Vinesweeper

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Please note this is a 'Safe' activity. There is nothing to kill you here, unless you have been poisoned.

Introduction

Sweeping for Seeds

Farmer Blinkin is in a bit of a pickle - his farm has turned into a cotton-tailed hell, with endless numbers of rabbits munching away at his prize crops. He wants to enlist the help of the farmers of the world to find his crops before the nose-twitching, ear-flopping, hoppity-hopping bunnies do too much damage.

Location

If you'd like to give old Farmer Blinkin a hand, have a quick chat with a Tool Leprechaun at any Farming patch around RuneScape. They will gladly teleport you to Winkin's Farm to begin playing this activity.

You can leave Winkin's Farm and exit the activity area at any time, by going back through the portal to the Farming patch you arrived from. The exit portal is to the north-east of the farmhouse.

Requirements

If you wish to purchase a super compost potion from the activity's rewards shop, you will need to have completed the Garden of Tranquillity quest.

You don't need many items to play this activity - a spade and a stack of coins will suffice. You'll find ogleroots as you play.

Note: You cannot take any Summoning familiars/pouches or pets to Winkin's Farm.

Item	Use
Spade	You'll need a spade to dig holes. If you forgot to bring one with you, Mrs Winkin will sell you one for 5 coins.
Flags	Flags are used to mark places where you think a seed is. Your first set of ten flags is free. You can buy replacement flags from Farmer Blinkin or Mrs Winkin at a cost of 500 coins each. You can also trade your Vinesweeper points for flags at Mrs Winkin's rewards shop. You can only have up to ten flags at any one time.
Ogleroot	While digging around on Winkin's Farm, you'll occasionally stumble upon an ogleroot. You can also buy these from Blinkin himself. The magical shrinking properties of this vegetable make it useful for temporarily getting rid of those ravenous rabbits.

Sweeping for Seeds

Upon arrival at Winkin's Farm, you'll find yourself in a large crop field, with the farmhouse at the centre. The first thing to do would be to familiarise yourself with what you have to do. You can either view the signposts for a detailed explanation or talk to Farmer Blinkin for an overview.

Next, you'll need some flags - you can get these from Farmer Blinkin or Mrs Winkin. These are used to mark places in the field where you believe seeds can be found. You can have a maximum of ten flags at a time; your first ten flags are free. If you place a flag in a correct spot you can get it back for free from Farmer Blinkin or Mrs Winkin. If you place one in an incorrect spot, or if a rabbit gets to your seeds, you will lose that flag and have to buy a new one, again from Blinkin or Winkin, at the cost of 500 each. If you leave the activity area carrying any flags, Farmer Winkin will remember how many you had and give them back to you when you return. He will also give you money in exchange for any ogleroots you have.

With your flags and spade, you're ready to begin playing. Hop over any of the stiles into the large, grid-like crop field full of farmers and rabbits, then choose a hole to start digging.

If there isn't a seed nearby the hole you just dug, all adjacent holes to the one you dug will clear.

If there are any seeds in the holes nearby, a floating number will appear. This number tells you how many of the eight holes that surround the hole you just dug have seeds in them. As more and more numbers appear, you should be able to work out where a seed is buried without digging the hole. This is where you want to use your flag.

Any flags you plant will attract both farmers and rabbits - you want the farmers to get there first. If, when a farmer digs the hole under your flag, there is a seed, you will score points based on your Farming level. Any players nearby who are helping in the seed search will also receive some points. The farmer will keep your flag, but as it was correctly placed, you can claim it back from Farmer Blinkin for free. Your total points are shown at the top-right of the game window.

If a rabbit beats any of the farmers to your flag, it will eat whatever is in the hole and you will lose your flag! If you want that flag back, you will have to buy a new one from Farmer Blinkin to replace it, at the cost of 500 coins. This will also happen if you place a flag in a hole that does not contain a seed, and the farmer digs it up. If a rabbit is getting close to one of your flags, use an ogleroot on it - the rabbit will shrink and run away, your flag will be safe and you'll also gain 30 Hunter XP.

Lastly, if the hole you dug contains a seed, you will destroy it. A nearby farmer will come by to clean it away. Unfortunately, you will lose some points and any floating numbers within three squares will disappear.

If you're not completely sure if a hole has a seed in it, you can right-click on it and 'Investigate'. You won't always be able to tell, but there's a high chance you will be able to determine for sure there is a seed in a hole before planting your flag. Investigating holes does take a little longer, but it's a good way to improve confidence in your correct flag-planting skills.

You receive points for any empty holes you dig and any correctly placed flags. You will also score points if you are near to another player who has a correctly placed flag dug up by a farmer. If, however, you are not digging holes and planting flags yourself, you will not score any points by standing near other players. You will lose points if you accidentally dig up a seed. You all have to work together to score points; there are no slackers on Winkin's Farm!

Rewards

And what do points mean? Rewards! Once you've given all the help you want to Farmer Blinkin, you should head back over the stile into the farmhouse and talk to Mrs Winkin. She runs a World of Seeds store, where you can exchange the points you've earned for a large variety of seeds - anything from tomato seeds, which cost 10 points each, right up to spirit seeds, which cost 55,000 points each! She will also sell you more flags (50 points per flag) and, if you've completed the Garden of Tranquillity quest, super compost potions (5,000 points). Alternatively, you can choose to exchange any points you have for some Farming XP.

With a hard day's work done and the sun setting on Winkin's Farm, just head for the exit portal, north-east of the farmhouse. Any points you haven't spent will be saved until you return, and you will be teleported back to the Farming patch from which you departed.

Development team

Developer: Danny J
Graphics: Hayo K, Jeff K
QA: Chris L
Audio: Adam B

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