@~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~@ { Missing Child Glitch FAQ, Version: FINAL. } { Written by hylianknightmare (AKA: knightmarelink) } @~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~@ READ THIS FIRST: If you or someone you know has the glitch, I urge you or them to contact Natsume about it, since they don't think this glitch has affected many people. http://natsume.com/support/index.html Also, Someone has stated that Natsume watches different message boards online. One of which being Fogu.com. If you have the glitch, or know someone who does, post there. fogu.com/hmforum @~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~@ { Now then. On to the guide! } @~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~@ Contents To jump to a specific section, copy the entire name of the section, and then press CTRL and F together. Now paste it into the box, and press search. 1: What this guide is about. 2: What do we know so far? 3: Frequently Asked Questions. 4: How to Copy and Backup Save Files. 5: Child Personalities. Get what you want, avoid what you don't. 6: Workarrounds, Preventions and other ideas. 7: What to do if you already have the glitch. 8: False and Disproven Theories and Methods. 9: How to start a New Game+ 0: Credits and legal stuff. X: Last Words. 00000000000000000000000000000000 0 1: What this guide is about. 0 00000000000000000000000000000000 If you've been arround the message boards for Harvest Moon: Animal Parade, then you may (or may not) have heard of a very strange occurence where the children just up and dissapear. Some quickly dismiss this as one of the in game events, where the child does infact, go missing. However, this is not the case, because that event, involves cutscenes, whereas this glitch, does not. Another known symptom of the glitch, is that when you track your kids, it shows them in an area that the game simply calls "None Area Name". Now, this glitch wouldn't be so bad, if the kids came back, but they don't. At least, not permanently. They are gone all the time with this glitch, only returning for second kid's Child's Day, and upon saving and reloading your file, they're gone once again. Unfortunately, I've been seeing more and more people with this glitch, so the notion that it is rare can now be thrown out the window. If you yourself have experienced this glitch, then you know very well what it is, and why it's so bad. Of course, if you have, and you've come looking to this guide looking for a way to fix it, then head on down to Section 7. 000000000000000000000000000000 0 2: What do we know so far? 0 000000000000000000000000000000 A lot actualy. Thanks to people who have posted their information, and people who have tested this glitch extensively, we do have some info for you: @@@ Actually, someone said that Natsume watches certain message boards. One of which, being Fogu.com's boards, so try posting there as well. Fogu.com/hmforum @@@ The glitch is not spouse specific. ANY spouse can have this glitch, including the Harvest Goddess, Harvest King, Witch and Wizard. @@@ The glitch affects kids of ALL personalities, however, the Quiet type seem to be the most commonly reported. Connection? Possibly. It could be that certain spouses cause the game to get confused when picking certain personalities, due to the fact that each spouse has one personality that their kids just can't have, and most spouses have access to the Quiet personality. @@@ The part of the year your child is born in, and even the time of month, are not to blame. @@@ The child's gender also doesn't seem to matter. @@@ Having a save from Tree of Tranquility does not cause the glitch, so don't go deleting yours, should you have one. @@@ The glitch can occur without having the second child. @@@ If you have multiple save files, the glitch can happen on just one file. @@@ The above being said, I myself have had the glitch happen to me every time I've tried to have kids. The original main tester also seems to have this trouble. Also, I had once completely deleted my file, created a new one, and experienced the glitch again. I even tried someone elses file, and lost the kids yet again, though they kept the kid in their save on that file. @@@ There were two main testers, both doing the same exact things on their own Wiis. The first, had kept losing the kids for every file they'd tried, while the other, couldn't lose them at all. @@@ The glitch is not tied to "bad" coppies of the game, as the two main testers of the glitch, swapped disks, and got the same results. One lost the kids for the seventh time in a row, and the other kept the kids again. @@@ The tester that kept losing the kids, had recently had his Wii's disk drive repaired, so if the glitch is Wii specific, then it could be the way the Wii works with the save files. @@@ Some people have actualy reported that repeatedly reloading your file makes the kids reappear, and some have said that it doesn't work at all. So if you're affected, try it out. Worth a shot at least. More info can be found in Section 6. I myself have yet to have this work for me. @@@ The glitch also doesn't seem to care what bells have been rung either, with the main testers ringing as few as possible and also ringing them all. @@@ The glitch doesn't seem to care when you get married either. @@@ Natsume, the company that localized the game, at first responded to this glitch thinking that it was the missing child event, but after some time, they have apparently realised it isn't, and have stopped responding at all to it. Also, I recently contacted them myself. By phone this time. They had said that this glitch just happens sometimes, and that not everybody gets it. They had said that there wasn't anything else that can be done, other than the very things listed in this guide, aside from starting over. When I mentioned their fixing the "Calvin Glitch" in Tree of Tranquility, they had said that the reason they fixed it, was that it was a glitch with "100% occurance", and that this glitch, doesn't happen to that many people. @@@ That being