The Nibbler

Not Beating a Dead Horse?
Why, that sounds like a fantastic idea.  I think I'll take you up on that.  In fact, let's avoid the topic of dead horses altogether.  I know it's been all the rage for days - no, weeks, now.  All the more reason to let sleeping dogs lie.  Wait, what was I talking about again?

 I'll tell you what I'm not talking about.  The B word.

You'd think that'd leave me totally bereft of topics...  Not so!  Today we go on a little trip into the MIND!  The minds of MouseHunters, that is.

Brain Component #1: Initiative
While the departure of the AN/AM does leave us without one of MouseHunt's longest-running groups, the concept of going without the services they provide did not sit well with some Hunters.  And so, in very short order, two fledgling groups had already taken flight in an attempt to fill that gap.

In what is perhaps a wise move, and a good sign that both are quite serious about this "helping new MouseHunters" business, both have decided not to seek Nibbler advertising until they've got their feet under them and are ready to leave the roost.  Well, guess what?  I'm doing an article anyway!  Mwahaha!  Now you'll get even more people wanting to lend a hand!

(PS: Don't tell them I did this...  It's supposed to be a surprise!  They're not quite ready for clientele just yet since they're building their staff first.)

(PPS: If you're an admin for them, um...  I'm sawwy!)

The first of the two groups is the MouseHunt Mentor Program, which seeks to pair fresh Hunters one-on-one with an experienced individual who can help guide them.  The goal is to make new friends and learn from each other.  Their group can be found here.

The second is the MH Financial and Planning Consultants.  Their goal is to help MouseHunters make wise and informed decisions with their hard-earned gold.  After all, it's nearly a rite of passage for us Hunters to have at least one trap that's a total dud...  Find their group here.

Mind Aspect #2: Curiosity
It may have killed the cat (gee, it's beginning to feel like a zoo in here), but the MouseHunter thrives on it.  And usually, the curiousity manifests itself in rather random threads.  Like this thread, all about the foibles of Google's translator.  Of course, we can't expect a word-for-word automated translator to get it right all the time...  That doesn't mean we can't laugh hysterically at some of the mix-ups!  Share yours here.

Head Partition #3: Analyticalityness
At this point, it's probably a diagnosable syndrome: the MouseHunter's compulsive need to break down all aspects of the game for pleasure and for profit.  What's most useless cheese?  What's the most expensive travel route between the Meadow and Digby?  What's the best brand of shampoo to use, and the optimum lather time, before sounding your horn?

Consider the following two threads:

• Not satisfied just flattening your mouse?  Then consider for a second which of the traps in your arsenal gives the most devious and cruel method for catching your mouse...  Perhaps you should use it instead!  WEIGH in on the subject here.
• Why is it that you always see some mice being vilified for not entering our traps, when others are nearly equally difficult, and give shoddy rewards to boot?  Stuart Pritchard calls it Subterranean Syndrome.  Add your thoughts to the discussion.

Cranial Department #5: Creativity
Our little membership is always posting in the Ideas and Suggestions forum about ways to make this wee game always bigger and better...  You knew that already.  But still, it's a section that sometimes sees little action in the spotlight.  So, here goes.

Yes, we've got ideas.  They range from the simple:
-Streamlining the ticker to show only the important news when important - usually time-sensitive - things come along
-Amending the hunt for Vanilla beans to include multiple mice (Hey, I still didn't say the B word...)


To the complex:
-Whoever thought there could be so much new stuff in the mountain area?

To the bizarre:
-How about we use moosetraps?

Sometimes, we even engage in group-creativity sessions.  For instance, in this thread, Jason Patterson asks what we MouseHunters would call the mountain pass between Digby and Gnawnia...  Predictably, the responses ranged from intriguing to zany.

Noodle Node #6: Appreciativeness
We sure know how to convey our happiness at the good things in the game.  And not just catches, either.  Take this report from Adriaan van den Berg:

I experienced a problem today with my mice tally, i.e. breeds caught.

The problem was that I had caught a very difficult and rare breed a while back, and for some unknown reason it erroniously dissapeared from my list.

I contacted the Devs and within 4 hours it was resolved and my breed list corrected.

AWESOME service and commitment from the guys at HitGrab!!!!

Thanks a whole heap Devs - you guys Rock.

Thread of the Day
Malcolm Risk puts another spin on the Creativity aspect with his MouseHunt-themed rap, Ice Mice Baby.  It's good stuff.  I'd post an excerpt here, but it'd just lessen the experience.  Click the link for more.

Quote of the Day
This one goes to Zach Steiner:

From the thread "The Devs need to fix this Glitch and they need to do it QUICKLY!!!!"

