Will and Lily are new characters in Sunshine Islands. Both are extremely attractive in very different ways. Will epitomises the traditional romantic ideal of 'Prince Charming'. Lily is both exotic and adventurous.
Will may be my favourite bachelor in any Harvest Moon game. At red heart level, he will tell you: I can say this with confidence: You are my raison d’etre.
What could be more romantic?
Here is the Introduction to Will:
A Website for all Harvest Moon fans providing Links to all Guides by Freyashawk: Actual Links on Right Side of Webpage
Friday, October 30, 2009
Introduction to a Pig in Sunshine Islands
Sunshine Islands has many of the same characters as Island of Happiness and the general rules of farming are the same but the introduction of a number of new pets and wild animals is a marvelous addition.
Sunshine Islands embroiders upon some of the themes of Magical Melody and Tree of Tranquility, two Harvest Moon console games. In Magical Melody, your character could use a Pig to search for Truffles. A Pig can perform a similar favour for you in Sunshine Islands. In Tree of Tranquility, you could befriend a variety of wild creatures who then might bring you special gifts. The wild animals on Animal Island, when befriended, may give you with special items as well.
In Sunshine Islands, you have a task of raising a number of Islands that sank beneath the sea. Each Island that you succeed in raising gives new options and introduces you to new characters. Mushroom Island is one of the Islands that you must raise. Here you can find a wide variety of wild mushrooms and it is here that Shea has made his home. When you have shipped 100 Mushrooms, you will experience a special Event on Mushroom Island. 'Gannon's Secret' is one of the secrets of Sunshine Islands in the form of a Pig who will find Mushrooms for you.
Animal Island is another one of the sunken Islands that you can raise. Wild Animals there include Ducks, Rabbits, Badgers, Mice, Sparrows and Monkeys. For all the players of AWL and AnWL who wished they could interact with the wild animals encountered in Forget-Me-Not Valley, Sunshine Island now gives that opportunity on Animal Island.
Here is Gannon's Secret, your introduction to your new Pet Pig:
Sunshine Islands embroiders upon some of the themes of Magical Melody and Tree of Tranquility, two Harvest Moon console games. In Magical Melody, your character could use a Pig to search for Truffles. A Pig can perform a similar favour for you in Sunshine Islands. In Tree of Tranquility, you could befriend a variety of wild creatures who then might bring you special gifts. The wild animals on Animal Island, when befriended, may give you with special items as well.
In Sunshine Islands, you have a task of raising a number of Islands that sank beneath the sea. Each Island that you succeed in raising gives new options and introduces you to new characters. Mushroom Island is one of the Islands that you must raise. Here you can find a wide variety of wild mushrooms and it is here that Shea has made his home. When you have shipped 100 Mushrooms, you will experience a special Event on Mushroom Island. 'Gannon's Secret' is one of the secrets of Sunshine Islands in the form of a Pig who will find Mushrooms for you.
Animal Island is another one of the sunken Islands that you can raise. Wild Animals there include Ducks, Rabbits, Badgers, Mice, Sparrows and Monkeys. For all the players of AWL and AnWL who wished they could interact with the wild animals encountered in Forget-Me-Not Valley, Sunshine Island now gives that opportunity on Animal Island.
Here is Gannon's Secret, your introduction to your new Pet Pig:
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Fishing for Wood in Rune Factory
Wood or Lumber is one of the most important items in any Harvest Moon or Rune Factory game, as it is required for the many construction and upgrade projects that will contribute to your Character's success. You need Lumber for Animal Barns, house upgrades and in some games, for Maker Sheds and other buildings. Without an upgrade or sometimes two to your House, you often will be unable to marry.
In many Harvest Moon games, you can purchase Wood/Lumber from a local merchant as well as chopping branches and stumps to create it. The price may be high, but as long as the option exists, you always can sacrifice luxuries and other purchase options in order to buy the Lumber you need for the project dearest to your heart.
In Rune Factory, however, you cannot purchase Wood/Lumber from any one. With your original Axe, you will not be able to chop Stumps for Lumber either. This limits you to the branches that appear on your Field and untilled Fields in every Cave/Dungeon.
A question that many players ask, therefore, is how to obtain MORE lumber for the upgrades they desperately need. There are two solutions.
The first is by using your Fishing Rod. Branches are one of the items that you will 'catch' when Fishing in most Harvest Moon/Rune Factory games. In most games, however, they are little more than a nuisance. In Rune Factory, on the other hand, they are more than worth their weight in gold. Any 'branch' you obtain with a Fishing Rod can be thrown down onto your Field and chopped into Wood/Lumber. Fishing therefore can be a better source of Lumber than you may have imagined...
Note that branches are more plentiful in some locations than others. A location that is poor in terms of catching fish will be a treasure trove for Branches (and other rubbish items!)
The second method of obtaining Wood/Lumber is through trade. This is extremely tedious and requires another DS, but Wood/Lumber can be traded. Unfortunately, you cannot trade 'stacks' of any item in Rune Factory. You must place a single piece of Wood/Lumber in every slot and then make the trade. The recipient must have an empty slot in his/her rucksack for EACH. Items received in trade do not stack upon arrival. Unless you have an empty slot for each item, the trade will fail completely.
Incidentally, there is quite a big difference between the original Rune Factory and Rune Factory 2 in terms of Lumber/Wood and the difference probably stems from the difficulty players experienced in the original. In Rune Factory 2, many of the rewards for completing Requests on the Bulletin Board include 100 Wood/Lumber. This means that, if you steadily increase Friendship levels with all Characters and perform all Requests, you never should be at a loss for the lumber needed for every building projest or upgrade. In the original Rune Factory, you do not have an opportunity to obtain gifts of 100 Wood/Lumber from the residents of Kardia in any comparable fashion.
The original Rune Factory spans only a single generation and there is no reason why you should be in a hurry to complete the game. As long as you can obtain 100 Wood for the first Monster Barn, you will be in good shape to begin exploring Dungeons and increasing your levels so that you can unlock new dungeons. As Rune Factory 2 spans two generations, the initial gifts of 100 Wood/Lumber from other characters probably were intended to motivate players who might otherwise have been discouraged by difficulties achieving initial goals in the 1st Generation.
Moving forward too quickly in any Harvest Moon/Rune Factory game carries its own disadvantages. One could argue that your character needs Lumber quickly for the house expansion in the original Rune Factory, but the Small Kitchen actually is sufficient at the beginning of the first year. In Rune Factory, having a Recipe and the proper utensils to make a Dish is not sufficient to guarantee success. You must practice simple Recipes again and again in order to increase your cooking skills to the point where you will succeed at more difficult or complex Recipes.
In all three Rune Factory games that I have covered, players often ask me how to defeat a specific Boss, after having been defeated again and again when they have attempted battle. Usually, the real reason for the defeat is because their Experience Levels are too low. I may err on the side of caution, but when I go into battle, I usually have more than sufficient experience and skill to defeat my opponent. I always look for a Wolf for Transport in any Rune Factory game, but in Rune Factory Frontier, you will not be able to tame a Monster until your Skill Levels are within the required Levels for that specific Monster type. This means, effectively, that you must raise your levels a little before you venture onto the Whale's Fin to tame your first Silver Wolf. Everything in its own time...
In many Harvest Moon games, you can purchase Wood/Lumber from a local merchant as well as chopping branches and stumps to create it. The price may be high, but as long as the option exists, you always can sacrifice luxuries and other purchase options in order to buy the Lumber you need for the project dearest to your heart.
In Rune Factory, however, you cannot purchase Wood/Lumber from any one. With your original Axe, you will not be able to chop Stumps for Lumber either. This limits you to the branches that appear on your Field and untilled Fields in every Cave/Dungeon.
A question that many players ask, therefore, is how to obtain MORE lumber for the upgrades they desperately need. There are two solutions.
