Saturday, January 31, 2009

Making Prince Luciano your Partner in Princess Debut

I had not intended to make any videos of Princess Debut, but it really is quite endearing. There are three Princes who will be eager to become your partner almost from the very beginning of the game. Luciano is not one of them. If you wish to persuade Prince Luciano to become your partner, you must refuse to invite any one else, then participate in the first Dance Competition with a large Rabbit instead of a romantic Prince! The Rabbit, whose name is Tony, is your character's dance instructor.

Here is the series of events that involves Prince Luciano, giving an early option to make him your partner.



After making this video, an Anonymous player wrote a comment to the effect that, if you make Luciano your Partner before he leaves to participate in the World Dance Competition, he never will return and you will be left without any hope of dancing with him again.

As I am a stubborn individual and was appalled moreover by the prospect, I tried to disprove this assertion... Having played through every possible scenario, however, I still failed to elicit Luciano's return on the 29th day in my own game.

Now, another player has informed me that he/she did likewise, playing through the game FOUR times in every possible manner to see if there was any way to bring Luciano back if he had become your partner BEFORE his departure.

I therefore believe it may be necessary to caution players against any decision to make Luciano their partner BEFORE the 29th day... What this means in practical terms is not having ANY partner throughout most of the game as Luciano only returns to become your partner on the 29th day if you have remained partnerless throughout the game.

Later: The video showing the 'happily ever after' ending with Prince Luciano is included in a later post. In order to have Luciano as your Partner for the Ball, you must ask him only on the 19th Day when he goes with you to the Practice Hall for one dance. You must ask him to be your partner then, although he will refuse, knowing he plans to leave for the World Dance Competition. If you do ask him, however, he will invite you to meet him the next day.

On the 20th Day, meet Luciano and promise that you will wait for him. If you do not have a Partner and remain single throughout the period of his absence, he will return on the 29th Day to take you to the Amusement Park, where he will ask you to be his Partner.

Introduction to Princess Debut

I mentioned 'Princess Debut' after first reading reviews of it, but it was only yesterday that I finally obtained a copy of the game. I have no plans to write a guide for it but thought a little video introduction might be of interest to other fans of Harvest Moon as 'Princess Debut' offers some of the same components in terms of romance and different 'paths' based on your own responses to other characters in the game.

The basic premise of the game is that of entering another world through your wardrobe, as in 'The Lion, the witch and the Wardrobe'. Here, however, your quest only potentially endangers your heart and not your life! When you exchange places with your counterpart in the 'Flower Kingdom', you only need to learn how to dance and then choose a partner for the Grand Ball from the Princes who oddly resemble your schoolmates in your own world.

There is a Practice Hall where you learn steps to various dances by tracing movements with your stylus. Encounters with the Princes and other situations are affected by your responses as you experience the 30 day period before the Ball.

Any one who enjoys the social interactions in Harvest Moon games will enjoy the flirtations in Princess Debut. It is NOT an action game, although you need to make the appropriate moves during dance practice and actual dance encounters with the Princes. What it is, essentially, is an Events-based Courtship game. So far, I am intrigued by it.

I think players will enjoy 'Princess Debut' if they RELAX and simply go with the flow... you can't expect too much and you cannot expect the game to be something other than a delightful exercise in Courtship.

I initially thought that the game resembled Island of Happiness by creating different paths based on your character's responses during Events. This is not the case. Evidently, events can occur on specific days if you go to a specific location and make the correct response that allows them to occur but there are no alternate events that are based on incorrect responses.

Here is the introduction to the game:



A few of the early encounters and events can be seen here:

Hacked Items in Animal Crossing City Folk

Many thanks to Mars the Frog for this information:

In his own words:

'It recently came to my attention that some hackers have been making their own DLC items (downloadable content). The known ones are the shiny blue pikmin hat, and two lightsabers (made from golden / silver axes) - red and blue ones. The exact consequences of owning such fan-made hacked items are unknown, but there are some people whom believe the damage they may cause to the game's data where DLC is concerned may be devastatingly bad. This is mainly due to the fact that the hackers are taking up codes within the game that are made specifically for real DLC items from Nintendo - like the Top and Red Pikmin hat. Others think that the real DLC items - when downloaded - will simply overwrite that data and all will be well.


The bottom line is - no one knows for sure wether or not it's safe to accept these hacker items. Personally, I wouldn't take any chances... but even that's difficult, due to the easy way of obtaining item data in AC. All a normal player would have to do is have a visit from a hacker with one of these items... and then the data would be implanted into his or her game... In that way, it's sort of like a virus... These hackers though, at least the ones behind the lightsabers and shiny blue pikmin hat, aren't doing this for malicious fun - they're just risk takers that enjoy screwing with the game and sharing the fruits of their coding labour.'

As you can see, you do need to be careful where visits from other players are concerned. Even without malicious intent, your game could be compromised by a hacker who visits your Village due to the information data HIS/HER game.

On a wistful note... who wouldn't want a 'shining lightsabre'??? But it isn't worth the risk of ruining the entire game. The problem for a non-hacker, like myself, is that I would not be able to manipulate my game data in order to 'fix' any code problems that occurred from hacked items.

I would advise players only to exchange Friend Codes with other players whose games have not been compromised by hacker data unless they are capable of dealing with any potential side-effects themselves.

There were similar problems with respect to Wild World. A section in my Comprehensive Wild World Guide describes some of the more serious problems caused by hackers.

Thursday, January 29, 2009

Much Labour for Small but Surprising Returns

I am more inclined to experiment in Harvest Moon than to research the results of other players. I am certain there are lists of Accessories produced through the Multiplayer option in Rune Factory 2 somewhere but I always want to discover new territory myself.

Thus, a seemingly endless quest for materials to create Weapons at the Forge and Accessories at the Workbench, raising each to Level 10 before 'trading' it to see if it undergoes a strange sea-change and is transformed into a new item.

I am amazed by the sheer volume of Gold Ore required to create most of the 'superior' upgrades in Rune Factory 2. It is when the actual upgrades require 1 or even 2 pieces of Gold Ore that one becomes rather overwhelmed sometimes. After all, 2 pieces of gold for each upgrade means that you will need a total of 18 in order to upgrade a Level 1 Weapon or Accessory to Level 10. In many cases, the original item requires 4 pieces of gold as well to create...

The fact that I almost have completed the List is more of an achievement than any one who hasn't played Rune Factory 2 may not comprehend fully.

In any event, here are a few examples of Accessories that are transformed into new items when traded at Level 10. Unlike the unique Weapons created in the same fashion, these are items that CAN be created at the Workbench, but only if your character has high skill levels.

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Requests, Romance and Deceit

I think I mentioned before that I find Max oddly compelling as a character in Rune Factory 2. In fact, were my 1st Generation character a girl, I would court him instantly. His personality is so ingenuous. His arrogance, rather than being infuriating, is rather charming for some reason. Perhaps I cannot justify or explain it fully, but I like Max immensely. (Could it be nothing more profound than an attraction to guys with long blonde hair? Could be, I suppose.)

