vBonsai
vBonsai
is a tree simulator. As with other simulation games, the goal of the
game is left up to the player. Keeping your tree alive is a requirement
but your secondary goal is your choice. This can be shaping the tree to
your whim, obtaining the highest score, or just keeping it alive as long
as you can.
The
game's year starts at 1610AD as it is thought that the oldest living
Bonsai tree known was under cultivation no later that that year. It is
believed that the Sandai Shogun No Mastu, part of the Japanese Imperial
collection, is the oldest living Bonsai.

Can
you keep your tree alive until present day?
Game
Play

This
is the TOOL button. Once a lock is established on a cell of your tree,
you can actuate the tool indicated in the picture.

This
is the SCHEDULE button. It will show a menu there the frequency of
watering and fertilizer application can be set as well as how long the
tree will age when you tap the GO button. This menu will disappear after
a few seconds by itself.

This
is the GO button. Your tree will grow when you tap GO. How long it will
grow per tap is set in the menu accessed by the SCHEDULE button.

This
is the GAUGE. It indicates the status of the tree. S for STRESS, W for
WATER, F for FERTILIZER.
STRESS
goes down as the tree grows unhindered and up as it is trimmed or
shaped. The STRESS at the mid-line of the GAUGE causes the tree to grow
the most. WATER usage is based on the size of the tree and the season.
More heat in the summer means more evaporation. Control moisture with
the WATER frequency in the SCHEDULE menu. Too much or too little WATER
hurts the tree. Marks on the W portion of the GAUGE indicate levels to
avoid. Maximum growth occurs when the F GAUGE is maxed but anything
higher than 75% burns the tree. So it will vary efficiently grow dead
foliage thereby effecting the over all health of the tree.

This
is the POINTER. Use the tip of it to select branches for pruning or
shaping. When the tip is close to a cell of the tree, the POINTER will
establish a lock on the cell indicated by a small RED circle and the
TOOL button will turn GREEN. Tap the TOOL button for effect.
Tips
Dead
foliage must be trimmed off before they will grow again. Dead foliage
that is allowed to stay on the tree damages the health of the tree.
Trees that
don't have enough foliage will die.
The larger
the tree, the more WATER and FERTILIZER is required to keep it alive.
Trim the tree to manage intake of those resources.
A double
tap on the TOOL button that indicates the SNIPS will stop that branch
from growing back. Trim it back a little further with one tap to get it
the grow again.
Be sure
your GAUGEs are stable before you allow the tree to grow for a decade at
a time. If you accidentally tapped GO and the tree is growing a whole
decade out of control, quickly tap the SCHEDULE button and change the
time to grow to a month and the growing till stop.
If your
tree mysteriously starts to die when the GAUGE shows levels within
normal parameters, then it is too big. The tree is planted in a pot that
can only support small trees. In real bonsai care, this would mean the
pot is rootbound and you would trim the roots. In this game, you just
need to trim the branches and keep your tree small.
If a high
score is attained, it will only be submitted as the tree loads or an
achievements screen is closed
How
to enter codes
Change water freq and fert freq to
match the code like so:

00 - Burn the Tree

01 - Coniferous Tree
Put your pointer on the GO button

...and press the TOOL button.

Success will be met with a high
pitched gong sound and the change associated with that code.
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