animal or Machine.


Farm Beauty Contest
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Introduction

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This post is designed to allow you to gain as many Votes as possible from the four characters by maximising your own Farm to achieve the highest number of Votes in every Category.




The Farm Beauty Contest can be confusing and difficult for new player.  Often, they are unaware of their own ability to increase the Votes from the 4 Characters to the point where they can obtain the Reward Decoration without any votes from their Neighbours.  It requires a little planning.  This post was created to show you how to do precisely that.  Every aspect of the Farm Beauty Contest as well as the rules by which each Category operates is covered here.




Remember ALWAYS that the votes you receive from the Characters are based on your current 'Snapshot'.  If you change your farm to obtain more votes, always take a new photograph or Character votes will not change!  You do not need to take a photograph more than once, however, if you set up your farm for maximum Character votes at the very start.




One more point about the 'Snapshot'.  If you play on more than one device, you may see your Photograph only on the device you were using when you submitted it.  Do not fret about this!  It remains valid for the duration of the Contest, even if you do not see it on your other devices.




The quickest way to maximise theme votes, therefore, especially for a new farmer, is to pay cash for one of the new premium decorations.  They can be expensive, however, and for many farmers, earning the Reward Decoration for 4000 Votes in the Farm Beauty Contest is a long process that requires patience.  Do be aware, however, that the premium Decorations not only count for multiple votes, but give special Rewards often in the form of RC, Yellow or Blue Mystrons as well as giving the best Gift Box both to the host and to the visitor when cleaned.  Sometimes the judicious expenditure of cash in a 'free game' is worthwhile.




For a new farmer, the easiest way, however, to raise your Character vote total probably is by obtaining a couple of farm expansions and by raising your Landscape Point total to at least 2100.  I need to confirm the precise number of points now required to maximise your Landscape Point votes, but it really is worth the effort and you need not spend any premium cash to do this.  There are coin paths that will do the job.  See my section on Landscape Points below.




Knowing where you can capitalise on your own Character Votes is key to success.  For a farmer not to improve his/her farm for the Contest and then beg for votes from Neighbours ultimately is not the best strategy.... why not make the most of your own farm first?  At least then you can guarantee that you win the Reward decoration in EVERY Farm Beauty Contest as Landscape Points remain constant as do Farm Expansions.

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Note from Freyashawk:
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It is becoming increasingly difficult to make the total needed to rank in the top 10.   I appreciate every vote.  Votes at the end of the 'Contest are critical for rank as well.   After three Contests when I lost my rank in the top ten AFTER reset in the very last hours of the Contest, the votes from my neighbours in the most recent Contest allowed me to place 8th.  I am absolutely thrilled by that result.

The farmers who were at the top were from Eastern Europe or a nation from the former Soviet Union.  They have an advantage at the very end, simply because of the difference in time zones.  As I have tried to explain, for 99% of farmers, votes over 6000 simply are wasted, which is why many farmers apply the Contest Avatar reward to their farms to show their neighbours they have reached that total.  For HM. Freyashawk, however, EVERY VOTE COUNTS.  One needs a total of at least 12,000 Votes to rank now.  I always hope that seeing my strategy guide name near the top may help farmers who need help with the game find my site.  I thank you for helping me with this goal.

I created this site 7 years ago shortly after the game first was released.  I maintain and update it with all new Quests and new options, as well as posts like this to help players with every aspect of the game.  I may not be the best farmer in the world, but if this site is useful to you, please vote for HM. Freyashawk in the Farm Beauty Contest.  Your vote for the farm is a vote of confidence for the site.  It is not a matter of personal ego but rather the desire to make players aware of the site.  When HM. Freyashawk places in the top ten in the Farm Beauty Contest, it reminds players that both this site and my Facebook groups for this game exist and, one hopes, can help them with any aspects of the game when needed.  Every vote counts for rank and I appreciate your votes greatly.  I know that it requires an effort on your part to vote for HM. Freyashawk each day.  I only hope that this post helps every farmer attain the total needed for the pretty Reward Decoration.

Heartfelt thanks to every farmer who voted for my farm!