The only time Max slightly disturbed me was when he offered my 2nd Generation character a kiss on the cheek as a reward. I am quite certain he was offering in a purely avuncular manner, but it smacked a little of inappropriate behaviour by an adult towards a child. At the age of 9, a kiss on the cheek by an uncle is natural... I suppose it disturbed me mainly because I didn't feel like a 9 year old child and actually would have liked that kiss. (Meanwhile, to my fury, my character automatically rejected it with utter disdain and repugnance.)

In any event, there are a number of Request Events in Rune Factory 2 that involve deceit of one kind or another and one of them involves Max. Here are three of them. The first features Max, and his desire to 'prove' himself an action hero. The second and third are 'Heart Events', although Alicia's Request typically requires that you romance ANOTHER woman in order to prove her fortunetelling abilities.

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

The only Crop not sold at the Pumpkin General Store

There is one variety of Seeds that you will not be able to buy at the Pumpkin General Store either in the 1st or 2nd Generation of Rune Factory 2. If you do not know which Crop cannot be grown from Seeds you have purchased, you will find the answer here:

Monday, January 26, 2009

Legendary Sword and Unlocking the 4th Mine in HM DS/Cute DS

I am writing this post simply because of the sheer volume of emails that I continue to receive with respect both to the Legendary Sword and the 4th Mine in HM DS and Cute DS.

Although the two games are very similar in most respects apart from the choice of potential spouses, there are a few small differences and one of these is the requirement for taking the Legendary Sword from the 255th floor of the 2nd Mine.

In the original HM DS (aka the 'boy version'), your character in theory needed to have the necessary experience to be able to upgrade ALL tools to mystrile level in order to be able to take the Legendary Sword from the mine, but experience was all that mattered. If only one tool actually had been upgraded to Mystrile, that was sufficient. (Some players have reported that even with other tools BELOW Mystrile level of experience, they were able to take the sword. This will vary from one version of the game to another. Remember that the European version of the game is quite different from the North American Natsume version.)

In HM Cute DS (aka the 'girl version'), your character actually must upgrade ALL tools to Mystrile in order to meet the requirement for being worthy to take the Legendary Sword from the 255th Floor of the 2nd Mine. Having the necessary experience is not sufficient.

In some circumstances, players in both games have gone to the 255th Floor of the Mine believing that all their tools had been upgraded to mystrile when in fact, this was not the case. The Fishing Rod IS one of the tools in both games and if the player fails to gain sufficient experience to upgrade it to Mystrile, the Legendary Sword will remain on the lowest floor of the mine.

Although all of this information is included in my General Guide for HM DS and HM Cute DS, I probably should include one final point about the Legendary Sword here.

Although the Legendary Sword can be used rather effectively as a weapon against the Dark Creatures in any Mine, that is not its primary use in either game. It is the ONLY item that can be used to destroy the two large boulders that bar access to the Super Field Cave behind the waterfall. It is not only access to the Super Field that is achieved when you destroy the two Boulders but a shortcut that is created as well. The shortcut can be quite useful on occasion.

Despite the instructions that are included in my Guides, players often attempt to bash away with the Legendary Sword, failing in every attempt to destroy the Boulders as they mistakenly assume that the Legendary Sword, used as a tool in the Mines in combat, should be used likewise as a tool against the Boulders.

This is where Harvest Moon has been a little tricky, making the use of the Legendary Sword in this particular situation one of the 'secrets' in these two games. You do NOT use the Legendary Sword as a tool to destroy the Boulders. Instead, its use is magical in nature and is initiated by standing in front of one of the two Boulders, then pressing the 'A' or action button. This will initiate an actual 'Magical' Event that will destroy the Boulder.

Note that each Boulder requires a separate Event. You therefore need to go to the other Boulder, then press the 'A' Button again.

Keira is a pivotal character both in HM DS and HM Cute DS. Where the 'Magical Girls' are concerned, the player in HM Cute DS can experience all of their 'heart events' even though they are not 'eligible' for marriage in Cute. In fact, where Keira and Leia are concerned, their 'heart events' are 'plot events' and should be experienced.

If you wish to be able to complete your Items/Shipping List, you must bring Leia to yellow heart level as you will not be able to catch a Bottled Message until you do. In fact, this is another reason to upgrade your Fishing Rod to mystrile as you will not be able to catch the Bottled Message with any lesser Fishing Rod.

There is a minor difference with respect to the two games in terms of the Fishing Rod and the Bottled Message. In the original HM DS, you only could use a fishing rod of a level HIGHER than Mystrile if you CHARGED IT ONLY TO MYSTRILE LEVEL. If you gave a Blessed or Mythic Rod the full charge, you could not catch the Bottled Message with it!

In HM Cute DS, you can use either a Mystrile Fishing Rod or any Fishing Rod of higher level to catch the Bottled Message without being required to reduce the charge of any higher Level Fishing Rod.

Take the Bottled Message to Daryl's house in order to experience her 4th and final Heart Event BOTH in the original HM DS and Cute DS. It is the 'Yellow Heart Event' that allows Leia to return to the sea and makes it possible for her to visit the beach once each week if you encourage her to do so at the end of the Event.

Incidentally, there is one small difference between the two games in terms of 'triggering' the 4th Heart Event. In the original HM DS, you had to equip the Bottled Message before you visited Daryl's house. In Cute, the Bottled Message simply needs to be in your Rucksack.

In the original HM DS, Leia is one of the eligible girls and you can continue to woo her after she returns to her mother by meeting her on the beach each week.

Keira is important to the plot in both games as well. If you do not meet Keira by experiencing her 1st Heart Event on the 255th floor of the 3rd Mine either in HM DS or in HM Cute DS, you will not be able to unlock the 4th Mine.


Remember that, once you have married, you no longer can experience ANY Heart Events in any Harvest Moon game. You therefore need to trigger Keira's 1st Heart Event by visiting the 255th Floor of the 3rd Mine AND defeating all the Dark Creatures on that floor (without cheating!!!) before you marry any one in either game.

When the barrier crumbles, enter the small chamber beyond to experience Keira's 1st Heart Event in both versions of the game. If you do not defeat all Dark Creatures on the 255th floor manually, the barrier will not crumble. In other words, turning your DS on and off to wipe the Dark Creatures off the floor will NOT work! If you fall through the floor and then reload your game to the 255th floor, that will not work either. I suggest that players save one file at the 254th floor as a back-up if they wish to make certain that they can visit Keira on the 255th floor.

One final point should be made here in view of the common error made by players with respect to the Mines in HM DS/Cute DS:

The 255th Floor is significant both with respect to the 2nd Mine and the 3rd Mine. In the 2nd Mine, the 255th Floor is the lowest floor of the Mine. You must defeat all Dark Creatures on that floor (again without cheating) in order to dissolve the barrier that leads to the chamber where the Legendary Sword awaits. Once you have 'cleared' the 2nd Mine by performing this action, you will be able to unlock the 3rd Mine by visiting the Excavation Site outside of 'working hours'. In other words, go to the Excavation Site either before 8.00 a.m. or after 8.00 p.m. to trigger the Event with Carter that will unlock the 3rd Mine. (A similar Event unlocks each of the Mines when all requirements are met. To unlock the 1st Mine, the only requirement is that you have your Hammer with you.)

