The Harbour, Gnawnia

The Harbour has undergone a number of interesting changes over the history of Mousehunt. For Apprentices, you get the first taste of the Pirate and Ninja mice here. The Granite mice here may also drop the Whisker Woods Clearing Map Piece (the Calm Clearing, which you can't access yet due to your level). A General Store has been built here and you would be able to start crafting. With the ingredients here and now, you can make a more expensive version of the White Cheddar. Recommended device here - Swiss Army Trap/Explosive or Stone base, using Swiss or White Cheddar. No! You still don't need the Super Brie!

[Oh Noes! Our regular ship there has sunk! What happened?]

Polled: The White Cheddar Comparison

Thanks for joining in the Poll. These were the results after 310 votes: Poll: In your experience, how does the White Cheddar compare? 177(57%) Pfft.. Feels like normal Cheddar, no improvement. 92 (29%) Strength of Marble, but lower catch frequency. 20 ( 6%) Strength better than Marble, total catch value about the same. 21 ( 6%) Strength like Swiss, but lower catch frequency. So what's the conclusion? If you purchased the crafting items at the Harbour, it'd cost you 10 gold per White Cheddar. So that's the same price as a normal Cheddar. You'd miss out attracting the more common mice with these, but you'd have about the same chance of catching whatever the Marble can.. So this becomes a ROI comparison of time vs value of catch. My take? If you're an Apprentice and hunting at the Harbour, are really in a pinch for gold and can't afford the 900 gold trip back to the harbour after reloading on cheese, the White Cheddar's a very viable option. However, once you've leveled up to Journeyman and started hunting in the mountains, you'd be on Swiss and probably will never need to look back on this option. Happy Hunting!

Harbour General Store

Just when you thought you'd never have to smell the salty-fishy air again.. You'd have to make a trip to the harbour if you want the blueprints for the Dehydration Base. It'll cost you about 22k in gold. And when you're there, stock up on Curds and Whey (C&W) too. Loads of it. At 8pp, it's 20% cheaper than at any other General Stores. With a trip to the Harbour costing 900 gold, you'd need to buy 450 C&Ws to break even on costs. Since C&W is a key ingredient for all the crafted cheese, you can't go wrong with buying masses of this. I'd recommend buying at least 1000 C&W (8000 gold). If you never want to come back to the Harbour again, go for broke.. [Hmm.. I wonder what kind of cows and milk they have there, but currently, the cheapest place to get Curds and Whey is at the Catacombs (3pp).. Cowacombs?]

Explosive Base vs Swiss Army Trap

A very good question posed by a Mouse Hunt Apprentice about purchasing the Explosive Base before the Swiss Army Trap. Should you buy the Exp base first, since it becomes affordable before the Swiss Army? There has been some discussion in the boards, but typically not very conclusive. I assume that at this point, you are already using a Trebuchet/Target (or stone) and have been hunting at the harbour with mixed results.. Here's where my unscientific observation comes in.. If you are active in group hunts and luck is on your side, you could be generating between to 8-10k gold profit at the harbour daily. That's profit after replenishing your used cheese and travel fare to the harbour. If this is how your game is turning out, wait out for the Swiss Army. You are only about a week away from owning this. Use the Swiss/target trap combi thereafter. Marble should be sufficient, with the occasional swap to Swiss cheese. If you are not that active (some of us have offline lives) or your luck needs a wash (lots of red logs in your game) then you might consider getting the Explosive base first. But you must use the Trebuchet to offset the Cheese Effect. Again Marble is sufficient, but you may find yourself swapping up to Swiss Cheese more often as you tend to have more going stale. If luck is totally against you, and you need to sit in the Town/Meadow to recoup some gold, remember to switch back to the Target or Stone base - or else you will have a very high stale rate.