said, browsing arround the message boards will immediately let you know that this glitch is quite widespread, with more and more people getting the glitch. @@@ Confirmed first by a Moderator on the Natsume Message Boards, the glitch exists in the Japanese version as well, and is confirmed to be in the PAL/European version. @@@ There actualy seems to be a "safety point". If you've had both of your kids, saved, reloaded and they're still there, chances are, they always will be. From what I and others have read, they usualy dissapear arround those points. I have heard of them dissapearing at other times, but due to a lack of information from the people reporting it, I can't verify if their second child had recently grown before they saved again, or had been grown for a while. @@@ If you yourself keep losing the children, downloading and playing someone else's file where they already have a child, does not affect their child. It actually stays with you. This possibly points to the game actually creating bad main save files to start with, with some players never keeping a child with others never losing one, with very few, if any exceptions. I myself am in the "always glitched" category. "Doesn't always happen" my (bleep). @@@ In follow up to the above statement, I actually continued through a file to have the second kid, and interestingly enough, they both stayed. For reference, All alternate files I mention in this guide where the kids did NOT dissapear, are the ones by Shiya64 on Gamefaqs, unless otherwise noted. Without those files, I wouldn't have alot of this info. @@@ Also interesting, is the fact that I had prepared a save file on the Wii where I always have the glitch (I have two now) and then coppied the file to an SD card. I did so on the day BEFORE Child's day for the first kid. I then went through childs day, saved the file, and when I reloaded, the kid was gone again. I figured that would happen. What surprised me though, is that when I loaded the file into the other Wii, went through Child's day again, saved and reloaded, the Kid dissapeared on that Wii as well. Now, it's worth noting that I have no idea if that Wii will be affected by the glitch naturally or not. @@@ Based on my findings so far, I myself honestly believe that the problem comes from the game itself, yes, but in an intesting turn of events, I believe that the Wii the game is played on also plays a factor. Ever try to put a game that your friend downloaded on their Wii, onto yours and try to play it? You can't. Why? The Wii marks them. It probably does with the save files too. As such, when it marks these files, Animal Parade probably makes a mistake when it saves and reads the data, and gets it wrong, or "corrupts" that particular save slot. I have no idea why it doesn't do this to files that already have the kids when they're moved to a Wii that this would happen on, but you have to admit, it's rather interesting. Granted, there are some people who claim to have one file lose the kids, while another file keeps them, but those people are quite rare, and I myself have been able to come up with no better explanation other than the fact that it's just random. But after never keeping the kids in any file I start myself, random is an answer I refuse to believe. @@@ Asking your child to walk with you before you save and quit the game actually makes them stay, but It's not guaranteed. I did this, stopped having them walk with me, made my character sleep, and then POOF! Gone. Again. @#$!. @@@ Starting a save of your own using someone elses file where they KEPT the kids, does NOT mean that you will too, as I myself have discovered. Again, I say @#$!. 0000000000000000000000000000000000 0 3: Frequently Asked Questions. 0 0000000000000000000000000000000000 This may re-cover some parts already discussed, or spoken about later in the guide, but since this is likely the area you've headed to first, I'll add it anyway. @@@ Q: Is there a way to tell if I'm safe? A: Well, let me put it this way. If you can save after having your second child, and when you load up, they are both still there, you're probably safe. There have been some reports that may point to dissapearances AFTER that point, but due to lack of information in those reports, I can't say one way or the other, and contacting the ones who posted them so far hasn't been succesful. Keep a backup of your save file anyway. It's also worth noting that MOST people who keep the kids in one file, never have trouble in other files, with few exceptions. @@@ Q: Does child gender or personality matter? A: Well, both genders and most all personalities have dissapeared, however there have been some interesting statistics. Usualy, the Quiet personality is the one to dissapear, and they also occur more often when the first born is a girl. Now, that doesn't mean that picking a Fiery boy for your first kid will guarantee it to stay, but it is interesting. Perhaps certain spouses make the game have difficulty picking what to label the child when certain personalities are picked? @@@ Q: Does the Marriage, Birth, or Event dates matter? A: Someone had posted that they did, however, there is conclusive proof that they do not, as people have reported them missing no matter the dates. @@@ Q: Does the spouse matter? A: Absolutely not. I have heard of this happening with several different spouses, and I myself have had this happen with a few spouses, including the Harvest Goddess. The only way it could be related to the spouses, is the fact that some spouses can't have kids with specific personalities, and when a specific personality is picked with that spouse, the game get's confused, since it's close to the "unavailable" personality. @@@ Q: Is it possible that it's not one thing, but a combination? A: Absolutely. @@@ Q: What combinations cause it then? A: Absolutely no idea. Sorry. @@@ Q: Does character type (ToT type male/female or AP type male/female) matter? A: It's a possibility, but with no real information to base it on, I can't say it's the difinitive cause. @@@ Q: Does having a Tree