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Note to new Farmers
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I believe that the Farm Beauty Contest still is unlocked at Level 30.  Even at that Level, it IS possible to maximise your Farm to obtain enough votes from the Characters to receive the Decoration Reward for having 4000 Votes.

You must start on the first day, however, with the best possible configuration, if you are at the lower levels and have not played long enough to have acquired many of the Theme items.

Even if you are not that concerned about your own results, you can register and help other farmers with your votes.  Even if you feel you cannot obtain a total of 4000 or 6000 votes, do your best to organise your farm for maximum votes to practice for future Contests.  If you are a low level farmer but are willing to spend a little money, purchase of the new theme decorations should make a big difference in theme totals, which could make all the difference in terms of reaching the goal of 4000 votes by the end of the contest.

COUNT YOUR TOTAL EACH DAY.  Most important are the Character Votes.  If you are reaching a total of 182,  you will obtain the Decoration.  (The required total used to be 200, so now it is easier to reach the necessary total of 4000 before the end of the Contest.)

Tips:  Where Landscape Points are concerned, try to find a Buddy who is at a high level who will send you paths as Gifts.  If you are able and willing to spend RC, the Macaron Path and Pebble Paths can boost Landscape Point totals faster with less effort, but if you can place enough of the other Paths and make certain that your Decorations are within their sphere of influence, you can reach the necessary total for maximum votes in that category.

The theme list is to be found in the little red book in the Farm Beauty Contest Menu.  I will publish a list of all Theme items in my post with details as to where and how they can be obtained.  Some Theme items originally were released as Mission Rewards.  In many cases, these old Missions can be activated from the Lighthouse and you can obtain the Decoration without paying RC for it.  Others can be purchased directly from the Gallery using Blue or Yellow Mystrons.  Try to do it at the start, however whenever possible and make certain that, should you improve your farm's configuration, you take a new screenshot immediately!  You do not have to take more than one screenshot during the course of the contest UNLESS you obtain items that improve the Character vote totals.

Every day counts!  Count the total number of votes you receive from the four Characters at the end of the first day of the Contest and then see how you can improve this number if, multiplied by 20 (days), you do not have 4000 Votes as the projected total.

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OBTAINING THE REWARD DECORATION
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You need a total of 4000 Votes by the end of the Contest to receive the significant reward which is the Decoration.  Almost any farmer should be able to maximise the Votes of the 4 Characters to obtain this even without a single vote from a Neighbour.  You basically need a total of 182 Votes per day, although the Contest is giving an extra voting period and that reduces the total needed per day.  (It used to be 200 votes per day.)

If you care about this, register your farm on the first day with maximum votes from the 4 Characters using the guidelines below.

For the Avatar, you need 273 votes per day, but with the recent changes in Character Votes, it is not impossible by any means to reach these totals from the Character votes alone.  If you are receiving 273 votes per day from the four Characters, you will obtain the Avatar by the end of the Contest.  If you have reached Level 90, you should be able to obtain 273 Votes per day from the Characters alone.  This was the case when 300 votes per day were needed, and 273 is a much lower number.

Note that for almost 99% of farmers, ANY VOTES ABOVE 6000 simply are wasted.  Many farmers therefore announce when they have reached 6000 and urge the friends who vote for them to vote for some one else at the end of the contest.  The only reason to vote for a Farmer who has reached 6000 Votes is to try to help that farmer to RANK in the Contest.  I always ask ONLY for votes for HM. Freyashawk throughout the Contest to try to have that farm rank in the top 10.  The name Freyashawk has been associated with the strategy guides I write for a couple of decades.  It always is my hope that a farmer will see the name in the top 10 and then look for a guide for the game if that farmer needs help with Seaside.

Apart from that, I have been maintaining this guide and site for 7 years now, without any financial benefit.  You may notice that I never allowed Google to place advertisements on my sites.  That means I receive NO benefit from Google.  It does make me feel as though my work is appreciated, however, when farmers take the time and energy to vote for HM. Freyashawk in the Farm Beauty Contests.

