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• General/
• HM: Awl SE/
• Buildings and Expansions

1. House

No more chopping lumber, and free house expansions!  I was so happy 
to discover this bit of the game.  While the expansions can be very 
expensive in this game,  be assured that at the end of the first three 
chapters, you'll get a free new room added to your house.  At the end 
of the first year, you get a kitchen with two bathroom attachments that 
you can enter and use with accompanying sound effects (even though the 
camera doesn't follow you in there).  At the end of year two,  your son 
gets his own room while you and your wife still have to sleep in the 
living room next to the television set.  You and your wife eventually 
will get your own room at the end of Chapter 3.

There are several additions you can buy for your home.  For example,
Van will sell a few records.  You can also buy new rugs for your home.
More about that in the Van section of the guide.

More information about the records you can obtain from various
townsfolk: 

-- According to reader Sam Halsall, you can also get a record 
from Carter:  "In Chapter 4, while Van was in town, I met Carter 
on the beach staring at a log.  He gave me the Summer Memories 
album.  Van will buy it for 405(486)G."

-- According to reader Benjamin Bezanilla, you can get a
record from Sebastian, who is the butler at the Villa.  You
must be his friend, and when you go to his room to speak to 
him, he will lend you a record called "Town Mysteries."
Thanks to Benjamin in Chile for the info!

-- Per Wijanarko Harun, you can get a record from the yeti-like
creature that hangs around around the Spring in wintertime.  You
can give him three flowers and three fish per day in order to raise
his heart level with you.  When you are his friend he will give you
a record called "Lullaby of the Fall."  Also, you can get this
record from him over and over again by talking to him every day, 
and sell the extras to Van for 405G.

--Also per Wijanarko Harun, you can receive a record from Chris
(Hugh's mother) after you befriend her.  That one is called "The
Bride."  Like most of the women in this game, she loves flowers.
I also had good luck giving her milk as a gift.  Lynn also 
emailed me about the Bride record, so thanks to both of you!

--Per Hood, you can get the "Memories 64" record if you have 10
wins against Kassey in the terrority game.

--Also per Hood, can get the "Marine Jazz" record by befriending
Griffin.  He likes fish.  Enter his room around 2-3 PM to receive
the record.


2. Dog House

In this version of Harvest Moon, you are not supposed to take your dog 
inside your house with you.  I learned this the hard way, when I brought 
him inside every night and he ended up being angry with me whenever I 
tried training him.  Some GC game guides note that you are physically 
unable to bring your dog inside the house, but with this PS2 version I 
was able to.  If I tried bringing him into the barn or one of the other 
buildings, he'd bounce out of my arms as I went through the door, but 
he did get into the house with me.  However, apparently you are supposed
to let him use his dog house when the weather gets bad.  Like I said, 
I was bringing him inside at night and when it rained, and for more than 
a season after that, I got the angry "storm cloud" thought bubble above 
his head every time I tried to train him.  Once I started leaving him 
outside all of the time and feeding him once a day, he was fine and his 
heart levels started going up again.  His dog dish is next to his little 
house, and he generally will eat every day around 9 AM or so.  You'll 
see a little heart appear over his head every day when he eats.  You can
feed him any of the foods that you are foraging for, such as Royal Fern 
or mushrooms.  I never wasted any crops on him because they are so 
necessary for cooking, hybridization, and making seeds.


3. Chicken Coop

The white building with blue trim that stands on the other side of the 
first field is your hen house.  You can have up to eight chickens inside.
You'll need to fill the feed box every other day once you have a large 
number of birds.  Feed is $150 each.  You can also have Takakura build 
you a little fenced in area for the birds, but it costs $10,000 and it 
didn't seem cost effective to me, since the birds are plenty happy 
staying inside at all times as long as you cuddle them and pick them up 
every day.  My chickens started giving golden eggs nearly every day 
as soon as they got to ten hearts.  You can make money for feed by 
selling any of the extra male chickens you hatch from fertilized eggs.
Wait until the new male chick is an adult and then sell him for $450.  
They have to make it really sad just to make you feel bad, and show a 
cutscene where Takakura takes the bird and walks off.  But there really 
is no point to keeping more than one male bird.  He doesn't do anything 
but fertilize eggs and eat.


4. The Fields

You start the game with two fields.  The GC guides talk about a third, more
fertile field beyond the locked shed and I don't know if that is available 
right at the beginning of the GC version of the game.  But in the PS2 
version, you don't have the option of using that third field until the 
second year.  At the beginning of the game it's covered in trees and 
brush and you can't even walk up there.  The small field next to your 
house is the least fertile.  Plant trees there.  They grow just fine as 
long as you keep watering them.  You can also fertilize them to help them 
out.  The middle field is on the other side of your chicken coop.  Use 
this one to plant crops until you have access to the third field.  I've 
tried planting in a checkerboard fashion, and also planting in rows with 
one empty row of soil in between each row of crops.  It doesn't seem to 
matter how you plant them as long as they are properly watered.  Make 
sure you water once in the morning, and then when your crops are dried 
out in the afternoon, water them a second time.  This greatly improves 
the time it takes for your crops to grow.  They take almost twice as 
long when you water them only once a day.  At some point in the second 
year, probably after you've added a few expansions to your farm, Takakura 
will mention that he can now clear that third field for you.  This happened
in the Fall of year two for me.  The third field costs $20,000!  That seems 
a little extravagent to just clear some brush.  But the third field is the 
most fertile, so it's worth it.  And by that point you should be making 
cheese and butter, so you'll be able to raise the money okay.