The 255th Floor of the 2nd Mine may be the 'home' of the Legendary Sword but it is NOT Keira's home. She lives (or rather sleeps like the Sleeping Beauty of the fairy tale) on the 255th Floor of the 3rd Mine. Going to the 255th Floor of the 2nd Mine will not trigger any Heart Events! You need to go to the 255th Floor of the 3rd Mine in order to experience a proper introduction to Keira in her 1st Heart Event BOTH in the original HM DS and in HM Cute DS.

Experiencing Keira's 1st or Black Heart Event is only one of the requirements for unlocking the 4th and final Mine. As with each of the previous Mines, you need to visit the lowest floor of the 3rd Mine and 'clear' it of Dark Creatures before you can unlock the 4th Mine. There may be only one Dark Creature on the lowest floor of the 3rd Mine... as I am writing this post from memory alone, I cannot recall specifically if the Dark Sheep is the Creature you will meet on the lowest floor of the 3rd Mine but that detail is of no consequence. Simply do the job as before and, provided you have experienced Keira's Black Heart Event, you will be able to trigger the usual Event with Carter at the usual hours at the Excavation Site afterwards.

Finally, the 4th Mine is by far the deepest and largest Mine in the history of Harvest Moon. It does contain the Wonderfuls, however, and they appear on floors that end in 0. My Guide gives details as to the designated floors for each of the Wonderfuls.

Wonderfuls have little use in Harvest Moon games prior to Island of Happiness. In HM DS/Cute DS, you need to collect a full set if they are to be useful at all. When you have done so, the Harvest Goddess will appear to grant a wish.

In Island of Happiness, on the other hand, Wonderfuls are the items that will 'upgrade' your tools in every conceivable manner. They can be won at Festivals, obtained from the Harvest Goddess, purchased from Chen in Winter or obtained as prizes in wi-fi farming competitions.

One of the most wonderful aspects of Harvest Moon games is the way that items introduced in earlier games gradually make their uses known in later games. Players of FoMT and MFoMT will recall the four Suns that could be created in their own kitchen but which had no practical use.

It was only in HM DS/Cute DS that we discovered that the Suns could be used in our Basements as artificial sources of light for seasonal crops.

Likewise, the Wonderfuls that only served as a trigger for the grant of a single wish in HM DS/Cute DS are essential to tool use in Island of Happiness.

Exotic animals are not items but where, in former Harvest Moon games, they existed only to enrich the landscape and provide topics for conversation among characters, it is only in Tree of Tranquility that the player actually CAN tame them and have them as pets. All the false rumours about the animals in 'A Wonderful Life/Another Wonderful Life' became reality in ToT. Harvest Moon fans who yearned to domesticate the large Turtle who won a race against Nina finally can do so in ToT!

When Ingredients are not Wasted in Rune Factory 2

Players who have spent some time in the Workshop slaving away over a hot forge or stove, wondering if the ingredients they have worked long and hard to collect will be wasted or not in an unsuccessful attempt to create a new item may or may not have noted the conditions under which your ingredients are returned to your Rucksack.

First, any unsuccessful attempt to create ANY item at the Forge or Workbench will not waste any ingredients. Your ingredients ALWAYS will be returned intact to your Rucksack if your attempt to create an item fails. The reason for this is because nothing is created in a failed attempt. Furthermore, the raw ingredients can sustain ‘damage’ and still be used again. A lump of ore that has been heated at the forge and yet has failed to become the desired item remains a lump of ore that can be used in another experiment.

In the Kitchen, however, a different set of rules prevails. There are two situations, each of which is subject to its own unique rule:

First, if you follow any recipe and it does not succeed because you have less than 100% chance of creating the dish, your ingredients will be lost as you will create a FAILED DISH. A FAILED DISH is an item and thus, the ingredients were used to create it. That is why they will not be returned to your Rucksack.

The other situation is when you use ingredients to create a dish that does not exist. In other words, when you use the WRONG ingredients in the Kitchen, your ingredients will NOT result in the creation of any item. In this situation, your ingredients will be returned to your rucksack intact.

An example of this would be when you sling a Yam into the Mixer by accident. You will see the 'FAILURE!' prompt and the Yam will reappear in your Rucksack. As there is no Recipe for pureed Yam, the Mixer will not accept the Yam. Do not forget, however, that ANY work conducted in the Workshop, however impossible it may be in terms of achieving a result, WILL USE ENERGY!

Finally, the more difficult the Recipe in terms of Skill Levels, the more experience it will bring, even if the result is unsuccessful. In other words, attempting a Recipe that has only 1% chance of success, whether in the Kitchen, the Forge, Workbench or Pharmacy will give you more experience towards the next Level of Skill than a Recipe that has 100% chance of success.

I do suggest that players attempt the easiest Recipes again and again when they first obtain their Workshop and fittings but once you have reached a decent level of Skill, you may wish to attempt very difficult Recipes with little chance of success in order to increase your Skill Levels more quickly with the most difficult Recipes in view. There are Recipes designated for maximum 99 Skill Levels.

Bear in mind the fact that the Skill Level assigned to any Recipe is the Level that guarantees a successful result, not the Level required to create the item successfully.

Saturday, January 24, 2009

Note about Status of Rune Factory 2 Guides

I have my own methods of writing guides and they are not foolproof by any means. Originally, I wrote a single Comprehensive Guide for a game, but then began to write little 'mini-guides' for specific aspects of the game as well. I found the little 'mini-guides' very convenient when playing a game myself as they allow quick reference to specific information. I therefore usually create a Comprehensive Guide for any Harvest Moon game that contains information on EVERY aspect of the game, but create reference guides that deal specifically with Courtship and Marriage, Item Lists, Cooking and any other aspect of the game that would benefit from a quick reference guide. For HM DS and Cute DS, for example, I wrote the 101 Sprites Guide, giving the method by which every Sprite is rescued as well as the 60 Easiest Sprites to obtain in order to allow the player to marry. For both Rune Factory games, I created a 'Caves and Bestiary Guide' to enable players to access information about the dungeons and Monsters inhabiting them quickly.

The problem with this inevitably is that any corrections or updates must be made to more than one guide. In a game such as Rune Factory 2, the sheer volume of facts makes it difficult for me to edit my guides effectively while I remain engaged in the basic creation of them. At present, I still am adding new information to each of my Rune Factory Guides. I try to update the information in all guides, but sometimes miss a lacuna. Worse still, if I copy and paste any information from one guide to another, I am in danger of erasing an update from the guide that is overwritten. This in fact has occurred with respect to the Caves and Bestiary Guide for Rune Factory 2.

At present, if any player fails to find information in the Caves and Bestiary Guide, please refer to the General Guide... I am working now on the screen-by-screen walkthrough of all Caves/Dungeons in Rune Factory 2. In doing so, I am able to edit the guide properly to some extent. By Friday next, I hope to have the Caves and Bestiary Guide completed, with ALL information as to each screen in each Cave/Dungeon, all Inquisitive Waltz locations with a full list of items obtained from each, ALL Monsters on each screen and a complete list of the fish one can find at any fishing location on the screen.

My personal deadline both for Animal Crossing City Folk and Rune Factory 2 is the beginning of March as I will begin to work on the new Valkyrie Profile and Rune Factory Frontier then.

