The Nibbler

The Nibbler - Sunday, 6 June Finale

2010-06-06T11:26:00.009-04:00

Lots of threads, no time to read them all? Here are today's MouseHunt news, highlights, and gossip! Read on:

From our humble beginnings in the Tavern, I present to you the very first Nibbler, as written by the great KJC:

Karen Jensen-Clark Lots of threads, no time to read them all? Here is today's news highlights and gossip:

* Jennifer Rewers achieved the new rank title of KNIGHT. Many people started threads to congratulate her, along with the normal community dissent whether or not a knight is a better title than a hero. Polling continues.

* More rumors abounded that things were afoot when the mysterious edits to the wiki appeared, disappeared, and then reappeared about the Burroughs River pollution and what that might mean for a new area of aquatic mice.

* Some rude people posted nasty things and their posts\theads disappeared. The MH community polices it's own. Nothing to see, move along. Typos and ZOMG! language threads should best be avoided unless one likes snark.

* Some mice dragged out their Halloween costumes and put them on. Trick or treat takes on a whole new meaning. Jacob announced he has been joined by a second illustrator to help him draw more mice.

* A new special event mouse appeared, just in time for Halloween. Probably will be around about a week at most. Seems catchable in all regions, so everyone has a fair chance.

* A new trap appeared, the Bottomless Grave portal (shadow) trap for use in the Moz, highly priced for sale in Digby at 673,630 gold. Finally, the masses got the stronger portal trap they have been asking for. It is too soon to tell if it is worth the price, but there was a sudden mass sell-off of SB by the SB hoarders as people raced to raise gold to be able to buy it. The SB shortage may be quelled and bring balance to the cheese markets. Now if only the buyers and sellers can keep it in the Cheese and Whine section, others would be happy as the whole forum is not a marketplace.

Overall, it has been a VERY interesting Monday in the Kingdom.

So far, so good... and don't forget to hit the horn!

- KJC, MH News Anchorwoman

Sweet, isn't it? Yeah, I thought so too. But enough reminiscing, on to the News of the Day.

Hey guess what! LONGTAIL IS COMING OUT ON TUESDAY!!

But then, I am guessing you already knew that, seeing as there's a Big Huge Banner at the top of the MouseHunt screen. There's also an Official News Post from Dev Dave, which I'm not going to paste here. Trot over and read it, if you haven't already. Exciting stuff in there!

With all of the hubbub about Longtail, hunters are asking questions left and right. The one we haven't seen yet, but expect no fewer than 30 individual threads about as we near Launch Time is this:

"What does 8am on Tuesday Dev time mean in my local time?"

In an attempt to spare you any measure of heartache, unnecessary stress, and premature withdrawal syndrome, we've prepared not one but TWO time converters for you. Here's the first one - it's already got 8am Toronto time plugged in, so all you have to do is remember where you live (or where you are) and put that location in the drop-down menu below. And if that's too much work, here's another one where all you need to do is remember where you are, and scan the list for a location that's close enough to where you are.

If those don't help, you're on your own.

The Devs are doing a great job of answering all of the other questions that have arisen right here in Important Longtail Release Notes (by Dave), Important Longtail Release Notes - Part 2 (by Michele), and Important Longtail Release Notes - Part 3 (by Mark). There is a ton of information in those three threads, so if you have questions please read those first. It's more than I can summarize here, so just go straight to the source.

The only thing left is to figure out what you're going to do with 12 or 13 or 24 hours without MouseHunt. (Cue palpitations and cold sweats) One great way to spend the downtime, assuming you're still so obsessed about MouseHunt that you can't get away from it, even away from the computer? Pick up a brush, pencil, or mouse, and start drawing. You might even come up with a piece of MouseHunt artwork worthy to compare with these guys! And if that's not your gig, we're happy to present you with the extremely unofficial

Misty's Guide To Downtime Survival

1. Don't Panic.
2. Yeah, that didn't work. OK, panic. But try to be safe.
3. Stay away from bridges and cliffs, sharp or pointy things, nooses, firearms, traffic and electrical outlets.
4. Use extreme caution with open flame, wild animals, oceans, lakes and swimming pools, serial killers, cacti, and whirring kitchen appliances.
5. Keep yourself fed and well hydrated while refreshing the MouseHunt page.
6. Go and get some sun, but if you start sparkling in the sun, it's time for a visit to the wooden stake store.
13. It's best NOT to try hunting family members. The thrill of the hunt is invigorating and addictive, for sure, but local law enforcement might not look kindly on your kids walking into your homemade Swiss Army Trap.
26. In real life, Radioactive sludge will not turn into cheese of any sort. Don't even try.
39. Visit your local hardware store. It's full of hinges, bolts, encrusted metal, rope, paint and glue... just like your inventory that you can't see.
85. Plant some peppers. You're almost guaranteed more than one pepper per plant... and they're delicious.
91. Head over to your local supermarket where coconut milk and plant pots are a whole lot cheaper than at the Cape Clawed general store.
138. Use your head: cut off theirs. No wait, that's for zombies.

When downtime is finally over, it will all be worthwhile! You'll come back to find a New and Improved interface, new game content, and all of your old gear. What will be the first thing you do? Head over to this thread and weigh in, or get some ideas.

Fasten your seatbelts just in case it's a bumpy ride!

MouseHunter of the Day

Jacob Johnson
Hunter’s Title: Hero ( 60 % )

1. If you were a mouse, what type would you be and what would you do to escape the traps set out for you?
I would be the Nugget mouse. My plan would be to wander around aimlessly collecting random things that look neat, hopefully I would avoid traps because I'm too busy looking for random collectables. If found by hunter I would use my overwhelming cuteness to get free cheese rather than battle a trap.

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?
I tend to eat 0.5 cheese a day. I would assume cheese sneaks into my diet 3-4 days of the week. And if I've gone too long with out cheese I find myself eating a week's quota in one sitting... Brie is my cheese of choice, and if I could get my hands on some magical essence I would definitely craft some Super|Brie+

3. Have you skipped anything important just to sound the horn (ie school, work, sleep)? Did you enjoy it?
I have very often sounded the horn at work, seems like something I'm supposed to do however. I have definitely lost sleep from that horn.

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?
Generally I have met almost all of the mice first hand. Not all of them are good at staying still for the painting sessions but I have had some good conversations with a lot of them. The tribe elders had some interesting stories to tell.

5. When was the last time you caught a mouse in real life?
I helped recover a friends escaped pet mouse a few years back, we found him in their couch.

6. What is your favorite trap in the game and why?
The HitGrab Horsey trap, because we have one in real life here at the office.

7. Do you think you could beat an Aged Mouse at chess?
Yes, but the board I would play on would use oversized extremely heavy chess pieces.

8. What was the last occasion where you caught a rare or difficult mouse with a ridiculously low amount of cheese?
It's been a little while, but literally just now the co-op student across from me just dropped an Onyx stone with his very first piece of rumble cheese (ever) and using Zugzwang's trap. Seriously! ... :O *glares*

9. What has been the worst decision of your MouseHunt career, in hindsight?
Not keeping Plankrun's journal safer, the king is going to kill me if I don't finish recovering all of the pages for him!

10. If the Ornament Mouse, Bottled Mouse, and Lambent Crystal Mouse were having a fight, who would win and why?
The Lambent mouse would win, it's a simple equation of mobility, mass and durability. Though it's hard to pick a fight with the Lambent mouse, that glow is just too calming.

I would instead expect them all to go out to a party together, dance in front of the lights and use their unique coatings to cause the lights to do some crazy stuff. I think they would be fun at a rave.

Hey, Nibbler readers! Want to take part in the biggest Nibbler contest EVAR? Seven million gold is up for grabs!

A Nibbler Contest: A Short Tale about Long-Tail

Greetings, fellow readers. As you well know, we Nibbler editors quite enjoyed writing for you. I hope you like to write as well - because today, you get to pick up where we left off... We'll craft a grand tale together. And the best part is, there's gold incentives involved!

The process is simple. I will start out with one sentence in the story. Each person thereafter writes one sentence of their own to continue the tale. When MouseHunt goes down for the much-anticipated MouseHunt 3.0 update, entries will no longer be accepted... I will then judge my favorites and give them to you when MouseHunt 3.0 returns (or shortly thereafter)

Prizes:
- 20 prizes of 300,000 gold (Yes, that's right, it's a lot of gold!) awarded to the twenty BEST sentences, as subjectively decided by the judge, Dane Koster.
- 10 more prizes of 100,000 gold awarded completely randomly.

Rules:
- Don't spam. Therefore, you can post a maximum of 3 sentences per thread page, please.
- Please continue the story, don't just post random sentences.
- Legibility and an attempt at proper grammar will certainly help if you're looking to win a judged prize.

I'll start:

"In Gnawnia, mice with short tails were held in very high regard, and tales were whispered of their legendary ability to nab cheese and escape hunters' traps with ease; this fact was no consolation to our young hero, Long-Tail, whose tail was longer by far than any other mouse in his village."

Now, you continue the story!

http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?topic=773&uid=5002234895484

You asked for it, you got it.

So, you've all read the Very First Nibbler up above. Cute, wasn't it? The post that started it all, the Nibbler before it was called "The Nibbler," the joke that never meant to be more than what it was. Out of that post, an era was born. We had no idea that we'd be taken so seriously. We grew more than we ever expected, we brought on new staffers, and we eventually got our own spot in the forums. We got deleted and reprimanded and somehow labeled, "reputable." (Man, that still makes me laugh. 'Reputable?' REALLY?)

And now we have come full circle. It is time for The Nibbler to end its services to the Community.

Yes, really.

This was not an easy decision to come to. We have all enjoyed the job and the role we played in this Community. The Community has grown and changed and we've been thrilled to play a part in that. All good things must come to an end, and now is that time for The Nibbler.

I have a message from Dane Koster:

Thanks, Mousehunters, for all you do. The Nibbler wouldn't be here without you - your enthusiasm for the hunt, your support for our editions, your continued source of interesting threads have all been directly responsible for our many editions.

I'll start by offering up my profile link to you.

http://www.facebook.com/dane.koster

While I am stingy about friend requests, I welcome all questions you might want to ask me or ask of me, because I will still be taking part in MouseHunt and still enjoy lending a helping hand to all its hunters.

I guess the message I really want to convey is... We're still here amongst you. Even though the Nibbler may change hands (the name doesn't belong to us, after all) or faces, the people that were involved with it are still a part of the community. Also, it's important to note that the community has not changed even if a part of it has. You still rock, MouseHunters.

So, feel free to lend your voice to the comments thread for this edition. Stay positive, because we're not shutting our operations down because we hate it... We're shutting down because we love it and we don't want to release something in a rush or without conviction, and we simply can't do that any longer.

I'll see you around, MouseHunters.
-Dane

I know that I speak for all of the Nibbler staff, past and present, when I say that we have been honored to have this experience. It's been a blast, and we thank the Community for reading and the Devs for supporting us. Truly, this game is what it is because of the contributions of so many, many people. Keep it up, and I'll see you on the forums.

-JCS, who loves you.

The Nibbler was a wholly independent MouseHunt daily news e-publication. Throughout the day, our reporters scoured the discussion boards to bring you the news, highlights and gossip of the day. It has been an honor and a pleasure and we thank you for your support.

So long, and thanks for all the fish.

The Nibbler GMT 11:14 6/5 Saturday -ROYAL FLUSH

2010-06-05T17:13:00.026-04:00

Lots of threads? No time to read them all? Bummer dude. This is not the Nibbler for you then. Please be patient while we try and get that for you. This is the ROYAL FLUSH Edition!

A Saturday edition? But why?
Something different! Change is upon us and LongTail will be the only light you'll see for awhile.

ABSOLUTELY FERNOMENAL LONGTAIL NIBBLER COMP!

Tomorrow is a fresh new day and this particular edition will hold the largest Nibbler comp EVER! So be paying attention. The estimated time of publication is approximately 5 pm GMT 6/6/10. We want you to have a heads up so you can get ready!

Quote of the Day

"But you said I was going to the Island!"

So far, so good, and don't forget to sound the horn!

DRRAGS

PS- I have about 30 Friend requests w/o tag-lines. You'll need to put MH or

The DRRAGS REPORT (The wha?) in the tag or else it gets deleted. Thanks!

"Chin Up, Cheese Out"

An original MouseHunt Cartoon.

by D. Schooner

MouseHunter-S! of the Day

Let's whack out some fresh Hunters of the day!

Rollcall!

Jared Sim
1. If you were a mouse, what type would you be and what would you do to escape the traps set out for you?
I wont approach the trap in the first place thank you. And although I am no mouse, the Acolyte Mice shares my 1st statement.

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. Limelight. The word here is food processing and rotting milk.

3. Have you skipped anything important just to sound the horn (ie school, work, sleep)? Did you enjoy it?
I skipped sleep to sound my horn. Enjoy it? no. Was it worth it? yes.

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?
Reaper Mouse, I'll ask him whether how he feels about hanging out with no lifers.

5. When was the last time you caught a mouse in real life?
The time before i squeezed my hamster, to eternity. Oh wait! ummm mouse? no.

6. What is your favorite trap in the game and why?
Whats not to love about the Clockapult of Time, you pay 2.7 million to transport enemy mice through time for free.

7. Do you think you could beat an Aged Mouse at chess?
And at his face as well.

8. What was the last occasion where you caught a rare or difficult mouse with a ridiculously low amount of cheese?
The huttington 2, 200 SB+, and caught the cook on the last piece. My only cook.

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

10. If the Ornament Mouse, Bottled Mouse, and Lambent Crystal Mouse were having a fight, who would win and why?
The Bottled mouse. Because i will chip ( slice it with a chainsaw ) the crystal and hang the ornament .

Abram Komara
1. If you were a mouse, what type would you be and what would you do to escape the traps set out for you?
I'll be Protector Mouse, and to escape Kraken Chaos, I'll cut the tentacle using my sword.

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?
Hmm, not much. I would like to taste Inferno Havarti anyway. How on earth 'hot' and 'cheesy' can come together in one bite, that's the question.

3. Have you skipped anything important just to sound the horn (ie school, work, sleep)? Did you enjoy it?
Well, I sleep late almost every night. I enjoy it because I earn more points than most of my friends.

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?
Silth. I'm going to ask why they don't mate more so that there would be more Silth available to be caught.

5. When was the last time you caught a mouse in real life?
I think I caught one when I was a kid. I don't really remember much about it.

6. What is your favorite trap in the game and why?
Kraken Chaos. I was racing against time to get the money to buy it, and getting it just in time. The effort was worthed because I get my Hydra in no time.

7. Do you think you could beat an Aged Mouse at chess?
I'll pay Grandfather Mouse a bunch of Gumbo, ask him to play against Aged Mouse, and hope Grandfather Mouse's tactical ability beat Aged Mouse's experience.

8. What was the last occasion where you caught a rare or difficult mouse with a ridiculously low amount of cheese?
I remember that I catch Christmas Tree Mouse on my first hunt with SB+. Trying to get Scrooge Mouse with SB+ also but no luck.

9. What has been the worst decision of your MouseHunt career, in hindsight?
Staying too long in Catacombs. I think I should move to the isles earlier.

10. If the Ornament Mouse, Bottled Mouse, and Lambent Crystal Mouse were having a fight, who would win and why?
Bottled will win. To fight Bottled Mouse, you need to go into the water and I believe that crystal and ornament will sink in water. So Bottled mouse will win.