The first is by using your Fishing Rod. Branches are one of the items that you will 'catch' when Fishing in most Harvest Moon/Rune Factory games. In most games, however, they are little more than a nuisance. In Rune Factory, on the other hand, they are more than worth their weight in gold. Any 'branch' you obtain with a Fishing Rod can be thrown down onto your Field and chopped into Wood/Lumber. Fishing therefore can be a better source of Lumber than you may have imagined...
Note that branches are more plentiful in some locations than others. A location that is poor in terms of catching fish will be a treasure trove for Branches (and other rubbish items!)
The second method of obtaining Wood/Lumber is through trade. This is extremely tedious and requires another DS, but Wood/Lumber can be traded. Unfortunately, you cannot trade 'stacks' of any item in Rune Factory. You must place a single piece of Wood/Lumber in every slot and then make the trade. The recipient must have an empty slot in his/her rucksack for EACH. Items received in trade do not stack upon arrival. Unless you have an empty slot for each item, the trade will fail completely.
Incidentally, there is quite a big difference between the original Rune Factory and Rune Factory 2 in terms of Lumber/Wood and the difference probably stems from the difficulty players experienced in the original. In Rune Factory 2, many of the rewards for completing Requests on the Bulletin Board include 100 Wood/Lumber. This means that, if you steadily increase Friendship levels with all Characters and perform all Requests, you never should be at a loss for the lumber needed for every building projest or upgrade. In the original Rune Factory, you do not have an opportunity to obtain gifts of 100 Wood/Lumber from the residents of Kardia in any comparable fashion.
The original Rune Factory spans only a single generation and there is no reason why you should be in a hurry to complete the game. As long as you can obtain 100 Wood for the first Monster Barn, you will be in good shape to begin exploring Dungeons and increasing your levels so that you can unlock new dungeons. As Rune Factory 2 spans two generations, the initial gifts of 100 Wood/Lumber from other characters probably were intended to motivate players who might otherwise have been discouraged by difficulties achieving initial goals in the 1st Generation.
Moving forward too quickly in any Harvest Moon/Rune Factory game carries its own disadvantages. One could argue that your character needs Lumber quickly for the house expansion in the original Rune Factory, but the Small Kitchen actually is sufficient at the beginning of the first year. In Rune Factory, having a Recipe and the proper utensils to make a Dish is not sufficient to guarantee success. You must practice simple Recipes again and again in order to increase your cooking skills to the point where you will succeed at more difficult or complex Recipes.
In all three Rune Factory games that I have covered, players often ask me how to defeat a specific Boss, after having been defeated again and again when they have attempted battle. Usually, the real reason for the defeat is because their Experience Levels are too low. I may err on the side of caution, but when I go into battle, I usually have more than sufficient experience and skill to defeat my opponent. I always look for a Wolf for Transport in any Rune Factory game, but in Rune Factory Frontier, you will not be able to tame a Monster until your Skill Levels are within the required Levels for that specific Monster type. This means, effectively, that you must raise your levels a little before you venture onto the Whale's Fin to tame your first Silver Wolf. Everything in its own time...
Monday, October 26, 2009
Secrets of Sunshine Islands
Not having been given permission to post about this incredible game yet, I simply will offer some more tantalising hints...
Where animals are concerned, Sunshine Islands combines some of the most interesting and original aspects both of Magical Melody and Tree of Tranquility. I know there are players who prefer console games with large screens to games played on the DS, but I think that any one who enjoyed Magical Melody and/or Tree of Tranquility will be thrilled with Sunshine Islands.
More details to follow when I am at liberty to post... but what a fantastic game!!!
Where animals are concerned, Sunshine Islands combines some of the most interesting and original aspects both of Magical Melody and Tree of Tranquility. I know there are players who prefer console games with large screens to games played on the DS, but I think that any one who enjoyed Magical Melody and/or Tree of Tranquility will be thrilled with Sunshine Islands.
More details to follow when I am at liberty to post... but what a fantastic game!!!
Friday, October 23, 2009
No Forwards Please, please, please!
My email address is available to all players for game questions and I try religiously to respond to all questions. There are so many of these that players sometimes do not receive as speedy a response as I would wish. I would like to repeat an old request NOT to add me to your forwarding list. I know that many people want to share amusing emails but I cannot deal with them. They clog my box and prevent me from paying attention to important emails. Please remove my address from your forwarding lists. Otherwise, I shall be required to label your emails as 'Spam' and if you have a REAL game question, your email will be in the Spam Folder where it may not be seen...
Thank you very much for your consideration.
Thank you very much for your consideration.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
The Dangers of Being Too Successful in Rune Factory
In the original Rune Factory, when playing my first game in order to create my Guides, I defeated the Sechs Army at the earliest possible opportunity. Although I then was able to add detailed information about Freyr's victory to the Guide, the situation had some unfortunate side-effects.
For example, I no longer was able to complete the Stoller Chalice Quest. For a long time, I did not understand WHY I could not trigger the rest of the Events in the Quest. Initially, I believed that maximum FP was the solution, but even with Sabrina, Neumann and Nicholas at 10 FP, the Quest would not move forward.
In fact, you cannot complete the Stoller Chalice Quest AFTER you have defeated the Sechs Army. I believe that the reason for this mirrors that of the situation when you obtain the Pass for Carmite Cave from Godwin on the second day of the game.
When you do not have a Pass for Carmite Cave yet, you can speak to Mist on 3 Spring when she comes to your farm at noon and she may offer you another bag of Radish Seeds. When, however, I cleverly tilled 100 squares of my field on 2 Spring in order to obtain the Pass from Godwin immediately on the 3rd, I then experienced a very different dialogue with Mist.
She only would refer to my achievement in obtaining the Cave Pass... No more offers of Radish Seeds to a struggling new farmer!
In the case of the Stoller Chalice Quest, you need to speak to Sabrina in her house after hours BUT if you have defeated the Sechs Army, her dialogue changes and she only will praise your victory.
There may be other occasions in Rune Factory where an early success in unlocking a Cave could prevent an essential piece of dialogue. I will try to pinpoint any others that I discover.
For example, I no longer was able to complete the Stoller Chalice Quest. For a long time, I did not understand WHY I could not trigger the rest of the Events in the Quest. Initially, I believed that maximum FP was the solution, but even with Sabrina, Neumann and Nicholas at 10 FP, the Quest would not move forward.
In fact, you cannot complete the Stoller Chalice Quest AFTER you have defeated the Sechs Army. I believe that the reason for this mirrors that of the situation when you obtain the Pass for Carmite Cave from Godwin on the second day of the game.
When you do not have a Pass for Carmite Cave yet, you can speak to Mist on 3 Spring when she comes to your farm at noon and she may offer you another bag of Radish Seeds. When, however, I cleverly tilled 100 squares of my field on 2 Spring in order to obtain the Pass from Godwin immediately on the 3rd, I then experienced a very different dialogue with Mist.
She only would refer to my achievement in obtaining the Cave Pass... No more offers of Radish Seeds to a struggling new farmer!
In the case of the Stoller Chalice Quest, you need to speak to Sabrina in her house after hours BUT if you have defeated the Sechs Army, her dialogue changes and she only will praise your victory.
There may be other occasions in Rune Factory where an early success in unlocking a Cave could prevent an essential piece of dialogue. I will try to pinpoint any others that I discover.
Calendar for original Rune Factory DS
********************************************************************
Rune Factory, A Fantasy Harvest Moon, was the first game in the Rune Factory series and therefore was our introduction to Kardia and the Characters who lived there. Some of the Characters from Kardia went to Alvarna and thus Rune Factory 2 is set in the same universe and indeed makes reference to more than one Character from the original game.