I just sounded the horn and got this:

8:34pm
Marlon Norcio Laguerta sounded the Hunter's Horn, but my efforts were fruitless. A Trailblazer mouse ate a piece of cheese without setting off my trap.

I know for a fact that it was supposed to tell me I was successful in my hunt and that I had caught a 10oz Mobster.

It's time to say the B word.
But what do you have against bananas, anyway?

MouseHunter of the Day
Name: David Chong
Rank: Knight (25%)

1. If you were a mouse, what type would you be and what would you do to escape the traps set out for you?

Answer: If I was a Mouse, I think I would be the Chinese Type. :) I would escape from traps by using my Chinese Academics of Math and Physics to calculate a escape route.

2. How much cheese do you eat in a day? Which MH cheese are you most likely to eat in real life? Would you ever consider crafting cheese at home?

None, hmm most likely Haravti

3. Have you skipped anything important just to sound the horn (ie school, work, sleep)? Did you enjoy it?

Well, I won't considered skipping, but I didn't go to my school prom cause I had lots of work and doing that time I was sounding my horn as well. Yes, much better than going to Prom. :) (It's your future that counts)

4. Which mouse would you most like to meet? (Assuming the mice could talk, of course.) What questions would you ask that mouse in an interview?

Answer: White Mouse

Questions I would like to ask:

Why are you guys the weakest Mice in Mousehunt?

How do you guys mass breed?

Are you White Mice capable of taking over Mousehunt?

Are you racist *White* Mouse?

Did you know you have a cousin called the Black Mouse on the opposite side of the Generic Difficulty Chart?

Why do you guys always dress up for events?

Do you ever find your life meaningless?

5. When was the last time you caught a mouse in real life?

Answer: Like a few years back and it was a really big mouse via the steel cage. (It was NVRMC for those people who don't know what a steel cage does)

6. What is your favorite trap in the game and why?

Answer: Chrome Drillbot, who doesn't love the Chromeness and Artwork of it? It's a sweet trap as well.

7. Do you think you could beat an Aged Mouse at chess?

Answer: I would most likely lose, but how would we know, we have not seen the Aged Mouse playing chess have we?

8. What was the last occasion where you caught a rare or difficult mouse with a ridiculously low amount of cheese?

Answer: Just recently a week back, I only had 5 Runic and I caught a Acolyte on my first Runic Run in the Acolyte Realm.

9. What has been the worst decision of your MouseHunt career, in hindsight?

Answer: None, every decision I made in Mousehunt has always benefitted me whether planned or not planned.

10. If the Ornament Mouse, Bottled Mouse, and Lambent Crystal Mouse were having a fight, who would win and why?

Answer: Lambent Crystal, cause his generic difficulty is higher, so naturally one would assume he is the winner, and besides who can beat a flying crystal with who knows what powers.

The Forum Enrichment Center
(An ongoing Nibbler "contest" for everyone!)
This contest is very straightforward.  The Nibbler likes it when the forums are a-hoppin' with threads that are a-rockin'.  So we're going to PAY people who help bring the goodness to the forums.  Yep, it's true! Here's how it works:

That's all we need from you! Then we:

There is no limit to how many times you can submit, or be the one submitted.  But you CANNOT SUBMIT YOUR OWN THREAD (OR POST)!  This is not a popularity contest...  And besides, the best Nibbler mentions are the unexpected ones!
A very Nibblery selection of always-useful links
Over time, we hope to expand this section to include a lot of links that would be useful to hunters of all shapes and stripes. Pretty soon, the standard shrug-off reply to forum questions won't be "Check the Wiki", it'll be "Check the Nibbler"!

Official Links -Sound the Horn -The MouseHunt Wiki -MouseHunt app info page -Feedback Fridays (on USTREAM) -MouseHunt Chat	Nibbler Links -Our Fan Page -Submit a News Tip -The Nibbler on Blogger -The latest 20 editions	Tools and Resources -Pooflinger's MouseHunt Tools -MouseHunt Analytics -MouseHunt Google Spreadsheet -Forbidden Grove timer -Balack's Cove timer -Tribal Isles Cheatsheet
Guides -The MouseHunt Guide by Jester Nim -MouseHunt for Dummies -JP's Concise MouseHunt Guide -Spheniscine's MouseHunt Walkthrough -Sean's Guide to MouseHunt	MouseHunt Records   -Most catches (single breed) -Most consecutive (single breed) -Heaviest catch (single breed)	Organizations -AN/AM -MHK -MHGSC -MHA -MDS -MGOTL -SBPI -TBP
Forum Information -Recent News and Updates Guidelines -Newcomer's Lounge Guidelines -Support: Read this first -Tournament suggestion topic

If you've got a link that you think is missing (or one that is broken), then be sure to let us know.