Cheuk To Tsui
http://apps.facebook.com/mousehunt/hunterprofile.php?snuid=1467791480

1. If you were a mouse, what type would you be and what would you do to escape the traps set out for you?
I would be a Defender mouse, because he’s strong and he has lots of muscles. If the trap was just metal or something I would use my axe and chop the weapon up and just step on the base for the cheese. Then I would use the chopped up Scrap Metal for my axe. Then I could use my axe to shatter the Rhinobot’s rock :P

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?
I don’t eat a lot of cheese in a day, but when I do I would usually eat Brie because I like the taste or Marble [cheese cake]. I would like to try Moon cheese for a tast of the moon :D

3. Have you skipped anything important just to sound the horn (ie school, work, sleep)? Did you enjoy it?
I skipped doing homework and a bit of sleep to sound the horn and I enjoyed it so much I kept doing it.

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?

I would like to meet the Nerg Chieftain. I would like to ask him how being the smallest mouse in the tribe can be beneficial to being a leader.

5. When was the last time you caught a mouse in real life?
Never caught a mouse before. My home is spotless :D

6. What is your favorite trap in the game and why?
I like the HVMT because I like green. And because I like nature. And because I like the part where it chews the mouse down :)

7. Do you think you could beat an Aged Mouse at chess?
Depends whether the Aged Mouse knows a lot of chess.

8. What was the last occasion where you caught a rare or difficult mouse with a ridiculously low amount of cheese?
I caught a White Mouse with only two pieces of Cheddar. What an achievement.
In all seriousness, I caught a Master of the Dojo with one Rumble using the one piece recipe. Yes I was stupid enough to use the one piece recipe.

9. What has been the worst decision of your MouseHunt career, in hindsight?
Moving to the Ship thinking the Harpoon Gun was 466k and then finding out after getting there that I remembered the digits but in the wrong order.

10. If the Ornament Mouse, Bottled Mouse, and Lambent Crystal Mouse were having a fight, who would win and why?
I think it would be the Ornament Mouse because it can copy the Pokemon move Rollout which slams into the enemy multiple times, and Rollout is awesome :)

'Sam Gibbs

1. If you were a mouse, what type would you be and what would you do to escape the traps set out for you?
I would be a nugget -_-, with my cuteness, I will fool all the hunters in town. xD

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?
I’ve never crafted any cheese, I don’t like them T_T, my friend Hermbeh & some others Zombehs like it for no reason….

3. Have you skipped anything important just to sound the horn (ie school, work, sleep)? Did you enjoy it?
School, sleep! , I lie to my mum & bunk my school :’(, after some hours she realizes her mistakes, & what do you expect, T_T she will punch me in the face…

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?
Curious Chemists ^_^, I would ask how they made Wicked Gnarly Potions :D, & I will make it myself @_@

5.When was the last time you caught a mouse in real life?
Nay, I hunted mice even before MH started xD, I would use some poisonous cheese, (I’m wicked xP)..& finish ‘em & throw to cats/crows 3:).

6.What is your favorite trap in the game and why?
My own Snow Barrage, he owned my Silth,BBB & Sensei .

7. Do you think you could beat an Aged Mouse at chess?
Well, when I won’t have a chance, I’d give it a checkmate using ZLM O:)

8. What was the last occasion where you caught a rare or difficult mouse with a ridiculously low amount of cheese?
BBB, on my first & last. piece of LL ^_^

9. What has been the worst decision of your MouseHunt career, in hindsight?
Buying a BG, selling it, buying it again, sold it again, finally bought it in Isles, & while I saw those heavenly red boxes In JoD, I bought CoT.

10. If the Ornament Mouse, Bottled Mouse, and Lambent Crystal Mouse were having a fight, who would win and why?
Certainly none would, they’re all dumb & they didn’t see that they’re fighting in my Ginger bread house (in my dreams) ^_^, so none of them wins except me!!

We will no longer be accepting MouseHunter of the Day applications as we plan on bringing you forward into the future! The Guf is depleted!

Something NEW! So grande, so impossible, so unexpected that you'll cry with anticipation and laugh with anger! Have you ever had an angry laugh? It's really funny.

This section left intentionally blank.

The Nibbler Friday June 4, 2010

2010-06-04T17:04:00.004-04:00

Lots of threads, no time to read them all? Here are today's MouseHunt news, highlights, and gossip! Read on:

I've taken the Nibbler and mated it with Feedback Friday to bring you the following issue of

*NibbleBack Friday*
Enjoy. I think it has my eyes.

Dave welcomes us without Franco but with very spiky hair. It's June 4, 2010. (Nice guess, Dave!) Apparently, Dave ranked up to Baron but didn't even notice until someone pointed out that there was a thread about it. (Turns out "someone" was The Nibbler.)

Franco is late, so Dave says we should give him a hard time when he finally shows up. And now, to business.

For today, we have 2 things:

A. Mailbag - extra full edition.

Dave didn't even number the questions because it's more than he can count. (Fortunately, the Nibbler Cave is equipped with calculators of all sizes. No task is too big or too small for the wall of calculators.)

1. Eggnog?
- Soon. Dave warns that it might not be as exciting as we're anticipating. If you're expecting something amazingly epic you might be just a teeny bit let down. (Cue the crushing of hopes and the onslaught of threads in the Tavern complaining about the buildup.)

2. When Longtail is released, can we have a content update every 3-4 months?
- Dave laughs. every 3-4 months is INSANITY. The devs are planning content updates MUCH more regularly than that... more like one significant update (new area, new traps, etc.) and one minor update (new mouse in an old location etc.) That's right, folks, we're talking two content updates each and every month! Goodbye, sleep... we hardly knew ye. The increase in update frequency is possible because MH 3.0 is built for easy updating. In the old (current) MouseHunt, getting the Balack update in took about 3 days of coding. In MouseHunt 3.0 (also known as Longtail), the same job took about 2 hours of work. And that's really what all of this waiting around for MH 3.0 has been about - rebuilding the framework so that content and features can be added more easily.

3. With the release of Longtail, will the Unstable Curd be updated to produce other cheeses when poked?
- Yes! The possible results of poking Unstable Curd will be updated to include Gnarled, Wicked Gnarly, and Limelight Cheeses. How many of each? Dave doesn't remember exactly, but it's in line with the other cheese possibilities and the difficulty of obtaining them through other means.

4. What happened to the Monday Mystery Mice and weekly events?
- They've been monitoring feedback and figuring out what kinds of events are most well received. Firesalt Friday was aimed at Knights and above, so it was well received by them but not so much by everyone else. Things that are aimed at the entire player base generally are not well received by higher-ranking players. So they're working on it, mulling it over, and constantly striving to make the game better.

SN (sidenote) 1 - Dave suggests a 'Cute Mouse' event, which would obviously include the Curious Chemist, and Nugget. Although apparently Jacob has drawn a new mouse and it's the cutest mouse in the game. It's hugging a piece of cheese... how can you resist that?

Right about here, Joel streaks FBF. Well, he's fully clothed, so we can't call it streaking, but he was visible for about that long. He said, "Hi, guys."

SN 2 - Someone in the chat room points out that waiting for the Clock su... is miserable. Dave says there's a new trap coming out that's in between the Bottomless Grave and the Clock. (Didn't we just have one of those? The Chrome Nannybot?) And no, there's nothing better than the Clockapult coming out anytime soon.

5. In crafting, does your chance of failure decrease as you gain ranks?
- Yes. Your chance of fail equals one out of the number of slots available including red. If you have 4 slots, your chance of fail is 1 in 4. They're thinking of ditching the red slot anyway, because at higher levels you never fail and at lower levels you're so likely to fail that you might as well not bother trying.

6. Will we keep the sylvan in the Jungle of Dread?
- YES. (Stop whining.)

7. Have they considered having mice drop vanilla pods so you could get more than one bean at a time?
- They think it's a great idea, and will probably add this when they add new mice to the Jungle.

8. Mobsters are dwindling due to technical limitations with the current build. They'll fix it later, but for now just accept that there might be one or two still running around but that's it.

Franco shows up sixteen minutes late. Chaos ensues. Nobody remembers to give him a hard time about being late. OK, one or two people, but they were washed away by the tide of Franco-love that hit the Chat room.

9. Will Balack drop loot, and if so will the loot be given to players who've already caught him?
- There are no immediate plans to have him drop loot. It's something they're considering, and no it won't be retroactive. If he starts dropping loot, you'll have to go back and catch him again. Unless you're waiting to go after him until he starts dropping something, and in that case you might be waiting... forever. So it was a kinda sorta not really answer. Chew on that and plan your hunting strategy accordingly.

SN 3 - Are the devs stressed? Dave says, "Nah." When they get stressed they take a break and set off some fireworks and come back refreshed. Nobody's shooting up the place, and since the only options are "shooting up the place" and "not stressed" then obviously nobody's stressed. Besides, they've been working on Longtail for longer than we've been anticipating it, so it's really pretty routine.

10. When will the iPhone app be ready? 3 months? 6 months? End of time?
- It's done. It needs a little more testing, and it needs for Longtail to be done, but that's it. It's done.

11. Will they consider making Vengeful Vanilla only attract Liches and Balack?
- It already attracts way more Liches, which is what it's supposed to do. (It's supposed to be hard, people.) You get more points because at higher ranks it takes longer to level up, so they're leveling us faster. Attraction rates, catch rates, and points are balanced for the goals of the area, and it's working exactly as they intended.

12. Are there any plans to fix the toolbar?
- A new one is built (thanks, Paul) and just needs a little testing and for Longtail to be released.

13. Why do cheese prices vary from location to location?
- Originally it was to make travel a little more strategic, so you'd have to plan how long you wanted to be in an area to know how much cheese to buy to make it worth your travel costs. (Surely, someone else remembers when it cost 19,500 gold to get to the Lab. You didn't go in there with just a few pieces of Swiss, I'm telling you!) Travel makes more sense in Longtail, and things are more standardized. You'll have to think about where you want to go and how much cheese you need - it's about strategy. Franco doubts it will make a difference, but time will tell.

14. How long into Longtail before we get Tournaments back?
- There are a bunch of Tournament updates being worked on, but they won't be ready for the initial launch. Tournaments can be improved to be a lot more fun. It's just very lengthy to program especially for the number of players we have doing tourneys. They will be shut off when Longtail is released, so get your Tourney hunting in NOW. Fortunately there will be enough new stuff in Longtail that we shouldn't go through Tournament Withdrawal Syndrome right away. (Hopefully. Some of you are serious tournament junkies, so it's hard to say.)

15. Would they increase the number of peppers we get from seeds?
- Yes, ever so slightly. The range will still be from 1-5, but the weights will be different. Or something like that - my mother in law had stopped by and I had to look away from the screen for a few minutes. Something about being range-oriented instead of slot-oriented.

SN 4 - How often do they look at the Ideas and Suggestions Forum?
- Michele looks in there all the time, and passes interesting and promising ideas on to the devs. Dave sometimes checks it out himself. At this point, Dave shares with us his morning routine:

Dave wakes up and turns off the alarm clock, which is playing music. He reaches for his phone, sounds his horn, and moves back to Balack's Cove since he got washed out while sleeping. He reads the Nibbler if there is one, and scrolls down to Ideas and Suggestions if he has time. Sometimes he'll reply to something. (All that before his feet hit the floor. Go Dave!)

B. NEWS FOR YOUR FACE:

There's just one question. A lot of people have been wondering for a long time the answer to this question. Franco wonders if we can guess what it is. And we can. Say it with me now:

When is Longtail coming out?

Franco replies:

It's launching this Tuesday!

How about them apples? Franco DID shave because he expected Longtail last Tuesday, but then Murphy stopped in and dropped a copy of his Law and whammo... here we are again.

As you might expect, the chat room explodes. Dave and Franco urge us to SLOW DOWN, PEOPLE!!! This is going to be a process. They are ready and it's going to happen, and they're prepared with fire extinguishers and hazmat suits just in case there's some sort of major disaster. You won't need to keep track of your stats. Dave has done this a million times now, and it's feeling pretty routine. Unfortunately they will not be able to transfer our journals at all. So when you first log in, your journal will be blank. You'll start with a new one at your first horn. Get used to the idea now, because there is nothing they can do to fix it - but at least it will only bother you for a day or two.

There will be downtime, and plenty of it. They're planning to take MouseHunt down at 8:00am on Tuesday, June 8 Eastern US Time. It could be down for 12-13 hours. As one chatroom hunter asked, "Does this mean we have to spend time with our families :("? Well, you don't have to do that. But you might want to go to work or something, because it's bound to be a long day. Maybe they'll leave the Feedback Friday Ustream running all day so we can band together in our withdrawal. If you're fresh out of ideas, join this thread and brainstorm ideas about what to do with MouseHunt unavailable.

Here's the official News Post regarding Longtail's release. Go read it, and then come back. Or read the rest of this, and then go over there. Your choice, but don't miss it!

And do not fear, because all that waiting will most definitely be worth it. Longtail (soon to be known only as MouseHunt 3.0) will launch with a new area called the King's Gauntlet. It's the king's personal challenge to MouseHunters, and it's going to take some work. Dave explains that you'll work your way up floors of the tower using cheese that you gather at each level, to hopefully get the big guy at the top. Kind of like Furoma, but "bzzzzzssshhh." (We assume that means "with a high-powered elevator.") And that big mouse at the top will be worth some serious bucks - 379,000 points and 300,000 gold (plus or minus 10). In order to reach the top, you'll need to face mice of every power type in the game (except Parental) and your chances for completing the quest only get good when you're a Hero or above. Players of any level can access the area, but without the higher-level traps they're likely to dash out with their heads down and their tails between their legs.
Dave says it will be a great challenge. He muses to himself that if you were really, REALLY lucky you could catch the big guy in as little as 8 hunts, but that the chances of that are .000000something. This little comment sparked quite the discussion on the boards, when hunters heard "8 hunts" as "8 months" and got a little hot under the collar. Let us clarify:

Dave said that the absolute minimum number of hunts needed to catch the Big Baddy would be 8. And that there is a .000000x chance of doing it in 8 hunts. So yes, possible but highly, highly, extremely highly and did we mention highly unlikely. In short, it will take a while to catch this mouse, but not 8 months. So breathe deeply and relax, and just wait to see what comes next, OK?

Needless to say, the news about Longtail's imminent release spread like wildfire. Questions about the version upgrade are many. Here are some that the Nibbler Mice managed to bring in before press time:

Question: Will we need to re-enter all of our crafting recipes?
Answer: No, they'll all be pre-loaded.

Question: Will there be trapchecks during downtime?
Answer: Nobody knows, but it's not likely. Watch this space for further info (we hope)

Question: Can we still use our mobile phones to access MouseHunt after Longtail is released?
Answer: None official, but given that it's still a facebook application you should be able to access it through facebook on your phone, if your phone supports any sort of browser.

-JCS, off to get some sleep before the new stuff comes out.

The data brought to us by the Nibbler spies pinpoints the exact location of the King's new Gauntlet. We also know that the weapon systems of this Gauntlet are not yet operational. With the other mice spread throughout the kingdom in a vain effort to engage us, it is relatively unprotected. But most important of all, we've learned that the King himself is personally overseeing the final stages of the construction of this Gauntlet.