You will find Cecilia, a little girl in Kardia in this game, has become an adult in Alvarna in Rune Factory 2. Her birthday will remain the same and indeed, her likes and dislikes will not have changed much.
Rune Factory Frontier introduced owners of a Wii to the Rune Factory universe and many of the Characters from Kardia can be found (and courted) in Trampoli. Again, their birthdays as well as most of their likes and dislikes will remain unchanged from game to game. The main difference between the three games is the English names of some of the Cooked Dishes that are ‘Most Favourites’.
For example, in Rune Factory Frontier, Tabatha will declare that she loves ‘Rice Porridge’, the dish that is her Most Favourite in the original Rune Factory. The Dish she actually loves best in Rune Factory Frontier, however, goes by the name of Oatmeal.
Even Characters who do not appear physically in Trampoli can be part of the landscape of Rune Factory Frontier. Rosetta returns to Kardia temporarily when her father Jean becomes ill. At the various Contests, you may hear references to other Characters from Rune Factory. Both Wesley and Gordon evidently communicate with Stella, the ‘Sister’ at the Church in Trampoli.
In fact, your character in Rune Factory Frontier is Raguna. Once again, he is suffering from amnesia, although he vaguely recalls his purpose in leaving Kardia, which is to search for Mist. Mist has come to Trampoli, and thus Rune Factory Frontier begins a new chapter in their lives...
Here, however, is a Calendar for the original Rune Factory (A Fantasy Harvest Moon) DS. It lists all Festivals and Birthdays. With each Birthday listing are two suggested Gifts. The first is the 'Most Favourite Gift' in most cases. The second is an item that the Character particularly likes/loves that either is less expensive or easier to obtain.
In fact, the entire issue of 'Most Favourites' and 'Loved' Gifts is a little obscure in the original Rune Factory. In many cases, the item that is designated as 'Most Favourite' yields the same response as an item that is designated simply as a 'preferred' gift. In Rune Factory 2, each Character had a specific designated 'Birthday Gift' as well as two Most Favourites. In Rune Factory Frontier, there usually is one 'Most Favourite' but more than one preferred gift and no special designated Birthday Gift.
Actually, the responses can be slightly tricky as they may differ in only a single word. For example, when you wish to assess whether BAKED POTATO (Sweet Potato, not ordinary Potato) or CORN ON COB is Rosetta's Most Favourite Gift, these are her Responses:
For Corn on the Cob: (Thanks!) Thank you! I love the CORN ON COB! But how did you know that I liked them?
For Baked Potato: (Thanks!) Thank you! I like the BAKED POTATO.
I personally would opt for the Corn on Cob as the true Most Favourite, especially in view of the fact that this is the item she chooses for your Packed Lunch after marriage.
In the case of Tori, there is one word only that differs in her Responses to PUMPKIN PUDDING and PINKCAT. Originally, I thought that PinkCat was her Most Favourite Gift, but I now realise it is PUMPKIN PUDDING.
For Pumpkin Pudding: 'Th-thank you... I ... I love the PUMP. PUDDING... That's so nice of you...'
For Pinkcat: 'Th-thank you... I ... I like the Pink Cat... That's so nice of you...'
Sharron's Responses to her Most Favourite Relax Tealeaves and the Water/Wind/Fire Crystals she loves are a bit more difficult to decipher:
For Relax Tealeaves: (Good evening!) Thanks for the RELAX TEALEAVES! I’m so happy.
When given a Water, Wind or Fire Crystal, she will say: 'Wow! I was looking for a WaterWind/Fire Crystal for so long. I'm so happy to get this!'
As for Tabatha, her Responses to the 'Most Fav.' RICE PORRIDGE and APPLES AND GRAPES are identical:
For Rice Porridge: (‘Thank you very much!) Thank you very much for the RICE PORRIDGE! I love it!
'Thank you very much for the APPLE. I love it!' (She says the same for a GRAPE.)
Does it really MATTER in the BIG picture where Courtship is concerned? Not really.
Each Eligible Girl in the original Rune Factory is different where Gifts in general are concerned. Some love to receive both Most Favourites and items they really like and their LP will increase rather quickly if you ply them with their favourite Gifts. Others will remain at 0 LP even if you give them the 'Most Favourite Gift' every single day and that gift only on the occasion of her Birthday will have any effect on Love Points.
As far as Friendship is concerned, 'meeting and greeting' on a daily basis IS the most important action to take with respect to EVERY Character. Where Eligible Girls and Love is concerned, there are different rules for each.
Rune Factory Calendar
The Calendar in Rune Factory is comprised of four seasons of 30 days each. There are six days in every week and the week begins on the Holiday. Friday therefore is the last day of the week. As 30 days is precisely five weeks, Festivals will fall on the same day every year.
Spring:
1 Spring: New Year's Day
Meet and Greet all Characters to increase Friendship
3 Spring: Jean's Birthday (Bullhorn, Moondrop)
11 Spring: Melody's Birthday (Relax Tea, Medicinal Herb)
13 Spring: Neumann's Birthday (Grilled Shrimp, Egg)
18 Spring: Spring Festival (Rune Factory equivalent of Spring Thanksgiving Festival)
Give Eligible Girls Cookies and/or Chocolate Cookies
20 Spring: Russell's Birthday (Chinese Manju, Fried Rice)
23 Spring: Egg Show
Submit Large Egg if possible (highest level) to win.
N.B. In the first Spring, you may be able to win even with a Small Egg purchased from Neumann.
27 Spring: Big Cook-Off
Speak to Jasper to discover specific Dish requirement for Entry, then make it and submit it.
Note that the Dish is chosen randomly so save your game BEFORE midnight on the previous day and if the entry that is announced is one that you cannot make, reload and try again.
30 Spring: Emmet's Birthday (Ultimate Curry, Wine, Insect Jaw)
Unlike other Harvest Moon games, you can access other seasons by touching L or R with the stylus.
Summer:
1 Summer: Beaches Open
3 Summer: Jasper's Birthday (Omelet, Fried Eggs)
8 Summer: Bianca's Birthday (No Favourite Gift)
12 Summer: Cecilia's Birthday (Aquamarine, Amethyst)
13 Summer: Zavier's Birthday (Devil Horn, Medicinal Herb)
18 Summer: Dairy Show
Enter Large Milk to win Contest
20 Summer: Lady Ann's Birthday (Grilled Lobster, Toyherb)
23 Summer: Godwin's Birthday (Boiled Gyoza, Pineapple)
25 Summer: Announcement about Treasure Hunt from Godwin
26 Summer: Treasure Hunt
Speak to Godwin at the Square to begin Contest
30 Summer: Nicholas' Birthday (Stew, any Coloured Grass)
Autumn
1 Fall: Mist's Birthday (Emery Flower, Radish)
5 Fall: Felicity's Birthday (Eggplant Curd, Cheesecake)
7 Fall: Harvest Festival
Give a Crop to every character and especially to each of the Eligible Girls (for some, this will increase LP)
10 Fall: Mei's Birthday (Baked Riceball, most raw Fish)
12 Fall: Tabitha's Birthday (Rice Porridge, Flour)
14 Fall: Camus's Birthday (Warrior Certificate, Milk)
16 Fall: Announcement from Godwin about Moonlit Eve
17 Fall: Moonlit Eve
Speak to any Eligible Girl with at least 4 LP to make a date at the top of Mt. Clemens and meet her after 6.00 p.m.
21 Fall: Rosetta's Birthday (Corn on Cob, Strawberry, Baked Potato)
23 Fall: Announcement from Godwin about Wool Festival
24 Fall: Wool Show
Submit Large Wool (highest level) if possible to win Contest
25 Fall: Lynette’s Birthday (4 Leaf Clover, Bamboo Sprout)
29 Fall: Fishing Day
Give Mei a Fish to increase her LP. (Do not give Pond Smelt or Lobster)
Winter:
1 Winter: Lara's Birthday (Chocolate Cake, Strawberry)
4 Winter: Sabrina's Birthday (Grape Liqueur, all Sashimi)
6 Winter: Winter Festival (RF equivalent of Winter Thanksgiving or Japanese White Day)
Visits from all Eligible Girls with at least 5 Hearts to your farmhouse after 6.00 a.m.