The truly vital information has been added to all my Rune Factory 2 guides but as a perfectionist at heart, it vexes me to find that I have neglected to add a Monster to a list, even when that Monster is not very different from others that were added and even when the War Trophy it drops is the same as that given by its 'cousins'.
I hope these omissions will be rectified by the end of this weekend.

I offer my apologies, therefore, to players for the incomplete and imperfect nature of ALL the Rune Factory 2 Guides at this point in time. In particular, there is a tremendous amount of information in my game journals that still needs to be added to the Courtship and Marriage, Characters and Request Guides. It is not 'vital' information but consists primarily of actual quotes by characters in response to gifts as well as the actual text of all Request Events.

I have to confess that I doubled the amount of work I do on these games and further confused my own memory banks when I began to make videos about various aspects. I often presume that information has been added to a guide when in fact I only made a video about the particular aspect of the game. Again, it will take time to go through all the guides to make certain that nothing has been neglected.

(It is not only the Guides for Rune Factory 2 that remain incomplete. I still need to work on the Island of Happiness Guides to add all the alternate heart events to the Courtship and Marriage Guide, inter alia.)

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Using the Seed Maker in Rune Factory 2

As so many players have had trouble with the Seed Maker in Rune Factory 2, I created a little tutorial about the Seed Maker, upgraded Crops, Greenifier and Gold Crops:




The only important bit of information here really is the fact that the Seed Maker cannot be used when the player is in the process of performing any Request. I discovered as well that a player cannot transfer money to another player while either player is involved in any Request, so evidently a few restrictions exist whenever a Request is accepted.

Multiplayer Options in Rune Factory 2

The quality of this is poor but I thought it would be interesting to show players some of the unique weapons that can be created 'through the Looking Glass' in Rune Factory 2. I added the 'Monster Meadow' option as well, as both of these options are available in the 1st and the 2nd Generations. The third option is the Sugoroku game, available solely in the 2nd Generation and therefore not included here:

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Wi Fi Connections in Harvest Moon and Animal Crossing

I have received requests from a few players for a Friend Code in order to exchange items in Rune Factory 2 and to induce Tom Nook to expand to Nookington's in Animal Crossing Wild World.

Unfortunately, my own schedule really is not conducive to a wi-fi connection at the moment, but I wondered if any players who visit this site would be interested in exchanging their Friend Codes with other players.

You can post a comment here or contact me directly if you are interested.

I do not know if there many risks involved in sharing your Friend Code with a stranger. I personally am hesitant to share ANY information with strangers on the internet but I would hope that players of Harvest Moon and Animal Crossing in general would be fairly decent and honest.

Marriage to Roy in Rune Factory 2

This is the last of the 'Mock Weddings' in the 2nd Generation game if your character is a girl:



I never thought of Roy as particularly romantic, but the event is rather touching.

Sunday, January 18, 2009

All Birthdays in Rune Factory 2 and Special Birthday Gifts

This information is taken from my Rune Factory 2 Calendar Guide. It includes all birthdays both in the 1st and 2nd Generations with the special Birthday Gift Item for each character.

It is usually at 4 hearts that a character will confess his/her birthday in the 1st Generation, and it then will appear on your Calendar on the upper floor of the Farmhouse. If you fail to speak to the individual at that point, simply GIVE the special designated item to the character on the date of his/her birthday in order to have the date added to the Calendar.

At the start of the 2nd Generation, you will find the birthdays of all new characters on the Calendar immediately.

You may notice that Yue sells all the special Birthday Gift Items for every character in the 1st Generation. In theory, each character has a different item. In an early version, both Ray and Douglas shared 'Fried Rice' and NO ONE recognised Grape Juice as a birthday gift but in the current retail version, Ray responds correctly to Grape Juice as his designated Birthday Gift.

The reason why you can buy all items from you probably is because your character will not be able to cook in the 1st Generation. In the 2nd Generation, you should be able to cook and forge in your own Workshop. That is the only method by which to obtain the 2nd Generation items.

SPRING:

1 Spring: New Year’s Day
No festivities per se in this game.

2 Spring: Douglas’ Birthday (Fried Rice)
1st day of gameplay in the 1st Generation.

5 Spring: Barrett’s Birthday (Skipjack Sashimi)

9 Spring: Yue’s Birthday (Cabbage Cakes)

13 Spring: Flower Festival
Ask an Eligible Girl to accompany you to Cherry Blossom Square to gaze at the Cherry Blossoms. (1st and 2nd Generations, but in the 2nd, eligible candidates depend on your own gender)
16 Spring: Julia’s Birthday (Seafood Pizza)

21 Spring: Natalie’s Birthday (Fried Udon)

25 Spring: Eating Contest
This Contest is a mini-game. Press the Button repeatedly as quickly as possible to win this Contest.

27 Spring: Byron’s Birthday (Seafood Doria)

SUMMER
1 Summer: 1st Day of Summer

3 Summer: Leonel’s Birthday (Mixed Juice) (2nd Generation)

7 Summer: Monster Taming Contest
You must have a Pet Glove and a Barn as well as space for one more Monster in your Barn if you wish to participate. Timing is what will win this Contest. (Both 1st and 2nd Generations: in 2nd Generation, win a Monster Outfit as well as prize.)

9 Summer: Mana’s Birthday (Baked Sweet Potato/Grilled Yam)

12 Summer: Cecilia’s Birthday (Aquamarine Brooch)

15 Summer: Cammy’s Birthday (Hot Chocolate)

19 Summer: Dance Festival
Ask an Eligible Girl to dance with you in the De Sainte-Coquille Park Square
(In 2nd Generation, partners depend on gender of character)

23 Summer: Jake’s Birthday (Platinum)

25 Summer: Fishing Contest (1st Generation)
Herman will announce the variety of Fish that you need to catch. The largest fish entered will win.

25 Summer: Big Cook-Off (2nd Generation)
In 1st year of 2nd Generation, entry may be Seafood Pizza.

28 Summer: Alicia’s Birthday (Emerald Ring)

AUTUMN
1 Autumn: Adventure Contest
You must find the Item that Herman has placed somewhere on the map.
1st Year of 1st Generation: Amethyst hidden in farthest eastern corner of beach.
1st Year of 2nd Generation: Platinum hidden in area with little steps to the water in Frozen Cave area.

6 Autumn: Max’ Birthday (Snapper Sashimi)

8 Autumn: Ray’s Birthday (Grape Juice) * (note that, in an early version, he responded instead to Fried Rice)

13 Autumn: Harvest Festival
No festivities per se in this game.

15 Autumn: Gordon’s Birthday (Amethyst Ring)

21 Autumn: Egan’s Birthday (Stew)

25 Autumn: Monster Contest
Enter the Tame Monster with the highest Strength to win the Contest. In the 2nd Generation, the Handsome Armour Outfit will appear in your Wardrobe at 6.00 a.m.

27 Autumn: Rosalind’s Birthday (Hot Milk)

29 Autumn: Sera and Serena’s Birthday (Marmalade) (2nd Generation)

WINTER
2 Winter: Dorothy’s Birthday (Strawberry Jam)

7 Winter: Shooting Star Festival
Invite an Eligible Girl to watch the Shooting Stars with you at the Crossroads at 9.00 p.m. This is a romantic occasion.