Many Nibbler Mice died to bring us this information.

MouseHunter of the Day

Herman Didier Ng
Mousehunter of the Day
Herman Didier Ng(Or Hermbeh)
Hunter's Title: Knight(1%)
http://apps.facebook.com/mousehunt/hunterprofile.php?snuid=1819495306
1. If you were a mouse, what type would you be and what would you do to escape the traps set out for you?
- I would be the Shelder, resisting the urge to come out to have some cheese... spies Gouda hang on awhile, please.

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?
-Here's to all Zombehs out there- MEH LURVES CHEESE! DOUGHNATE ME SOME!!
Crafting? Bleh. Mee iz too lazies.

3. Have you skipped anything important just to sound the horn (ie school, work, sleep)? Did you enjoy it?
-takes out dictionary, zombeh can now spell properleh
Err, skipped a few cups of Coffee? :O

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?
- I would like to meet Walter. I mean, he's ancient but still really fit.

5. When was the last time you caught a mouse in real life?
- None with my BHT(Bare Hands Trap) yet, but hopefully my CNT will be completed soon. The Trapsmith really has slow hands.

6. What is your favorite trap in the game and why?
- CCT. I'm the only one in class who has it xD It got my hydra, and it once went 9/10 against Derr Big 3

7. Do you think you could beat an Aged Mouse at chess?
- I've beaten my dad like 2/100 times so.... yeah.

8. What was the last occasion where you caught a rare or difficult mouse with a ridiculously low amount of cheese?
- I caught my Acolyte with 16 Runic, Dragon in 28 IH and Shelder in 10 Gouda. Consecutively!

9. What has been the worst decision of your MouseHunt career, in hindsight?
- Buying the Snowglobe, although it helped me get all the loot for CCT in 2 days

10. If the Ornament Mouse, Bottled Mouse, and Lambent Crystal Mouse were having a fight, who would win and why?
- Staring at the wall would be more interesting. Really. Even a white wall. With nothing on it. Seriously.

Advertising Feature

You couldn't ask a better crew. Oh, sure, the people at the Seeker Scoop only bother trying to catch ONE breed of mouse (a lowly Field Mouse, at that!), but they sure do a fantastic job of honing in on all the news, gossip, and discussion that relates to HitGrab's other (other) game, LevynLight.

So, Seek out the Seeker Scoop!

If you've got any bright ideas for what you think should go in this space for a week or two at a time, give Dane Koster a shout (http://www.facebook.com/dane.koster)

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:

1) You notice a really entertaining, informative, or overall appealing thread (or post) somewhere on the forum.

2) You copy the link for that awesome thread (or post).

3) You paste that link into the most recent Nibbler comments thread.

4) You say why you liked that thread (or post).

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

1) Choose our very favorite thread (or post) from the ones you've submitted.

2) Feature it prominently in our next Nibbler edition as the THREAD OF THE DAY.

3) PAY UP! We'll give the author of that thread (or post) 50,000 gold, for whatever purposes.

4) And, once a week, we'll give a random nominator for the past week 50,000 gold also.

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.

The Nibbler remains a wholly independent MouseHunt daily news e-publication. Throughout the day, our reporters scour through all the discussion boards, as we are dedicated to bringing the noteworthy news, highlights and gossip of the day to you, the hunters.

The Nibbler GMT 4-6- 2010 04:44

2010-06-04T00:44:00.006-04:00

Lots of threads, no time to read them all? Here is today's MouseHunt news, highlights, and gossip! Read on:

NOW WITH 50% LESS FRILLS!

TOURNY NEWS

Some of you may have noticed the tournaments have dwindled as of late. The Shortage of Tourny and V3 was discussed here. Thanks to Kathy Hitzfelder for copying this for us.

Michele Spencer Hi guys, (HI MICHELE!)
"Dave is doing some data migration testing and the manually added tournaments were at risk of messing up, so I have not added any and will not be adding anymore.

The auto tournaments will continue to run until v3 is released.
Tournaments will not be in the inital v3 release. We are still analyzing when and how tournaments will make a return."

ALL HAIL DAVE VANDERBARON.

Congratulations Dave on your new level!

How do you explain your MH addiction to your significant other?

Start by explaining your $100 a day heroin addiction then move on to your foot fetishes. When they realize these are false, MH will seem like nothing.

Raging VS, Annoyed VS and Wrathful VS.

Ever wake up with Raging VS? Of course not! But the ideas are out there. Feel free to comment. The horse lives.

LINKS GO BOOM

FB links have gone the way of the dodo as of late and all of them come across as broken. You may need to copy / paste links or use tiny url until FB reworks whatever they decided to break today.

Quote of the Day

Curt Schramm

"Kyle, my mom always said I was "special" and there is nothing that changes that."

Sofar,kindaok,anddon'tforgettopushthatclickiethingy!

drrags

MouseHunter of the Day

Rishi Arora

Hunter's Title: Legendary (43%)

http://apps.facebook.com/mousehunt/hunterprofile.php?snuid=846139856

1. If you were a mouse, what type would you be and what would you do to escape the traps set out for you?
- I would be the Nibbler, Well informed.. Intelligent.. Quick.. Agile.. and very hard to trace..

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?

-I am allergic to cheese,
In real life.. out of the MH ones I would really conceder eating Maki..and No I haven't EVER tried to craft cheese at home.

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

-MH has changed my sleeping schedule from 11 PM to no earlier than 2 AM almost every night
and I skipped my Engineering internal exam just because I was in a tourney(Darn just a token). Enjoyed :D

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?

- I guess Master of Cheese Claw.. would ask her out..

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

- Well I am somewhat an Animal lover so no hunting for me in real life...

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

- My Venus Mouse Trap, Love it.. Got me my Hydra and BPs and helped me through the game in one form or the other..

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

Yep.. a Pawn on their head.. :P

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

- During the MH 2nd Birthday I caught my Rockstar with ONE SB+ (That was all I had that time)

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

- Crafting OOI

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

- Ornament mouse, atleast it can roll away to safety...

Thanks :D
Happy Hunting!!

Advertising Feature

So, Seek out the Seeker Scoop!

If you've got any bright ideas for what you think should go in this space for a week or two at a time, give Dane Koster a shout (http://www.facebook.com/dane.koster)

1) You notice a really entertaining, informative, or overall appealing thread (or post) somewhere on the forum.

2) You copy the link for that awesome thread (or post).

3) You paste that link into the most recent Nibbler comments thread.

4) You say why you liked that thread (or post).

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

1) Choose our very favorite thread (or post) from the ones you've submitted.

2) Feature it prominently in our next Nibbler edition as the THREAD OF THE DAY.

3) PAY UP! We'll give the author of that thread (or post) 50,000 gold, for whatever purposes.

4) And, once a week, we'll give a random nominator for the past week 50,000 gold also.

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.

* THE NIBBLER * Wednesday, June 2, 2010

2010-06-03T04:12:00.001-04:00

Lots of threads, no time to read them all? Here is today's MouseHunt news, highlights, and gossip! Read on:

Longtail is coming...
It's true! The fabled product will be rolling off the shelves soon!

...How soon?

We don't know.

Well, what do you mean? You've got the inside track, right? Is it hours? Days? Weeks?

Umm... We don't know.

What does all this mean? Nothing, quite clearly. It means that all the speculation in the world, and all the 'signs' like an inability to access the beta testing Longtail app and a freshly-hewn Franco face - 'signs' that might point to new things in MouseHunt... Well, they're purely speculative. So, if speculation makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside, feel free to partake in it.

Oh, that's right. The Nibbler is supposed to find threads to link to. Okay, how about this thread? Oh, wait, this one? Maybe this one? Yeah, that'll do.

(PS: Longtail threads have, of late, not had a very long shelf life on the forums. That is because Longtail remains the beta-testing application, and discussing its particulars to the general public when you're privy to some secrets is definitely not kosher. So, if you're a beta tester... Keep your yap shut!)

THIS JUST IN! An actual newsworthy item!
I missed it the first time around, but HitGrab dev Mark D'Souza popped in for a brief encounter on the Feedback Friday Review thread to clarify what's going on with the Longtail application right now.

The reason you're getting the "The page you requested was not found" error is because we had to take it completely down in order to do some major upgrades. It might be back in a couple of days while we test things out internally.

He also offered a little glimmer of hope:

@Choon: most of the main LT bugs are fixed. The upgrades currently underway are structural changes. Very little testing will need to be done before it is ready to go.

Now that's the best news I've seen all week!

(It's also the only news I've seen all week.)

Much Ado About Nogthing
With June 1 coming and going in the flash of an eye, it's surprising such a small thing got any notice at all... I mean, all there is is that one little blurb in the eggnog's description:

And there's an expiry date on the bottom of the canister. It reads June, 2010. Hopefully someone will be able to get it open by then.

And, well, it IS just a novelty item. One that already had a use back in December to help craft a pretty nice trap (Christmas Cracker Trap). There's definitely no outward indication to assume that anything is amiss, or that anything special is planned for it. In fact, if you suggested that it has no use other than to sit and look pretty (well, pretty may not be the proper term for a grime-encrusted barrel) in the inventory, just like the Ronzaburger or the RhinoBot, people shouldn't bat an eye.

But they are batting eyes, believe you me! Everyone's clamoring for their egg nog to be opened now, since it's June, after all! Never mind that June has 30 days. Never mind that we'd mostly rather have the devs working on MH3.0. We want it opened!

Here's two threads (among a whole slew) I've picked out where you can discuss it. They may not be the best, but they entertained me the most.

MHatchmaker MHatchmaker
Set up your traps...
Lay out your cheese,
See what you catch.

Yes, it would seem that for every FML that blames MouseHunt for a shoddy relationship, there's an example of the game bringing people together. There's a myriad of couples that prove the adage "Those that Hunt together, are... um... fragrant together".

But apparently, love for the game can go far beyond that - it can even inspire love between Hunters. Such is the story of Clare and Eric, two hunters from opposite corners of the earth who met, appropriately enough, through the Meet and Greet forum in search of party members. And less than one week from now, the two are exchanging vows. Wow!

As an interesting aside... HitGrab's first foray into a Facebook application was a wedding registry app that "failed miserably". Bet a lot of you didn't know that! It begs the question, though... Maybe the devs should have been playing the matchmaker, instead!

To give your congrats (and partake in Clare and Eric's contest, too!) head on down to their thread.

The devs should be interior designers
...Because their color-coordination skills are FABULOUS! Okay, so it's not exactly stunning news (some would dare say it's "duh"-worthy) but we can't recall it having been mentioned before, so the fact has most likely been ignored or glossed over. Anyway...

If you look at the loot items dropped by the three imprisoned Lich mice in Balack's Cove, you'll see that they match the colors of the seeds dropped by their former tribes.

That's all. Don't get too excited, now! You can talk about it here.

Just because you're boasting...
Doesn't mean you have to use up valuable Tavern thread real-estate! That's why Zhu Hanming created the boasting thread, where you can tilt your nose up at the other inferior hunters who can't catch things near as well as you can. Okay, I'm sure Hanming wouldn't use those words... Whatever. Anyway, the Nibbler applauds any thread that can potentially cut down on the number of other inane threads that only serve to sever us from the pure gold on the forums that we love to share with you! Who knows, perhaps this thread has some gold in it as well?

See it here.

There's still time...
Get your Feedback Friday questions submitted early here!

A club that I can get behind!
Too many clubs these days are about doing things. I need a club where I can specifically not do something. For instance, I would enjoy a club that promotes not working. Perhaps instead I could be MouseHunting.

It turns out Mélanie Ferrière has just the club for me!

Thanks, Melanie, for providing today's thread of the day!

Quote of the Day
Today's extremely random quote of the day goes to...

Sherwynn Tiong:

3422370

In the thread "Let's count to a BILLION"

So far, so good, and don't forget to sound the horn!

MouseHunter of the Day
Name: Sean Ong
Rank: Thy Supreme King of Gnawnia

1. If you were a mouse, what type would you be and what would you do to escape the traps set out for you?
Glitchpaw. Which King can double book a small puddle of melted comet for a Lunar Valentine's party? Only thy Loyal Assistant Larry will make such a mistake.

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?
Cheezeee!!! I would take the Ancient - imagine age-old cheese, who would want to eat that? And perhaps Rockforth (*ROCK ON*) or maybe some DHU-, to alleviate the poor cholesterol (oops DHU) level of mine.

3. Have you skipped anything important just to sound the horn (ie school, work, sleep)? Did you enjoy it?
What is more important than sounding the horn? Sounding the horn takes priority over everything else, and it's sounding the horn we need to skip (like we would ever skip it) if we ever had school,work,sleep.

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?
Oh the Master Burglar of course! That son of a mouse stole my crown the previous time, thank god it has learnt its lesson!
Oh questions - Why did you steal my crown? Are you in cahoots with the Burglar (see my log)?

00:00 yesterday
I sounded the Hunter's Horn.
I was successful in my hunt! I caught a 1lb 10oz. Master Burglar Mouse from the King's Palace worth 10 gold and 10 points.

The mouse dropped some loot:
-1 King's Crown

00:15
I sounded the Hunter's Horn, but my efforts were fruitless.
A Burglar Mouse ate a piece of my cheese without setting off my trap.
Additionally, the crafty mouse was able to steal my entire stash of SUPER|Brie+ and tease me before scampering away.

The mouse left a message:
HURHUR! Cheese and crown gone!

5. When was the last time you caught a mouse in real life?
Eh, Larry's doing the job for me! :)

6. What is your favorite trap in the game and why?
Oooo, the Mouse Mary-'o-Nette. It just surprises me how the mice caught are all male. Either that or the females are les. Or maybe Mary has too much fluff.

7. Do you think you could beat an Aged Mouse at chess?
Nah, and while I play chess with him, Larry will catch him for me! MUHAHAHAHA

8. What was the last occasion where you caught a rare or difficult mouse with a ridiculously low amount of cheese?
A Mojo with 3 Rumble. There was an earthquake, and the rumble was rumbling more than usual, which led to me catching the Mojo to be my bouncer. Larry is more of a like-to-trip-over-things-and-meditate-in-the-meditation-room guy.

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

10. If the Ornament Mouse, Bottled Mouse, and Lambent Crystal Mouse were having a fight, who would win and why?
Ooooo, NONE! Coz Larry would pick them up and smash them all. Won't that be easier? MUAHAHAHA :)

Advertising Feature

If you've got any bright ideas for what you think should go in this space for a week or two at a time, give Dane Koster a shout (http://www.facebook.com/dane.koster)

1) You notice a really entertaining, informative, or overall appealing thread (or post) somewhere on the forum.

2) You copy the link for that awesome thread (or post).

3) You paste that link into the most recent Nibbler comments thread.

4) You say why you liked that thread (or post).

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

1) Choose our very favorite thread (or post) from the ones you've submitted.

2) Feature it prominently in our next Nibbler edition as the THREAD OF THE DAY.

3) PAY UP! We'll give the author of that thread (or post) 50,000 gold, for whatever purposes.

4) And, once a week, we'll give a random nominator for the past week 50,000 gold also.

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.

The Nibbler - T'was The Weekend Before Memorial Day

2010-05-30T16:48:00.007-04:00

Lots of threads, no time to read them all? Here is today's MouseHunt news, highlights, and gossip! Read on:

...when all through the house,
not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.

THIS JUST IN - MICE ARE ACTUALLY STIRRING!