Mountain vs Harbour

[Jester's note: The context of this discussion was over which place gave better yield. Only applies to those that have attained Journeyman or above. If you are still an Apprentice, you are stuck at the harbour] Julian Potvin-Bernal (University of Ottawa) wrote on Jul 3, 2008 at 7:13 AM I recently moved to the Mountain expecting great things, but no such luck. Aside from a map ninja I've caught nothing great and my revenues are not very big. I was doing better in the Harbor where there are Pirates and Burglars! Can someone explain what is so good about the Mountain? It seems like the Harbour has a better mouse list. Jadey Allen Hansen replied to Julian's post on Jul 3, 2008 at 9:02 AM Well Julian, I don't know what your using as bait and trap, but for me I am using Swiss Army trap/ Swiss Cheese/ Exploding base and I am in the mountains. In the harbour I was catching lots of brown/grey/white mice along with the occasional pirate and ninja every once in awhile I would catch a gold or diamond, or other type of mouse, but I would say close to 40% of mice were brown/white/grey. In the mountains, I am catching a lot less brown/white/grey, and a lot more of the gold/granite/diamond/steel plus I am getting zombies more often and ninjas more often. Now, this is not to say I don't still catch the brown/white/grey variety, because I do... just not quite as often. My last log for the mountain showed (and this is hunting with the above mentioned settings) Wed. Jul. 2, 2008 3:56am: A log of mice I've caught in the last 1 day 13 hours: 6 White mice, 8 Grey mice, 6 Brown mice, 24 Dwarf mice, 13 Steel mice, 14 Granite mice, 6 Bionic mice, 9 Gold mice, 9 Diamond mice, 1 Zombie mouse, and 3 Ninja mice. Total points: 43,282 Total gold: 52,590 This is about 15,000 higher gold than I was getting in the harbour, and about 15,000 higher points as well. What are your results for the harbour that are so much better than the mountain? I would really like to know as I already have my map, and if it is worth moving back to the harbour I would do that. Saving for my deathbot you know. Sincerely, Jadey

The Harbour

Townsend Duong (Stanford) replied to Andy's post on Jul 2, 2008 at 5:26 AM The Harbour is a good place for catching the higher value mice a bit more often than in the Town or Meadow. It takes longer to reach Journeyman status if you don't go to the Harbour, but you can skip it entirely if that's what you want. There are many ways to play this game, and no 1 best trap, cheese, or strategy. On top of that, much of the game is just luck. You also have the community of hunters. A lot of the fun is in the discussion boards. Keep checking for games within the game because many hunters like to create contests and challenges for prizes.

Burglar Mouse at the Harbour

Townsend Duong (Stanford) replied to Louis's post on Jul 2, 2008 at 4:39 AM Louis, the Burglar mouse was introduced after Demi originally wrote this walk-through, and the Harbour subsequently became more risky. As a result, some hunters delay going to the Harbour until they have a more powerful trap than the Treb/Stone originally recommended. Maybe the Rocketine will be more popular now with its greater power. After all, the Rocketine/Stone is almost as powerful as the Treb/Explosive and costs about half as much gold. You can protect some of your gold by using it all to buy cheese before going to the Harbour, but that will only last until you start to earn gold from your catches. The Burglar mouse seems to be the most dangerous, so changing your cheese might be a way to reduce his appearances. This is probably too early to be using Brie anyway. Townsend Duong (Stanford) replied to Louis's post on Jul 2, 2008 at 5:08 AM It's definitely a risk vs reward choice to go hunt in the Harbour. It always was, but the Pirate mouse used to be the main concern. The Burglar mouse can swipe as much as 3000 points and is fairly common in the Harbour. You should worry most about gaining gold so that you will be able to upgrade. You only need to keep enough points to meet the requirements for the next trap component (I'd recommend Swiss Army in your case). Stolen points don't take away experience toward the next hunter level, so you won't be set back in terms of advancing in the game. Also, offset your point losses by sounding the horn yourself as much as possible. Once you go to the Mountain, virtually every mouse can steal from you, but the vast majority of mice are Dwarf or better, so every catch is valuable. You might have 1000 points stolen on one hunt and then have that erased on the next hunt by catching a 5 oz Diamond mouse worth 1195 points.