of Tranquility save file cause this glitch? A: No. I and others had deleted, or never even had a save file from Tree of Tranquility on our Wii's at the time of the glitch. @@@ Q: Is there a way to PREVENT this glitch? A: In a manner of speaking. See section 6. @@@ Q: Is there a way to FIX this glitch? A: In a manner of speaking. See section 7. @@@ Q: Do they EVER come back? A: Yes, but not permanently. On Child's Day, they will return, until you reload your file again, but since you only get two Child's Days, you've only got one shot at the New Game Plus if you've been affected by the glitch. @@@ Q: Is there a way to MAKE them stay? A: Not really. There is a temporary method, but it isn't 100% guaranteed to work anymore. I recently found out, that it's flawed, and have since moved it to Section 8, the rumors and disproven section. Take a look if you want, but don't trust it. @@@ Q: Can you keep the kids if you use someone elses file where they kept the kids? A: Well, I won't say you will, but I can't say for sure you won't either. I tried that myself, and DIDN'T keep the kids. @@@ Q: Has anyone contacted Natsume about this? A: Yes. Originaly, they responded thinking it was the missing child event, but after some time, they stopped responding at all. Also, I recently contacted them myself. By phone this time. They had said that this glitch just happens sometimes, and that not everybody gets it. They had said that there wasn't anything else that can be done, other than the very things listed in this guide, aside from starting over. When I mentioned their fixing the "Calvin Glitch" in Tree of Tranquility, they had said that the reason they fixed it, was that it was a glitch with "100% occurance", and that this glitch, doesn't happen to that many people. @@@ Q: Just how many people are affected by this glitch? A: According to Natsume, not many. I strongly dissagree. Looking at several different message boards, it seems to be quite well known in Japan, and America both. I can't speak for Europe, since usualy, gamers don't always say what country they're in. The glitch however IS in the European version. @@@ Q: What's the big deal? In most games, the kids are useless. In some, you can't have them at all! A: The big deal, is that in this one, you need the kids to be able to start New Game+, and with them dissapearing, you only have very few ways of raising their heart levels, which is required for 2 items in the game. Besides, it's just not very pleasant. Also, if you decide to avoid the glitch by not raising your house past level 2, then you're not only limited to having 2 pets at a time, but you will NEVER be able to get the adult bear or panda, since they require a level 4 house. @@@ Q: What is this New Game+ I keep hearing about? A: This guide contains enough spoilers as it is, so I'll keep it short. Once you clear the main game, you have the choice to start the game over, but with a maxed stamina bar, all tools leveled up to 5, and the Hoe and Watering can upgraded to Goddess forms, and you also get to pick one item to keep from your old file. No, not a tool, just a standard item. For more information, please see Section 9. @@@ Q: Is this glitch random? A: Let me put it like this. I myself have never kept the kids in ANY file that I started myself. Some people, never have the problem. One of the main testers of the glitch in fact, TRIED to lose the kids, and never could. Some people however, claim to have the glitch in one file, with another file being perfectly fine. Random? You decide. Personaly, I don't think so. @@@ Q: How do I contact Natsume? A: Email or call them. http://natsume.com/support/index.html Someone also mentioned that they watch the message boards on Fogu.com. For reference: fogu.com/hmforum 00000000000000000000000000000000000000000 0 4: How to Copy and Backup Save Files. 0 00000000000000000000000000000000000000000 First off, there are two ways to go here. The first simply involves saving onto another slot on your save file. The second, which is really only useful if there are other people in your house that play this, is using the SD card. Which, if there ARE other people that play this in your house, make sure they know what you're doing, and don't play for a while, so that they won't have to deal with an old save file of their own. You wouldn't like it, and they wouldn't either. NOTE: Someone had asked if having more than one file would be safe. To the best of my knowledge, copying back and forth between SD cards shouldn't damage the Wii or the game at all. However, you SHOULD concern yourself with the SD cards. I myself have had them become corrupted for no reason. I rarely removed them from my Wii, so there was no reason for it. Took me about 3 hours to redownload all my virtual console games... anyway, that's not all you need to be cautious of. The "teeth" on the end of the card can break. If so, you may still be able to use the card, but you would be safer if you just managed to get it working in your PC long enough to backup the save files and put them on a new SD card. They aren't very expensive, with some 2GB cards going for about eight US dollars. METHOD 1: Save over two slots All you need to do, is when you save, just save in a different file. You can save in one, load it, and if all is well, save immediately to the other file and either continue playing, or try loading it as well to make sure it's good too, just incase. @@@ METHOD 2: Copy the file to an SD card. This one is a bit more technical, but if you don't have any other way... Also, if you plan on using multiple SD cards, make sure you mark them Step 1: On the Wii's main menu, Press A on the button that says Wii. Step 2: Press A on Data Management, Save Data, then Wii. Step 3: Find the save data for Animal Parade. You may have to use the buttons on the sides of the screen to scroll to the left and right to find it. Once you do, Press A on it, and then Press A on MOVE. TO MOVE DATA BACK: Follow steps 1 and 2 from above. Now, you'll have to delete your current file, (or back it up too, your choice) before