Stirring in fear of being HACKED! If you are a mouse, I would advise you to follow these guidelines:

1) Never go out of your predesignated area.
2) Don't steal more points/gold than you're supposed to.
3) Don't pick any fights with other mice, especially the tough ones.
4) Exercise a regular eating schedule.
5) Never give anyone your cheese.

Meanwhile, if you are a human, I would advise you to follow these other guidelines:

1) Stop using the same password for everything
2) Make sure only you can see your email (Privacy->Contact Info)
3) Don't use answers to password-help questions that I could guess.
4) Log out on public computers and avoid keyloggers.
5) Never give anyone your password.

THIS JUST IN 2 - LONGTAIL IS COMING OUT TOMORROW

Source - the internet.

THIS JUST IN 3 - SURVEYS SHOW THAT "THIS JUST IN" MESSAGES CONTAIN BLATANTLY FALSE OR OTHERWISE ERRONEOUS INFORMATION 78.6% OF THE TIME

Source - other "THIS JUST IN" messages.

THIS JUST IN 4 - SOMEONE HAS CAUGHT BALACK!
Oh wait.

THIS JUST IN 5 - SOMEONE HAS CAUGHT BALACK, TWICE!!

Huh. Technically that's old too. Well, in case you missed it, it's here.

THIS JUST IN 6 - SOMEONE HAS CAUGHT BALACK, THRICE!!!
If you thought the previous TJI was exciting, wait till you check out this.

THIS JUST IN 7 - LONGTAIL IS COMING OUT IN 15 MINUTES

Source - a guy using caps lock.

THIS JUST IN 9 - ALL OF THE BOSSES CAUGHT IN A LOG

It appears that Victor Ho (Not to be mistaken for "Victor, Hooooooo!") has taken the liberty of going out and catching Balack the Banished, a Dojo Sensei, a Silth, a BBB, a Dragon, an Acolyte, and a Master of the Dojo in a log. Check that off the To-Do List.

THIS JUST IN 8 - "THIS JUST IN" MESSAGES HAVE BEEN KNOWN TO GO OUT OF ORDER

THIS JUST IN 10 - UNRELEASED LYRICS LEAKED
Turn and watch for her Savin up the gold To buy the moon I’m waiting for Her and watch for her Savin up the gold To buy the moon A premonition says ... She calls to me A premonition says She calls to me Woman high up in the sky She’s on the ground She’s on the ground... She’s on the ground... She’s on the ground...

To what? And are they legit? Complete? Nobody knows.

THIS JUST IN 11 - 7 ACOLYTES CAUGHT IN A LOG

It appears that Tex Andersen (with an "e") managed to mark off another one of those things on the To-Do List.
I would like to let everyone know that I've personally met with the To-Do List and it has informed me that the next thing on it is to get 4 Silths in a log.

THIS JUST IN 12 - THE "TO-DO LIST" LIED. THE NEXT THING TO DO IS ACTUALLY TO CATCH A DRAGON WITH TACKY GLUE.

And Dhruv McSachdev (pronunciation pending) has promised to give said completee of this To-Do List item 5 million gold. And someone else in the thread also threw in another million! There's more supporters further in! Well in any case, catching a Dragon could earn you a lot of money. There is the issue of not really knowing whether or not said "to-do" item is even possible; if it's not, I'll make sure to go have a word with that conniving parchment.

THIS JUST IN 14 - LONGTAIL WILL COME OUT AFTER THE NEXT DOWNTIME, EVEN IF THE DOWNTIME IS ONLY 11 SECONDS LONG

Source - the MH chat room after every downtime.

THIS JUST IN 15 - NOT-SO-UNRELEASED LYRICS LEAKED IN AN OFFICIAL MANNER

The 2nd and more official version of "Vanilla Mice" has made its debut.

THIS JUST IN 13 - "THIS JUST IN" MESSAGES ARE NOT SUPERSTITIOUS
Also, Longtail MIGHT be coming out next week.

Source - a random poster.

THIS JUST IN 16 - HELP IS ON THE WAY

Herman Didier Ng (currently on the 2nd page of the Herman scoreboard) is promoting a group that could perhaps serve as a replacement to An/Am. If you're looking for help, wish to participate, or would like more information, check it out.

THIS JUST IN 17 - BALACK IS WAY TOO EASY
Not just easy. Not just too easy. WAY TOO EASY. Do you agree with this sentiment? I hear someone might actually have 4 of them soon.

THIS JUST IN 18 - THIS "THIS JUST IN" MESSAGE IS BEING RELEASED PUNCTUALLY, AND MAY NEED TWEAKING IN THE FUTURE.

This discussion has been carrying on for awhile. Are you okay with tweaks? Are you okay with waiting longer for finalized content? Are you okay with knowing what's coming? Are you okay with surprises? Are you okay? Are you sure? You may want to consult a psychiatrist. Or perhaps the MHA's new and once again improved catch rates estimates page.
Here are some early responses:

Russell Whitchurch
"While thinking about it, personally I think it's an excellent idea, though it comes at a risk- for this release, it was advantageous as you could get a lot more stilton to hunt with. However, for a future release it might prove to be a disadvantage, such as making some mice too hard to catch and wasting valuable cheese doing so."
Philip Hinch
"I prefer internal testing. The game itself is different from beta testing. If you find a bug, you account on a beta test is usually fake and deleted eventually. If you accomplish something like getting a tough mouse in your REAL account and then have it bug with no loot or something, then that would be kind of disappointing."

Lisa Johnson Wolff
"The situation with the VS recipe is a good example. There was an imbalanced advantage to the ME fomula v. the non-ME formula. I personally think they should have decreased the non-ME bean requirement to 5 instead of increasing the ME one, but ultimately it doesn't bother me that much (and I am a donator) because it was necessary and if they had decreased the non-ME bean requirement, they would stand to lose revenue by making it easier to craft without SB+. I like having a say about gameplay and accept that the devs can change things about the game at will. I like being heard and feeling like my opinions can shape the game. That is one of the best things about MH and a key component to its success."
Sharon Wells Jones
"I develop software for a small company. One thing I have learned is that before releasing new updates I have to get the the users on-board. It really helps if they feel that they "own" a piece of the new release and that their ideas and feedback are valuable and necessary. Letting the users know ahead of time that you will be using the community's feedback to "tweak" things will reduce the amount of whining and crying imho. I think the MH devs do a great job of communicating with the community. There will always be a certain amount of whining no matter what you do, it is inevitable."

Nathan Wittry
"It's not unusual for developers to release stable content and then tweak it for balance after it's been release. In fact, I'd say it is more unusual for content to be released and then never touched again." ... "I say release content and then tweak accordingly."

Ryan Cook
"My personal opinion is to hold off on content releases until they've been been tested extensively. I think that more time in pre-release will give a more ideal balance of the game mechanics when its all said and done."

Evan Lundy
"Personally I prefer the latter - internal testing and final release. But let's face it, in some situations, it is not possible. For the latest release, Hunters were dying to get new contents since Longtail is delayed for too long. From this perspective, they made a good move by releasing 'half baked' contents earlier than expected." ... "Look at the forum now, no one's asking about Longtail as loud as before, prior to the Balack update. MH Devs decision is good enough."

Kathryn Cheshire
"Personally I prefer the idea of releasing it after internal testing. I also think it would be helpful to consult with various focus groups for some feedback prior to release. Ultimately though, I think that the Devs have got the balance right now. The recipes were TOO disproportionate and changed the dynamic of the game significantly - especially near the top of the scoreboard. My quibble is mainly with HOW its been managed but I am very encouraged by the communications from Hitgrab staff that make it clear they are wanting to take on board the concerns of the communitay."

Keith Farhall "The developers should have confidence in thier own work and only release new content when they are happy with it."

Michael Gourley "Personally I feel that tweaking after release is the way to go. If the door is shut on making changes to the game when (not if) players find exploits, workarounds, or other imbalances in content that was thoroughly internally tested, making tweaks that fix obviously broken elements would be seen as hypocritical; or at least met with even greater resistance. This wouldn't be a problem if all content was released in a state of pure perfection, but that is not realistic."

And an Idea from Kathryn Cheshire: "I am really hoping that one day I will open my camp page and on my journal page it will say: "As I bait my trap I start to notice my ancient lantern flicker and dim. Opening it up I see the dragons embers starting to disintegrate and I know it will not last much longer!" I think it would be a really positive move to make players choose between sitting safe in Elub or having access to the high points in Balack's Cove but having to hunt the isles to make more inferno every month or so. It would encourage a range of different strategies and options for achieving whatever goals a player has."

THIS JUST IN 19 - THIS "THIS-JUST-IN" MESSAGE HAS BEEN INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK
Well, not entirely. If you'd like more comical reading material, I'd suggest going here.

Thread of the Day
There's this thread and then there's this thread and then there's this thread, which you may wish to check out. But if you're here for the Thread of the Day then Susan Binks Scrafford (my god that is a long profile #) would like to know what your Myers Briggs type is. Have fun!

Quote of the Day
You are not worth another word, else I'd call you knave.

THIS JUST IN 20 - LONGTAIL WAS ALREADY RELEASED. YOU CAN'T ACCESS IT BECAUSE YOU'RE IN AN ALTERNATE UNIVERSE.

What you can access is SECTION 2! Be sure to read it!

So far, so good, and don't forget to sound the horn!

MouseHunter of the Day

Your Name: Franco D'Auria
Hunter's Title: Hero (77%)
http://apps.facebook.com/mousehunt/hunterprofile.php?snuid=510239199

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

I would be the curious chemist mouse and would use my vast knowledge of chemical compounds to make myself invisible to escape from the hunters.

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?

I eat cheese every once in awhile, probably equal to 0.2 pieces every day, to eat a MH cheese in real life I would have to say I would love to try the Glutter cheese and the gingerbread cheese would have to be a close second! If i had the tools at home I would try crafting my own cheese but as of right now, no, it would be too difficult but i would like to try!

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

No I have no skipped anything to sound the horn.

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?

I would like to meet the pirate mouse and ask him about how he lives his life and what he thinks of the world around him.

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

I have never caught a mouse personally. My cat always catches mice and brings them in from outside so my cat trap is working quite well!

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

I like the ambrosial portal, I believe everyone deserves the chance to exist so i tend to favor the traps that don't hurt the mice.

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

No way!

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

Caught the lycan mouse without using any shadow traps with very few pieces of moon cheese.

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

Opening my mouth to Dave about my tactics so he can go in and change everything around on me.

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

The lambent crystal would probably win because i believe his "enclosure" would be the most difficult to break.

Advertising Feature

So, Seek out the Seeker Scoop!

If you've got any bright ideas for what you think should go in this space for a week or two at a time, give Dane Koster a shout (http://www.facebook.com/dane.koster)

1) You notice a really entertaining, informative, or overall appealing thread (or post) somewhere on the forum.

2) You copy the link for that awesome thread (or post).

3) You paste that link into the most recent Nibbler comments thread.

4) You say why you liked that thread (or post).

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

1) Choose our very favorite thread (or post) from the ones you've submitted.

2) Feature it prominently in our next Nibbler edition as the THREAD OF THE DAY.

3) PAY UP! We'll give the author of that thread (or post) 50,000 gold, for whatever purposes.

4) And, once a week, we'll give a random nominator for the past week 50,000 gold also.

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.

The Nibbler GMT 28-5- 2010 01:44 Torture

2010-05-28T21:44:00.010-04:00

Lots of threads, no time to read them all? Here is today's MouseHunt news, highlights, and gossip! Read on:

Torture

And if you really want to get technical about it, yeah, specifically yours.

Moving on......

THE FRANCO EDITION

But first let's get that other fellow out of the way...
DAVE SIGHTINGS EVERYWHERE

It appears that Dave sightings are happening throughout the town of Gnawnia. It began in a thread titled:
Releasing content early and using feedback vs. internal testing and final release

Hunters across the Map debate and discuss the recent 1:15 Crisis of '10 and possible solutions to avoiding potential tiots in the streets of Digby. Residents are assured the worst has passed and may resume hunting normally. Dave V. Dev was seen and quoted, "Every single one of these posts is very useful constructive feedback. Big thanks to everyone who has participated so far, keep the opinions coming." Got an opinion? Go squeak it out.

The second sighting came from: Dave and Franco?

Well, "What did he say, Boo Boo?"
He said, "Not sure what came across as mysterious...", "It's about 32 degree out here and Franco frequents the gym... didn't take long for the heat to make shaving a necessity! And Longtail is "close enough".", awww.... Sessions!", and " Joel and Bryan had the coffee maker in the board room for a meeting... I had to make do with *gasp* water!".

These statements must mean something. WHAT?!?! Think!...There has to be a clue....

Hmm...let's break it down...It's mysterious...Franco works out and gets sweaty...then...you're suddenly shaving him down....Did I miss something here?

LONGTAIL UPDATE!!
Franco has SHAVED. Woopie!
There is a really disturbing fascination with facial hair that runs predominant in the Hunters that play MouseHunt. There's no indication of a cure coming soon but scientists think that with help and rehabilitation, maybe in a few years, they might be able to function in society again. But there's a rumour in them thar cubicles.
As many know, there was a FBF where there was talk that when the Longtail is ready for release, Franco would shave. He has shaven himself clean. Get it? Do I have to elaborate?
PS- Dave V:" Longtail is "close enough"

Or maybe he just has a date.

Which means:
NOT EVERY 2-minute downtime is the coming of Longtail.

When Longtail is ready, the devs will tell us. MouseHunt will go down, probably for a while. The move to 2.0 took hours and hours. When it comes back, it will still be MouseHunt, but it'll be MouseHunt 3.0. Longtail will cease to exist.

They're not going to sneak it in in a 5-minute downtime.
Why the sudden downtime then?

Incidentally, there will now be 83 threads that have something to do with Franco's beard, or lack thereof.

o yeah...
FEEDBACK FRIDAY!!!

HEADS UP!!!! There's a link at the bottom of the Nibbler in section 5 that will bring you to the BFB..I mean FBF. In the official Links section.

Today's Feedback Friday was remarkably short. Even so, the devs managed to leave us with more questions than answers. Sneaky.
First and foremost, and absolutely the most important bit of Feedback Friday:

Franco shaved.

I'll give you a moment to digest that.
Got it? OK, good, because that's all we're going to get on that subject.

Dave hits "Record" and greets us with a hearty, "Good Morning, MouseHunt!" Franco says that yes, he shaved, and yes, it means something, but that he's not going to say anything else about the matter. (He stays true to this, so if you're waiting for the punchline you'll be disappointed. Go ahead and read the whole recap anyway.)

News for your Shaven Face:
1. People have been noticing attraction weirdness with the Pigmy Swarm Mouse. Apparently it's a bit of a technical limitation and it has to do with the number of mice in the Jungle that are only attracted to specific cheeses. They're trying to fix it and think they've worked around it and it's definitely fixed in Longtail.

