How is Viva Pinata, hombre?

I started playing this over my Christmas holiday and have been having a good time with it. My girls have also enjoyed it. Probably the first game that my youngest (who is not all that into gaming) begs me to play.

It's definitely a fun change of pace game from games like GoW and MUA. I've been enjoying setting up my plot and breeding different pinatas. For even more fun, I sent a box of bunnies to each of my girls.

DevilStick wrote:

I started playing this over my Christmas holiday and have been having a good time with it. My girls have also enjoyed it. Probably the first game that my youngest (who is not all that into gaming) begs me to play.

It's definitely a fun change of pace game from games like GoW and MUA. I've been enjoying setting up my plot and breeding different pinatas. For even more fun, I sent a box of bunnies to each of my girls. :D

Try sending your girls multicolored bunnies. Much giggling will ensue.

souldaddy wrote:

Try sending your girls multicolored bunnies. Much giggling will ensue.

Oooo thanks for the tip.

I just read through the thread and have the wiki bookmarked for later reference.

Wow. What a helpful thread. Gotta show it to my kid. We got him Viva Pinata as one of the Xmas presents, and he's completely addicted now.

If you have not-so-lousy pinata you don't mind pimping out to him, it will be gladly accepted

Maybe folks who are playing right now can list what they can offer.

At the moment I haven't been playing too long, so I'm pretty low on the food chain pinata wise. All I can breed are:

Whirlms
Bunnies
Sparrowmints
Shellybeans
Tafflies

I don't mind throwing a one or two of something to folks if you're trying to jump start. (I had to finally send the hunter out to get my second bunny.) I've just read on this thread today that you don't really need to breed Tafflies or Whirlms, apparently they come back pretty quickly.

I'm having a blast with this game as well.

Here's what I've got to offer:

Whirlms
Tafflies
White Flutterscotch
Sparrowmints
Mousemallows
Squazzils
Bunnycombs
Preztails
Buzzlegum
Lickatoad
Fudgehog

Thanks to that Wiki link, I have a ton of new ideas and critters I can get! Wheeeee!

If anyone has a pinata request, feel free to post it. I've been sending all kinds of things to people on my list, but have little problem with requests. I have just about every pinata I've ever seen, but not the top tier "magic" types yet. Working on master romancing everything else in the meantime.

ooo Symbiotic.

If you don't mind sending me a couple of Flutterscotches - a Mousemallow would be cool but I can send the Hunter for that. Those are the next two pairs I'm trying to breed.

I need Flutterscotches so I can start breeding Lickatoads.. I already have two Lickatoads in residence but nary a Flutterscotch in sight. Just one wandering around in the distance.

I have one Mousemallow and a clock ready to go. I can send the hunter out for that one whenever I want so it's lower priority.

Anyway, the Flutterscotches would put me in position to breed my Lickatoads and then the Pretztails lurking around.

DrunkenSleipnir wrote:

If anyone has a pinata request, feel free to post it. I've been sending all kinds of things to people on my list, but have little problem with requests. I have just about every pinata I've ever seen, but not the top tier "magic" types yet. Working on master romancing everything else in the meantime.

I'm more than willing to send out pinatas as well. I have almost all, including the top-tier "magic" types.

bennard wrote:
DrunkenSleipnir wrote:

If anyone has a pinata request, feel free to post it. I've been sending all kinds of things to people on my list, but have little problem with requests. I have just about every pinata I've ever seen, but not the top tier "magic" types yet. Working on master romancing everything else in the meantime.

I'm more than willing to send out pinatas as well. I have almost all, including the top-tier "magic" types.

Well la-de-dah

I still need a unicorn and dragon, but other then that I think I've got everything I've seen, except maybe the Roario - not sure if I've done that yet. Also, I have a bunch of variations to get still, I've hardly played with that at all. I'll need to add all these new players to my list for pinata mail!

I just sent friend requests to the three of you. I promise to to beg too often.

At the moment the lack of Flutterscotches is holding me back though.

DrunkenSleipnir wrote:
bennard wrote:
DrunkenSleipnir wrote:

If anyone has a pinata request, feel free to post it. I've been sending all kinds of things to people on my list, but have little problem with requests. I have just about every pinata I've ever seen, but not the top tier "magic" types yet. Working on master romancing everything else in the meantime.

I'm more than willing to send out pinatas as well. I have almost all, including the top-tier "magic" types.

Well la-de-dah

I still need a unicorn and dragon, but other then that I think I've got everything I've seen, except maybe the Roario - not sure if I've done that yet. Also, I have a bunch of variations to get still, I've hardly played with that at all. I'll need to add all these new players to my list for pinata mail!