5. The Barn/Pasture

Your barn is the largest building you have.  You have a fenced in pasture
behind it, and a silo of fodder attached to it.  The most awesome aspect
of this game, and the first time this feature appears in a PS2 version of
Harvest Moon, is the automatic bell.  While you're standing outside the
barn (in the pasture), you can push the red button on the wall to ring a
bell that calls all the animals outside to the pasture.  No more pushing
their stubborn behinds out the door!  While you are inside the barn,
push the red button on the wall to call all the animals inside.  I love
this feature so much.  Your cows have two boxes of fodder each, and the
horse has one box.  Feed the animals twice a day (though the horse
tends to only eat once), or they will get angry.  If the weather is nice
and you can leave them outside in the pasture for most of the day,
they will just eat once while they are inside the barn.  Just keep the
fodder bins full whenever you see they are empty.  That's your best
bet.  Fodder is a definite issue during your first year.  The grass
in the pasture doesn't grow until you fertilize it square by square.
Fertilizer can be purchased at Vesta's farm (just push the "right"
directional button while you are in the shop menu and you'll find
fertilizer listed on the last page).  It costs $40 each.  Money is tight
during the first year because you start out with just one cow and
you have to build up her heart level to get the more lucrative milk.
You can easily run out of fodder during that first year when trying
to feed your cow and horse.  I suggest not buying another cow until
you get at least half that pasture fertilized.  You can't cut the grass
for fodder until it gets tall and turns a very dark green.  Also, when
you put the animals out to pasture, they need the tall grass to eat.
If you haven't fertilized at all or if the fertilized grass hasn't had
enough time to grow yet, there is nothing out there for your animals to
eat.  If you put your animals out to graze without fully grown grass in
the pasture, they are not eating outside.  They will still expect to be
fed twice in the barn.  If you send your animals outside and your cow
immediately moos angrily (with a storm cloud above her head), this can
mean one of two things.  Either you've put them out too early and they
were asleep at the time, or your grass is not tall enough and there is
nothing to eat. Always leave a few patches of grass growing after you 
start fertilizing and are able to cut some fodder.  Good fodder costs 
$250 and is very expensive.  You can use it sparingly to help boost your 
cow's health/heart level and get your milk to "S" level, but don't 
expect to buy it to feed your animals on a daily basis.


6. Tool Shed

The tool shed is attached to your barn and can be entered from outside
or through the barn itself.  All of your tools can be stored here,
though I tend to carry everything with me.  You start out with Takakura's
heavy tools and a small watering can.  The heavy tools will tire you out
quickly, so when you get a chance buy the  light hoe and the light sickle.
They are worth the investment and aren't too expensive as tools go.  Also
make sure to buy the fishing pole right away, because it will turn into
a great money-making feature in the future.  The watering can holds 35
waters and is perfectly serviceable.  You don't need to upgrade that one
right away.  When you are able to spare the $750 for the large watering
can, you'll have 140 waters available.  Stand in front of the low shelves
on the left side of the room to access your tools.  On the far right side
of the room, past the door, there is a tall shelf where your seeds are
stored.  You can also store anything else that isn't perishable (no crops
or food).  When you order good fodder or bird food from Takakura, he will
deposit it here on the following day so you have to come in here to grab
it if you want to use it.  When you buy seeds from Vesta, those will go
directly into your rucksack.  Also, when you get the seed maker it will
be located here.


7.    Food Storage Room

Across from the tool shed you'll find the food storage room.  Against
the back wall there is a deep freezer to store your extra perishable
foods--although if you do  that you can get them stolen by Murray, the
homeless guy.  If your dog is at a high heart level he will protect your
items and stop him, but it's just easier to never leave anything in there.
Besides, when your dog catches him you hurt Murray's feelings when you
try to take your stuff back because he doesn't understand that it
actually belongs to you.  He thinks it's a magical box of free stuff.
Dairy items and crops do not go bad, no matter how long you keep them
in your rucksack.  And your rucksack is huge in this game.  It will be
difficult to actually fill it up even when you carry all of your tools,
seeds, crops, archeological items, foraged foods, etc.  You can also
deposit your dairy and crop items here to be sold.  Dairy items go in the
small refrigerator in the middle, crops and seeds go in the wicker basket
on the right.  When you're in the wicker basket menu, across the middle
there are two icons where you can toggle between the "crop" page and the
"seed" page.  Selling the seeds, especially fruit tree seeds, will gain
much more money than selling the crops themselves.  Every morning at
around 5:30 AM, Takakura comes over there,  takes everything to be sold,
and walks off to the city.  He normally comes back with your money around
noon.  When he does, he puts the money in the can on the left.  This is
also where you can order items such as tools, bird seed, and building
expansions.