10 Winter: Herman’s Birthday (Curry Rice)

15 Winter: Orland’s Birthday (Fried Sunsquid) (2nd Generation)

19 Winter: Mining Contest
Herman will ask for a specific Gem. Although the intention of the Contest is to measure the speed with which you can find it in a Mine by using your Hammer, you can take the Gem from storage and give it to him for a guaranteed first prize result.

21 Winter: Tanya’s Birthday (Ruby Ring)

25 Winter: Roy’s Birthday (French Fries)

27 Winter: Leann’s Birthday (2nd Generation) (Sapphire Ring)
30 Winter: New Year’s Eve
No festivities per se. People speak of the Year’s ending
* * * * * * * * * * *

Friday, January 16, 2009

Trick for Initial profit in Rune Factory 2

A player reminded me of this little trick in an email but unfortunately, I cannot find the email now, as I wished to mention the player by name. I have added a little section about it in my General Guide in a new Initial Walkthrough section.

Veteran Harvest Moon players will be aware of this trick but it may be helpful to new players. It is not limited to Rune Factory 2, but can be used in many other Harvest Moon games. I wrote about it in my General Guide for IoH as well some time ago.

In the beginning of Rune FActory 2, when Mana and Douglas ask you to follow them to your new farm, the game clock has not begun to run yet. It is only after you speak either to Mana or to Douglas at your farm that the clock will start to run. You therefore have an opportunity to clear your field BEFORE any time is calculated. It is 8.30 a.m. on 2 Spring and it remains 8.30 a.m. until you speak to Mana or Douglas.

Here is the section from the General Guide:


Initial Walkthrough: Obtaining a Headstart

When you begin the game, you will arrive in the village of Alvarna with amnesia. Mana will find you in front of the cherry tree, admiring it. The Cherry Trees of Alvarna are a focal point of Spring and indeed, cherry blossoms will fall like rain throughout summer when you walk through the village.

Mana, in asking your name, will remind you that you have no knowledge of your own past. Choose a name for yourself. When Mana’s father Douglas arrives on the scene, one of the ongoing dramas of the game will begin in the form of Douglas’ almost pathological fear that his daughter will elope with some one.

Once she has calmed her father’s fears, Mana will suggest that you live on a farm that they own, learning to farm the land as you wait for your memory to return. You then must follow Mana and Douglas to the farm.

This is your chance to cheat a little. At the point when Mana and Douglas lead you to the farmland, it will be 8.30 a.m. on 2 Spring. When you speak to Mana or Douglas upon your arrival on your new farm, time will begin to run. Instead of speaking to either of them immediately, use the ‘grace period’ when time stands still to clear your field completely.

This is a situation that occurs in many Harvest Moon games and veterans will be aware of it immediately, but newcomers to the series may find this hint helpful. One aspect of Rune Factory 2 that differs from most traditional Harvest Moon games is the fact that a ‘branch’ can be collected and placed in the Woodshed without first being obliged to chop it into ‘wood’. Once it is placed in the woodshed, it automatically is transformed into ‘wood’ but you need not have or use an Axe to collect lumber in Rune Factory 2. This gives you an opportunity to fill your Woodshed even before you acquire an Axe!

Once you have an Axe, you really should use it, as well as all of your other tools, as often as possible to increase your skill levels but it is good to know that you needn’t chop the branches into ‘wood’ in order to place them in the Woodshed.
Your Woodshed is located north of the farmhouse in the far northwest corner of your field. Your field consists of 35 plots, each of which contains 9 squares. On the first day of the game, on 2 Spring, you will find the field filled with wild herbs, branches, rocks, stumps and boulders. Apart from the Stumps and Boulders, which cannot be cleared without tools, you should be able to collect every item from the field before you ever speak to Douglas or Mana.

In one game, I collected the following before the clock began to tick:
25 Wood (placed in the Woodshed)
49G in Bamboo Sprouts (7G each)
150G in Medicinal Herbs (5G each)
42G in Antidotal Herbs (3G each)
50G in Black Grass (5G each)
60G in Orange Grass (5G each)
55G in Red Grass (5G each)
100G in Yellow Grass (5G each)
18G in Weeds (2G each)
10G in Rocks (2G each)
All the above were placed immediately in the Shipping Container located to the left of the Field in front of the Farmhouse.

I kept 9 Medicinal Herbs and 9 Antidotal Herbs in my Rucksack for my own use later.
I then spoke to Mana and time began to run.

When you speak to Mana, you have an opportunity to purchase a Hoe and a Watering Can for 150G. You should agree to the proposal, then ask her all the questions about farming. Ask her:
‘How do you plant seeds?’
She then will give you a bag of PINK TURNIP SEEDS.
When you use your Hoe to till the soil, hold down the button in order to charge it. When you see the outline of a complete 3 x 3 plot highlighted on the ground in front of your character, release the button to till all 9 squares in a single stroke.
Stand in the centre of the 3 x 3 plot in order to plant the seeds, equipping them in your Tool Slot first. You should see a single square directly in front of you highlighted. The three squares in front of you as well as the three behind you and the row of three on which you stand will be the plot where the seeds are thrown. This is usually the case in Harvest Moon games, although there are exceptions.
When you have planted the seeds, fill your Watering Can at the fountain, then stand behind the plot, holding down the button again once until the entire 3 x 3 plot is highlighted before you release the Button. This will water the entire plot with a single use of the Watering Can.

This process is known as ‘charging’ your Tool. Rune Factory 2 differs from most Harvest Moon games in allowing you to charge your basic Tools from the start of the game. These Basic Tools will serve you throughout the first generation of the game. You will not be able to upgrade them but as they will take a double charge, they are more than adequate for the tasks you need to perform.

Freyashawk on YouTube

I really cannot make any claim to be an expert where the internet is concerned. It was only today that I noticed I could 'embed' my YouTube 'channel' here, making it unnecessary to write a separate post each time I create a new video. I have embedded the channel on the right side of this page where all the links to my Guides are located. Unfortunately, the layout of the page appears to cut off part of the window, so it is not as useful as I had hoped it would be. Nonetheless, it will display a list of all the videos I have made and visitors to my site will be able to see the topics, then go directly to YouTube for a better display of the actual video.

Here is the Channel where all my videos are located:



I want to thank all the Harvest Moon fans who have subscribed to my Videos on YouTube and all those who are 'Followers' of this website. I never imagined that my own efforts with respect to the world of Harvest Moon would extend to a website and video tutorials, but Harvest Moon continues to inspire my enthusiasm and respect. People who do not play video games tend to underestimate their value. For me, Harvest Moon is rather like a series of great novels and as a concept and world, I hope it will outlast by far the rather transient 'platforms' for which the individual games have been created. In fact, it has proven itself to be far more enduring as fans continue to respond enthusiastically to old Harvest Moon games that have been recreated for new platforms. May this trend continue...

Thursday, January 15, 2009

Mock Wedding to Leonel in Rune Factory 2

Unfortunately, I made this very quickly, but I did promise to share ALL the Mock Wedding Events so here is the Event with Leonel:

'The Big Cook-Off' in the 2nd Generation of Rune Factory 2

In the 2nd Generation of Rune Factory 2, you will experience most of the same Festival Events as in the 1st Generation but there is a new Contest in the form of the Big Cook-Off. In the 1st Generation, the Festival that occurred on the same day was the Fishing Contest.