you can move the old save back onto the wii. Once you're done with that, Press A on SD Card in the top right corner of the screen. Now, follow Step 3 from above, and you're done! 00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 0 5: Child Personalities. Get what you want, avoid what you don't. 0 00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 Due to my increasingly strong idea that the glitch may be in the personality selection proccess, and out of sheer convenience for you, I have asked for permission to copy and paste the Child Personalities section from Ranchstory here. Now, I do NOT believe that certain personalities are bad. It's just that each spouse can have kids with 3 out of 4 different personalities, and that it may be that the game gets confused about this when certain personalities are picked. Why? I don't know. Either way, please refer to Section 6, Method 2 for more information on that. To see this article in full, please go to: http://ranchstory.co.uk/wiki/Having_Children_%28Harvest_Moon:_Animal_Parade%29 NOTICE: The personality selection method provided on fogu.com has been proven false, by none other than jthecursed himself. The list provided by Ranchstory, which is listed here, has so far been accurate. Personality Types There are four possible personality types for children in the game. They are as follows: Romanticist: A carefree child full of imagination and dreams. Will often place musical notes, hearts and stars in their conversation towards you. These kids are good at milking, watering and foraging. Hot-Blooded: This child is the most energetic of the bunch. They are spunky and full of life. The Hot-blooded child will be most skilled at weeding, brushing, and foraging. Shy: Shy children and quiet and reserved. Children who are shy will always be good at milking, collecting eggs and silk, and fishing Studious: The studious type of child will be always ready to learn. They are serious about their goals in life. Studious kids excel at watering, foraging and harvesting. You can attach any one of these personality types to any sort of child, younger or older.... but there is a catch. Each spouse only allows for three out of the four types of personality types to be chosen. For example, Kotomi cannot have a hot-blooded child, and Calvin can only have the hot-blooded, studious or romanticist types. Choosing Your Child's Personality The personality of each of your children is determined with four questions your spouse will pose to you as your child grows from newborn to toddler to their full-grown form. The first question occurs at birth, the second 14 days later when the child begins to crawl, the third 14 days later when the child begins to walk, and the fourth 14 days after that when the child starts to talk. 14 days after the final question you child will be full grown. Here are the questions: #1 - Question at Birth: Would you like the child to be more healthy or kind? 1st Option Healthy 2nd Option Kind #2 - Question at crawling: Would you like the child to be a quick learner, or go at their own pace? 1st Option Quick learner 2nd Option At their own pace #3 - Question at walking: Would you like the child to be studious or carefree? 1st Option To be studious 2nd Option To be carefree #4 - Question at talking: Would you like the child to be more ambitious, or more of a dream chaser? 1st Option Ambitious 2nd Option Dream Chaser Now, the formula changes for each spouse, so here is a list of which options to choose for getting the child of your choice depending on who you married. The options are presented in the order in which the questions are asked, so for example "1st, 2nd, whichever, 2nd" means "answer the #1 question with the first option, the #2 question with the second option, the #3 question with whichever, and the #4 question with the second option. Bachelors Jin Shy: 2nd, 2nd, 2nd, whichever Studious: Whichever, 1st, 1st, whichever Hot-blooded: 1st, 2nd, 2nd, 1st Owen Romanticist: 2nd, 2nd, whichever, 2nd Studious: 2nd, 1st, 1st, 2nd Hot-blooded: 1st, whichever, whichever, 1st Calvin Romanticist: Whichever, 2nd, whichever, 2nd Studious: 2nd, 1st, 1st, 1st Hot-blooded: 1st, 1st, whichever, 1st Gill Shy: 2nd, 2nd, 2nd, 1st Studious: Whichever, 1st, 1st, whichever Romanticist: Whichever, 2nd, 2nd, 2nd Julius Shy: 2nd, 1st, 2nd, 1st Studious: Whichever, 1st, 1st, 1st Romanticist: Whichever, 2nd, whichever, 2nd Toby Shy: 2nd, whichever, 2nd, whichever Studious: 1st, 1st, 1st, whichever Romanticist: 1st, 2nd, 1st, 2nd Chase Shy: 2nd, whichever, 2nd, whichever Studious: 1st, 1st, 1st, whichever Romanticist: 1st, 2nd, 1st, 2nd Wizard Shy: 2nd, whichever, 2nd, whichever Studious: 1st, 1st, 1st, whichever Romanticist: 1st, 2nd, 1st, 2nd Luke Shy: 2nd, 1st, 2nd, 2nd Romanticist: 2nd, 2nd, whichever, 2nd Hot-blooded: 1st, whichever, whichever, 1st The Harvest God (Harvest King) Shy: 2nd, whichever, 2nd, 2nd Studious: 2nd, 1st, 1st, 2nd Hot-blooded: 1st, whichever, whichever, 1st Bachelorettes Anissa Shy: 2nd, 2nd, 2nd, 1st Studious: Whichever, 1st, 1st, whichever Romanticist: Whichever, 2nd, 2nd, 2nd Kathy Romanticist: 2nd, 2nd, whichever, 2nd Studious: 2nd, 1st, 1st, 2nd Hot-blooded: 1st, whichever, whichever, 1st Candace Romanticist: 1st, 2nd, 1st, 2nd Studious: 1st, 1st, 1st, whichever Shy: 2nd, whichever, 2nd, whichever Selena Shy: 2nd, 1st, 2nd, 2nd Hot-blooded: 1st, whichever, whichever, 1st Romanticist: 2nd, 2nd, whichever, 2nd Pheobe Shy: 2nd, 2nd, 2nd, whichever Studious: Whichever, 1st, 1st, whichever Hot-blooded: 1st, 2nd, 2nd, 1st Maya Shy: 2nd, 1st, 2nd, 1st Hot-blooded: 1st, 1st, whichever, 1st Romanticist: Whichever, 2nd, whichever, 2nd Witch Shy: 2nd, 1st, 2nd, 2nd Hot-blooded: 1st, whichever, whichever, 1st Romanticist: 2nd, 2nd, whichever, 2nd Renee Shy: 2nd, 1st, 2nd, 1st Studious: Whichever, 1st, 1st, 1st Romanticist: Whichever, 2nd, whichever, 2nd Luna Studious: 2nd, 1st, 1st, 1st Romanticist: 2nd, 1st, 1st, 2nd Hot-blooded: 1st, 1st, whichever, 1st The Harvest Goddess Shy: 2nd, whichever, 2nd, whichever Studious: 1st, 1st, 1st, whichever Romanticist: 1st, 2nd, 1st, 2nd A big thank you to Jason of Ranchstory for allowing me to copy and paste this. For more info, please check out Ranchstory.co.uk 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 0 6: Workarrounds, Preventions and other ideas. 