Scratch that - just got a Dragonache!

Sure - no prob. Shoot me a message reminder about the Flutterscotch and I'll send you some. I'm pretty sure I just planted a bunch of daisies and bluebells to get them to be residents.

Found a 360 under the tree (thanks hun!) and went out and bought Viva immediately. What an amazing game - even with all of the barbs I get from friends about playing a "kids" game. The Wiki is a wonderful if sometimes damning crutch, but it ultimately means little frustration.

Devilstick, I've got Fluterscotches out the wazoo and in all colors (easiest way to get a Jameleon, IMHO). I'll add you to the friend's list this evening, and you still need em, send a few your way.

DrunkenSleipnir wrote:

Scratch that - just got a Dragonache!

Dragonaches can't be traded.

I'll take a level 6+ pinata if anyone is chucking them around. And to echo DevilStick, this game is pretty fun and I don't have to worry too much that I'm warping my 22 month old if he watches -- unlike, say, Gears of War and the chainsaw bayonnet...

Wow I'm late to the party! I went to blockbuster a week ago to rent the new star trek game and they were out so I got Viva instead. I never imagined I would like this game cause it is so cuddly and stuff. I actually took the game back and used some gift cards to buy it from blockbuster.

So like Souldaddy I've been mass breeding a pinata type to get the master romancer and variations. I was trying to make a garden with a bunch of different types but it gets pretty crowded fast.

For money I grow chili with red fertilizer sprinkled 3 times and sell them for 400cc a piece. Also turning pinatas into new types makes for some easy money.

Feel free to friend me if you want to share pinatas

lunabean wrote:
DrunkenSleipnir wrote:

Scratch that - just got a Dragonache!

Dragonaches can't be traded. :(

Isn't that a bummer? I was hoping we could pass one around as sort of a GWJ mascot. They're the coolest.

Chum wrote:

The Wiki is a wonderful if sometimes damning crutch, but it ultimately means little frustration.

I agree, it feels a little cheap to spoil the game so much, but I'm working on getting all the awards and after 50 or 60 hours I'm only 70% through the game. I guess I could be scientific and grow every kind of plant each time I have a new pinata, but I just don't plan on playing this game that long. I did notice that the pinatas stop and contemplate items that will change their color, but it's a subtle thing and easily missed.

DrunkenSleipnir, thanks for the flutterscotch (nice name "In ur garden...") and the coins. Chum, thanks for the flutterscotches. Between the two of you I now have three flutterscotches ready to romance. Now if they'll just stay out of their cage long enough for me to make them do the deed now... next session.

I have named my Pretztails in thy honours.

scrub wrote:

And to echo DevilStick, this game is pretty fun and I don't have to worry too much that I'm warping my 22 month old if he watches -- unlike, say, Gears of War and the chainsaw bayonnet...

Hehe. Though I'm not sure what message it sends to kids about whacking their pets if they're short on candy.

My youngest did all her homework this afternoon just so she could play last night. Very amusing. She's not been big on video games before this. (My oldest is the gamer.) So, Rare did something right to interest both her and me.

Hey, I still love this game and play it, though I haven't had time to jump on much the past week or so. Doesn't help that I'm hopelessly addicted to poker on Live Arcade now either.

My garden's mid-range; around level 35ish (a little lower I believe) and I don't have many of the top half of the species chain yet. What I really really need if anyone runs into a spare is a gem tree seed.

As for requests, anything I can send out that someone can use, I'll gladly send. Farscry the duck got sent to someone (I don't remember who) because Duckideva and Duckilama the swananas wouldn't stop beating up on me. Those Duckis, they're so cruel!

So far, here's who I've managed to name since the animals somewhat seemed to match the people in my head:

Farscry - duck (because they live in a pirate ship!)
Duckideva and Duckilama - swananas (because I already had a duck; sorry guys!)
Robear & Kiri - squazzils (because squirrels are cute and their names are cute; the accessories emphasize this with Robear sporting a chef's cap and Kiri romping around with a princess hat :D)
Certis & Elysium - candaries (for no real reason, Certis is a blue candary and Elysium is a yellow; or is it the other way around? Anyway, they flitter high above the garden governing over everyone and having right proper British tea parties while reminiscing about hunting eliphants in the bush country)
ZeroKFE & Lunabean - newtgats (I have no idea; it just seemed to work...)
the late SwampYankee - a beaver who met an untimely end at the jaws of a cocoadile...