8 Winter: Edward's Birthday (Fried Skipjack, Antidotal Herb)
11 Winter: Leo's Birthday (Bronze Bracelet, Flour)
17 Winter: Wesley's Birthday (Grape Juice, Tomato)
19 Winter: Sharron's Birthday (Relax Tealeaves, Wind Crystal, Fire Crystal)
23 Winter: Sacred Night Announcement from Godwin
24 Winter: Sacred Night
Meet and Greet all Eligible Girls; any girl with 7 Hearts or more can be visited in her own room after 6.00 p.m.
26 Winter: Tori's Birthday (Pumpkin Pudding, Pinkcat)
28 Winter: Luka's Birthday (Curry Manju, Moondrop, Strawberry)
29 Winter: New Year’s Eve Announcement from Godwin
Note that all businesses will be shut for TWO DAYS. Make certain you have Feed.
30 Winter: New Year's Eve
Meet and greet every one for FP increases.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
New Rune Factory Characters Guide
Although the original Rune Factory DS game was released in the States a couple of years ago and my guides for the game were published then, it evidently has been released in the U.K. only recently. While players in the States ask questions about Rune Factory 2 and Rune Factory Frontier, those from the U.K. and Europe send queries about the original Rune Factory game.
Rereading old Rune Factory General Guide recently, I was rather appalled to discover that I had not added as many details as I usually do to any Harvest Moon or Rune Factory guide. Rather to my dismay, although birthdays were given in the Calendar section, they were not added to the description for each Character in the Characters' section of the Guide. I therefore am revising my Rune Factory General Guide today as well as creating a new Rune Factory Characters Guide. It would be shameful if the original game in this series received less attention from me than its sequels!
Incidentally, my game journals for Rune Factory did not neglect any aspect of the game and are filled with the text of the Events as well as the information about the items that characters prefer. It therefore simply is a matter (as always) of organising and transferring information from my journals to the Guides.
Evening of 20 October: The new Rune Factory Characters Guide has been uploaded by IGN and you will find a link under 'Rune Factory Guides' on the right side of the page.
I have modified the 'Most Favourites' Lists for each Character slightly, including those allocated to the Eligible Girls, even though it seems to me that when a character responds in precisely the same fashion to more than one item, all those items will have equal point values in terms of LP and/or FP.
Evening of 21 October: I finally added proper sections for the Stoller Chalice Quest and Holy Book Quest to the Rune Factory Walkthrough/General Guide as well as the Characters Guide.
Shame on me for not completing these Guides properly any sooner! There have been so many incredible Harvest Moon and Rune Factory games in the past couple of years. One is driven forward to a new game long before one has exhausted all the potentials of an existing game...
Rereading old Rune Factory General Guide recently, I was rather appalled to discover that I had not added as many details as I usually do to any Harvest Moon or Rune Factory guide. Rather to my dismay, although birthdays were given in the Calendar section, they were not added to the description for each Character in the Characters' section of the Guide. I therefore am revising my Rune Factory General Guide today as well as creating a new Rune Factory Characters Guide. It would be shameful if the original game in this series received less attention from me than its sequels!
Incidentally, my game journals for Rune Factory did not neglect any aspect of the game and are filled with the text of the Events as well as the information about the items that characters prefer. It therefore simply is a matter (as always) of organising and transferring information from my journals to the Guides.
Evening of 20 October: The new Rune Factory Characters Guide has been uploaded by IGN and you will find a link under 'Rune Factory Guides' on the right side of the page.
I have modified the 'Most Favourites' Lists for each Character slightly, including those allocated to the Eligible Girls, even though it seems to me that when a character responds in precisely the same fashion to more than one item, all those items will have equal point values in terms of LP and/or FP.
Evening of 21 October: I finally added proper sections for the Stoller Chalice Quest and Holy Book Quest to the Rune Factory Walkthrough/General Guide as well as the Characters Guide.
Shame on me for not completing these Guides properly any sooner! There have been so many incredible Harvest Moon and Rune Factory games in the past couple of years. One is driven forward to a new game long before one has exhausted all the potentials of an existing game...
Saturday, October 17, 2009
A Perfectly Stunning and Splendid Birthday in Harvest Moon
Without giving away any surprises, I was delighted by my latest birthday celebration in the Harvest Moon game I am playing at the moment. Shocked... thrilled... I think that players will be well pleased!
I have been playing Harvest Moon and Rune Factory games for a few years now but I still am capable of being startled by new options in these games. The creators appear to have boundless creativity and enthusiasm and although they build on beloved characters and traditions, there always is something new and wonderful added to the mix.
I personally would recommend that players try to play ALL of the games in each series if they can find them. A number of players have been asking whether they should invest in Sunshine Islands or Island of Happiness. I think it would be a mistake to dismiss Island of Happiness at this point. Much of my pleasure in exploring Sunshine Islands is derived from my experiences in Island of Happiness. The two games are similar in many respects but each is unique. I don't see these games as being progressively better, but rather as a continuing saga.
Long ago, when I explored the Library in 'More Friends of Mineral Town', I was able to appreciate the books about Forget-Me-Not Valley because I had played 'A Wonderful Life'. HM DS and Cute DS drew upon previous games set both in Mineral Town and Forget-Me-Not Valley. Island of Happiness introduces many new characters but still includes references to Mineral Town and indeed, characters from Mineral Town visit the Island annually. Frantic Farming, a different sort of Harvest Moon game, still has wonderful Events that involve the characters from Island of Happiness. As for Sunshine Islands... well, more about that later.
Players have begun to discuss Rune Factory 3 but I should hate to play any future Rune Factory game without having played the original Rune Factory, Rune Factory 2 and Rune Factory Frontier. All these games are linked by a common history.
I have to confess that I enjoy the sense of familiarity I experience whenever I explore a new Harvest Moon or Rune Factory game. I am glad that I have some idea of what I can expect... but the little surprises and changes are very exciting as well. The creators of these games appear to have a very fine sense of balance where any new game is concerned. Without jettisoning the traditional aspects of Harvest Moon and Rune Factory that fans have grown to love and expect, they always introduce enough new surprises to keep our experiences fresh and exciting.
I have been playing Harvest Moon and Rune Factory games for a few years now but I still am capable of being startled by new options in these games. The creators appear to have boundless creativity and enthusiasm and although they build on beloved characters and traditions, there always is something new and wonderful added to the mix.
I personally would recommend that players try to play ALL of the games in each series if they can find them. A number of players have been asking whether they should invest in Sunshine Islands or Island of Happiness. I think it would be a mistake to dismiss Island of Happiness at this point. Much of my pleasure in exploring Sunshine Islands is derived from my experiences in Island of Happiness. The two games are similar in many respects but each is unique. I don't see these games as being progressively better, but rather as a continuing saga.
Long ago, when I explored the Library in 'More Friends of Mineral Town', I was able to appreciate the books about Forget-Me-Not Valley because I had played 'A Wonderful Life'. HM DS and Cute DS drew upon previous games set both in Mineral Town and Forget-Me-Not Valley. Island of Happiness introduces many new characters but still includes references to Mineral Town and indeed, characters from Mineral Town visit the Island annually. Frantic Farming, a different sort of Harvest Moon game, still has wonderful Events that involve the characters from Island of Happiness. As for Sunshine Islands... well, more about that later.