In your first year in the 2nd Generation, you may have insufficient levels even to cook the dish that Herman designates as the entry successfully. After all, you will have had less than two full seasons to practice. In my game, the designated dish was 'SEAFOOD PIZZA'. It may be the same dish in every game. The 'SEAFOOD PIZZA' requires Level 43 Cooking Skill.

Fortunately, SEAFOOD PIZZA is a dish that Yue sells. I bought one from her and saved it for the Contest to see if the game would accept it as a valid entry.

In fact, the dish was accepted. The first time I entered it, I won an 'honourable mention' with second place. The prize was a FUR SLEEPING BAG. With second place, every one congratulated me as though I actually had won the Contest. I was rather surprised by the enthusiasm every one demonstrated. Serena and Sera won 1st place and Leann was awarded the 'participation prize' with 3rd place.

I did not save the results. I returned to a point two days before the Contest and played through it again. On this occasion, the same dish won only the 'participation prize' with 3rd place and Leann won 1st Place. The consolation prize is a POTATO.

With POTATO in hand, people behaved rather badly, in my view. They spoke with absolute scorn of my lack of cooking expertise. Orland went so far as to declare that I shouldn't have entered if I had no potential to WIN the Contest...

I had saved the game at 6.00 a.m. this time. I replayed the Contest four times and each time, the result was identical.

The results apparently are loaded into the game at 6.00 a.m. on the day of the Contest in terms of the 'scores' for Leann and Serena and Sera. The only variable that remains is your own score, which would depend on the Level of your Dish, I daresay.

If I had been able to connect to another player via Wi-Fi, I could have traded the purchased dish back and forth, thus raising its level and guaranteeing 1st Place.
In all honesty, I was rather surprised to have won 2nd place with a Level 1 SEAFOOD PIZZA purchased from Yue.

Here's the Event with both results:

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Next Step in Rune Factory 2 Guides

Now that I have completed the plot sections of the Guides through Omni-Gate, I am going to work on a screen-by-screen description of all Caves, including Fishing, Mining, Monster, War Trophy and Inquisitive Waltz information. I did this for the original Rune Factory in my Bestiary and Caves Guide and intend now to expand my Rune Factory 2 Caves and Bestiary Guide in the same manner.

I know there usually is more than one location where a rare variety of fish can be caught, for example, and now can begin to add this information to the Guides...

At the same time, I will complete my new Items List Guide, which should have all information ultimately about every item in the game.

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Spoilers and Happy Endings: Kyle's Return

Players have asked if Kyle ever returns in Rune Factory 2. Is it better to respond truthfully or to keep one 'surprise' in the game in reserve for players to discover themselves?

One can declare categorically that: 'you never will be able to play your father's character again in the 2nd Generation'.

There are three 'endings' in Rune Factory 2. Harvest Moon games are known for false endings but Rune Factory 2 has more false endings than any other game. It is an astounding game.

The first 'ending' is marked by the end of the 1st Generation.
The second 'ending' occurs when you defeat Fiersome.
The third 'ending' occurs when you obtain the Omni-Gate Spell and use it.

I was thinking about the difference between a player who wants a complete strategy guide and one who wants to be surprised at very turn. While I understand the motivation for some one who wants to avoid 'spoilers', the sort of games for which I write strategy guides tend to be non-linear games or games with more than one possible result. In many cases, if a player takes a different path, this may not lead to the 'happiest ending'. I suppose my primary reason for writing guides is to try to guarantee the happiest ending for players.

Those who do not want to know anything about the 'final ending' in Rune Factory 2 should NOT watch the following video!

Defeating Fiersome in Rune Factory 2

Your character in the 2nd Generation can save the world from destruction only if he or she defeats the ancient Dragon Fiersome. When you have succeeded in this, you will see the traditional announcement to the effect that this is 'The End'. Is it really the end of the game, however? As most veteran Harvest Moon players know, 'The End' in Harvest Moon seldom represents anything more than an opportunity to view the credits...

Here is 'The End' Event, where your character defeats the dragon Fiersome:

Marrying Orland in Rune Factory 2

Despite the fact that your character obviously is considered to be a 'child' in the
2nd Generation, players continue to ask if he/she can marry some one and have children. The answer is a definitive 'No'. Romance, however, definitely is NOT excluded and as every one knows, romantic dreams and fantasies become part of our psyche at a very early age.

Furthermore, playacting is very much a part of childhood and indeed a part of human behaviour at any age. When I reached 8 hearts with Orland the day after I chose him as my partner for the Dance Festival, his final Request appeared on the Message Board and I knew it would lead to the Mock Wedding.

In my heart, I always suspected Orland ultimately would capture my heart, although Leonel is as beautiful as an angel and appeals to me aesthetically as well. Roy is hilarious but he is one boy I always will think about strictly in terms of friendship, although I will post his mock wedding event as well...

One doesn't break the habits of a lifetime easily. Guys with long blond hair and supercilious attitudes who secretly include you in their exclusive circle always exerted an odd power over me, quite apart from my lifetime fascination with Elves.

Here is the Mock Wedding with Orland. I posted the Dance Festival Events yesterday. His consummate grace and that lovely cape swinging about as he moved on that occasion sealed MY fate.




I should like to learn a little wisdom one day, to resist that pull of the brooding, tormented soul, knowing full well that some one who behaves discourteously towards the world at large ultimately will not be transformed into a different being simply because he is in love with you... Well, never mind all that. The beauty of Harvest Moon is that we can follow our hearts' desires without suffering real-life consequences.

Next on my list for romance is sweet Leonel. I never thought he looked like a girl. He looks like a beautiful choir boy and if Orland did not exist, I could promise myself happily to him...

One does have to remind oneself that these are MOCK weddings, even in Harvest Moon. My character may lose a day with each Wedding Event, but she regains control next to her mother in the farmhouse bedroom. One does wonder, however: Precisely WHAT does occur during that 'lost day' after the ceremony ends???

Oddly enough, you lose an entire day if you go through the ceremony with the Twins but with Orland, only the remainder of the current day.

Dance Festival in the 2nd Generation

Unlike the 1st Generation, your character in the 2nd Generation only can dance once on the occasion of the Dance Festival. Your choices of partner if your character is a girl are Leonel, Orland and Roy.



Although the dance itself is the same in each case, each expresses his own personality a little in the course of the event.

Monday, January 12, 2009

Challenge to Catch and Tame an Aerian!

My Bestiary and Caves Guide for Rune Factory 2 is almost complete now. I lack ONE type of Monster in my Monster Barn. The Monster is the Aerian, a stronger, more powerful, elemental air Monster related to the Ignis and Tundra. It is the very devil to try to tame as it is fast and its attacks take its place almost instantly.

So... who wants to tame an Aerian for me? I am posting this Challenge and Appeal for Aid in order to be able to complete my Bestiary Guide. I do not want some one to copy the information from any source. After all, I could obtain THAT information myself.