I'm still working out what species other forum members should be. Once I name a pinata after a forum member, it's a lot tougher to sell them off! Makes it harder to diversify or change my garden!

Hehe. I needed to earn the name caller achievement so in addition to DrunkenSleipnir and Chum the pretztails, I now have Mex the bunny.

There's a lot of nice bunnies in the garden, but Mex can't keep his paws off Mrs. Buns. Mr. Buns is not too happy about this and is plotting to lure Mex outside of the safety of the inner compound to be eaten by DrunkenSleipnir and Chum.

Question: I have the first garden size unlock but not the second. If I make a second garden and earn the additional unlock, will it apply back to my first garden? (Has anyone tested this?)

I apologize for skimming (at work, so can't spend too much time on this), but I didn't see any mention of this. I started a second garden shortly after unlocking the first storybook chapter. Ever since then I haven't been able to read any of the storybook chapters. I'm not sure if I just forgot how to access it or if it is completely gone, but if someone could remind me how to access it that would be great! Also, I noticed that the Sour Crowla requires a bottle of medicine to become a resident...and I noticed someone mentioning that honey could be tinkered into medicine, but I have yet to figure out how to get honey. I'm guessing it is something the buzzlegums can make, but I must not have the right object in my garden for them to utilize for this to happen. Am I even close?

DevilStick wrote:

Question: I have the first garden size unlock but not the second. If I make a second garden and earn the additional unlock, will it apply back to my first garden? (Has anyone tested this?)

Yes it will! However, only the original garden will have additional junk that if broken give you money. Given that, you can make more by growing stuff so you don't miss out on much.

By the way, anyone would like to adapt a 12k hippo?

Farscry wrote:

Hey, I still love this game and play it, though I haven't had time to jump on much the past week or so. Doesn't help that I'm hopelessly addicted to poker on Live Arcade now either.

My garden's mid-range; around level 35ish (a little lower I believe) and I don't have many of the top half of the species chain yet. What I really really need if anyone runs into a spare is a gem tree seed.

Well dang I packed up 5 to send you, and saw you were not on my list. Tried to add you and your list is full! I did not know there was a limit dang. So I'm sending them to devilstick my newest friend so neener neener!

Tobyus wrote:

I apologize for skimming (at work, so can't spend too much time on this), but I didn't see any mention of this. I started a second garden shortly after unlocking the first storybook chapter. Ever since then I haven't been able to read any of the storybook chapters. I'm not sure if I just forgot how to access it or if it is completely gone, but if someone could remind me how to access it that would be great! Also, I noticed that the Sour Crowla requires a bottle of medicine to become a resident...and I noticed someone mentioning that honey could be tinkered into medicine, but I have yet to figure out how to get honey. I'm guessing it is something the buzzlegums can make, but I must not have the right object in my garden for them to utilize for this to happen. Am I even close?

You're close. You can buy a honey hive for the buzzlegums to make honey. To get the buzzlegums to make honey automatically, you need to buy beekeeper hats for them. Also, you should be able to buy honey at Costalot's store, look under the Produce section.

Brizahd wrote:

Well dang I packed up 5 to send you, and saw you were not on my list. Tried to add you and your list is full! I did not know there was a limit dang. So I'm sending them to devilstick my newest friend so neener neener!

What the heck? I thought you were on my list! I know you were around back in Chromehounds and I could've sworn I added everyone.

And my list being full... I didn't realize that was the case. There's still more people I want to add!

That kinda sucks. I need to either winnow down my list a bit again or hope that MS increases the size of our friend lists.

Brizahd wrote:

My garden's mid-range; around level 35ish (a little lower I believe) and I don't have many of the top half of the species chain yet. What I really really need if anyone runs into a spare is a gem tree seed.

Well dang I packed up 5 to send you, and saw you were not on my list. Tried to add you and your list is full! I did not know there was a limit dang. So I'm sending them to devilstick my newest friend so neener neener![/quote]

Woohoo! Now if I only knew what to do with them.

I'll be happy to forward a couple to Farscry or someone on Farscry's list. If anyone will admit to being on Farscry's list.

bennard wrote:

You're close. You can buy a honey hive for the buzzlegums to make honey. To get the buzzlegums to make honey automatically, you need to buy beekeeper hats for them. Also, you should be able to buy honey at Costalot's store, look under the Produce section.

Awesome, doesn't sound too painful! Thanks for the tips

Damnit. I usually hate these kind of games, but I managed to stay up until 2:30 am last night playing this. Previously Gears was the thing that kept me up that late...