0 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 If you're afraid of getting the glitch, first let me state, you should be. At first, I was under the impression that this glitch was rare. However, more and more, I've been hearing about people that have had this glitch happen to them. NOTE: None of the methods here have been tested for 100% accuracy, so none of them are guaranteed to work unless otherwise noted. I'm just like everyone else, trying to figure something out. It's a good game, and we'd like to see it fixed. @@@ METHOD: Divide and backup. Step 1: First, pick a time to backup your file. Before you get married, before you upgrade your house to level 3, before your spouse asks you about kids, or before your first kid has their Child's Day. Step 2: Once you have your time picked, save your file to two slots. The one you usualy use, and another of your choice. Or you can just use an SD card, and copy your whole file to it from the Wii's menu. Step 3: On your main file, have the kids, continue enjoying the game, and if they do go poof, you have three options: Either keep playing, and just get all the rivals married, so you can at least see thier kids, and keep your file. Or, do all the above, but make sure the Harvest King is ready for the New Game Plus events, then when your kids come back for the second Child's Day, pick one and go for it. You only get two Child's Days, and you'll already have spent one before you experience the glitch, so you only get one shot at this. If you haven't been asked about a second kid yet, DELAY THEM! Get ready for the New Game Plus events, and go for it. Or, just go with your backup file, and make a backup of it as well. @@@ METHOD: Change the past. First off, let me state that this method is based on the theory that your kids will only dissapear between your first kid's Child's Day, and after you save and reload the first time after your second kid's Child's Day. In other words, if you managed to save and reload after your second kid's Child's day, you're likely safe, since that seems to be the only time the glitch has EVER occured. Needless to say however, keep a backup anyway. It never hurts to be safe. Step 1: First, make sure of when your spouse will ask for kids. So you know: Most..................... 14 hearts Witch/Wizard............. 15 hearts Harvest Goddess/King..... 16 hearts Step 3: When nearing the required ammount of hearts for a child, start saving BEFORE you go to bed at night. This way, when your spouse asks you about having a child, you can reset, and backup your file how you wish. Step 4: Now, pick a file, and proceed. Have your kids how you want, but make note of the options you picked raising them. Now, should your kids ever dissapear however, start up your OTHER file, and when you decide to try again, check what you picked the first time, and do it differently, even if it's just by one choice. Another theory seems to point to the combination of choices that could be causing the dissapearances. Since there is more than one way to get a specific personality for a child, you still may be able to get that personality by changing just one option. Either way, this still may work even if that's not the cause. @@@ METHOD: Magic Tricks. Step 1: Mary either the Witch Princess, or the Wizard, and don't raise your house above level 2, until you're ready to try having kids. Step 2: Next, backup your file however you choose. Step 3: Now you have some options: Either keep playing, and just get all the rivals married, so you can at least see thier kids, and keep your file. (idea by Lirishea) Or, do all the above, but make sure the Harvest King is ready for the New Game Plus events, then when your kids come back for Child's Day, pick one and go for it. You only get two Child's Days, and you'll already have spent one before you experience the glitch, so you only get one shot at this. If you haven't been asked about a second kid yet, DELAY THEM! Get your tools maxed, get the Harvest King ready for the events, and then go for it. Or, just go with your backup file, and make a backup of it as well. Or, just never raise your house above level 2. @@@ RUMOR!: Reset, Reload, Repeat. (not guaranteed, or proven) (by pmaker4) Step 1: First, pick a time to backup your file. Before you get married, before you upgrade your house to the level required for children, before your spouse asks you about kids, or before you have your first. Step 2: Once you have your time picked, save your file to two slots. The one you usualy use, and another of your choice. Or you can just use an SD card, and copy your whole file to it from the Wii's menu. Step 3: On your main file, have the kids, continue enjoying the game, and if they do go poof, reset the game, and reload the file. Didn't work? Keep trying until they do, or you give up. If they don't, you at least have your backup file. Try again later if you want. NOTE 1: It seems the person that came up with this rumor has since been banned from the Fogu message boards, where they originally posted it. So take this one with a grain of salt, and please, make sure you have a backup available before you try this, just incase. NOTE 2: I have tried this myself, and it doesn't work for me. Maybe you'll have more luck? Maybe I didn't give it enough time? Can't say. @@@ METHOD: Never a bride... or a groom. (This one's obvious...) Step 1: Enjoy the game thoroughly, and play for as long as you like. Step 2: NEVER GET MARRIED! This way, you don't have to feel bad telling your spouse no to kids (and thus, lowering their heart level), AND you get to have the biggest house possible, and up to four pets, including one of the bears if you so desire! As a plus, you can STILL date the girl or guy you like! There are just two yearly events they only appear at if you're