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I have written in other posts about the requirements for having a child of your own in Island of Happiness. As previously stated, other Couples will have children as well if they marry.
In order to be able to complete your Inhabitants List and bring all possible characters to the Island, you must allow all four of the Rival Couples to marry.
This is effected by experiencing all four of the Rival Heart Events. One week after the 4th and final Rival Heart Event, you will receive a visit from your Rival who will invite you to the Wedding. The Wedding Ceremony will occur immediately after the Rival's visit. The event will end at 6.00 a.m. on the same day that the invitation was given, causing no loss of time at all.
Remember that the 4th Rival Heart Event cannot be triggered before the 4th Year. This is the very earliest, therefore, that any Rival Marriage can occur. The reason for this is clear: the game gives you the advantage where any Eligible Bachelor or Girl is concerned. You have three full years in which to pursue your Courtship before there is any real threat that your Rival will win the character for himself/herself instead.
Once the Rival Wedding has occurred, there are no further requirements to meet in terms of the birth of their child, unlike the requirements that exist for your own Child's existence, which requires the Extra-Large House and the purchase of the Kid's Bed.
One full season after the Rival Wedding, you can experience THEIR 'Big News' Event.
All you need to do is go to the location where the Event is programmed to occur.
This is where Harvest Moon is so incredibly detailed and rewarding for players who have the patience to continue beyond the bare bones of the basic goals set out in the game. You can marry in any year in Island of Happiness, provided all requirements are met, but you need to continue to play the game through to the fourth year at least in order to witness any of the Events associated with Rival Weddings.
In fact, when your own Child is born, there are two stages of growth that you can experience, if you continue to play Island of Happiness.
Beyond these very dramatic changes in life on the Island, there are small changes that occur as you raise the heart levels both of Main Characters and Subsidiary Characters. When heart levels are raised, dialogue changes. You can learn new facts about the history of the character or the history of the Island itself by raising all heart levels.
It is interesting to note one significant difference between your own 'Big News' Event and that of a Rival.
Trent is present at both Events and will advise the pregnant woman to go to a hospital for the actual birth of the child. In your own 'Big News Event', the woman (whether yourself or your spouse) will refuse, making the decision to have the baby on the Island. In the case of a Rival's 'Big News' Event, the pregnant woman will declare that she feels the Doctor's advice to be sound, especially as it will be her first child, and she will agree to go to Mineral Town for the delivery. The Doctor then will tell her he will send some one to fetch her when the baby is due to be born.
One final point about ALL Events in any Harvest Moon game. When the Event ends, remember always to try to speak to every one present before you leave the location where the Event occurred. You often will obtain more dialogue from the characters by doing so. In some cases, the remarks are hilarious and in others, simply very interesting.
For example, you will find Mirabelle in the Kitchen at the end of Elliot and Julia's 4th Rival Event. When you speak to her there, she will complain: 'I can't hear a thing over this boiling pot. Am I missing anything interesting?'
I thought that was very clever and amusing. When I experienced the event the first time, I failed to notice her there and missed the comment. It was only when I replayed the Event that I saw her in the kitchen and spoke to her.
Harvest Moon games are built on social interactions and dialogue. There is a wealth of dialogue to be savoured in any Harvest Moon game. In some cases, speaking to a character is a requirement if you wish to obtain a special item like a Fishing Rod, but in other cases, it simply adds to the richness of your experience and your understanding of the characters and their history.