What I want is firsthand experience from a player who has succeeded in taming an Aerian. The Aerian is found on the 5th Floor of the Palermo Shrine in the foyer that leads to the four Seasonal Gardens. One can avoid it easily enough and one even can defeat it without too much trouble, using long-distance weapons, but taming it???

Thanks to Robert, who accepted the challenge instantly, I should be able to add the following to the guide:

Aerian: HP 100. Suddenly appears on the wind, then suddenly leaves again. Skill: Cure; Attribute: Wind. Will not help on the farm. War Trophy: Magic Crystal.

Well, I have my own Aerian in my Monster Barn now. I do believe it is the most difficult Monster to tame, although the Ignis and Tundra can be a little vexing as well. The reason why it is difficult is because its actual appearance is extremely brief and, like the Ignis and the Tundra, its attack residue quickly takes its place.

Taming it takes more time than energy really if you are careful. It took me a couple of hours of playing tag with the creature, round and round the Orb Altars and the stairwell...

Sunday, January 11, 2009

Marmalade and Marriage in the 2nd Generation

At 6 Hearts, the Twins' Final Request appeared on the Message Board in the 2nd Generation of Rune Factory 2. I knew of this Request, of course. As your character is not old enough to marry, 'romance' in the 2nd Generation leads at the most only to make-believe events at the Altar. If you are a boy, the candidates for a 'pretend marriage' are Leann, the Twins (Sera and Serena) and Cammy. If you are a girl, the candidates for romance are Leonel, Orland, Roy... and Sera and Serena!

There is a reason why Sera and Serena's Event is included in the girl's game as well as the boy's game in the 2nd Generation. It is centred on the fabled Stoller Chalice, a secret item in the original Rune Factory. Furthermore, Sera and Serena are completely confused about the meaning of marriage. Having heard that weddings involve 'Toasts', visions of toasted bread and marmalade dance in their heads.

When I experienced their Request Event as a girl, they first asked me if I liked them and when I declared that I did, sent me off to ask Leann about the Stoller Chalice. Leann told me graciously but rather offhandedly that I could have the legendary item, and I returned to the Twins with the Stoller Chalice in hand.

We then were spirited almost immediately to the Church, where Gordon presided over a mock wedding. It is a charming and rather hilarious event. I have to say that Gordon, although he showed himself to be a very good sport by presiding in the Chapel over the extraordinary 'Event', could not keep a straight face. After asking me if I were willing to take Sera and Serena as my 'wives', he loudly remarked: 'Kids and their games these days… Ha ha ha!'

Even if you are interested romantically in one of the boys, it would be a pity not to be able to experience that magical moment when your character actually HOLDS the Stoller Chalice in her hands. As in the 1st Generation, the game is most fulfilling when one experiences as many events as possible. In order to do this, you must accept and complete ALL Requests.

The best part of this event for me was the addition of the Stoller Chalice into the game.

Leann first describes its power: 'If a husband and wife drink water from it on their first anniversary, they are said to be granted eternal happiness!'

She then describes its history: 'My father bought it from some one quite a while ago. The former owners had fought over it, then made up... But then they had another big fight, and then they made up again... This went on, and on and on... It was an heirloom in their family, apparently, but in the end, it caused so much friction that they decided to sell it. That's how my father came to own it.'

My character then remarks: Me; Wow, that thing kinda sounds like a lightning rod for trouble, but do you think I could borrow it?

Here is the 'Toast and Marmalade' Event with Sera and Serena:

Having Faith in Harvest Moon or... If Alicia is your Mother

Some players have been reluctant to marry Alicia in the 1st Generation of Rune Factory, wondering if that would put paid to their chances of obtaining Missing Page 1 of the Fireball Magic Spellbook. After all, the Request ordinarily is in the form of a question as to why Alicia never has married. If your character marries her, that question obviously no longer can be asked in the 2nd Generation.

Here is a video of the Request Event when Alicia is your character's mother:



Incidentally, when your character accepts Alicia's Request in the 2nd Generation and is asked why she never has married, the correct response is to declare that it is because she is 'too beautiful', although the incorrect response should lead to the same Reward ultimately. Rune Factory 2, after all, is different from most Harvest Moon games as well as Animal Crossing with respect to Rewards for Request Events. In Rune Factory 2, you usually are not penaliised when you give the 'incorrect' response to any question in the course of an Event.

This certainly is the case if Alicia is your Mother and you accept her Request in the 2nd Generation. The Request on the Message Board will be:

A Request from Alicia
I want you to answer me from your heart.
Answer a Question for Me?

It is the same Request that will appear if Alicia is NOT your Mother, but the actual question that she will ask will be different.

When Alicia is your Mother, the dialogue will be:


Alicia: Hey, Freya, do you think I'm a good mother?

Me: Why do you ask now?

Alicia: I just ... got worried about it all of a sudden. What do you think?

Your choices now are:
You’re a good mother.
I’m not sure.
Not really.

If you choose: You’re a good mother.

Me: You’re a good mother. I love you, Mom.

Alicia: Thank you! That’s such a relief! I feel better now. Thanks for talking with me. Oh, yes. Here, take this, Freya! You got: MISSING PAGE 1!
Alicia: If you give this to Mana when she’s at the school, she can fix one of your magic books for you! Thanks again!

If you choose: I’m not sure.

Me: I’m not sure…
Alicia: Hmm… I guess I need to try a little harder. Thanks for talking with me. Oh, yes. Here, take this, Freya! You got: MISSING PAGE 1!
Alicia: If you give this to Mana when she’s at the school, she can fix one of your magic books for you! Thanks again!

If you choose: Not really.

Me: Not really…
Alicia: What?! I’m trying hard here! What’s wrong with me? Tell me what’s wrong with me!
Me: (with tear) (That’s exactly what’s wrong with you…)

You will NOT obtain the Missing Page if you give this response but the Request will remain open on the Message Board. Thus, all you need to do is speak to Alicia again and she will ask the Question as if nothing had occurred previously. You then can choose one of the other two responses in order to obtain the Missing Page from the Fireball Spellbook.

Frankly, Rune Factory 2 is far more forgiving than any other Harvest Moon game. I do not know what sort of player would be mean enough to tell Alicia she is not a good mother. It almost broke my heart to do it simply in order to be able to write about it in the guide…

Friday, January 9, 2009

More Tips for the Inquisitive Waltz in Rune Factory 2

This little video shows where you can find Silk Cloth in Rune Factory 2 as well as providing a tip on how to obtain large quantities of ore for projects:

The Tricky Tanuki Tom Nook: Beyond Nookington's

This is a warning to players about a possible DOWNGRADE that Tom Nook may perform:

Ray's Birthday Gift: Rune Factory 2 Anomaly

Each of the characters in Rune Factory 2 has a designated Birthday Gift item. It is only when given that specific item that the character will acknowledge it as a birthday gift on his/her birthday. On any other day, if given the same item, the character will confess that he/she loves it, but wishes it had been given on his/her birthday...

In the 1st Generation, Yue sells every item that is designated as a special Birthday Gift for characters in the game. Each individual has a different item, apart from Douglas and Ray and Grape Juice is the ONLY item that Yue sells that is not designated as a special Birthday Gift item for ANY ONE.