Players have begun to discuss Rune Factory 3 but I should hate to play any future Rune Factory game without having played the original Rune Factory, Rune Factory 2 and Rune Factory Frontier. All these games are linked by a common history.
I have to confess that I enjoy the sense of familiarity I experience whenever I explore a new Harvest Moon or Rune Factory game. I am glad that I have some idea of what I can expect... but the little surprises and changes are very exciting as well. The creators of these games appear to have a very fine sense of balance where any new game is concerned. Without jettisoning the traditional aspects of Harvest Moon and Rune Factory that fans have grown to love and expect, they always introduce enough new surprises to keep our experiences fresh and exciting.
Friday, October 16, 2009
Taro and the Fishing Rod in Island of Happiness
I know I have written about this before, but it still remains the aspect of Island of Happiness that represents a problem for the greatest number of players. As it is based on a fundamental aspect of Island of Happiness, it is worth exploring here once again.
In Island of Happiness, a character will not accept any gift from you if you have neglected him/her. Neglect in this respect means that you have not done your regular 'meeting and greeting' in the immediate past. Your level of Friendship with the individual will not protect you. Ignoring an individual who has a high level of Friendship with you can result in a refusal of your gift until you have spoken to him/her regularly again.
The number of days that your gift will be rejected is based on the length of time that you neglected the individual. If you did not speak to the individual for a couple of days, your gift may be rejected only for a single day. If, however, you neglected the individual for a week or so, it may take six consecutive days of 'meeting and greeting' that character before he/she will accept a gift from you.
This is a very interesting aspect of Island of Happiness of which every player must be aware. Many players only become aware of it, however, when they attempt to give Taro one of the Coloured Herbs/Wild Grasses that he loves and he rejects it. As Taro must be at 2 Hearts before he will give you a Fishing Rod, cultivating a relationship with him is essential.
Note that gift-giving is not the only way to raise Love and Friendship in Island of Happiness. Simply speaking to an individual will raise levels, albeit more slowly than gift-giving. In fact, my Walkthrough for Island of Happiness urges players to visit Taro's house each morning not only to speak to Taro and obtain the weather report from him but to speak to Elliot and Natalie as well in order to begin the process of raising Heart Levels. Elliot is an Eligible Bachelor if your character is a girl and Natalie is an Eligible Girl if you are playing a boy. You can raise Heart Levels to the next level by speaking to any character daily even if you never give a single gift. It will take a long time, however!
Giving Taro a Coloured Herb/Grass each day will raise his Friendship Level to 2 Hearts faster than simply speaking to him will and, because you really need a Fishing Rod as early as possible in IoH in order to make money and bring members of the Fishing Team to the Island, I advise players to make the gift of the Coloured Herb/Grass. It is not necessary, however. What IS necessary is 'meeting and greeting' him each day. As his weather predictions are totally accurate, it is a good idea to do so even if he didn't have the power to give or withhold a Fishing Rod. Knowing if a Typhoon is set to hit the Island the next day can be critical information.
The rules of Neglect are as follows: The number of days you have failed to greet a character determines the number of days that your gift will be rejected BUT six days is the maximum number of days that a character can refuse a gift. Even if you fail to speak to a character for a fortnight, he/she will refuse your gift for six days only. You do need to speak to the individual EVERY day, however, in order to 'clear the slate'. In other words, in such a case, six consecutive days of greetings are needed to persuade the character to accept a gift from you.
I always stress the importance of avoiding 'tunnel vision' in any Harvest Moon or Rune Factory game. Friendship, not money, is the backbone of success. If you grow and harvest all the crops in the world but fail to greet your fellow villagers, you will not succeed in any Harvest Moon or Rune Factory game. IoH demonstrates this by placing the Fishing Rod in Taro's hands. Many Harvest Moon games in the past have done likewise by making a Fishing Rod the one tool that cannot be purchased.
In Island of Happiness, a character will not accept any gift from you if you have neglected him/her. Neglect in this respect means that you have not done your regular 'meeting and greeting' in the immediate past. Your level of Friendship with the individual will not protect you. Ignoring an individual who has a high level of Friendship with you can result in a refusal of your gift until you have spoken to him/her regularly again.
The number of days that your gift will be rejected is based on the length of time that you neglected the individual. If you did not speak to the individual for a couple of days, your gift may be rejected only for a single day. If, however, you neglected the individual for a week or so, it may take six consecutive days of 'meeting and greeting' that character before he/she will accept a gift from you.
This is a very interesting aspect of Island of Happiness of which every player must be aware. Many players only become aware of it, however, when they attempt to give Taro one of the Coloured Herbs/Wild Grasses that he loves and he rejects it. As Taro must be at 2 Hearts before he will give you a Fishing Rod, cultivating a relationship with him is essential.
Note that gift-giving is not the only way to raise Love and Friendship in Island of Happiness. Simply speaking to an individual will raise levels, albeit more slowly than gift-giving. In fact, my Walkthrough for Island of Happiness urges players to visit Taro's house each morning not only to speak to Taro and obtain the weather report from him but to speak to Elliot and Natalie as well in order to begin the process of raising Heart Levels. Elliot is an Eligible Bachelor if your character is a girl and Natalie is an Eligible Girl if you are playing a boy. You can raise Heart Levels to the next level by speaking to any character daily even if you never give a single gift. It will take a long time, however!
Giving Taro a Coloured Herb/Grass each day will raise his Friendship Level to 2 Hearts faster than simply speaking to him will and, because you really need a Fishing Rod as early as possible in IoH in order to make money and bring members of the Fishing Team to the Island, I advise players to make the gift of the Coloured Herb/Grass. It is not necessary, however. What IS necessary is 'meeting and greeting' him each day. As his weather predictions are totally accurate, it is a good idea to do so even if he didn't have the power to give or withhold a Fishing Rod. Knowing if a Typhoon is set to hit the Island the next day can be critical information.
The rules of Neglect are as follows: The number of days you have failed to greet a character determines the number of days that your gift will be rejected BUT six days is the maximum number of days that a character can refuse a gift. Even if you fail to speak to a character for a fortnight, he/she will refuse your gift for six days only. You do need to speak to the individual EVERY day, however, in order to 'clear the slate'. In other words, in such a case, six consecutive days of greetings are needed to persuade the character to accept a gift from you.
I always stress the importance of avoiding 'tunnel vision' in any Harvest Moon or Rune Factory game. Friendship, not money, is the backbone of success. If you grow and harvest all the crops in the world but fail to greet your fellow villagers, you will not succeed in any Harvest Moon or Rune Factory game. IoH demonstrates this by placing the Fishing Rod in Taro's hands. Many Harvest Moon games in the past have done likewise by making a Fishing Rod the one tool that cannot be purchased.
Friday, October 2, 2009
Move Over, Vaughn!
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As much as I responded to Vaughn's physical appearance in Island of Happiness, I really rather detested his surly disposition and lack of good manners. One is sympathetic to the difficult, rather lonely life he led in his childhood, but orphans and those whom fortune has not favoured have been known to behave far better in the face of social deprivation.
Nonetheless, as I always had a weakness for young men with long silver hair, I courted Vaughn in Island of Happiness with single-minded determination (even though I went through the Courtship and Marriage moves with every bachelor, never saving the results afterwards).
Now, however, I have to declare that I have met some one who embodies all of my fantasies and dreams. With aristocratic bearing (and a string of names to equal his lineage), a love of animals, a chivalrous disposition, impeccable manners AND the 'peaches and cream' 6th form sort of wildly attractive looks that captures my heart instantly, I cannot find a single flaw in this Eligible Bachelor. He is a REAL Prince Charming but I cannot say anything else about him at this point in time...
