Vinesweeper

Vinesweeper is a Farming based members' only minigame released on 19 February 2008. The official worlds for this minigame are 51 and 78.

Requirements

 * Spade (or 5 coins to buy one; the Tool Leprechaun can store a spade)
 * 5,000 coins to rent 10 flags, possibly more in case you lose a flag. First 10 flags are free.

Getting to the Minigame
At any farming patch with a Tool Leprechaun wandering around, right-click him and click 'teleport'. Request to be teleported to the minigame. He will then say "Avach nimporto" and you will have arrived at the minigame. There is a portal north-east of the farmhouse to return to the patch. Familiars and pets cannot be brought into Vinesweeper.



Playing the game
To start, speak to Farmer Blinkin or Mrs. Winkin, who will give you 10 free flags and tell you how to play the game. You can only have a maximum of 10 flags.

The game involves a grid of holes. After digging at a hole with a spade a number will appear at the digging location. The number indicates the number of adjacent squares that hold a seed. The numbers range from zero to six. (0 is invisible, 1 is blue, 2 is green, 3 is red, 4 is yellow, 5 is purple, 6 is teal, 7 is very light brown.)

In case of a zero, the minigame will show an empty area if the edge of the empty area is close enough the numbers on the edge will be displayed instantly too. Digging at a location that carries a seed, destroys the seed.

After locating a square with a seed indicate the location by planting a flag. A farmer will retrieve the seed and give points as a reward. If the indicated location does not carry a seed, the flag will be lost and the number of points is reduced.

Once you have used your 10 flags, you will need to retrieve them from Farmer Blinkin or Mrs. Winkin, who will also offer to replace any you have lost for 500 coins each. Mrs. Winkin also sells them for 50 points.

Rabbits
After planting a flag, rabbits will race the farmers to the indicated spot. Rabbits can be chased away by feeding them Ogleroot, which can be found during the digging process. This will give you 30 Hunter experience. If a rabbit reaches your flag before the farmer is finished digging up the seed, you lose the flag and get no points.

Tips

 * There never is a seed on the edge of a numberless spot, so if there are mounds next to an empty spot its always safe to click those.
 * If you don't know where to start or if you think there is a seed but you are not sure, use the investigate option. it doesn't always work, but it doesn't hurt to try.
 * Don't plant a flag near a rabbit hole (they're on the outer rim of the fields).
 * Always stay close to farmers to increase the chance a rabbit will be too late.
 * If you can't figure out where the seeds are, it's possible to follow other players, but you get (less) points that way too.
 * The number of points received for identifying a seed is related to your farming level. At very low levels, digging up ground is more efficient than planting flags.
 * As this minigame is based on Minesweeper, see the Wikipedia page for more information. If you do not wish to risk losing flags while learning to play, playing Minesweeper can be a good way to start off.  Many computers automatically have this game, and free online versions can be found.

Points


Points can be spent by trading with Mrs. Winkin inside the house.


 * Note 1 You have to be close to the spot where the flag is planted

Farming experience
One farming experience costs from 1 point (at level 40+) to 7.75 points (below level 10.) you would need around 101.01m vinesweeper points to get 1-99 farming in one exchange unless it will automaticaly change the rates when you level while exchanging, in which case you would need around 13.16 million points.

You only get farming experience for trading in points.

Farming Seeds (and other items)



 * Note 1 The Super compost potion needs the Garden of Tranquillity quest to be completed. Although labelled as Super compost potion in the trade window, the item name is Compost potion (4).

Making money
Most items traded from Mrs. Winkin can be sold to other players or at the Grand Exchange. Flags are non-tradable. Experience for planting per seed bought is also given, it assumes an average harvest of 15 for allotments, 10 for hops and 7 for herbs. This can be compared to the points needed to buy, as points can be traded directly for experience.

Prices are updated at Grand Exchange Market Watch/Farming.


 * The highest net wealth return per-point is Ranarr seed when used in Farming to grow Ranarrs ( coins each) which are in high demand for Herblore experience for making Prayer potions ( coins each).

Music

 * Charmin' Farmin' - visiting the area

Trivia

 * Vinesweeper is very similar to the familiar casual game minesweeper. The pun is typical for RuneScape.
 * The house in the farm is similar to that of the Hobbit holes in The Lord of the Rings.
 * The main NPCs bear the names "Winkin" (the Mrs. and absent Mr.) and Farmer "Blinkin". This is a reference to a bedtime poem about three fishermen named Wynken, Blynken, and Nod who sail into the sky in a wooden shoe. The poem alludes to a sleeping child and, specifically, the world of dreams. "Now Winkin' and Blinkin' are two little eyes and Nod is a little one's head. And the wooden shoe that sailed the skies is a wee one's trundle bed." Full text at Home of Love - Nursery Rhymes.
 * When you examine the portal is says: Gnome sweet Gnome?, a pun on Home! Sweet Home!? (examine of the house portals)
 * The Tale of Peter Rabbit is a children's book about a rabbit sneaking into Mr. McGregor's garden and eating as many vegetables as he can before being chased around. He is also in another book The Tale of Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle (name similar to Mrs. Winkin).
 * During the quest Grim Tales it is possible to find Mr. Winkin imprisoned near the Witch's Experiments.
 * You weren't able to enter Winesweeper - even after the Christmas Event - with an Ice amulet.