Feedback Question:
1. They are reworking the intro to the game. Think back to when you first started MouseHunt... what was your main frustration in the beginning of the game? Lack of mouse variety? Lack of money? The amount of time it took to level up? (People don't answer this question because they are too distracted by Franco's shaven face. Franco says that Gio's next on the beard-shaving list. Half of the people watching FBF instantly die of heart attacks, but not before posting something in the chat room about it.)
They're planning to add two new Hunter's Titles to the beginning of the game, to break up the tedium of advancing through Novice. They'll take the experience points currently required for Novice and split it into three parts: 1. Training (super short) 2. Novice 3. Squire (with access to a new area) The change will just make the beginning of the game more interesting, and will not have any effect on higher-ranked hunters. Higher-ranked hunters will inevitably complain about it anyway.
Dave is still playing with names for the new ranks, and that's where the feedback comes in. Things Dave like include "Recruit" and "Page."
The only other issue with the new Hunter's Titles is the color and design of the shield. Dave asks if we'd noticed that the current progression of shield colors follows the progression of belts in karate. (I hadn't noticed, but it makes sense. Another example of the thought the devs put into the little things in the game, and what makes it so awesome. Hey, has anybody noticed the difference between the shield for Count and the shield for Countess? Just wondering.) At any rate, they'll need a new shield design for the two lower ranks. We're not worried, because Jacob is a genius.

And that concludes this week's Feedback Friday. We close with a Public Service Announcement from Dave: If you're disposing of used fireworks, you should not throw them in the bonfire. Just in case, perhaps, one didn't go off the first time. (This is, however, a good way to make people run for their lives.)

That's all, folks. There's really nothing more to see here. Move along. Commence speculation of the meaning of the shaven beard. Try to keep the number of threads under 83, though... just for me.

-----WARNING-----

No. Serious for a minute dude.

ATTN: do not accept any video chat app invites!VIRUS ALERT!

There's another virus apparently making the rounds. It's coming across as a video chat of a sort. Avoid.

Squrl Kendrick "This is a virus, and it causes you to unknowingly send invites to other people. through FB chat. I have alerted Facebook and someone sent me a message apologizing and saying they were working on it."

BALCAKS COVE STRATEGIES

Acro vs Ancient Box Trap in Balach's Cove is a nice thread to get your questions answered on which trap is best in which scenario.

Or there's a nutshell:
Acro is for points
ABT is for Liches & Balack
CoT is for the option of leaving for awhile and letting yourself get kicked back to JOD so you can still get Pigmy catches.

That's it, in a nutshell.

SICK OF SYLVANS?
Protest here:
Get them out of the JoD! Demand to be heard!
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=121849234512953
Personally, I'm ok with it. But good luck!

Quote of the Day

Blah blah blah

Thread of the Day

None today. See Section 3 for details.

SECTION FOUR

NOPE STILL MISSING

So far, so good, and don't forget the sandpaper!

-DRRAGS-

MouseHunter of the Day

Your Name: Franco D'Auria
Hunter's Title: Hero (77%)
http://apps.facebook.com/mousehunt/hunterprofile.php?snuid=510239199

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

I would be the curious chemist mouse and would use my vast knowledge of chemical compounds to make myself invisible to escape from the hunters.

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?

I eat cheese every once in awhile, probably equal to 0.2 pieces every day, to eat a MH cheese in real life I would have to say I would love to try the Glutter cheese and the gingerbread cheese would have to be a close second! If i had the tools at home I would try crafting my own cheese but as of right now, no, it would be too difficult but i would like to try!

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

No I have no skipped anything to sound the horn.

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?

I would like to meet the pirate mouse and ask him about how he lives his life and what he thinks of the world around him.

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

I have never caught a mouse personally. My cat always catches mice and brings them in from outside so my cat trap is working quite well!

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

I like the ambrosial portal, I believe everyone deserves the chance to exist so i tend to favor the traps that don't hurt the mice.

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

No way!

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

Caught the lycan mouse without using any shadow traps with very few pieces of moon cheese.

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

Opening my mouth to Dave about my tactics so he can go in and change everything around on me.

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

The lambent crystal would probably win because i believe his "enclosure" would be the most difficult to break.

Advertising Feature

So, Seek out the Seeker Scoop!

If you've got any bright ideas for what you think should go in this space for a week or two at a time, give Dane Koster a shout (http://www.facebook.com/dane.koster)

1) You notice a really entertaining, informative, or overall appealing thread (or post) somewhere on the forum.

2) You copy the link for that awesome thread (or post).

3) You paste that link into the most recent Nibbler comments thread.

4) You say why you liked that thread (or post).

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

1) Choose our very favorite thread (or post) from the ones you've submitted.

2) Feature it prominently in our next Nibbler edition as the THREAD OF THE DAY.

3) PAY UP! We'll give the author of that thread (or post) 50,000 gold, for whatever purposes.

4) And, once a week, we'll give a random nominator for the past week 50,000 gold also.

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.

* THE NIBBLER * Wednesday, May 26, 2010

2010-05-27T03:28:00.001-04:00

Lots of threads, no time to read them all? Here is today's MouseHunt news, highlights, and gossip! Read on:

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?

So far, so good, and don't forget to sound the horn!

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.

Advertising Feature

If you've got any bright ideas for what you think should go in this space for a week or two at a time, give Dane Koster a shout (http://www.facebook.com/dane.koster)

1) You notice a really entertaining, informative, or overall appealing thread (or post) somewhere on the forum.

2) You copy the link for that awesome thread (or post).

3) You paste that link into the most recent Nibbler comments thread.

4) You say why you liked that thread (or post).

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

1) Choose our very favorite thread (or post) from the ones you've submitted.

2) Feature it prominently in our next Nibbler edition as the THREAD OF THE DAY.

3) PAY UP! We'll give the author of that thread (or post) 50,000 gold, for whatever purposes.

4) And, once a week, we'll give a random nominator for the past week 50,000 gold also.

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.

The Nibbler GMT 26-5- 2010 03:38

2010-05-27T01:54:00.001-04:00

Lots of threads, no time to read them all? Here is today's MouseHunt news, highlights, and gossip! Read on:

RIP

1:15 Original ME Recipe

5/10 - 5/10

Today we put our lay our dear friend, The Original Recipe, to rest. May the Devs have mercy....

Today we mourn the passing of a friend whose time with us was brief but the impact on our lives was instantaneous and emotional to the bitter end. Today the ticker gave us a heads up that 1:15 was fading fast. Then at GMT 7:11 PM, he was gone.

To help you in your time of grief and confusion we have put together some self help group listings:

If you can't wait for the Devs to change the formula:

If you're a Knight who refuses to make VVS until you turn Lord/Lady:

If you had fun collecting VS like mad while it was LE:

If you laugh at everyone secretly knowing that Ronza is coming tomorrow:

If you donate and feel punished:

If you DON'T donate and feel punished:

If you blew your stockpile of SB+ on VS:

If you laugh at those who blew their stockpile of SB+:

If you blew your stockpile of money on SB+ to get VS:

If you are officially unofficially NOT quitting:

If you think Clubs are silly but want to join a club about it:

Man #1: "Is that a horse? It looks dead."

Man# 2: " Nope. He aint dead. He's fakin' it."

Man #1: "Are yoo shur? He lookin' dead ta me."

Man 2#: " Ayuh. Take that there stick and hit it until it pops. Then it'll be dead."

and we would also like to say goodbye to MH very own long time group,
AN/AM
"Adopt a Novice/Apprentice MouseHunter"
After nearly two years of service to the community helping to bring new hunters together with the experienced ones, AN/AM is closing it's doors. They have stopped taking applications. With almost 13000 members, the admins of this wonderful group deserve to take a nice bow and we, the community, Thank You for your service, your devotion and sacrifice for the betterment of MouseHunt the game, the community, and the lifestyle.
Adieu, mon ami.
Say you last farewells HERE:(

Thank Kevin Freeman for this nugget!
Elizabeth became a Lady today...and in the span of 12 hours has caught:- Balack- Silth- BBB- Acolyte-Sensei. She did a mini-contest with someone else to see who could catch the most bosses in one log...clearly she must be stopped"
Wow. Nice Log Elizabeth Kitterman

Quote of the Day

Susan Binks Scrafford " Y'know, sometimes I start to think the DEVS have forgotten what it means to be gods."

So far, so good, and don't forget to breathe!

-DRRAGS-

MouseHunter of the Day

David Quah

Hunter’s Title: Hero (24%)
http://apps.facebook.com/mousehunt/hunterprofile.php?snuid=1414029999

1. If you were a mouse, what type would you be and what would you do to escape the traps set out for you? I would be a different type of demolitions mouse going around and blowing traps up. And for the escaping, I would blow it up =]

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?You know those slice cheese you find in supermarkets? Ya those. I would like to try crunchy I’ve never eaten hard cheese before

3. Have you skipped anything important just to sound the horn (ie school, work, sleep)? Did you enjoy it?I have skipped studying for exams to play before but I still did well enough so no harm done. And that was the time I got my Mobster.

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?I would like to talk to a silth mouse and ask him why it is so hard to catch him. After he finished answering, I would pull out net cannon and catch him=]

5. When was the last time you caught a mouse in real life? Sorry never come across one in real life. My house is clean and rodent free.

6. What is your favorite trap in the game and why? The Christmas cracker and Candy Cane base goes together ya know but who can argue about that, it just does.

7. Do you think you could beat an Aged Mouse at chess? No. But if I did, while he is pondering on how I beat him, I would be priming my cracker for use.

8. What was the last occasion where you caught a rare or difficult mouse with a ridiculously low amount of cheese? I got my first magma carrier with only 2 pieces of Spicy Harvatti.

9. What has been the worst decision of your MouseHunt career, in hindsight? Uum… that would be getting the ship before the ACRONYM.after I got my ship I found it ridiculously hard to get scrap metal for the ACRONYM.

10. If the Ornament Mouse, Bottled Mouse, and Lambent Crystal Mouse were having a fight, who would win and why? None of them, because I would see them fighting and put my trap out for them and get them all. Heres how the hunt looked like:
6:21 pm
I sounded the hunters horn. I was successful in my hunt. I found that I had caught an Bottled mouse, Ornament mouse and a Lamberant crystal mouse. I did not use my cheese for that hunt and will be used for the next hunt.

RANDOM SOAPBOX

OP: Rick Brookins

"It seems lately that players are worrying what other players are doing, the so called top players/higher rank then me players. They seem more worried how they play then playing the game themselves. Set your own goals, figure out how your going to get there and go do it. If things don't go right or things change, you have to adapt. Or the way I like to put it, EVOLVE or DIE.

For thoughs that will say, "but surten players have an advantage because, insert whatever here, be it trap, more gold, donate, been around longer, were the first in an area so they can take advantage of surten recipes. It dose not matter. There will always be someone out there that will have more of something or have a better set up then you. Like I said before, you have to adapt your game play to the situation at hand.

For the grammar police, I know I spelled something wrong or used the wrong punctuation but I think you can figure the meaning of what I wrote.

To the rest of you I say, good luck and happy hunting!!!!!!!"

Thanks for bringing this to us Sam Evans

Advertising Feature

So, Seek out the Seeker Scoop!

If you've got any bright ideas for what you think should go in this space for a week or two at a time, give Dane Koster a shout (http://www.facebook.com/dane.koster)

TODAY'S Thread of the Day!

There were some really good ones so let's review our take on the ones that we really should share with you because they were all contenders:

VANILLA GODZILLA

OP: Malcolm Risk
Nom Nominator: Julia Jackson

Thank u for noticing this thread. U noticing has been noted.
OP: Sushanth Belvet
Nom Nominator: Scott McKelvy

Words of Wisdom: "Don't bite your friends"
OP: Jereme Logan
Nom Nominator: Margaret Syrotiak

Desiderata -- for Mhunters
OP: Diana Ahlers
Nom Nominator: Rose Mary Woods

And THE WINNER IS.........!

Desiderata -- for Mhunters
OP: Diana Ahlers
Nom Nominator: Rose Mary Woods

Go placidly amid the cheese and whine, and remember what peace there may be in silence.

As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all hunters. Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even to the dull, the ignorant, and clueless, they too have their story. Avoid loud and aggressive beggers, they are vexations to the game.

If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain and bitter; for always there will be greater and lesser hunters than yourself. Enjoy your achievements as well as your strategies. Keep interested in your own hunting, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of the kingdom.

Exercise caution in your trades and purchases, for the kingdom is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many hunters strive for high ideals, and everywhere the kingdom is full of heroism. Be yourself. Especially, do not feign knowledge.

Take kindly to the counsel of the higher ranks, gracefully surrendering the things of the past. Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden steals or stales. But do not distress yourself with imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and FTAs.

Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a hunter of the universe, no less than the meadow and ronza's ship; you have a right to hunt here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the kingdom is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with the Devs, whatever you conceive Them to be, and whatever your labors and hopes, in the noisy confusion of hunting, keep peace in your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, MouseHunt is still a beautiful world.

Be cheerful. Strive to be happy. Thanks the Devs every so often.

namaste

Please see Dane Koster for any and all items pertaining to today's TotD.

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.

Wait a minute. You said there was a game. Yup. It's called MouseHunt.

Thanks for playin!

2010-05-27T01:54:00.000-04:00

Lots of threads, no time to read them all? Here are today's MouseHunt news, highlights, and gossip! Read on:

THIS JUST IN - HUNTERS CAN COUNT!

we've proved that we can count to five, and count to five again, and count to potato. But I'm too lazy to link them now and I'm going to bed, so I hope they are still around in the morning.

Didn't we count to a BILLION?

Oh wait, no we didn't.

Cove glitches

Yada yada
Vanilla Stilton ongoing saga. Recipe not changed yet, and many hunters are hunkered down in the Jungle of Dread attempting to collect as many vanilla beans as they possibly can before the recipe changes. Let's face it, hunting pigmies is almost as exciting as staling Radioactive Sludge. I mean, you know it's bad when you long for even a Sylvan to break the monotony. Top-10 hunters have been caught asleep at the wheel. Many have asked themselves, "How many SB+ am I willing to use on this venture?" and headed back to Balack's Cove with 500-750 Vanilla Stilton. Others are selling all of their other virtual cheese in an attempt to stockpile as much magic essence as possible. SB+ prices are through the roof.

Note that the planned recipe is only a plan and until we see it, we don't know for sure. Many hunters are campaigning to keep it the same, link Save the VS thread here.

In the meantime, if you're hoarding beans you'll need to decide which cheese to use... reports indicate that using Vanilla Stilton is approximately as effective as using SuperBrie+.

Perhaps a mention along the lines of the potential changes later on :

Deanna L. Dowdy that's true. I may hold off on Balack until I know what they are going to do about the loot drop.

I'll probably just hunt the Lichs in the cove and stock up on the tokens I need to get Balack for now until I know about the loot drop...
2 hours ago · Report

ie: loot drops from the mice that we had to bust ass to get in the first place.

change in cheese recipe

why go for Ballack when you might have to do it again?

I'm scared to do anything:(

Like when I caught Acolyte #14 only to have to go back and do it again due to the sudden change of the mysterious box

erg

So- perhaps a disclaimer stating you play at you own risk. Whining is allowed but frowned upon

Shoutout Sunday

Gouda might have worked in the cove, but it doesn't seem to now.

clarify the limit on embers and the drop rate for dragons.

Virus warning

Eggnog

glutton for punishment - -1million log take two

Thread of the Day
None today. See Section 3 for details.

Quote of the Day

Kenneth Dravatar Ho /r/= modulus of r

/-r/=/r/

Hence, /r/=/r/

/r/= r

r does not exist in this space-time continuum.

So far, so good, and don't forget to sound the horn!

MouseHunter of the DayStuff goes here.

