Although this information is included in my General Guide, it remains one of the most common questions asked in emails from players. I finally decided that a little video tutorial might be useful:
As there are many situations where your character must grow crops in EVERY square in a specific tillable field, I suppose Poison Squares can be frustrating to some one who does not know the solution. It is odd that you are not given any Recipe for making Neutral Agent, and must continue to purchase it even in the 2nd Generation.
A Website for all Harvest Moon fans providing Links to all Guides by Freyashawk: Actual Links on Right Side of Webpage
Friday, February 6, 2009
Thursday, February 5, 2009
In Defence of Prince Vince in Princess Debut
Having completed an initial game of Princess Debut by experiencing endings with three different Princes, I have to admit that I am at a bit of a loss to comprehend the deep hostility that some players express towards poor Prince Vince. At the age of 13, he is 5 years younger than some of the others and his behaviour should not be compared with that of those princes who are almost old enough to marry! The fact that he took the time and effort to MAKE an accessory in the form of a Beaded Choker for my character was quite touching. His tradition of the blue string tied round the finger was quite romantic.
From the point of view of some one who really loathes ALL insects and never has responded positively to practical jokes, I would be the first to be disgusted by a box of worms but in the spirit of the game, I was able to forgive and forget...
It is interesting that Cesar's endless rather shameless womanising at every turn does not appear to generate half the hostility engendered by Vince's innocent pranks.
Vince wasn't my first choice, nor even my second, but when he gave me the Beaded Choker and then declared he no longer was nervous about the competition, my heart warmed to him...
I did not intend to make this video but somehow felt compelled to show the positive aspects of the much-maligned young prince.
It includes the ending:
On a more general note, I am debating whether or not to write a brief Walkthrough for Princess Debut. I made some errors in my own game that could be avoided easily by other players. For example, the option to 'dance by yourself' in various locations, imagining the company of one of the princes WILL increase your Levels but at the same time, may cause you to lose the opportunity to obtain some of the Accessories available to players who dance exclusively at the Practice Hall.
From the point of view of some one who really loathes ALL insects and never has responded positively to practical jokes, I would be the first to be disgusted by a box of worms but in the spirit of the game, I was able to forgive and forget...
It is interesting that Cesar's endless rather shameless womanising at every turn does not appear to generate half the hostility engendered by Vince's innocent pranks.
Vince wasn't my first choice, nor even my second, but when he gave me the Beaded Choker and then declared he no longer was nervous about the competition, my heart warmed to him...
I did not intend to make this video but somehow felt compelled to show the positive aspects of the much-maligned young prince.
It includes the ending:
On a more general note, I am debating whether or not to write a brief Walkthrough for Princess Debut. I made some errors in my own game that could be avoided easily by other players. For example, the option to 'dance by yourself' in various locations, imagining the company of one of the princes WILL increase your Levels but at the same time, may cause you to lose the opportunity to obtain some of the Accessories available to players who dance exclusively at the Practice Hall.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Good News and Bad News about Palermo Shrine Walkthrough
Felled by a nasty stomach virus, I was unable to complete the screen-by-screen Walkthrough of all the Dungeons in Rune Factory 2 according to my self-appointed schedule.
As of this evening, everything has been completed apart from a few screens in Trieste Forest and a listing in the Inquisitive Waltz section of ALL the items that can be found in the 4 Seasons Gardens in Palermo. I made videos of the Gold Crops and such and have the actual lists of items in my game journal, but for some reason never added it to the Inquisitive Waltz section of the guide.
I went through Blessia and Padova Mountains with great care today to add fishing and Inquisitive Waltz information as well as the precise number of Monsters and generators on each screen. In the process, I discovered two small surprises, one of which was:
You can catch a SUNSQUID at the Wooded Paradise screen in Trieste Forest! With a decent fishing rod and decent level of experience, the Sunsquid can be caught in a number of very diverse locations. I would not have expected Trieste Forest as one of them.
I still have a touch of the stomach virus that has made me miserable for a few days but I expect to complete the screen-by-screen Walkthrough before the weekend.
Meanwhile, I completed the first game of Princess Debut as well but will write about that separately.
As of this evening, everything has been completed apart from a few screens in Trieste Forest and a listing in the Inquisitive Waltz section of ALL the items that can be found in the 4 Seasons Gardens in Palermo. I made videos of the Gold Crops and such and have the actual lists of items in my game journal, but for some reason never added it to the Inquisitive Waltz section of the guide.
I went through Blessia and Padova Mountains with great care today to add fishing and Inquisitive Waltz information as well as the precise number of Monsters and generators on each screen. In the process, I discovered two small surprises, one of which was:
You can catch a SUNSQUID at the Wooded Paradise screen in Trieste Forest! With a decent fishing rod and decent level of experience, the Sunsquid can be caught in a number of very diverse locations. I would not have expected Trieste Forest as one of them.
I still have a touch of the stomach virus that has made me miserable for a few days but I expect to complete the screen-by-screen Walkthrough before the weekend.
Meanwhile, I completed the first game of Princess Debut as well but will write about that separately.
Monday, February 2, 2009
Romance and Mischief from Prince Vince in Princess Debut
Each of the Princes in Princess Debut has a distinct personality and each interacts different with your character. Of all the Princes whom you can meet in your first game, Vince is the youngest and the most naive in terms of romance. Like many boys in their early teens, his way of expressing an interest in a girl is to play pranks on her. Here are some early encounters with Vince:
My personal favourite is the encounter where he purchases your character a 'Mimic Cookie.' As you can see, choosing the Turtle or Rabbit ends the Event quickly. If, however, you choose the cat, Vince's behaviour is very sweet and he endeavours to please his feline companion until he is utterly 'exhausted' by the exercise.
In my current game, I took Prince Luciano as my partner. Much to my dismay, directly after we gave a dazzling dance performance on 'Founding Day', he received a message from the King of his own land ordering him to return. He could not refuse a royal command, apparently, however much I begged him to stay and I abruptly found myself partnerless!
Part of me wants to remain unattached to see if he returns at the 11th hour to squire me to the Ball. Another part would be interested in exploring partnership with one of the other princes... Klaus perhaps?
My real favourite probably is Liam, but Luciano represented a bit of a challenge early in the game and that was what determined my choice.
My personal favourite is the encounter where he purchases your character a 'Mimic Cookie.' As you can see, choosing the Turtle or Rabbit ends the Event quickly. If, however, you choose the cat, Vince's behaviour is very sweet and he endeavours to please his feline companion until he is utterly 'exhausted' by the exercise.
In my current game, I took Prince Luciano as my partner. Much to my dismay, directly after we gave a dazzling dance performance on 'Founding Day', he received a message from the King of his own land ordering him to return. He could not refuse a royal command, apparently, however much I begged him to stay and I abruptly found myself partnerless!
Part of me wants to remain unattached to see if he returns at the 11th hour to squire me to the Ball. Another part would be interested in exploring partnership with one of the other princes... Klaus perhaps?
My real favourite probably is Liam, but Luciano represented a bit of a challenge early in the game and that was what determined my choice.
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.
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:
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.)
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.
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.
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.
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
* * * * * * * * * * *
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.
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...
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:
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.
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!
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:
Here is 'The End' Event, where your character defeats the dragon Fiersome:
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