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Pet Category
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The total number of Votes that can be given by Grandma for Pets is 12.  Equipment (the collars, scarves and bow ties and so on) that you forge in the Factory each count for 1 Vote.  Apparel counts for the other Votes and it does not matter if it is premium Apparel or Temporary Apparel or even duplicate Apparel.  All will count equally.  A Buddy Pet does NOT count.  That was a glitch.

PETS MUST BE OUTSIDE THE PET HOUSE TO COUNT!

In other words, to gain 12 Votes from Grandma each day for the Pet Category, you need a total of 4 Pets, each wearing a piece of equipment and 2 pieces of apparel.

For players without premium accessories:  First make certain each has equipment.  Go to the Apparel Menu and find the 7 day hats and accessories for each pet that can be purchased for 100 TC each.  Equip four Pets each with a Hat and whatever other accessory that Pet can use and then let them loose outside.  Take your snapshot for the full 12 votes from Grandma!

For players with sufficient Country Club rank to purchase the Exclusive Pet Hat in the Exclusive Shop, this is a permanent Hat that can be worn by ANY Pet of either gender.  It can be very helpful.  As with any item in the Exclusive Shop, you can purchase only one per day.  It does cost 15 RC, but I believe that players who really are concerned about reaching their goals in the Farm Beauty Contest but do not have the necessary Pet Apparel definitely would benefit from this purchase.

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High Level Farms
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This has changed a few times through the years but I only know for certain that Freyashawk at Level 117 received 15/18 votes for 'high level farm' from Dad.  At Level 120, HM. Freyashawk received 16/18 votes from Dad for 'high level farm'.   At Level 133, now receives 17/18 from Dad for 'high level'.  This was NOT the case in the earlier Farm Beauty Contests.  At Level 145, another player received 18/18 but I believe the actual level requirement for maximum votes in this category is lower.

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Basic Rules
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It is your current photograph of your Farm or 'snapshot' that determines the Votes from the 4 Characters in the game every day.  In previous Contests, a Theme decoration often would be counted if it had been placed on the Farm, even if it had not been registered yet.  I believe this still is true, although it is a good idea to register all theme items as quickly as possible as you do receive rewards for registration.

IF YOUR PHOTOGRAPH DISAPPEARS FROM THE CONTEST MENU, DO NOT FEEL YOU MUST REPLACE IT.  THIS IS SOMETHING THAT CAN OCCUR WITH ANY GAME UPDATE AND THEY ARE VERY FREQUENT NOW.  THE PHOTOGRAPH THAT YOU REGISTERED STILL COUNTS AND YOUR NEIGHBOURS CAN SEE IT!   Do not waste time nor energy reorganising your farm to maximise votes if the 'snapshot' that you registered GAVE you maximum votes.  It still exists and is used for vote totals.

Balance and variety always is the key in these contests.  You need a variety of Crops, Animals, Trees, Machines and Theme Decorations on your farm to maximise the votes from the 4 Characters.  If you design your Farm for maximum votes from the 4 Characters, you should not need ANY Votes from your Neighbours to obtain the Theme Decoration Reward that requires a total of 4000 Votes by the end of the Contest.

Duplicates never have counted where Crops, Trees, Animals, Machines and Decorations are concerned.  I doubt that has changed.  The only change really is that duplicates of Pet Equipment and Apparel DO count.

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Crops
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Have at least 16 different Crops on your Farm to obtain maximum Votes from Darryl for 'variety of Crops'.  You may need less but Crops are easy to plant.  They do not have to be mature when you take the photo to count.

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Trees
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Try to have 16 different types of Trees ON YOUR FARM when you take the photograph.  Trees in the Tree Nursery will not be counted.  Again, you may need fewer than 16 types but it does not hurt to be safe to obtain maximum votes from Grandma for 'enough Trees'.  Some farmers recently have been counting the totals and claim that fewer are needed.

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Animals
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Beehives and Butterfly Houses as well as the Bat House are considered Animals so every different TYPE of Beehive or Butterfly House counts but duplicates of any type of Animal do NOT Count. You should not need a total of 16 different types of Animal to obtain maximum votes from Felicia for Animals but again, if you have 16, use them.