This is the reason why player, including myself, believed that Grape Juice was Ray's designated item. In the test version of the game, however, Ray responded to Grape Juice in the way he responded to any other ordinary item. This perplexed me... In fact, other players had noted that in their version of game, he made the same response and it was only FRIED RICE, the gift designated for Douglas, that elicits the special Birthday Gift response.

When given FRIED RICE on any ordinary day:

Ray: I love this, but I wish I had gotten it for my birthday, instead.

On his actual birthday, when given FRIED RICE: ‘It actually is my birthday today.’

I therefore modified the list to substitute FRIED RICE for the GRAPE JUICE previously believed to have been Ray's Special Birthday Gift Item.

Note on 26 March: A number of players now have confirmed that in the latest version of the game, Grape Juice IS Ray's designated Birthday Gift Item. I therefore will change the Guide to conform with this result. Truly, GRAPE JUICE should have been his Birthday Gift in the first place.

Monday, January 5, 2009

All Requests Added to my Requests Guide for Rune Factory 2

The basics of ALL Requests both for the 1st and 2nd Generations were added to my Requests Guide for Rune Factory 2 today. I had not realised how much information was missing, and I still need to transfer the actual text of some of the events from my Game Journals but at least the gist of the Request as well as the Reward in every case has been added.

Friday, January 2, 2009

Requests for Gold Cabbage in Rune Factory 2

I am afraid that there has been a misunderstanding about a 'Gold Cabbage' Request Event in Rune Factory 2. In the 1st Generation, a 'Gold Cabbage' is one of the unique items requested by Rosalind in her Request at 7 Hearts. I'm afraid I am not good at multi-tasking. I have all these Requests in my game journals but neglected to incorporate them into the Courtship and Marriage Guide! I have rectified that now, but here is the information for players:

Remember always that there are two types of 'Request Items'. There are generic requests for an item that can be found in the ordinary course of your activities. In other words, a gem that can be found by smashing a rock or an item found in the Wilds...

Then there are Unique Request Items. These are specific items that are found only in a single location or through performing a specific task.

The 'Gold Cabbage' requested by Rosalind in the 1st Generation at 7 Hearts is one of the Unique Request ITems. In the 2nd Generation, you will be able to find this item in the Palermo Shrine by using the Inquisitive Waltz but in the 1st Generation, when Rosalind requests it, you must obtain it from Max.

Here is the text of all the Events that deal with the unique 'Gold Cabbage':

Rosalind: You’re looking cheery today. You saw my message, right? Do you know anything about the GOLD CABBAGE? It’s very rare. If you have one, might you please consider giving it to me? Even if you don’t have one right now, perhaps you might be able to get one somewhere? I’ve prepared 20000G for you as a token of my appreciation…
Me: Got it. If it’ll help you out, I’ll see if I can find some way to get one for you.
After:
Rosalind: Getting your hands on a GOLD CABBAGE will probably be really difficult, but you’ll be doing me a huge favour. But still, you could call this a nearly impossible task.
Maybe, just maybe, my brother might have some information on the GOLD CABBAGE. It might be a good idea for you to try talking to him when he’s in his room…

In my game journal, I wrote (to myself): You probably won’t find Max in his room now until 9.00 p.m. so no point searching there any earlier. When night truly falls and the owls begin to hoot, Max will be in his bedroom.

As Melvil pointed out, however, his schedule (as with schedules of most characters) does vary according to the day of the week and the weather. In bad weather, he often can be found in his bedroom earlier. If you have not bothered to befriend the de Sainte Coquille family in general, you may find the doors locked after 6.00 p.m. in any case. What is true is that you ALWAYS should be able to find him in his bedroom after 9.00 p.m.

Max: Freyr, are you searching for a GOLD CABBAGE for my sister?
Me: Yes, I am! But…
Max, you wouldn’t know where I could find a GOLD CABBAGE, would you?
Max: Indeed I do. I have a GOLD CABBAGE right h ere with me.
Me: You do?! What do you want for it?
Noble Max says: don’t worry about it. I’ll give it to you. For free.
Me (with music): Wow! Thank you very much.
Me (with many tears): Oh, but, I’m sorry! I forgot that my backpack is all full. I’ll go clean it out and come back.
I got: GOLD CABBAGE!
Me: You’re a great help, Max. But I don’t know. I feel bad getting this rare ingredient from you for nothing.
Max: Ha ha ha. It’s nothing. It’s a msall investment compared to the returns I’m expecting in the future.
Me: Oh?
Max: Ha ha ha! Never mind. I’m just talking to myself. Don’t mind me.
After:
Max: Alright! Now you got it.
Gold Cabbage: 1580G
A rare golden vegetable. With its new colour, its taste is improved a hundred fold.
Go next door to Rosalind’s bedchamber to give it to her.
Rosalind (with music): That’s incredible, Freyr! I can’t believe you found one! And so quickly, too! You’re really amazing!
Me: Ha ha ha! You’re embarrassing me!
Rosalidn: You’re cute when you’re embarrassed…
Rosalind: …


Rosalind (sweating profusely now): Ha ha! I’ve left both of us speechless.
Rosalind: Ahem. Well then, back to ther matter at hand. Good job, Freyr. Please take your reward. 20000G.
You got: 20000G!
Me: Thanks. I’d better get going…
Rosalind: Oh, Freyr! Don’t leave yet. Wait just a second.
Me: What? Alright. (I wonder what she wants…)
Me: (…) Rosalind, that’s…
Rosalind: All done!
Me: W-What is…
Rosalind: This is my new recipe.
It’s the impossible-to-resist ‘Golden Cabbage Salad!’ I made it with the GOLDEN CABBAGE that you brought me. It’s my crowning achievement! Truly the product of our teamwork! Go ahead, try it!
Me: It looks delicious! I can’t wait to taste it.
*munch munch*
*munch munch*
*gulp*
Mmm… It’s absolutely delicious. It’s… It’s… It’s the best salad ever! I don’t’ think anyone has ever tasted a better salad! I could eat it every day and not grow tired of it. In fact, I really do wish I could eat it every day!
Rosalind: ha ha! You really like it that much? Oh, Freyr! That gives me an idea! I can use the leftover cabbaghe to make cole slaw.
This is the ‘De Sainte-Coquille Cole Slaw’.
After:
Rosalind: You really liked my Golden Cabbage Salad that much? I’m so glad!

Met Rosalind out in the street: Can I tell you something? I kind of did something really silly…
Me: Hmm? What happened? I’ll listen if you want.
Rosalind: Thank you. So I have this habit of counting sheep in my head when I’m having trouble falling asleep.
Me: Mmmhmm.
Rosalind: But! The truth is, I noticed that up until now, I’ve been counting the sheep out loud. And I thnk my brother must have seen or at least heard me doing it at some point… Ahhhh… I just want to crawl in to a hole somewhere.
Me: Ahaha, you’ve been letting yourself get upset about something as silly as that? Counting sheep because you can’t fall asleep… that sounds more cute than anything. I love that silly side of you, Rosalind.
Rosalind: Heh… you love it?! Stop, you’re making me blush!

Thursday, January 1, 2009

Making a Perfect Snowman in Animal Crossing



Happy New Year to every one! For those who have requested it, I made a tutorial on creating a Perfect Snowman in Animal Crossing.