Just to let you know that upcoming Harvest Moon games have some wonderful romantic surprises in store for players... Nor have male players been shorted here. There is an exquisite new Eligible Girl for them and they ALWAYS had the Witch Princess, who is one of my favourite characters, although I really could not bear to slaughter animals even for her.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Cooking Tricks in Harvest Moon
My own introduction to Harvest Moon came rather late in the series in the form of Friends of Mineral Town, as the first gaming system I owned was the humble GBA. One of the great delights of playing FoMT was to be able to create new variations on Recipes and to work with the values of each Dish in terms of Restoring Stamina or Recovering from Fatigue.
In later Harvest Moon and Rune Factory games, the fundamental premises and mechanics of Cooking have had many different variations. In some cases, you must be 'taught' a specific Recipe either by being given or purchasing a Recipe Book or being told the Recipe by another character. In ToT, you could find new Recipes in the kitchens of other characters, displayed on the kitchen wall. Even in FoMT/MFoMT, you could learn special variations on Recipes from various townspeople, including actual cooking 'lessons' given by Anna and one special favourite given by various characters, including the Doctor and Carter.
In Island of Happiness, you 'learned' Recipes from the owners of the Diner and Cafe. Furthermore, each Recipe was triggered by the offering of a specific ingredient. The need to offer a specified ingredient before the Recipe would be given was an interesting variation.
In Rune Factory, Skill Levels in Cooking determine your ability to make a Dish successfully. Rune Factory Frontier offered a new element in making cooking interactive. You had to press a Button at a specific point on a gauge in order to make the dish successfully. One actually could improve the Dish by making it 'perfectly' or 'with expertise'
In some games, you must try to cook a Dish a number of times, even when you possess the Recipe, before you will be able to cook it successfully.
Whenever there is a possibility of adding optional ingredients to improve a Dish, you may be able to trick the game into believing that all Dishes made previously WITHOUT the optional ingredient have the value of the augmented Dish.
For example, if Pudding is made with Milk and Egg, you may be able to make 10 Puddings with Milk and Egg, then make an eleventh with Milk, Egg and an optional ingredient, such as Chocolate, then change the Recipe to make the ingredients in future Milk, Egg and Chocolate. It is possible that ALL Puddings in your Rucksack then will have the value of the new improved 'better' Recipe.
In later Harvest Moon and Rune Factory games, the fundamental premises and mechanics of Cooking have had many different variations. In some cases, you must be 'taught' a specific Recipe either by being given or purchasing a Recipe Book or being told the Recipe by another character. In ToT, you could find new Recipes in the kitchens of other characters, displayed on the kitchen wall. Even in FoMT/MFoMT, you could learn special variations on Recipes from various townspeople, including actual cooking 'lessons' given by Anna and one special favourite given by various characters, including the Doctor and Carter.
In Island of Happiness, you 'learned' Recipes from the owners of the Diner and Cafe. Furthermore, each Recipe was triggered by the offering of a specific ingredient. The need to offer a specified ingredient before the Recipe would be given was an interesting variation.
In Rune Factory, Skill Levels in Cooking determine your ability to make a Dish successfully. Rune Factory Frontier offered a new element in making cooking interactive. You had to press a Button at a specific point on a gauge in order to make the dish successfully. One actually could improve the Dish by making it 'perfectly' or 'with expertise'
In some games, you must try to cook a Dish a number of times, even when you possess the Recipe, before you will be able to cook it successfully.
Whenever there is a possibility of adding optional ingredients to improve a Dish, you may be able to trick the game into believing that all Dishes made previously WITHOUT the optional ingredient have the value of the augmented Dish.
For example, if Pudding is made with Milk and Egg, you may be able to make 10 Puddings with Milk and Egg, then make an eleventh with Milk, Egg and an optional ingredient, such as Chocolate, then change the Recipe to make the ingredients in future Milk, Egg and Chocolate. It is possible that ALL Puddings in your Rucksack then will have the value of the new improved 'better' Recipe.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Site for Favourite Harvest Moon/Rune Factory Events
Still recovering from the events of the past few days, my energy is very low and I am not certain how many contributions I can make at the moment to the Harvest Moon/Rune Factory universe. I did, however, discover a site I had created some time ago yet never promoted (evidently) for Favourite Events in Harvest Moon (or Rune Factory.
Favourite Events in Harvest Moon
I had hoped that other fans of Harvest Moon or Rune Factory would submit their favourite Event from any Harvest Moon/Rune Factory game. Any one who wishes to do so should send the piece to me in the body of an email and I then will post it on the site.
Favourite Events in Harvest Moon
I had hoped that other fans of Harvest Moon or Rune Factory would submit their favourite Event from any Harvest Moon/Rune Factory game. Any one who wishes to do so should send the piece to me in the body of an email and I then will post it on the site.
A Note of Thanks
I would like to thank all the readers who expressed their concern for Beauty's little kittens, for those who sent their good wishes and those who prayed for the little ones. It is a tale, alas, without a happy ending for them, although I pray that Beauty is recovering fully. I established a very close bond with the two kittens and still find myself reaching towards the place where they rested in my pocket to see if they are warm enough. Even though the little girl exhibited more energy and interest initially, something must have been wrong internally with her as well. All the kittens were premature, although the two who were born live were fully formed externally, giving me hope that I could act as their surrogate mother.
I have neglected Rune Factory and Harvest Moon a little during the past few days, and only now resumed the Harvest Moon game on which I currently am working.
The irony is that I immediately experienced an Event in which I was offered my choice of kittens from two that were born of a large litter... I shut down the system without saving, simply because it reminded me of poor Beauty and her loss, but I have no doubt that I will enjoy the Event when I experience it again. Perhaps the Harvest Goddess is trying to ease my pain...
I have neglected Rune Factory and Harvest Moon a little during the past few days, and only now resumed the Harvest Moon game on which I currently am working.
The irony is that I immediately experienced an Event in which I was offered my choice of kittens from two that were born of a large litter... I shut down the system without saving, simply because it reminded me of poor Beauty and her loss, but I have no doubt that I will enjoy the Event when I experience it again. Perhaps the Harvest Goddess is trying to ease my pain...
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Foraging Tip for Harvest Moon and Rune Factory
I am playing a Harvest Moon game that is very similar to Island of Happiness and working on guides that will be available when the game is released. As in Island of Happiness, some items that are found in the Wilds are more common than others. In ANY Harvest Moon or Rune Factory game, however, you may note that there are specified 'drop' squares where items tend to appear. Keeping these squares CLEAR of any items will allow more items to appear. When the item is rather rare and is found only in a specific location, it can be vital to visit that location regularly if not daily in order to clear any other items from the spaces. Items such as stones and branches can be transformed into Materials for Building but even if you do not have time or a need to do that, pick up the stones and branches and stash them in your Rucksack. Doing so will clear all the potential 'drop' spaces, giving you a better chance of finding the rare item you seek on the following day.
This is true in Rune Factory as well as Harvest Moon. In any Rune Factory game, wild items can be found on tillable fields in the dungeons. Tillable squares can be cleared, ploughed and used to plant Crops but if you wish to continue to find wild coloured grasses as well as materials for building, you may wish to clear some fields in each Dungeon without tilling them. That way, you preserve a location for
branches and wild grasses to be 'dropped'.
In Rune Factory Frontier, Black and White Grass tend to be rare compared to wild grasses of other colours. They both can be found on your field randomly after a severe storm and throughout the Winter season. Set a tame Monster to the task of gathering them in order to collect as many as possible, and keep your field cleared of branches and stones in Winter in like fashion, with tame Monster labour. White Grass is an ingredient in Energy Drink X. It can be found in Urns in the Snow Ruins and in a Tower on the Floating Chamber of Whale Island randomly as well.
This is true in Rune Factory as well as Harvest Moon. In any Rune Factory game, wild items can be found on tillable fields in the dungeons. Tillable squares can be cleared, ploughed and used to plant Crops but if you wish to continue to find wild coloured grasses as well as materials for building, you may wish to clear some fields in each Dungeon without tilling them. That way, you preserve a location for
branches and wild grasses to be 'dropped'.