Advertising Feature

The Nibbler is currently ad-less as it waits for Hunters to submit ad-worthy items.

If you've got any bright ideas for what you think should go in this space for a week or two at a time, give Dane Koster a shout (http://www.facebook.com/dane.koster)

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:

1) You notice a really entertaining, informative, or overall appealing thread (or post) somewhere on the forum.

2) You copy the link for that awesome thread (or post).

3) You paste that link into the most recent Nibbler comments thread.

4) You say why you liked that thread (or post).

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

1) Choose our very favorite thread (or post) from the ones you've submitted.

2) Feature it prominently in our next Nibbler edition as the THREAD OF THE DAY.

3) PAY UP! We'll give the author of that thread (or post) 50,000 gold, for whatever purposes.

4) And, once a week, we'll give a random nominator for the past week 50,000 gold also.

SECTION FOUR
aka- Common Sense:

Obituary printed in the London Times - Interesting and sadly rather true.

Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who
has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was,
since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape.

He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as:

- Knowing when to come in out of the rain;
- Why the early bird gets the worm;
- Life isn't always fair;
- and maybe it was my fault.

Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend
more than you can earn) and reliable strategies (adults, not children,
are in charge).

His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well-intentioned but
overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a 6-year-old boy
charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens
suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher
fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.

Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the
job that they themselves had failed to do in disciplining their unruly
children. It declined even further when schools were required to get
parental consent to administer sun lotion or an aspirin to a student;
but could not inform parents when a student became pregnant and wanted
to have an abortion.

Common Sense lost the will to live as the churches became businesses;
and criminals received better treatment than their victims. Common
Sense took a beating when you couldn't defend yourself from a burglar
in your own home and the burglar could sue you for assault.

Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed to
realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in
her lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement. Common Sense was
preceded in death, by his parents, Truth and Trust, by his wife,
Discretion, by his daughter, Responsibility, and by his son, Reason.

He is survived by his 4 stepbrothers; I Know My Rights, I Want It Now,
Someone Else Is To Blame, and I'm A Victim.

Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone. If
you still remember him, pass this on. If not, join the majority and do
nothing.

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 tracking thread-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	Useful/Interesting Threads -The Wiki Support Thread-MouseHunt Comics by Trevor Hastings-Determining the role of Luck (also here) (Got another? We'll post them as they come in!)	Useful/Interesting part 2-Protecting yourself from scams (courtesy GIH)

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

The Nibbler GMT 24-5- 2010 Weekend Edition 2:51 Special VS Edition

2010-05-24T22:50:00.017-04:00

I will turn this car around right now......

Lots of threads, no time to read them all? Here is today's MouseHunt news, highlights, and gossip! Read on:

DISCUSSION BOARDS IGNITE IN FIRE

Thousands protest in any and all sections demanding their way.

I'm just not sure which way that is......

Upcoming Change to Balack's Cove
Posted by Dave Vanderburg on Monday, May 24, 2010
We always endeavor to include the feedback of players when deciding on adding to, or modifying existing features. Based on a Friday feedback session we decided to try this approach with the release of new content as well.

Since the release of Balack’s Cove, we have been listening carefully to constructive criticism from the MouseHunt community, trying to gauge if there are any elements that we might need to tweak in order to make the game more fun and challenging. In addition to reading feedback we have been carefully analyzing how players have been tackling the new content. Looking at things such as how quickly they can acquire resources, catch mice, earn points/gold, etc.

We've decided, with the help of the MouseHunt community, to raise the amount of Vanilla Bean needed to craft Vanilla Stilton when using magic essence from one to five. We think that this tweak will make crafting Vanilla Stilton more challenging, and thus make the end result more satisfying to the majority of MouseHunt players. Although this may not be a welcome change for some players, we made the decision with the help of the community, and we feel that it will be beneficial to the majority of players.

This change will come into effect Tuesday, May 25. If you're concerned about a specific time, we will be putting a warning message at the top of the game at least one hour before making the change.

We are still gauging whether or not releasing content earlier than usual and using feedback from players to help put the final adjustments and finishing touches on areas is a useful exercise. We welcome players to discuss this matter in a constructive way via the discussion boards. The passion of hunters is what helps ensure everything about MouseHunt is as fun as possible!
Thanks for playing, and good luck on the hunt!
The hot topic of the day and appropriately named: The ME Recipe

In recent days before the release of Balack and the new area designed for higher levels, there was discussion based on that area. Discussions began in the FBF prior and then spread in various threads, (you know the ones where people jump in annoyed about the fact that it's a repeat of a dozen other threads just below the box).

Let's see the timetable:

Actually...let's not. I have no intention of taking the complete babble I've collected throughout the day and then research the timelines for when who said what and when the FBF said Balack and the DB said White and then the Beatles sold another chunk of their souls to a video game.

PS- That "complete babble" is actually what's being filtered through my head at reading so many posts on the subject. The content and items discussed, for the most part, all seemed reasonable, expressed intelligently, heated and opinionated, but not babble in regards to the OP or content.

Where does it end? This is oddly reminiscent of that time at band camp when I lost my meds and someone had nerf football. Must, have, meds...now......

Help me wrap my head around this....

So the original recipe w/ 11 herbs and..wait..oops. I mean 15 Vanilla beans created 15 cheese. The other recipe substituted the 15 beans for 15 ME but needed one more ingredient of a single bean to craft. The current price of SB is roughly 4000 pp. That means for a recipe w/ ME, you forgo hunting the Pygmies at a cost of 60,000 gold or $1.00 US dollar if you donate.

Roughly, I have averaged about 45 beans per log hunting pygmies which would imply about (let's go low) 12 in 12 hours. One per hour seem fair? That means that in a log, you should be able to craft approx. 30 VS. That seems really good compared to hunting for the shell/stones/veg to make chz top make chz to make chz....whew. Even without donating, sitting in the JoD is looking for more profitable overall than sitting in the Isles. Some call it boring, I on the other hand find it refreshingly simple. Sit, collect good pts and beans on a consistent basis. No thinking.

That's without using SB. In the process of hunting for these Pygmy, I am maintaining an easy 300 to 400k in pts per log. I am using gouda all the way. Erg. Where are the statistic people when you need them?

Some might argue that the devs only listened to the biggest whiners or didn't listen to some but did to others and then others that felt like they weren't represented. Some people have amassed loads of VS during the small amount of time this recipe has been available. Some haven't even gotten to the Isles yet. some people haven't even played MH and will never know of the 1:15 crisis of '10.

Did someone say tiger chest keys or something like that? Or something about the Acolyte dropping loot after the fact people already caught it and now have to catch it again? Does anyone else feel deja vu?

I have come a to a conclusion.

This argument is highly debatable. This debate has merit from all angles. There will be only one outcome and the devs will decide. They owe us no reason, we choose to play, to not play, to lurk or donate or whine or help. We choose.

The only thing I have really seen that seems to be the most common theme, is that the players feel as if they weren't heard or listened to. So I'd like to give some edited clips from one of the more heated discussions to help some that didn't have the time to read the whole thread and others that want to share their perspective. Please do not flame any of these people as all of them have a right to their thoughts. These are highly edited for space and my apologies if editing my alter the original content. Feel free to see the entire thread here.

And then there's this one I also found very enlightening and full of good stuff. And this one I found while sifting through the debris.

This is a very small sampling but has a wide array of ideas, opinions and thoughts which others may or may not agree with.

Quotes of the Day

Ben Jaworski "Save the cheese, don't use it until he has Loot." (Balack)

Dan Hance "its not fair on the people that havent had a chance to craft VS yet with 1 vanilla bean, and now its being upped. those who are higher in the ranks are at an advantage."

Barry Holderread "In addition to using the 15 ME (SB+) to craft vanilla stilton, the donor/players will have to use 5x more SB+ while collecting vanilla beans...."

Dean C. Hines "Short Answers Directly Aimed At Devs (longer explanations below).
1) Should content be released early and tweaked? YES
2) Is this recipe tweak a good idea? YES
3) Will supposedly mature humans complain no matter what you do? YES
CONCLUSION: This is a great game, and the devs are doing the right thing.
PS - I love the fact that I get washed out of the cove! Nice touch."

John Wilson 1. I'm perfectly happy waiting on Longtail until it's fully baked.

2. Saying that devs asked "us" if we wanted early release with tweaks is a bit disingenuous. I wasn't asked, and as far as I can tell the only people who were asked were those who were able to participate in Feedback Friday, which is an extremely small sample size of the MH community. I'm disturbed, however, at the recent trend of tweaking the game to appease the most vociferous complainers rather than to maintain balance"

Rose Mary Woods "There's been a lot of speculation that the devs are doing this to raise revenue via donations. Honestly, those who want to craft using 15 sb per batch still will, but they will do it more slowly, using less sb overall, due to the need for extra seeds. I have yet to encounter another fb game where the devs engage so much with the community, and act on the feedback received. They also leave the option to play without donating, without seriously impeding game play, unlike many other apps.

It is reasonable that donators get something back, but personally I think that the new recipe is more balanced and fairer all round."

Chris James "I support both the change and the play-testing method used to assess whether or not the update is balanced."

Oliver Boulton-Lear "A perfectly predictable move. Over time, donations will rise due to the increased need for SB+. In the short term, HitGrab will see a monumental increase in donation as people craft more VVS before the change. Quite an elegant manouvre, though utterly transparent and not designed to be of any benefit to the players."

Josh Kanehen "As a person on the fence, I like the change. VBs are easy enough to farm, even with Gouda and getting a few more isn't a big deal. Considering one drop equals three cheese (compared to 3 drops for 2 cheese in Elub/Nerg/Derr), it'll still go pretty quick. While SB users will still be able to accelerate past non-SB users (as always), the difference between the two groups isn't quite the upper/lower class distinction that seemed to be forming with the old recipe."

Kathryn Cheshire "Time and time again, the older players slog through an area only to find that down the track its dumbed-down for newer players. Its made easier and some of the challenge is lost.
Dojo - maki
Cats/FG - ancient potions
AR - runic potions
TI - adding magic essence to the crafted cheese to increase yield
ITS NOT FAIR! Its a real slap in the face to players who have put in a lot of time and sb+ (usually from donations) to these areas. The changes are good and there is benefit to all players - but its just not fair to introduce those changes later down the track."

Julie Harrison "I feel so frustrated that I'm getting really angry and I don't want to!!!
There is so much more than this that needs to be said to the devs from people who genuinely care about helping them with sensible ideas and feedback!! But are they bothered enough to want it??"

Templar Mike James "It's quite possible they will decide to up and quit after looking at the community. I tend to see little praise and lots of whining about every little thing for the past while, and they may decide its no longer worth their effort to maintain a game who's sole purpose was to (A) get their company off the ground, which has been completed, and (B) have fun with people, which seems to be less and less common nowadays. Could be that Longtail may be the most awaited, and final, update"

Patricia Hendrix Brown "It's not about the cheese---they could just as easily change it so it meets in the middle. It's about (what feels like) the constant catering to a few loud voices. Why not listen to both sides and try to even things out? Not everyone can join in for FBF; a simple, clear voting chance would be nice. Then, no matter what they do, at least we all feel that we have had a chance to speak through our votes"

Gabriel Nilsso n "People are way too involved in this game if any decision made by the devs makes you upset. From a balance point of view, it makes sense to nerf the SB+ to VS ratio, which was way less challenging than the regular recipe, but I don't really care enough to make a fuss about it, and can take it or leave it. Modifying one variable of the game is hardly reason to question the devs judgement. Consider the current exchange rate an opening bonus, and accept whatever the devs decide to do - it is their game."

Dean Fell "On the point of making earlier parts of the game easier as time goes by, I can understand why, if new content is getting released, it would take newcomers an insane amount of time to get to experience it, and the gap between the new and the experienced would never narrow. It shouldn't close, obviously, but there's nothing to aspire to in a competitive sense if people who've been playing longer are already 10 steps ahead. There's always LE traps as rewards for long time users."

Jared May "If I'd had the opportunity to vote on that, this wouldn't bug me nearly as much.Maybe give a link that allows people to read an opinion in favor of all available options, then let folks vote. It's easy to say that it's the devs' game, but that's not realistic. It was the devs' game until they released it to the public and asked for donations. Now it belongs to all of us."

David Maerz "The 1 Vanilla bean for 15 VS recipe is undeniably skewed towards ME, much more than any other recipe or potion conversion in the game is. It is skewed to the point that donating is basically paying for points because of how high yield the new zone is. I have been casually getting logs in Balack's Cove that are logs I would expect to see after doing a full run with Pungent Havarti or the like, runs which take a lot more work (easily a week's worth) to get there instead of catching 10-15 Pigmy mice (in a matter of hours) and burning some SB+ to net 1 million+ point logs. I agree that it should be changed"

John Wilson "I'm a Baron. I've been waiting just as long as everyone else. And I'd still rather the devs release content only after thorough testing rather than tweak it "in the field". You may disagree, as is your right. I do not claim to speak for the majority. Recent events have proven beyond doubt that I am not a member of the majority. Nor am I, as recently defined by the devs in the new update, a member of the Community"

Patricia Hendrix Brown " I play this game in part---a large part---because I really love the people here. It is painful to see the stress and anger over the whole thing. It's about people and their feelings! So it would be nice if the Devs would just set it to a vote and we accept their decision after we've voted and we move on and have some FUN!"

Dean Fell "The best thing the devs can do is stick by their decision. They've decided they made a mistake with the initial ratio, and they should implement their new one. They said tweaking might happen"

Glyn Williams " to change again would mean them losing control of there game as one side would always be unhappy which would lead to petitions which players would feel fully justifeid that they could control the game becuase they caved befoe so y wont they cave again attitude"

Julie Harrison "Can't we all just understand how each other might be feeling? Like the donators are upset at the thought of the devs pandering to whiners and are willing to take away what they first intended to give. No matter how much or how little the negative feedback went towards their decision to change things, its the zero thought about how donators would feel that hurts. From the non-donators point of view it can seem like the donators are saying that they should be MH VIPs and are fighting their corner which is causing a big argument between both sides."

Michael Gourley "2 sides? ME vs non-ME users? No such thing. False polarization is just one effect of shoddy polling and and unchecked group mentality. This, of all the board circuses I've seen, is perhaps the most bizarre (ok, maybe nerf-fest was weirder). A shark jumping experience for sure."

Chi Yu Tse "I think the devs need to be more careful with future updates. This is not the first time that "tweaks" have to be implemented that could have caused distress among the players. 1. The Heart of Tiger Party which one of the mice drops all three masks in the initial release. 2. The Terrible Twos which drop the Birthday Cake Base instead of the Chocolate Birthday Cake Base for a brief moment after the update. 3.The Valentine Note incident. And now the unprecedented 1:15 ratio."

Deanna L. Dowdy "It would be nearly impossible to get a statistically valid survey on the forums. But that does NOT mean that the information gathered here on the forums should be ignored. It is still valid information--even though we cannot use it to draw statistical inferences from.
However--we should NOT let this distract us from the fact that the thread does show the interests and opinions of the community--and in that regard it is highly interesting and valuable."

Bernard Lau "IF HitGrab were really so concerned about balance, they could've done a different alternative, instead of bringing down the 15:1 recipe. And that is to equal the opening and closing times of the cove with JoD. By extending the time substantially for the Cove to remain close, everyone would have no choice but to divert their attention back to farming Beans. This would easily balance up the game for donating and non-donating scoreboard chasers despite a high conversion rate of 15:1. Limiting the amount of time in a high point area neutralizes the effect of a high VS ratio."