Walkthroughs #4

Townsend Duong (Stanford) wrote on Jun 26, 2008 at 11:52 PM Some new concepts that have come out since this walk-through was originally written. Restrictions on travel: Due to the dangers of mice in certain areas beyond the city walls, the King has decided to restrict travel in such a way that hunters must reach certain experience level requirements to go to some locations. Currently, all hunters may travel to the Meadow or the Town of Gnawnia without restriction. Only hunters who have reached at least the status of Apprentice may travel to the Harbour. Hunters must be at least Journeyman rank to travel to the Mountain. Only hunters with the title of Master or above may travel to the Burroughs Laboratory. The requirements are listed on the map screen with the color-coded shield. Maps, Burroughs Region, Laboratory Location: The game has introduced the possibility of finding map pieces as dropped loot from caught mice. These map pieces may reveal new locations in the MouseHunt world, and they might be relatively rare. It is possible to obtain more than one of the same map piece. Although there is currently no use for the extra pieces, it is believed that hunters will soon be able to transfer these maps to other hunters, opening up the possibility of selling extra map pieces. Currently, the only known new map piece is the map to the Burroughs Laboratory. The Burroughs is a new "region" in MouseHunt, and the Laboratory is for now the only "location" where hunters can travel and hunt within the Burroughs. The Burroughs region and the Laboratory location will not appear on your map until you find the map piece. To obtain the Burroughs Laboratory map piece, hunters must reach Journeyman rank, travel to the Mountain, catch a Ninja mouse in the Mountain, and receive the map piece from the Ninja mouse. Not all Ninja mice in the Mountain drop the map piece, and only Ninja mice in the Mountain will drop the map piece. Potions: The game has introduced the possibility to use potions to modify your cheese. This is described in the How To Play manual. Potions might be found from mice as loot. They will appear on the Inventory screen under the Potions tab, and the description and instructions will be shown there. To use a potion, select the option in your Inventory screen and confirm the action. Currently, there are 2 known potions, and they are both found in the Burroughs Laboratory and are received by catching mice who might drop the potions as loot. The Brie alchemy potion converts Cheddar, Marble, or Swiss cheese into Brie cheese. The Radioactive blue cheese curd potion converts Brie cheese or SUPER|brie+ into Radioactive blue cheese. The costs and quantities depend on the cheese used for the conversion. Lab Research: Some mice will drop Lab Research as loot when you catch them. The Lab Research is worth points, which are added to your score. There is currently no other known use for the Lab Research.

Apprentice at the Harbour

Townsend Duong (Stanford) replied to Bok's post on Jun 16, 2008 at 1:10 AM Bok, First of all, thanks for remembering me! I see you are hunting in the Meadow with your Mary/Stone setup. The problem with the Meadow is that it is supposed to be full of mostly White/Grey/Brown mice. Since Demi and I never spent much time in the Meadow, we're not first-hand experts on it. Until you reach Apprentice level, you will only be allowed to travel to Town and the Meadow. When you get to Apprentice level, the game will allow you to go to the Harbour. The Mary O'Nette is probably too weak to do well in the Harbour now. You should probably stay in Town until you can buy the Trebuchet or Rocketine. There is a good variety of mice in Town, and you will probably catch a better mix. Since the Harbour has become so risky, many hunters are now choosing to hunt in Town until they get their Swiss Army trap. If you are going to be in Town, you should be able to use a mix of Marble and Swiss cheese. In the Meadow, you should probably use Marble only because the mice are so low value as you realized. However, as I am writing this, I am running a giveaway contest for hunters in the Meadow of all levels (but mostly Novice hunters will take part). It's another opportunity for you to earn some extra gold if you want to stay in the Meadow and hunt White mice. Good hunting!