In Rune Factory Frontier, Black and White Grass tend to be rare compared to wild grasses of other colours. They both can be found on your field randomly after a severe storm and throughout the Winter season. Set a tame Monster to the task of gathering them in order to collect as many as possible, and keep your field cleared of branches and stones in Winter in like fashion, with tame Monster labour. White Grass is an ingredient in Energy Drink X. It can be found in Urns in the Snow Ruins and in a Tower on the Floating Chamber of Whale Island randomly as well.
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Update on Beauty and her Babies
I decided that the continuing saga of Beauty was better placed on the page devoted to my cats. If any one is interested in the latest developments:
Update on Beauty
Update on Beauty
Friday, September 18, 2009
Pocket Baby
I am posting here because one of the fundamental aspects of any Harvest Moon or Rune Factory game is caring for animals.
I am extremely sentimental about my pets and all my Animals whether in Harvest Moon, Rune Factory or the 'real world'. I can remember my horror when my first chicken died of old age in Friends of Mineral Town. I couldn't bear to go through that again so in future, I always saved last BEFORE I went to bed. If my character awakened at the graveyard, I would reload until a different result prevailed. I then promptly would sell my beloved Chicken before it was killed off again by Fate, thereby rendering it immortal in some vague unstated fashion. Certainly, neither Popuri nor Rick ever spoke of the death of any of the elderly chickens I sold back to them when they had outlived their life expectancy!
In any other game where livestock or poultry had a defined life expectancy, I would make certain to sell the animal before I had to face a corpse or a tombstone.
I always found the Witch Princess extraordinarily attractive but could not bear to kill off 50 Animals for her in HM DS. I know there are players who are very conscious of the difference between a game and reality, but to me, all the Animals I have spent so many hours feeding, brushing, milking and petting in Harvest Moon and Rune Factory make them quite real...
Not as well, though, as a little animal struggling to survive in this world. I have a little kitten in my care whose mother is very weak and who therefore cannot feed himself. He was born late yesterday afternoon but the mother still is not settling from her labour. She is very young and probably not ready for this responsibility. He is hungry and cold but almost too weak to eat.
I have taken over the responsibility of trying to keep him alive for the next day or two. It may be a lost cause but I have to try...
The first step was to find a warm place for him. I found an old shirt with a pocket and placed him in the pocket near my heart.
I once had everything one possibly could need for this sort of enterprise, but no longer do. I do not even have an eye dropper. I do not have Catmilk either. Nonetheless, I am determined somehow to wage a struggle for the little one.
The only reason for posting this is the hope that those who read it will send their strongest wishes or prayer for his survival. They say there is power in prayer. This little creature, who looks as though he may be a bluepoint Himalayan, needs all the prayers in this world and any other.
Saturday, September 12, 2009
New Harvest Moon and Rune Factory Cooking Site
While creating the little Trivia Test about Bianca, I became aware again of the odd combination of different cuisines that have become almost 'standard' both in Harvest Moon and in Rune Factory. Perhaps it is not odd at all to any one who lives in Japan, but from a Western viewpoint, dishes such as Doria and Gratin are associated with France rather than Japan. Furthermore, they are not really common dishes in English-speaking cultures at this point in time.
How many times have we made Doria or Gratin in our Harvest Moon or Rune Factory kitchens without ever baking the dish in the real world? How many players even know how to make these dishes?
I then thought it might be interesting to publish some 'real' Recipes for favourite Harvest Moon and Rune Factory dishes, so that fans of these games could cook them in their own kitchens.
My new 'Harvest Moon Cooking Site' is the result. I am not certain how many players actually will take the time and energy to make any of the Recipes I intend to publish there, but it may be of academic interest if not as useful in practical terms.
By the way, I am offering an invitation to Harvest Moon and Rune Factory fans to send me their own Recipes for these dishes if they are favourites in their own homes.
Please send only Recipes that you actually have made and tasted if possible!
How many times have we made Doria or Gratin in our Harvest Moon or Rune Factory kitchens without ever baking the dish in the real world? How many players even know how to make these dishes?
I then thought it might be interesting to publish some 'real' Recipes for favourite Harvest Moon and Rune Factory dishes, so that fans of these games could cook them in their own kitchens.
My new 'Harvest Moon Cooking Site' is the result. I am not certain how many players actually will take the time and energy to make any of the Recipes I intend to publish there, but it may be of academic interest if not as useful in practical terms.
By the way, I am offering an invitation to Harvest Moon and Rune Factory fans to send me their own Recipes for these dishes if they are favourites in their own homes.
Please send only Recipes that you actually have made and tasted if possible!
A Completed Calendar in Rune Factory Frontier
One never should make assumptions in any game... and Rune Factory Frontier is no exception. Although once any new Festival appears on your Calendar, it will become a permanent fixture, the Formal Dates that are designated for each season do not remain on the Calendar.
Any Formal Date will appear on your Calendar with a Star and a description only after you ask a Girl on a Date during THAT season and she accepts the invitation. Once the season ends, the Date no longer will be marked with a Star.
It was only when I was trying to pinpoint the actual moment that the Date would be added to the Calendar that I thought to look at the Dates for previous seasons. Although I had taken an Eligible Girl on a Date each season, no Star marked those Formal Dates after the season was past.
The Formal Date Star and description therefore is a temporary Calendar addition.
The reason I am posting this is because a player asked me how she could add the Night of Holies to her Calendar. I told her that she needed to ask an Eligible Girl for a Date during Winter before it would be marked on the Calendar, which was correct. What I did not realise then, however, because I had not paid sufficient attention to my own Calendar was that, once the season is past, the Star disappears...
The Night of Holies may be an exception to the general rule as it corresponds to the Starry Night Festival in other Harvest Moon games. As I am in the Winter season at present, however, I shall have to wait until next Spring to see if it remains on the Calendar afterward or not.
Any Formal Date will appear on your Calendar with a Star and a description only after you ask a Girl on a Date during THAT season and she accepts the invitation. Once the season ends, the Date no longer will be marked with a Star.
It was only when I was trying to pinpoint the actual moment that the Date would be added to the Calendar that I thought to look at the Dates for previous seasons. Although I had taken an Eligible Girl on a Date each season, no Star marked those Formal Dates after the season was past.
The Formal Date Star and description therefore is a temporary Calendar addition.
The reason I am posting this is because a player asked me how she could add the Night of Holies to her Calendar. I told her that she needed to ask an Eligible Girl for a Date during Winter before it would be marked on the Calendar, which was correct. What I did not realise then, however, because I had not paid sufficient attention to my own Calendar was that, once the season is past, the Star disappears...
The Night of Holies may be an exception to the general rule as it corresponds to the Starry Night Festival in other Harvest Moon games. As I am in the Winter season at present, however, I shall have to wait until next Spring to see if it remains on the Calendar afterward or not.
Tip on Raising Skill Levels in Rune Factory Frontier
This is a common trick used by veteran players of Harvest Moon and Rune Factory but it may be useful to post it here for beginners. The information is included in my Rune Factory Frontier Guides by the way.
You can raise your Skills with respect to a particular type of weapon or tool simply by equipping it and swinging it. In Rune Factory Frontier, there are two times during the day/night when this can be done with the greatest benefit and least sacrifice of valuable energy or time.
Remember that time does not pass whenever your character enters a building. You therefore can use any Weapon or Tool inside your own Farmhouse or in any other building while time stands still. Energy, however, WILL be used.
The two best opportunities to increase Weapons and Tools Skill Levels in this way are whenever you go to the Laga Springs Bathhouse and whenever you return to your Farmhouse at the very end of your day.