married to them anyway, so you wouldn't be missing much, if you've had or fear the glitch. Step 3: Should you tire of this method, or think I'm an idiot for suggesting it, give one of the other methods a shot. Honestly, I don't blame you. :) @@@ METHOD: You Wiin some, you lose (kids) some. (NOT GUARANTEED) Given recent findings that the glitch may indeed be Wii specific due to possible bad interaction between the game and the way the Wii may work with save files, You might want to consider these options. Also, the reason I say this isn't guaranteed, is the fact that even if I'm right, there's always the possibility the game will have bad interactions with the the Wii you move the file to as well. 1: If you've had the glitch happen to you on your wii, then in your next file, try moving your save to another Wii until you've had the kids. 2: Some people claim to keep the kids in one file, while losing them in another. Try copying your file to multiple slots on the same Wii. 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 0 7: What to do if you already have the glitch. 0 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 I would assume that this is the main reason you looked this guide up, and as someone affected by this glitch, I understand what must've went through your head. Now, as for what to do, there's not alot of options. NOTE: None of these methods are guaranteed to work unless otherwise noted. @@@ RUMOR!: Reset, Reload, Repeat. (Not guaranteed, or proven) (by pmaker4) Some people have claimed that this works, others have yet to see the results, and as such, claim that it doesn't. However, I personaly don't see why someone would have lied about it, unless it was to gain glory or something like that. All you have to do, is when the glitch happens, or on files where it has happened, simply reset, reload the file, and if the kid isn't there, keep repeating until they are. Someone claimed it worked on the 15th try, while another claimed they'd tried over 20 times with no result. So if this method works, it seems it's as random as the glitch itself is. NOTE 1: It seems the person that came up with this rumor has since been banned from the Fogu message boards, where they originally posted it. So take this one with a grain of salt, and please, make sure you have a backup available before you try this, just incase. NOTE 2: I have tried this myself, and it doesn't work for me. Maybe you'll have more luck? @@@ METHOD: Hello, Goodbye. (by Lirishea) NOTICE: This method will only work if you HAVE NOT HAD your second child yet. This method WILL work, but you have to time it. First off, this is only useful if your first kid dissapeared, because it requires you to use Child's Day, and you only get two of those, one for each kid on the day they're fully grown. So, if your first kid has dissapeared, start talking with the Harvest King about the New Game Plus events, and make sure you're ready to start them BEFORE your second child has thier Child's Day. Why? Because, that day FORCES both kids to be back in the game for some reason. Now, you're only safe until you load your file again, so immediately take your kid to the Harvest King and start the New Game Plus events, and DO NOT stop playing until you've completed the events and started your new file. If you're lucky, and haven't been asked about a second kid yet, then I HIGHLY recomend you build up your fishing rod to gold level, and get everything you need for new game plus BEFORE you agree to the second child. @@@ METHOD: Keep on truckin'. Though this may sound a bit harsh, you can keep playing the game. In most HM games the kids weren't good for much anyway. Just look at Magical Melody. They never grew past toddler stage. Just make sure to keep a gift on hand for their Birthdays, since that at least raises affection, and if you don't, well it lowers it with your kids AND spouse. You don't want that. @@@ RUMOR!: What's yours is (at the top of the) mine. Lately I've been hearing a rumor that one of the missing kids can be found at the top of the garmon mines, standing near the big rock that the blue bird stood on for the blue feather event. So far it's been claimed that you're supposed to be able to speak with your kid, and even ask it to walk with you. I myself have seen no proof of this, so until someone records some video of it from begining to end, I'm going to have to leave this marked as a rumor. Try it out. Might just be legit. @@@ CONTACT NATSUME! They don't seem to believe that this glitch happens to many people, or that's what they've told me at least. Let them know you've been affected. If enough people let them know, they may issue a fix for this glitch. You never know. Give them a call, write an email, whatever it takes. Someone told me they keep an eye on the message boards on Fogu.com so try posting there as well. Who knows? Maybe they'll have a fix by the time you do, or perhaps if they see enough people have the glitch, they'll start working on one. Only time will tell. http://natsume.com/support/index.html and for reference: fogu.com/hmforum 000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 0 8: False and Disproven Theories and Methods. 