Stolen Cheese

Townsend Duong (Stanford) replied to Nafees's post on Jun 7, 2008 at 5:41 PM Mice in Town can't steal your cheese. Mice can only steal cheese, gold and points in the Harbour, Mountain, or Laboratory. Mice in those locations might steal from you if your trap fails to catch them. That is why it is risky to go to those locations if your trap is not powerful enough. It is true that attracting more mice will probably result in getting things stolen from you more often, but that is because you have more opportunities to catch mice. Cheese effect changes the chances of your cheese going stale. If your trap does not attract any mice, then the cheese has a chance to go stale and be lost anyway. If your trap attracts a mouse, then that cheese has no chance to go stale. Positive cheese effect decreases the chance of cheese going stale. Negative cheese effect increases it. You can see your trap's overall cheese effect rating on the inventory screen.

Stolen Cheese

Townsend Duong (Stanford) replied to Nafees's post on Jun 7, 2008 at 5:41 PM Mice in Town can't steal your cheese. Mice can only steal cheese, gold and points in the Harbour, Mountain, or Laboratory. Mice in those locations might steal from you if your trap fails to catch them. That is why it is risky to go to those locations if your trap is not powerful enough. It is true that attracting more mice will probably result in getting things stolen from you more often, but that is because you have more opportunities to catch mice. Cheese effect changes the chances of your cheese going stale. If your trap does not attract any mice, then the cheese has a chance to go stale and be lost anyway. If your trap attracts a mouse, then that cheese has no chance to go stale. Positive cheese effect decreases the chance of cheese going stale. Negative cheese effect increases it. You can see your trap's overall cheese effect rating on the inventory screen.

Trap Upgrades #3

Townsend Duong (Stanford) replied to Nafees's post on Jun 7, 2008 at 4:50 PM This walk-through was written by Demi based on her experience going through the early parts of the game. However, she blazed through those early parts of the game because she's the Voodoo priestess of trap curse removal. Other hunters may not have such good luck. More importantly, there have been several updates to the game since that time, the most significant being the restrictions on travel and the addition of the Burglar mouse. The Harbour is more dangerous now than it was back then, and I get the impression that the Pirate mice that made it so worthwhile have been harder to find/catch lately. To answer your questions, Q. Should I keep using Explosive base or Stone base with Trebuchet??? Explosive base. You paid a lot for it, and it gives you a good boost. With the Trebuchet, you can afford to take a slight hit in the cheese effect. Q. What Cheese should i use with those combinations in Town??? Swiss with both combinations Q. Should I dare to travel back to Harbor now or should i wait for upgrade? Stay in Town. I think your trap is strong enough to go to the Harbour, but you will take a lot of beatings before coming out ahead. Might as well play it safe in the Town until you get the Swiss Army trap. Good hunting! :-)

Walkthroughs #3

Demi Demdem (New Zealand) replied to Jen's post on May 12, 2008 at 7:49 PM <3 oh and an update for people who want to know what order to buy things in.. ************* wooden base - tacky glue - target base - mary - stone base - treb - swiss - explosive - deathbot ************* In this order you should be getting a new trap and/or base every 24 hours until you save for the swiss, which in the harbour is up to 48 hours, but took me 36, then another 24 hours for the explosive, then to the mountains to save for your deathbot - about 4-5 days max. obviously this is just my opinion, worked fantastically for me, you can go treb instead of rocket, and/or explosive before swiss (or after deathbot). ***Amount of cheese you should take travelling.. *** to the harbour - about 80-100 swiss cheese (or higher) to the mountains 100+ swiss cheese (or higher). Once in the mountains, use your profits to buy super brie - saves a lot on the travel costs.. (and i never went to the meadow) ***Travelling*** I recommend to harbour once you have the treb/stone set up And the mountains once you have your swiss/explosive, but you can go there with the swiss/stone. ***If you are having a bad day*** stick it out, don't go running with your tail between your legs, sometimes you have a bad day, get over it, the next day will be better. When your luck turns you don't want to be making half the money you could be back in town because the mean mice scared you. ******Important****** If you: 1) go to the harbour/mountains with the appropriate traps as recommended 2) take that amount of cheese with you to the harbour/mountains When it runs out, IF you have not made more than your monies worth back, then i will personally send you gold/brie to compensate.. hows that.. a money back guarantee! dem ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