8. Takakura's House

Your father's friend still lives on the property.  His house is the
last building as you leave the farm area, across from the barn.  Though
he wanders around the farm  all day after coming back from the city,
I'm not sure that he actually does anything to help you out.  He goes
into the pasture, the chicken coop, and walks through the barn every
evening.  But he just stands around and looks at stuff.  He likes taste
testing items from your farm, especially things you've cooked.  By
"taste-test" I mean he eats them, so you don't get anything back once
he's tried it.  Though he will let you know what he thought of your
food the next time you talk to him.  Average quality dairy/crops are
"okay," and recipes that you've cooked generally get a rave review.
During the second year, he brings a plant home with him named  Tartan.
This two headed plant reminds me of the plant from "Little Shop of
Horrors."  But instead of people, this one eats crops and seeds.
This is how you start combining two crops to make new ones.  Enter
Takakura's house in the evening (between 7 and 8 PM) during the second
year and you'll be introduced to Tartan.  This worked for me during
the summer.  Takakura wasn't even my friend yet.  Tartan is very
frustrating, because when you talk to him, he doesn't just ask whether
you want to hybridize right away.  You generally have to keep talking
to him several times before you get the option.  If he asks whether
you have anything to eat, he's just going to analyze it and tell you
the quality, when to plant it, etc.  This isn't all that useful
because you get the same information when you "check" the seeds
yourself when you're holding them, so skip over that and keep choosing
to "talk."  Eventually he'll ask if you want to hybridize.  More about
that in the hybridization section of this FAQ.


9. Seed Maker

This is an expansion that must be purchased through the order form
in the food storage room.  It costs $6000 and is one of the cheapest
additions besides the pond.  You can get a free one if you befriend
Daryl, but I could never catch Daryl enough to get to that point so I
just bought one.  This item goes into the tool shed.  When you get it,
you can put a crop in here and in two days or so you'll get two seeds
per crop.  This is especially useful with the tree fruits, as their
seeds will sell for far more than the fruits themselves, and also
with the new crops that you've hybridized, since you can't buy these
special seeds from Vesta.  A definite must-buy item (or free item if
you befriend Daryl).


10. Pond
 
You need the pond if you want ducks.  Ducks will appear during the
second year and lay eggs as long as you have the pond and some chickens,
but I didn't feel the need to have them so I didn't bother with it.
At $2,500, it's not as expensive as the other expansions.  So it's up
to you if you want one.  If you don't have a pond, you don't get ducks.
You don't need the pond to grow fish, like you could in previous games.
The pond will appear in front of the tree in your pasture, so be  sure
you don't waste money fertilizing the grass immediately around that tree
if you're going to get a pond.

Update: Even though the GC game guides all claim that you have to have
the pond by Year Two in order to get ducks to show up, I managed to
get ducks in Year Four after getting the pond that year.  Just go
to bed really late during the summer so you wake up after your wife and 
you'll get a scene where she tells you that there are ducks outside.
You'll get to choose to keep them or not.  If you keep them, you
get to name the male and female duck and they will be added to your
chicken coop.  I named mine Donald and Daisy.  Just don't have a full
chicken coop so there is room for them to be added.


11. Food Processing Room

A major financial setback.  This baby costs $30,000!  But you need this
building to make butter and cheese, which is instrumental in a lot of
recipes as well as far more lucrative than mere milk.  You will make
this money back with no problem.  If you have a normal cow giving "S"
milk, you can make "good" butter and cheese,  both of which sells for
$300 each.  Once I got this room, I never sold milk again.  I just made
anything I didn't want to keep for recipes into cheese and butter, and
sold it that way.  I was able to make the $20K I needed for the third
field in one season following this expansion.  If you have a Star cow
giving "A" or "S" quality milk, don't make cheese or butter unless you
need it for a recipe.  Star cow milk sells for much more than the good
butter and good cheese.


12. Chicken Yard

The chicken yard can be built for $10,000 and will take the place of
the locked shed.  Readers have told me that you can leave your chickens
in there at all times without them getting sick, but it just makes me
nervous so I haven't tried this out.  Bird food can be expensive but
I usually have enough money to feed them inside the coop.


13. Miscellaneous

You can also build a fertilizer maker, milking room, and a few various
other items, but the expansions listed above are the most important.
The milking room costs  $60,000 and mostly just saves you the time of
milking.  I don't think it's worth the money.  Once you fertilize your
pasture you never have to do it again; the grass keeps growing every
time you cut it (even during Winter), so I just bought all my fertilizer
from Vesta rather than buy the maker.  Finally, there is a water well
near the  chicken coop where you fill your water can.  The locked shed
cannot be used; it's just a locked shed that ended up not being used by
the programmers.  I wish they'd just taken the stupid thing out, but
there you go.