Thursday, September 25, 2008

A Rival leaves the Island to have her Baby...




Two full seasons after you witness a Rival Pregnancy 'Big News' Event, you will experience an Event at 6.00 a.m. at your farmhouse. Your Rival (or his Wife) is about to have her baby and needs to travel to Mineral Town. Will you see her off?
You agree automatically and find yourself at the beach. At the last moment, the spouse decides to accompany his wife on this historic journey.

Here is the text of Natalie and Elliot's Event:

Good Luck, Natalie.

Good morning, Freya!

Me: (!)

Pierre enters.

Pierre: Natalie is leaving for the hospital in town today to prepare for our new arrival.
If it’s not too much trouble, would you mind coming to see her off, Freya?

I nod.

Pierre (with music): Freya, I knew I could count on you. Thank you!

Now we are at the beach with Natalie, Pierre, Dr. Trent and Felicia as well as Mirabelle.

Mirabelle: You’ll give birth to a healthy baby. I just know it. You can do it!

Felicia: Please be cautious and remember the advice I gave you, Natalie.

Natalie: I-It’s so nice to see you all care about me so much… I’ll be fine. Don’t worry!
Okay… Pierre! Make sure you plan an epic meal for our return!
Pierre: (…): Of course! There will be a grand return feast for the both of you upon arrival!

Trent: Now, let’s get going, shall we?

He walks away.

Natalie: Thanks for seeing me off, everybody! I’m actually excited… See you all soon!

She leaves.

Pierre (…)

He continues to think (…)

I shake my head.

Pierre: (…) Sigh… You’re right. I’ll be a nervous wreck waiting here while my child is being born!

A moment’s pause, then:

Pierre: I can’t miss this… I need to be by Natalie’s side.

Mirabelle: I knew you’d say something like that.

Felicia: … Pierre, I know you’ll take good care of Natalie.

Pierre: I most definitely will. Okay, I’m off! Upon my return, I’ll be known as Pierre,
cook and father extraordinaire!

He leaves. The event takes an hour as I find myself back at home at 7.00 a.m.

The very next morning, I experienced a similar Event with Elliot and Julia.
Pierre returned a day later.

It appears to me that the return of any Spouse in these circumstances probably is based on specific shipping requirements. In other words, if you have been shipping Cooked Dishes regularly, (or at least cooking), Pierre will return automatically but if you have not been cooking or shipping Cooked Dishes, he will remain absent until you do. There were requirements of this nature with respect to the 4th and Final Rival Heart Event. Players have written to me to ask when the Spouses of a Rival who has gone to Mineral Town to have her baby would return. Some of them have experienced delays. I suspect that you must have shipped crops in the current season to facilitate Elliot's return and to have shipped Ores if Vaughn and Sabrina are married and he is the Spouse who leaves with his wife. Denny would return only if you have shipped fish regularly.

SPOILER: Note that, even if you cannot persuade the husband to return to the Island immediately, the entire family will return a full season after the Rival Couple's departure for Mineral Town, now accompanied by their child. The child will be a toddler, interestingly enough.

I still am testing this in my own game.

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