Matt Tank "There is no more content after Balack's cove. Whether you're collecting 1 bean, 3 or 15, you're still pretty much stuck travelling between those two areas if you want to maximise your points. Are the people who collect 15 beans going to be any more bored than those who collect 1?"

Lila Tournay "How about keeping both recipes the way they are now and let people make their own ratio? If you craft 1 ME and 1 non-ME, you'll get a half and half recipe and so forth. Let people come up with whatever ratio they are comfortable with by using both recipes, since the two seem to be at the opposite end of the spectrum."

Mike Goldsworthy "Ultimately, I am sad to see such threads showing such degrees of anger as this one has as I feel it will put pressure on the Devs to limit their feedback to the community (if people know they won't get answers then they will be less likely to voice their questions)."

Rick Brookins : "When did this become a republic/democracy instead of a game. Vote, I think not. Every time the developers wanted to change, release, or do anything in the game they would have to take a vote. How long do you allow the voting to go on, then how long do you take to count the votes. When a vote dose not go a groups way, do we have a re vote. I can see it now, threads in the forum for and against votes. Were going to have people campaigning, grand speeches will be made and in the end, people will still be made because they lost and feelings will still be hurt."

John-Marc Quilter "This does smack of a ploy to create a spike in demand for SB resulting in more contributions - I honestly don't think HG is that conniving. People (contributors and non-contributors alike) are converting SB into VS as fast as they can. It will be interesting to see if VS will be smash-able back into ME. I suspect that is a change that will not be implemented.

It is interesting that perceived advantages given to contributors and top players are attacked so vehemently, but advantages given to newer players are accepted by the same people with nary a peep. I don't recall outrage over the ease with which players collected Ancient potions - how many of you have converted stale into ancient? How many players have had to go through Furoma with the ZLM? How many posts are there on the boards about players desperate to collect scrap? - (this was the most popular post for ages!) Now scrap rains from the sky. How many people have used THOUSANDS of runic without an acolyte?"

Phillip Mark Bygrave " I love the early release...I enjoy the day by day changes...and if I didn't I could wait until the dust settles...I like the fact that changes from day one to day four keep all the 'empirical data' tainted...and FBF is a great place to address the community...
RGm reviews it after and anyone who wants to contribute can, thanks to Ben...
I'm glad the devs ask our opinion and read the boards to make decisions...I think that at least lets everyone feel they have a voice...very rare that is on this platform"

Geremie Delacroix " I tried the 1 + 15 recipe and let me tell you, it was TOO EASY. I guess some of the hunters who want the recipe to be retained just love the ease of getting Vanilla Stilton. I was able to get a thousand pieces in just a single LOG hunting with Gouda at JoD with the previous formula. That's with Gouda - not even SB+ or VS. So yeah, +1 to change."

John Wilson " What it does is slow down hunters who use SB, which makes them use even more SB, along with the additional time, to achieve the same result. That is the chief reason I don't like or appreciate the revised recipe"

Adrian Chew While "I have to say to the Devs - what disgusts me is not the change, but the way some players have acted and without donaters and paying players, there will be no MH in the future. Please bear this in mind and if you don't reward the paying segment, they will eventually stop paying, and everyone loses. I've seen a ton of selfish and totally unappreciative freeloaders on the boards and their behavior is most disgusting towards the people who help the game keep running and pays the bills for it, so please always take that into account"

Cindy Ireland Hefferman "you want to make it more fair...wiped out all the balack stats and have everyone start over"

Jared May " In case you devs do want feedback, I hope that you've learned that it's not cool to open up a new area and then change it to make it more difficult. If you're going to release something before you're certain about the balance issues, it's far wiser to err on the side of the new stuff being too difficult, leaving you the option of making it easier down the road."

Nathan Wittry " The current recipe yields an unprecedented 15/1 advantage to SB+ users. Changing the recipe to use 5 beans = 15 cheese corrects the advantage. How can anyone argue this?

It seems to me that everyone's main gripe is that farming beans are boring and now they have to farm more beans. Is this not a separate issue?"

Chad Moore "The truth is that the developers are geniuses."

Step one: Create a new storyline that REALLY benefits the use of SB+(Price of SB+ rises)
Step two: Explain that this "benefit" will soon disappear
Step three: Give an impending end date to the "benefit"
End result: Gold and SB+ stores in the Community dwindle to record low numbers.
The climax of their genius, though, is only fully realized in this impending final step:
Final step: Have Ronza show up with a very high-priced LE trap that everybody "must" have.

Thomas Edwards "I think you really do have a dim view of humanity, obviously i don't know them personally but the devs are not as vindictive"

Sean Pennington "I hunted forever for Acolyte without a good trap.. without a mysterious box drop and it left me feeling soured at the game. At the same time instead of moving forwards they released whisker woods which seemed like a bit of a set back."

Jason Tolpin I" dont care about the price of SB... if you're a hunter, you can get gold in the cats with RB, or somewhere... Im truly in no hurry... patience.
I just dont feel, I guess, the need to HAVE to hunt in the cove 100% of the time to keep my place on the scoreboard, if thats my goal. Because everyone around me will, and they will do what it takes.... so I s'pose, this is as high as i get, if I choose to leave the cove.... and I will allow the people below me to climb over me.
Doesnt make me a bad hunter. Just makes me diverse... but do I really feel the need to donate/buy SB now? I really don't know. I just don't feel the way about the game as I used to... and that makes me a little sad."

Kevin Choo "Not an easy task to keep everyone happy."

So far, so good, and forget to sound the horn,

(your real friends will do it for you)

-DRRAGS-

PS- I think the devs just wanted to do something nice and released this area a little ahead of schedule. The tweaks should be expected to help the continuity of the game. Otherwise the game would become "wobbly" over time.

One thing is sure, don't ever make it where only donors get the special stuff like the other apps do. This is the only app where donors and non donors alike do have the chance to get ALL of the same items.

Then what is the point of SB? Or donating? Why do it if there's nothing to gain? The only true gain to SB is TIME. The side effect of this is the ability to progress far faster on the scoreboard than any non-donator. The solution? Multiple scoreboards or a separation feature based on "donation levels ($1 a month isn't the same as $100 a year)" to have it divided by donors and non-donors in "levels of support". That would make some people die hard non donators.
Everyone wins.
you're welcome

Advertising Feature

So, Seek out the Seeker Scoop!

If you've got any bright ideas for what you think should go in this space for a week or two at a time, give Dane Koster a shout (http://www.facebook.com/dane.koster)

Your daily Therapy.

This will help you understand the changes that you're experiencing w/ the new ME recipe

1. SHOCK & DENIAL-
You will probably react with numbed disbelief. You may want to deny the possibility of a new ME recipe. This may last for days.

2. PAIN & GUILT-
As the shock wears off, it is replaced with the suffering of unbelievable pain. Although excruciating and almost unbearable, it is important that you experience the pain fully. Suck it up.. You may have guilty feelings or remorse over posts. The game feels chaotic and scary during this phase.

3. ANGER & BARGAINING-
Frustration gives way to anger, and you may lash out and lay unwarranted blame for the new recipe on someone else. Please try to control this, as you may be permanently labeled a troll. This is a time for the release of bottled up emotion.

You may rail against devs, questioning "What the #!@$ are you thinking?" You may also try to bargain in vain with the powers that be for a way out of your despair. "5 for 10? Come on man...5 for 10"

4. "DEPRESSION", REFLECTION, LONELINESS-
Just when you think its over, a long period DHU will likely overtake you. This is a normal stage, so do not be "fooled" by well-meaning outsiders. Encouragement from others is not helpful to you during this stage.

During this time, you finally realize the true magnitude of your loss, and it depresses you. You may isolate yourself on purpose, reflect on things you did with your last ME, and focus on memories of the past. You may sense feelings of emptiness or despair.

5. THE UPWARD TURN-
As you start to adjust to life without getting your way, your life becomes a little calmer and more organized. Your physical symptoms lessen, and your "depression" begins to lift slightly.

6. RECONSTRUCTION & WORKING THROUGH-
As you become more functional, your mind starts working again, and you will find yourself seeking realistic solutions to problems posed by hunting for more Beans.

7. ACCEPTANCE & HOPE-
During this, the last stage, you learn to accept and deal with the reality of your situation. Acceptance does not necessarily mean instant happiness. Given the pain and turmoil you have experienced, you can never return to the carefree, untroubled ME recipe that existed before this tragedy. But you will find a way forward.

You will once again anticipate some good times to come, and yes, even find joy again in the experience of MH.

A very Nibblery selection of always-useful links in yesterdays edition. Check it out.

Todays Section 5 is getting her hair done. This is a proxy.

The Nibbler, 22-23 May

2010-05-24T06:42:00.007-04:00

Lots of threads, no time to read them all? Here is today's MouseHunt news, highlights, and gossip! Read on:

This just in!
Hunters can count! To a billion! Or, at least, that's what some hunters want to test. It's like Mythbusters. Well, that's just insulting. Who says muscle size and IQ is inversely proportional? Sure, we can lug around our traps, bases and cheese around with just one arm, but we can count to. It's somewhere, in the Tavern, behind the Sniper practicing his Jarate, and beside a Viagra salesman who's futilely trying to convince Tom Jones that he needs help.

Vanilla Stilton

As far as the Nibbler knows, which isn't much, the recipe hasn't changed yet. If it has... well, tell us. As far as the Nibbler knows, a ton of hunters have set up camp in Jungle of Dread, attempting to exploit that. The Oracle has predicted that there will be Much Whining, and Much Ado About Nothing after the change.

Let's face it, hunting for pygmies is about as exciting as watching paint dry. Which is boring, unless you're that guy in R&D who wants to see whether adding cat urine makes paint dry faster. And the SB prices... ugh. It's off the charts, which is good news for the smart resellers among us. Not so much for the poor hunters who don't have much money or SB.

As for now, vote whether you want to save or change the recipe.

Eggnog
People just love their eggnog, don't they? Do you have the eggnog in your inventory? Alright. Run over and see when it'll expire. That's right. It's expiring this June, and what do we do with all that stale eggnog? We can't feed it to the in-laws, because food poisoning rarely kills. ~~Jack Bauer could use it to torture information out of someone, if it's pungent enough.~~ On second thoughts, let's make Pungent Havarti out of it!

Umm... or we could drink it, like what Lisa Gustafson says here.

Negative 1 Million Points - Take 2!
Some of us are brave/foolhardy to do things like going into Derr with a Sinister/Target/Gouda setup *cough me cough* or Elub *cough Merrkat cough* or even the pinnacle chamber with Tacky/Wooden/OMG. That last person would be Shubham शुभम Garg. Normal people fail to lose a million points, and shrug their shoulders in mock disappointment, and not create a thread promising to redo it, this time in JoD.

Thread of the Day
None today. If you want the Nibbler to be daily, make interesting threads. If you can't make interesting threads, introduce them to us via the comments (Refer to Section 3). If not, there's always the option of blackmailing the devs to release an update. That always excites the Nibblers.

Quote of the Day
/r/ = modulus of r

/-r/=/r/

Hence, /r/=/r/

/r/ = r

r doesn't exist in this space-time continuum

Ashley, who doesn't really get the QoTD.

So far, so good, and don't forget to sound the horn!

MouseHunter of the Day
Your Name: Franco D'Auria
Hunter's Title: Hero (77%)
http://apps.facebook.com/mousehunt/hunterprofile.php?snuid=510239199

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

I would be the curious chemist mouse and would use my vast knowledge of chemical compounds to make myself invisible to escape from the hunters.

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?

I eat cheese every once in awhile, probably equal to 0.2 pieces every day, to eat a MH cheese in real life I would have to say I would love to try the Glutter cheese and the gingerbread cheese would have to be a close second! If i had the tools at home I would try crafting my own cheese but as of right now, no, it would be too difficult but i would like to try!

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

No I have no skipped anything to sound the horn.

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?

I would like to meet the pirate mouse and ask him about how he lives his life and what he thinks of the world around him.

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

I have never caught a mouse personally. My cat always catches mice and brings them in from outside so my cat trap is working quite well!

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

I like the ambrosial portal, I believe everyone deserves the chance to exist so i tend to favor the traps that don't hurt the mice.

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

No way!

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

Caught the lycan mouse without using any shadow traps with very few pieces of moon cheese.

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

Opening my mouth to Dave about my tactics so he can go in and change everything around on me.

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

The lambent crystal would probably win because i believe his "enclosure" would be the most difficult to break.

*Ahem* I'd like to get up on my Soapbox, please...

By Kevin Freeman

There's been a ridiculous amount of whining on both sides over the VS formula...

"15-1? Seriously? That's so unfair! The devs are forcing us to pay to play, they're only interested in money and are screwing those of us who don't/can't donate!

"Changing it to 15-5? Seriously? That's so unfair! The devs are just pandering to non-donors who don't contribute anything to the game and are screwing those of us who donate!

Everyone's right and everyone's wrong and it wouldn't surprise me if the developers secretly wished they could quadruple the size of the King's Stockade to accommodate whiners on both sides.

THE BENEFITS OF BEING A DONOR
*+7 luck
*4-3 advantage in crafting Shell/Gumbo/Crunchy
*3-1 advantage in crafting VS (after the tweak)
*3-1 advantage in crafting VVS
*2-1 advantage in crafting Ancient
*2-1 advantage in crafting Runic
*3-1 advantage with RB potions
*4-1 advantage with Gnarled potions
*2-1 advantage with WGC potions
*2-1 advantage with Ancient potions (okay, almost 2-1)
*2-1 advantage with Runic potions
*Runic/Ancient potion conversions are a lot cheaper with SB+
*Already have the SB+ to craft Maki if you prefer it
*Already have the SB+ to catch Cook, Nibbler, and other SB+ only mice
*Probably already have the stale SB+ for the Rhinobot upgrade

WHY NON-DONORS ARE PEOPLE TOO
*I'll lay odds that the vast majority of players here are non-donors. That alone means they shouldn't be ignored the way some donors have advocated (or implied).
*Many non-donors, myself included, wait quite awhile before donating to see if they like the game, and later on decide that they've been entertained enough that it's worth some real money in return. If you have to pay to play up front, odds are many/most will say screw it and just not sample the game.

What makes MH great (in my opinion at least) is that it is NOT a game that REQUIRES you to pay - the few times when SB+ is necessary, it can easily be bought (forgetting about the prices for now) or obtained through surveys, including several that are free. I usually alternate between donations and surveys to keep the shield active - I'd say about 50% of the surveys I've taken have been legit (I know some are wastes of time).

On the other hand, there is a CLEAR advantage to people who do donate - but the advantage is in time/luck/gold (if sold), not items that are exclusive to MH. Most FB games seem to offer select items that everyone wants, but can ONLY be bought/obtained with real money. One of the reasons I and many others don't play those games.

MH seems to have struck a balance between the two communities of donors and non-donors, and each needs the other - non-donors need donors to sell them SB+, while (some) donors need non-donors to give them gold. I would hope that ALL players see the value in having as many players as possible. If not, well that's just sad for you.