0 000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 Here are some of the false or disproven theories. Hey, not everyone can be right all the time, and not everyone tells the truth. And lets not forget that some of these aren't actually bad, they just don't help as much as thought. DISPROVEN THEORY: Hero of Castanet Island. It was assumed that if you had called the Harvest King and seen the ending, that your kids would never dissapear. After reading a little more info, it turns out that this is simply not true. jthecursed lost his first child AFTER he called the Harvest King, and in fact was headed up to see him about starting a new game plus the very day the child dissapeared. @@@ DISPROVEN THEORY: Divine Birth. It was assumed that if you married the Harvest Goddess or Harvest King, that the kids would never dissapear. This has been disproven, as I myself married the Harvest Goddess, had a kid and when I saved and reloaded my file, the tracker said she was in None Area Name. The basis of this theory was that since the Goddess and King don't live with you, or act the same when it comes to asking about the kids, that may affect weather or not they dissapear. @@@ DISPROVEN METHOD: Birth Control. I'm leaving this one here in it's entirety, simply because it's still valid. The only thing wrong with it, is that telling your spouse no to having kids does in fact LOWER their affection by one whole heart. I have changed it to match that fact however. As for proof, I actually told the witch no once, and when I checked her hearts, she was down one. \/\/\/ Step 1: Marry the spouse you want, raise your house as big as you want, just overall enjoy the game. But, when your spouse asks you about kids, just keep denying them until you're ready, or never have them at all. Your hearts with them WILL decrease from doing this, so be prepared for that. Either way, you can get MOST if not all of the rivals married, and see their kids at least. Step 2: Next, save your file to two slots. The one you usualy use, and another of your choice. Or you can just use an SD card, and copy your whole file to it from the Wii's menu. Step 3: On your main file, have the kids, continue enjoying the game, and if they do go poof, you have three options: Either keep playing, and just get all the rivals married, so you can at least see thier kids, and keep your file. Or, do all the above, but make sure the Harvest King is ready for the New Game Plus events, then when your kids come back for Child's Day, pick one and go for it. You only get two Child's Days, and you'll already have spent one before you experience the glitch, so you only get one shot at this. If you haven't been asked about a second kid yet, DELAY THEM! Get the items you need ready for the events, and then go for it. Or, just go with your backup file, and make a backup of it as well. @@@ FLAWED METHOD: Walk with me. Again, leaving this one here mostly intact, because it does indeed work. It's flawed however, because moments before making this change to the guide, I'd just loaded a file where I had the kid walk with me, and yes, it was still there, but I stopped it from walking with me, had my character sleep, and then the kid was gone. So yes, doing this will work, but apparently, reloading the file isn't the only way to lose your kids. \/\/\/ Oddly enough, if you've managed to backup your file before having the glitch, you MAY keep your kid for a while in the backup file, provided the version of the glitch you have, is the kind where they dissapear after reloading your file. This DOES NOT work for the other versions of the glitch. Step 1: Simply ask your child/children to walk with you. Step 2: Do NOT go outside. Step 3: Save and quit. Given the fact that this fix may not be a "permanent" one now, there's very little use for this other than to experiment with it. I also have NO idea what would happen if you only asked one child to walk with you, and not the other, should you have two. @@@ DISPROVEN METHOD: Saved by another's grace (well... file). I'm adding this one simply because it's not a guaranteed fix. Heck, it seems to give you as much of a chance as if you DIDN'T use this method. Only reason I thought it might work, is because I thought that the issue might be with the main save file on the Wii itself. I think I was wrong... Step 1: Download a save file from someone who kept their kids. Step 2: Install it in your Wii (see Section 4 for the details on this). Step 3: Start a save of your own. 0000000000000000000000000000000 0 9: How to start a New Game+ 0 0000000000000000000000000000000 After realizing that a few of the methods in this guide use and mention New Game+, I thought I'd add a section on how to go about it. Please note however, I recomend getting the items BEFORE you have a child, however you desire (check the methods section for that), since the King Salmon requires you to be in summer or fall, and to even get it, you need a gold fishing rod. Step 1: After you've completed the main game, you'll get a letter asking you to come to the top of the Garmon mines. Do so when you're ready. Step 2: After a scene that takes place, you will be given a short cut to the top of the mines. Use it to bring one or both of your children up to the top. It's also immensly useful if you want to get rich mining, or getting rare ore to upgrade your tools to Goddess level. Step 3: Go see the Harvest Goddess. After a scene takes place with the Sprites, you are given the task of finding 5 different things. Here's the rundown. ------ITEM 1: Diamond. Easy enough to get. Take your short cut to the top of the mines, and start working your way down, smashing only the white crystals. You need a bunch of white wonderfuls. Have them refined, and keep a Diamond out of that. Or, if you haven't already, one of the Treasure Maps that can be bought at the general store leads to a Diamond. It's the one that mentions a purple roof. Keep the map on you, and check arround the barrels near Julius' house in Flute Fields. If you're not sure where that is, it's right near the watermill. You've probably passed it on your way to the Firefly Festival before. ------ITEM 2: King Salmon. A little tougher to get. It can ONLY be caught in summer and fall after 19:00 (7 PM), and you'll need at LEAST a gold fishing rod. If you haven't yet, you may want to hunt down some of the power berries, since it takes quite a bit of stamina to reel in. Once you're ready, head to the spot underneath the waterwheel in Flute Fields, and face the water directly. Charge up your fishing rod to level 4 and cast it. It may take a few tries, even a few nights, but you'll eventualy catch one. Also, I do recomend catching two, just incase your first child dissapears before you complete the events. The rest of the items aren't as hard to get. Also, I don't recomend charging up to level 5 for this fish. I found myself catching more seaweed than anything that way, but that could just be my