I believe that the Elephant may not be counted, but cannot confirm.  I am not certain that the 'special' animals like the Pink Flamingoes and most recent Sakura Cow count either.

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Machines
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In Contests in the past, you only needed a total of 12 different machines to obtain maximum Votes from Dad for Machines but this may have changed.  Players claimed that the Salad Machine gave 2 Votes instead of 1, but never confirmed that.  In any case, duplicates do not count and if you can cram 16 onto your Farm before you take the photo, better to be safe than sorry.

It is possible that upgraders boost votes in the Machine category but cannot confirm this.  Again, better to be safe than sorry.

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Expansion
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Both Felicia and Dad give Votes for 'Big Farms'.  The good news is that you do not need many expansions on your original farm to obtain 16/16 from each of them.  A farmer who does not have even the 23 x 23 Expansion will obtain maximum 16/16 votes in this category!

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Theme
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Only Grandma does not vote for Theme, so you have Theme Votes from three out of four farm characters.  The Theme List always can be found in the little Red Book in the Farm Beauty Contest Menu.  I will include a list below as well with the price of each Decoration if you can purchase it and how to do so in each case.

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Gallery Registration
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Register as many items as possible BEFORE you take your photograph to maximise this Category.

Both Darryl and Grandma give Votes for Gallery... Furthermore, you obtain rewards from the Gallery when you register any item.

Note, however, that Theme items need not be registered to count for Theme votes, but merely placed on the Farm.  Items in the Warehouse will NOT count!  Unfinished bases will not be counted either.

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Landscape
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'Beautiful Paths' is the term for your Landscape Point total.  As three of the four Characters vote for this Category, it is a very good idea to have Paths on your Farm and place as many Decorations as possible within their 'sphere of influence'.  I have covered the details of Paths and Landscaping elsewhere on this site.  The better the Path, the more points you receive when Decorations are placed next to it or near it.  The Macaron Path, Pebble Path and Snow Path each are worth 50 Landscape Points.  The Snow Path no longer is available but the other two can be purchased in the Paths Menu for 1 RC each.  The Wooden Path is worth 35 Landscape Points and costs 50000 Coins.  Next best is the Forest Path worth 25 Landscape Points with a price of 15000 Coins.  If you have Buddies, however, they can send Forest Paths and Stone and Flower Paths to you.  To send, go to the Special Gifts Buddy Menu.  You can send a Stone and Flower Path to a Buddy for 4000 Coins and a Forest Path for 12000 Coins.  You actually can send a Macaron Path to a Buddy for 1 RC.  There are Buddy Level requirements for sending some of the Special Gifts.

Remember that Landscape Point total is the total of the value of ALL the Paths PLUS the Decorations that are close enough to those Paths to boost Points.

In the past, you needed less than 2300 Landscape Points to achieve maximum... not certain what the current requirement is but here are some farmers who have less than that and their results in the current contest:

1059 Landscape Points: 16/24 Votes

1421 Landscape Points: 19/24 Votes

1484 Landscape Points: 20/24 Votes

1720 Landscape Points: 21/24 Votes

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How to Maximise Landscape Points
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First of all, you will not be able to move any Paths or perhaps even set any new Paths now if you have Pets roaming about your Farm.  You must place all of them in the Pet House before you can set new Paths or move existing Paths, including Water Paths as well as those on the land.

Remember that placement of Decorations and Bases is everything.  A Decoration or Base will give additional Landscape Points only if it is placed near a Path that has not used its maximum number of Points yet.  For example, the Macaron Path can give a boost of 50 Landscape Points when Decorations are placed close to it.  Once that amount is reached, however, piling more Decorations or Bases near it counts for nothing.  Use the Move Tool to hover over various spots to see how your Landscape Points will be affected.

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Pet Category
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This is one of the newer Categories and only Grandma votes for it.  To gain 12 Votes from Grandma each day for the Pet Category, you need a total of 4 Pets, each wearing a piece of equipment and 2 pieces of apparel.  A Buddy Pet on your Farm at the time you take your photograph will NOT count.  That was a temporary glitch.