Finally, for those complaining you wasted a week hunting elsewhere and thinking you'd have the 15-1 ratio forever, consider that if the devs were just placating whiners (as some have argued), they could have just changed the formula with little or no warning, giving players no opportunity to stock up, thereby truly screwing everyone. Instead the devs are handling this as fair as possible by giving us at least a few days, maybe more. Those of us who were in the JoD/Cove to start just got an early-adopter bonus, that's all.

The Soapbox is a semi-regular feature where hunters just like you get the opportunity to vent about an item that they are passionate about. Something might irk you just so, or maybe there's something great that you think has gone unrecognized. Is that the case? Then get up on the Soapbox.

To submit something for the Soapbox, please send a private message to Dane Koster (http://www.facebook.com/dane.koster). Unless you specify that you wish to remain anonymous, our preference will be to publish your name under your vent. Please note that we do NOT guarantee that your vent will be published, and also note that it will be screened for inappropriate content as well as poor spelling or grammar…

Advertising Feature

So, Seek out the Seeker Scoop!

If you've got any bright ideas for what you think should go in this space for a week or two at a time, give Dane Koster a shout (http://www.facebook.com/dane.koster)

1) You notice a really entertaining, informative, or overall appealing thread (or post) somewhere on the forum.

2) You copy the link for that awesome thread (or post).

3) You paste that link into the most recent Nibbler comments thread.

4) You say why you liked that thread (or post).

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

1) Choose our very favorite thread (or post) from the ones you've submitted.

2) Feature it prominently in our next Nibbler edition as the THREAD OF THE DAY.

3) PAY UP! We'll give the author of that thread (or post) 50,000 gold, for whatever purposes.

4) And, once a week, we'll give a random nominator for the past week 50,000 gold also.

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.

And now for something completely different...

Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was, since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape.

He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as:

- Knowing when to come in out of the rain;
- Why the early bird gets the worm;
- Life isn't always fair;
- and maybe it was my fault.

Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more than you can earn) and reliable strategies (adults, not children, are in charge).

His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well-intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a 6-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens
suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.

Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job that they themselves had failed to do in disciplining their unruly children. It declined even further when schools were required to get
parental consent to administer sun lotion or an aspirin to a student; but could not inform parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.

Common Sense lost the will to live as the churches became businesses; and criminals received better treatment than their victims. Common Sense took a beating when you couldn't defend yourself from a burglar in your own home and the burglar could sue you for assault.

Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in her lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement. Common Sense was preceded in death, by his parents, Truth and Trust, by his wife, Discretion, by his daughter, Responsibility, and by his son, Reason.

He is survived by his 4 stepbrothers; I Know My Rights, I Want It Now, Someone Else Is To Blame, and I'm A Victim.

Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone. If you still remember him, pass this on. If not, join the majority and do nothing.

* THE NIBBLER * Friday, May 21, 2010

2010-05-22T04:47:00.001-04:00

Lots of threads, no time to read them all? Here is today's MouseHunt news, highlights, and gossip! Read on:

Feedback Friday
Trevor swung by the HitGrab Studios (actually, I think it was his basement and a recorded feed...) to bring us only the most important items from today's episode of Feedback Friday:

Feedback Friday Review – As usual, the important things.

General Points, Miscellany, and Memorabiliae:

1) The devs have decided to change the Magic Essence recipe for Vanilla Stilton to require 5 Vanilla Beans, thus making it so that super-brie users will get 3x as many cheese than non super-brie users, rather than 15x. In doing so, this cheese recipe will be in line with other common cheese recipes in the game, such as radioactive blue potions (if you use superbrie to convert RB, you get on the order of 3x as many RB). 15 was indeed, an unprecedented separation. They do plan on letting us know when this will happen a day or two in advance, so superbrie users, don’t worry. In the meantime, you have this week to use a LE cheese-recipe for extra VS.

What we do not know, is why the devs decided to drop the super-brie recipe by 5x instead of upping the non-super-brie recipe by 5x (making it require 3 beans for 15 cheese with no magic essence, the same exact ratio, super-brie users getting 3x the cheese). Perhaps they felt 1 & 3 didn’t do justice to the Pigmy Swarms.

2) As the users have stated, we like catching things. So the devs have decided that with future updates, they’ll use an existing area and require some mouse to be caught again to move on (feel free to catch it in the meantime all you want). Interestingly enough, they didn’t do this in the JOD (we’re all new to Pigmy mice), but you did need Inferno Havarti (Come ON, who DIDN’T see that one coming? That seriously couldn’t have been a surprise to anyone). Anyway, they plan on continuing to do this, and are considering drop options for Balack himself. Trap upgrade, anyone?

3) Yes, Vengeful Vanilla Stilton attracts more Liches. So get yourself a stack and try to last as long as you can.

4) Yes, the Liches have all the same attraction rate, and they’re pretty close on the power values (obviously not exactly the same – see your Profile listing). Yes, they’ll average out, over a really really really really long time (see a certain record holder for Dojo Students).

5) Dragon ember drops were the only modification to the Dracano area. Dragons always drop them. Wardens are like 50/50. Whelpings drop them occasionally.

That's it! Yep, it was a short and sweet session. For a different slant on the FBF that was, check out Ben's coverage one step to the right.

A Hot Reminder
Once you've grabbed your fill of Dragon Embers in Dracano, you can always go back for more! Just use your Hunter's Hammer and *SMASH* all the ones you don't need for your lantern. Presto! You've got bonus fire salts.

A debate that's anything but 'Vanilla'
It would appear that the dev's announcement of a tweak to the Vanilla Stilton recipes has certainly pressed a few hot buttons. Without wading in too deeply (We're here to report, not to editorialize... Except all those times where we editorialize. Come to think of it, we editorialize so much, it's a wonder we're ever even called 'news'!) we will say that many a Hunter seems to think their decision to tweak the recipe is a terrible idea, and many that think it's excellent. Oh, and many along the spectrum between those two poles.

Probably the most sobering take-home notes from the debate, to me, comes from Michael Gourley:

Before Ballack's release the Devs polled FBF and asked if they would like to see Ballack released ASAP and then have tweaks made to re-balance based on player feedback. The answer was overwhelmingly yes. This is what they are doing, based on the feedback they have received.

And given that we don't know precisely what the changes will be... (After all, Dave stated in the Feedback Friday that he was "looking for opinions" on their proposed change... Psst! Dave, you got a bunch of opinions now!) Perhaps we'll leave the flaming stakes locked up (oh, and doused) for a few more day yet, huh?

Want to opine yourself about the Vanilla Stilton recipe? Click this link.

Thread of the Day
The post of the day goes to Dane Koster, since he was the only one that posted ANY link in yesterday's Nibbler thread. Though, technically, it's cheating since it's not a thread, nor a post, but a video.

Oh well. Here's your video, because the points still don't matter.

Pac your bags
This news will already have made it to most of you, but that's okay. For those of you who visited Google's home page today, you got an extra-special treat: a functioning Pac-Man game, complete with all the sounds! It was in commemoration of the arcade classic's 30th birthday. Sounds like a good way to pass the the time between horns, doesn't it?

Oh, and if it's not available, you can always find it on the archives.

Quote of the Day
Kavita Sutrave

You don't want to know where the Pigmys keep vanilla beans.

In this conspiratorial thread.

So far, so good, and don't forget to sound the horn!

MouseHunter of the Day
Your name: Earl Anthony Waga
Your rank: Hero 85%

1. If you were a mouse, what type would you be and what would you do to escape the traps set out for you?
-Imma be a MOJO. I'll ground and pound the 2010 droid before he detonates the bombs, Use my 1 hit K.O. strikes for droids in Ambush, and use my bling bling against HVMT. ^__^

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?
-I dont eat cheese everyday. MH cheese?.. that would be shell, seafoods are great! And I won't consider crafting a cheese at home.

3. Have you skipped anything important just to sound the horn (ie school, work, sleep)? Did you enjoy it?
-I did! i skipped school, exercise, sleep, and TV shows. Yosh! I enjoyed it.

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?
-Without a doubt it would be the Dojo Sensei. I'll ask about his experience, philosophy, and ask him to teach me Martial Arts.

5. When was the last time you caught a mouse in real life?
-I don't remember when was it but I know it is a brown mouse. Caught it with tacky glue trap for mosquito.

6. What is your favorite trap in the game and why?
-That would be CCT. It's my first LE trap. (from Master to Hero)

7. Do you think you could beat an Aged Mouse at chess?
-NO! I don't play chess.

8. What was the last occasion where you caught a rare or difficult mouse with a ridiculously low amount of cheese?
-ridiculously large amount of cheese, since the great winter hunt '09 ended.

9. What has been the worst decision of your MouseHunt career, in hindsight?
-Did not or FTC a Scrooge Mouse during the Great winter Hunt.

10. If the Ornament Mouse, Bottled Mouse, and Lambent Crystal Mouse were having a fight, who would win and why?
-Lambent Crystal Mouse is a fossil, Bottled Mouse has no sense of direction and can't move to where he want to be, and Ornament Mouse can roll and has a ball wherever it goes. So Ornament Mouse rolls directly to Bottled Mouse and hits it hard, thus breaking the bottle. Ornament Mouse wins!

*Ahem* I'd like to get up on my Soapbox, please...
On "What's wrong with the boards"

I started playing this game in July 2008, when the game was about 4 months old. And at that time, there were people posting on the boards about how "the boards just weren't the same anymore." I felt left out, I thought I'd come too late, that I'd missed the best of the best. (And maybe I did, but that's neither here nor there.)

In my nearly two years here, I've seen so many people cycle through and the cycle is always the same. We come, we play, we work our way through Novice. We save up enough gold for the Mary O'Nette, and we think she's pretty sweet. We find the discussion boards and we participate in competitions and giveaways. We win, and that makes our day... or we don't win, and that makes us try again with the next competition. Eventually, we fall in love with the boards and the people we meet here. We chat, we drink, we either help beggars or flame them, and often we flame the people who help the beggars. We find innuendo and plenty of it. We laugh until we pee in our pants, we become so enthralled in the community that we forget to eat and decide not to sleep. We form teams and tribes and secret groups. We suffer through Pink Box Fever and we live to tell the tale. We think this game is the most awesome thing ever, and we are right about that.

Gradually we transition from hoarding gold to sharing gold, and we graduate from participating in competitions to sponsoring our own competitions. We make posts meant as jokes and then find ourselves running virtual newspapers. We make groups to help newer players and we write Wiki articles so people will always have a place to find information as the discussion boards swell. We have meetups and we make lifelong friends. We make this community what it is in our own way, and it makes the game better and more fun.

And time goes by. Real Life (PSA - delete that app as soon as you can) keeps calling, our children claim to be "hungry" and our spouses feel "neglected." We realize that hosting competitions is hard work, and greatly unappreciated. Ultimately we rail in frustration because we can't grow as people if we don't keep moving, and we know we can't keep doing these things forever. Some of us end up in therapy, which costs us real money and a lot of it. Many of us get banned from the forums because we just Can't. Stop. Poking. People. Others of us fade into the background, chuckling softly as we watch the next generation going through the same cycle, only this time we have more patience for their process. We see the new players as the next generation, and we help them because this game is a legacy that we want to pass on.

Eventually we step outside and remember that there are other sources of joy, that life does not revolve around one FTA or one missed trapcheck, and gradually we drift away. Granted, some of us leave in fits and storms, with diatribes about how the Devs don't give a hoot about us, and how we've devoted so much of our time and money and life to this game, but mostly we just drift away as we recall the pleasures of Real Life (I TOLD you to delete that, but you didn't listen).

In this way many of us leave, while many of us stay. It's true that the boards are different every day... there will always be the tide of newer players, beating against the rocks of the first generations. What matters isn't "what we remember" as much as it's how the game influences us today. And we should find joy in that process, and welcome the changes to come. Because you have to admit, without change life is terribly boring.

-Jessica Carson Shelley

The Soapbox is a semi-regular feature where hunters just like you get the opportunity to vent about an item that they are passionate about. Something might irk you just so, or maybe there's something great that you think has gone unrecognized. Is that the case? Then get up on the Soapbox.

To submit something for the Soapbox, please send a private message to Dane Koster (http://www.facebook.com/dane.koster). Unless you specify that you wish to remain anonymous, our preference will be to publish your name under your vent. Please note that we do NOT guarantee that your vent will be published, and also note that it will be screened for inappropriate content as well as poor speeling or grammar.....

Advertising Feature

If you've got any bright ideas for what you think should go in this space for a week or two at a time, give Dane Koster a shout (http://www.facebook.com/dane.koster)

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:

1) You notice a really entertaining, informative, or overall appealing thread (or post) somewhere on the forum.

2) You copy the link for that awesome thread (or post).

3) You paste that link into the most recent Nibbler comments thread.

4) You say why you liked that thread (or post).

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

1) Choose our very favorite thread (or post) from the ones you've submitted.

2) Feature it prominently in our next Nibbler edition as the THREAD OF THE DAY.

3) PAY UP! We'll give the author of that thread (or post) 50,000 gold, for whatever purposes.

4) And, once a week, we'll give a random nominator for the past week 50,000 gold also.

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 tracking thread -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	Useful/Interesting Threads -The Wiki Support Thread -MouseHunt Comics by Trevor Hastings -Determining the role of Luck (also here) (Got another? We'll post them as they come in!)	Useful/Interesting part 2 -Protecting yourself from scams (courtesy GIH)

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

The Nibbler

*The Nibbler* - Sunday, 6 June Finale

The Nibbler GMT 11:14 6/5 Saturday -ROYAL FLUSH

*The Nibbler* Friday June 4, 2010

The Nibbler GMT 4-6- 2010 04:44

ALL HAIL DAVE VANDERBARON.

Congratulations Dave on your new level!

How do you explain your MH addiction to your significant other?

Start by explaining your $100 a day heroin addiction then move on to your foot fetishes. When they realize these are false, MH will seem like nothing.

Raging VS, Annoyed VS and Wrathful VS.

Ever wake up with Raging VS? Of course not! But the ideas are out there. Feel free to comment. The horse lives.

* THE NIBBLER * Wednesday, June 2, 2010

The Nibbler - T'was The Weekend Before Memorial Day

The Nibbler GMT 28-5- 2010 01:44 Torture

Releasing content early and using feedback vs. internal testing and final release

ATTN: do not accept any video chat app invites!VIRUS ALERT!

Acro vs Ancient Box Trap in Balach's Cove is a nice thread to get your questions answered on which trap is best in which scenario.

* THE NIBBLER * Wednesday, May 26, 2010

The Nibbler GMT 26-5- 2010 03:38

we've proved that we can count to five, and count to five again, and count to potato. But I'm too lazy to link them now and I'm going to bed, so I hope they are still around in the morning.

Didn't we count to a BILLION?Oh wait, no we didn't.

clarify the limit on embers and the drop rate for dragons.

Kenneth Dravatar Ho /r/= modulus of r/-r/=/r/Hence, /r/=/r//r/= rr does not exist in this space-time continuum.

The Nibbler GMT 24-5- 2010 Weekend Edition 2:51 Special VS Edition

The Nibbler, 22-23 May

* THE NIBBLER * Friday, May 21, 2010

The Nibbler - Sunday, 6 June Finale

The Nibbler Friday June 4, 2010

Didn't we count to a BILLION?

Oh wait, no we didn't.

Kenneth Dravatar Ho /r/= modulus of r

/-r/=/r/

Hence, /r/=/r/

/r/= r

r does not exist in this space-time continuum.