experience. ------ITEM 3: Shining Honeydew. The most profitable of all crops. You can only grow them in summer, or you can buy one from Marimba Farm. They only stock the seeds AND crops, after you've upgraded their shop to level 4, but by now, you probably already have that done anyway. If not, you should be able to order the seeds from Taylor over the phone. ------ITEM 4: Cheesecake. Another easy item. You can't buy it directly. You'll need to buy or grow the ingredients first, and have an Oven. You can buy Wheat at the Marimba Farm, and then grind it into Wheat Flower, and the rest can be bought from the Horn Ranch. The ingredients can be any quality. Cheesecake Ingredients: (Oven) Wheat Flower, Butter, Milk, Egg, Cheese. ------ITEM 5: Shining Hearty Lunch. If you're married to anyone but the Harvest Goddess or Harvest King, you probably already have one of these, and if not, getting one should be mostly easy. However, SHOULD you be married to the Goddess or King, making one yourself isn't too hard. You'll need the Oven and the Knife set to make this, as it's a two stage recipe. Bread Ingredients: (Oven) Wheat Flower, Butter, Milk. Now, the Shining Hearty Lunch recipe itself, requires the ingredients to be worth at least a total of 1,200G. The bread itself is worth 750, so make sure your Mayonaise, Egg, Butter and Vegetable are worth 450 or more. It's recomended you upgrade either the Marimba Farm or Horn Ranch to at least level 2 so that you have easy access to the ingredients. If you're not sure how much the stuff you're getting is worth, the stores always sell the items for double what you can ship them for. If you're buying over the phone, then they charge four times what you can ship them for. Shining Hearty Lunch Ingredients: (Cutting Board) Bread, Milk, Egg, Mayonaise, Vegetable. Step 4: With that mess out of the way, take all of the items and your child back to the top of the Garmon Mines using the short cut. Step 5: After the scene is over, head down to the Harvest Goddes with your child again and you'll recieve instructions to keep coming back with your child for about 5 days, and do something specific. You'll know when you've completed this step. Do NOT miss a single day, or you'll have to start over again. Step 6: Well, there's not much to do now. Just sit back and watch the final scenes. You will eventually be able to pick an item to take into New Game+ with you, but other than that, there's nothing else to do here. I recomend either a Hibiscus or some Good Cornmeal, that way you can have some fun with the green bell. Heck, if you send a Hibiscus with your kid, you can skip ringing the blue bell until AFTER you've rang the green bell! Step 7: You have to pick a file to save the completed data to. If you've just avoided the missing child glitch, I highly recomend saving over your current file. Next time you load the file, you can pick your character again. Maybe try playing as the opposite gender this time? Perhaps the same gender, but the OTHER version instead? Up to you. 0000000000000000000000000000000 0 0: Credits and legal stuff. 0 0000000000000000000000000000000 If you intend to copy this guide to your site, I have no problems with doing so, but at LEAST give credit. If you intend to add anything to it, at least make a note where you do. I don't like spreading missinformation arround, especially about glitches as bad as this one. SITES I HAVE POSTED THIS GUIDE ON: gamefaqs.com harvestmoonparadise.com fogu.com ranchstory.co.uk NOTE: If you see this guide on any other site, especialy the ones listed above, and it's not as up to date as the one on gamefaqs, let them know to update it! I don't require permission to host my guide on other sites, so feel free to upload it to yours or even direct link it. Just like said, please keep it up to date. This is the FINAL version by me. Thank yous: The members of Gamefaqs, Ranch Story, and Fogu (Ushi No Tane) who detailed the glitch, and gave information to help rule out possible causes, and even posted information to help out. Jason, from Ranchstory for allowing me to copy their Child Personalities section. jthecursed, the main tester of this glitch. Lirishea, the second main tester of this glitch. Dwes_Trueheart, another tester of this glitch. pmaker4 on the Fogu Message boards, for the suggestion of resetting and reloading to return the kids. Shiya64 for uploading her save files as she progressed through the game. You were a HUGE help! Natsume, for releasing this otherwise amazing game. Marvelous, for making this otherwise amazing game. Nintendo, for allowing save files to be coppied to an SD card! ...Oh yeah, and for making the Wii so we can HAVE this otherwise amazing game! Here's hoping the Wii U has good "Harvests" as well! 000000000000000000 0 X: Last Words. 0 000000000000000000 Well, it's been a bit of a ride for me. I've experienced this glitch more times than I care to count, and with the only real sollutions pointing to action being required from Natsume/Marvelous' ends, I've grown tired. I've tried everything I can think of. I'm officialy pulling out of this. Anyone can feel free to take my guide and all of the work herein and add to it. Maybe you can find something I've overlooked. At the time of writing this, I'm about to marry Maya, and I just want to enjoy the game at this point. I've had enough of trying to wrestle with a glitch, and I don't think anyone can argue with that. So if Natsume does release a fix for this game, great. If they don't, then let's just hope that future Harvest Moons don't have glitches of this magnitude, or as many as Harvest Moon DS. Given the history of HM and glitches, I will say this. Someone needs to hire more beta testers, and work on quality control. Just some constructive criticism. Well, here's hoping we won't be needing guides for glitches in the future. At least, not for ones this bad. I won't complain if I get another Billion Gold Glitch though. :) @~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~@ { GUIDE END. Hope it helps! }
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