You can purchase apparel for a temporary period in order to take a snapshot that will give you more Votes for this category.  It may be worth the effort.  12 votes per day from Grandma, multiplied by 20 is 240 Votes... I constantly see messages in game chat near the end of the Contest from a player who says he or she is 'short' 200 votes... maximise the Pet Category and you have them.

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High Level Farm
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Only Dad gives votes for a 'high level farm'.  At Level 117, HM. Freyashawk received only 11 Votes for this category in old contests  but at Level 120 with the new values received 16/18, and at Level 133, received 17/18.  At Level 135 and above, 18/18.

Here are some current results:

Level 40: 6/18 Votes

Level 47: 6/18 Votes

Level 48: 7/18 Votes

Level 63: 8/18

Level 76: 10/18 Votes

Level 79: 10/18 Votes

(Thanks to my neighbours who sent this information to me)

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Theme Items
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Recent Contests, including this one, differ from many of the early Contests  in that you can obtain multiple votes from the Characters by having Theme Decorations from the past, rather than being forced to buy the NEW premium Theme decorations to gain a high score from theme.  The values are given at the beginning of this post in the section on Theme.


N.B.  Go directly to the Gallery to see if a Decoration is available for purchase now.  I will add more information later about the Theme items that are available in the Lucky Wheel/Buddy Share Box.  I have listed those that can be found currently in the Wheel but had no luck whatsoever landing on any of them when I spun my Wheel so am collecting prices slowly.

Please be aware that often you can find premium decorations both in a current special sale offer on the top right of your screen AND in one of the Boutique Shops in your Market.  If you see the item in a special sale offer, however, you are best served by purchasing it in that way, as it usually is bundled with other items, including farm aids and/or Stove House Recipes and RC.  These sale offers expire at different times so the items I have listed below may no longer be available in a special sale offer in a day or two.

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Lucky Wheel
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It now is possible to obtain more Tokens for the Lucky Wheel through the rewards given by Darryl and his House on a daily basis.  Most of the Decorations in the Lucky Wheel originally were given as rewards for timed Quests or Calendar Rewards.  If they were given as Quest Rewards,  these Quests often still can be activated from the Lighthouse.

As far as the Wheel is concerned, if you land on the box with the Decoration, you get it free. Otherwise, there is an RC price attached to it.  When you place it in the Share Box, it will have the RC price.

In the current contest, you will find both Decorations from recent timed Quests and a few that originally were Calendar Rewards.  In the theme list above, I have included the price of any Decorations that currently are found in the Lucky Wheel.

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Lucky Wheel or Special Sales?
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If you are low on Theme votes from the Characters, you may have to choose between spending cash and spending RC to increase your Theme items.  RC can be earned in the game, but is often 'bundled' with premium Decorations sold in special sales offers.  You can purchase RC as well separately, and any such purchase will include a Gachapon for your Community.  On the whole, I prefer to choose one of the bundles that contains a new premium Decoration for a new Base, some RC and some Farm Aids.

A point to consider here is the type of gift box your chosen Decoration will give to you when cleaned by a neighbour or buddy.  The new premium Decorations usually give Blue Gift Boxes which are of higher value than the Purple Gift Boxes that are linked to Calendar Reward Decorations as well as Quest Reward Decorations.

I personally feel that the Gold Gift Boxes that are linked to the Cooking Contests are of higher value as well than the Purple Gift Boxes linked to Quest and Calendar Reward Decorations.  The 'silver' or 'white' Gift Box has the lowest value.  When I use the word 'value' here, it refers to the contents of the Gift Box.  Island Blue and Purple Gift Boxes probably are the best of all, as they include items like Electric Saws that are never found in Seaside Gift Boxes.  Thus, if you have the opportunity to purchase a premium Island Gift Box, it will serve you well.  Neighbours who use Batch Cleaning Tickets often have their order of visits set to start with Farms that have Decorations on the Island that give Blue and Purple Island Gift Boxes when cleaned.  Unfortunately, the game is very glitchy where rewards to the host farmer are concerned.  You may or may not receive the benefit from a neighbour's batch cleaning of your farm.  This is a problem we have been trying to address with Support since the batch cleaning option first was introduced.