Harvest Moon ParadiseHappiness is another score you receive at the end of the game, and it has been mentioned throughout this document extensively. The maximum happiness score is 999. In general, happiness reflects Jack's overall well-being and contentedness. It is closely related to his work on the ranch, but it also takes into account the effects of nature, family, and people that don't directly result in money or a tangible reward. Happiness is tracked throughout the game and cannot normally be viewed (although you can see it by using the ending cheat mentioned in the Tips and Tricks section). There are many possible ways to reach a maximum score. The list below shows all the items that affect happiness. I have classified these items into general categories to make it easier to follow. All the values listed below show the effect on happiness EACH TIME the event occurs. For example, if you visit the mountain and catch a fish each day, you will receive 2 points of additional happiness each day.
========================== EVENTS AFFECTING HAPPINESS ========================== NATURE See birds in morning 2 See frog in cut grass 2 Catch fish 2 See squirrel in spring 10 See rabbit in fall 10 See fox in winter 10 FAMILY Receive dog from Ellen 10 Find horse 10 Get married 50 Give wife gift on anniversary 30 Wife leaves you -50 First child is born 50 Second child is born 100 Give any family member cake on first child's birthday 10 Give wife cake on second child's birthday 30 LIVESTOCK Buy chicken 10 Buy cow 20 Sell chicken / give to Hawker -20 Sell cow / give to Hawker -50 Chicken eaten by wild dogs -30 Cow becomes sick -30 Cow dies -100 Incubate chicken egg 5 Baby cow born 70 FESTIVALS Buy rice balls at Harvest Festival 1 Buy dumplings at Harvest Festival 3 Win egg hunt (Turtle Shell) 80 Win egg hunt (Power Berry) 30 Receive cake from a girl at Thanksgiving Festival 10 Receive cake from wife on Thanksgiving Festival 30 OTHER Eat Power Berry 10 First house upgrade 50 Second house upgrade 100 Paint house (each stroke) 10 Read girl's diary -1 SPECIAL EVENTS Gnome upgrades sickle 20 Gnome does not upgrade sickle -10 Give injured gnome mushroom 20 Give injured gnome poison mushroom -20 Give injured gnome anything else 0 Tell truth about axe 20 Lie about axe -30 Let carpenter borrow hammer 20 Do not let borrow hammer -20 Give egg to fortuneteller's granddaughter when she asks 30 Cards drawn at New Year's Festival Excellent luck card 30 Luck card 10 Misfortune card -20 No pick 0 Catch Rabbit in the Mountain "Let it Loose" and pay 50 "Let it Loose" and don't pay 0 "Just Watching" -10
======== STRATEGY ======== If you're looking for an easy way to maximize happiness, look no further than the mountain. Visit the mountain each day during the spring, fall, or winter and you can earn up to 300 happiness per season just from viewing the animals. Of course, since there are holidays and rainy/snowy days where animals cannot be viewed, you should assume the realistic number is more like 220 per season. In addition to the mountain, the second best way to raise happiness is to give your wife gifts on your anniversary. You receive 30 points for each gift you give her on your first or second anniversary. She will give have a special message after receiving a gift on that day, which indicates that you earned the happiness boost. The best way to take advantage of your anniversary is to give her as many eggs from the chicken coop as you can. It is possible to give her 12 eggs in a single day (especially if she hangs out near the barn in the afternoon) for a happiness boost of 360. Nothing else rivals your anniversary for happiness boosting potential, so be sure to remember the date. Based on how you play the game using the events detailed above, you should be able to gauge what else is needed to reach 999 happiness. As a rule of thumb, you do not need to focus on your happiness score until year 2. Focus instead on earning money in the first year and ignore any impact on happiness. It is easy enough to reach 999 happiness before the end of the game even if you begin the second year with 0 points.