Whenever your character take a Bath at the Laga Springs Bathhouse, all Energy is restored and both Health and RP bars are refilled. It therefore is wasteful for your character ever to leap into the bath before he has used almost ALL of his HP and RP. To do this, equip any Tool or Weapon and use it in the Bathhouse until your energy reaches the flashing red indication that respresents dangerously low levels.
Remember that every Tool has its own specific Skill and that Weapons and Magic are two different skills as well. Often a player will focus on one to the exclusion of the other in combat situations... if so, equip the type of Weapon in which your Skill Levels are lowest whenever you go to the Laga Springs Bathhouse or return to your Farmhouse at the end of the day.
When all your chores and tasks are completed and you are ready to leap into bed, do not do so without expending whatever excess energy remains. Remember, however, that you need to go to bed before 1.00 a.m. if you wish to awaken at 6.00 a.m. with both HP and RP fully replenished. Provided you go to bed before 1.00 a.m., you can use your energy to the point where the red flashing indication is displayed and still awaken in good health at 6.00 a.m.
If you employ this strategy on a daily basis, increasing skill levels that otherwise are not used sufficiently, you will be able to increase ALL Skill Levels to maximum without any difficulty.
You can raise your Skills with respect to a particular type of weapon or tool simply by equipping it and swinging it. In Rune Factory Frontier, there are two times during the day/night when this can be done with the greatest benefit and least sacrifice of valuable energy or time.
Remember that time does not pass whenever your character enters a building. You therefore can use any Weapon or Tool inside your own Farmhouse or in any other building while time stands still. Energy, however, WILL be used.
The two best opportunities to increase Weapons and Tools Skill Levels in this way are whenever you go to the Laga Springs Bathhouse and whenever you return to your Farmhouse at the very end of your day.
Whenever your character take a Bath at the Laga Springs Bathhouse, all Energy is restored and both Health and RP bars are refilled. It therefore is wasteful for your character ever to leap into the bath before he has used almost ALL of his HP and RP. To do this, equip any Tool or Weapon and use it in the Bathhouse until your energy reaches the flashing red indication that respresents dangerously low levels.
Remember that every Tool has its own specific Skill and that Weapons and Magic are two different skills as well. Often a player will focus on one to the exclusion of the other in combat situations... if so, equip the type of Weapon in which your Skill Levels are lowest whenever you go to the Laga Springs Bathhouse or return to your Farmhouse at the end of the day.
When all your chores and tasks are completed and you are ready to leap into bed, do not do so without expending whatever excess energy remains. Remember, however, that you need to go to bed before 1.00 a.m. if you wish to awaken at 6.00 a.m. with both HP and RP fully replenished. Provided you go to bed before 1.00 a.m., you can use your energy to the point where the red flashing indication is displayed and still awaken in good health at 6.00 a.m.
If you employ this strategy on a daily basis, increasing skill levels that otherwise are not used sufficiently, you will be able to increase ALL Skill Levels to maximum without any difficulty.
Friday, September 11, 2009
Trivia Test about Bianca in Rune Factory Frontier
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These are a few trivia questions that will separate the (possibly insane) Harvest Moon/Rune Factory fanatics (in which group I would include myself) from the casual players. They all concern Bianca. If I receive enough responses, I may do the same for all the Eligible Girls in Rune Factory Frontier.
The following video contains the Trivia Questions:
For those who do not wish to take the time to watch this very trivial video, here are the questions in text form:
1. What reason does Bianca give for hating Rice Balls? (Please be precise.)
2. What two fish did Tabatha combine in a gourmet dish and what sort of sauce did she make for it?
3. What large item did Bianca buy long ago that she never used?
4. What gourmet dish does Bianca request that you bring to her, telling you meanwhile that she 'won't hold her breath' waiting for it?
5. What birthday gift did Bianca toss away when she was a child?
6. Which room in the Summer Mansion does Bianca consider to be too small?
7. What rare flower was used to make a new perfume that Bianca bought?
8. What type of dish does Tabatha refuse to eat with Bianca?
9. What dish does Bianca mention that takes 3 days to make?
10. Does Bianca have a small or large appetite?
Bonus Question: What is the most hurtful insult that Bianca ever made to your character? (All answers will be considered correct, but again be specific.)
The player who can respond correctly to all ten questions soonest will be awarded the (dubious) distinction of being Rune Factory Frontier Trivia Grandmaster/Grandmistress for the day and I will dedicate an RFF Trivia Video to him/her.
Note that any attempt to make dishes in your kitchen that correspond to those mentioned by Bianca are doomed to be unsuccessful in impressing her. The dishes do not exist under the names Bianca gives, but even if you make Recipes that closely resemble the dishes, she will not respond with any enthusiasm or any response that differs from her standard response to a gift of a Cooked Dish. After all,she herself will tell you that the only items she truly likes are those made by Tabatha!
Although most of the general translations in the English version ofRune Factory Frontier are good, translations of the names of specific items, including some War Trophies and Recipes were careless, which can be unfortunate. For example, Danny asks for 'Good Cloth', an item that does not exist under that name. His request in fact is for 'Quality Cloth'. Likewise, Tabatha, in speaking of her Most Favourite Item, calls it 'Porridge' when in fact the Dish she loves best is Oatmeal. There are other text errors of this sort, causing me to experiment with gifts for Bianca.
Although most of the Dishes are given rather grand-sounding names, often in French, they are not complex dishes really. I myself gave Bianca the Cooked Dishes that I felt would correspond most closely to those named by her, including a Milk Pudding and a Stew. All she said in response was her usual: What is this? Is it for me? I suppose I'll take it off your hands.
However, I suppose I would have to think of a special award if any player manages to find a Cooked Dish that will be accepted by Bianca as the one she requests that you bring to her, telling your character that she will not hold her breath waiting for you to find it.
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Circle Portals in Rune Factory Frontier
As I base my Walkthroughs and videos on my own games and experience, it was left to Robert to tell me that one of my statements was 'inaccurate', that a Circle Portal is created simply after you confront any Boss. That actually makes perfect sense, but since I never allowed myself to be defeated when I confronted any Boss, I simply wrote that the Circle Portal would be opened after your character defeated the Boss Monster.
I will have to start a new game to confirm this myself because I have defeated all the Bosses at least once in my current RFF game, but as Robert's comment actually is logical, I am going to accept it as true and revise my guides accordingly.
It is useful for players to know that the first confrontation, whether successful or unsuccessful, will create the Circle Portal. As my own character WAS successful, I never stopped to discover if the mere confrontation and not the defeat would be sufficient.
I will have to start a new game to confirm this myself because I have defeated all the Bosses at least once in my current RFF game, but as Robert's comment actually is logical, I am going to accept it as true and revise my guides accordingly.
It is useful for players to know that the first confrontation, whether successful or unsuccessful, will create the Circle Portal. As my own character WAS successful, I never stopped to discover if the mere confrontation and not the defeat would be sufficient.
Friday, September 4, 2009
Birthday Wishes
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From the age of 10, I often have found myself living on a different continent from my family and home on my birthday and therefore have experienced every sort of birthday emotionally as well as actually, from lonely to wonderful and incredible.
When I began to play Harvest Moon, I discovered that my character's birthday often would be celebrated by his/her family and therefore always chose the date that most closely approximated that of my real birthday. In Animal Crossing, your Animal Neighbours actually bring you a Birthday Cake on your birthday...
I often add my character's birthday to my Calendar Guide in jest. Only once or twice did a player email me asking how she could meet the character Freyr/Freya in her game!
In Island of Happiness, it was rather annoying to discover that I shared my birthday with Nathan... I believe there is an Animal in Animal Crossing with the same birthday as mine but there are so many Animals that the likelihood of having that Animal in my village on the occasion of my birthday is fairly remote.
So much for Birthdays and gaming... I really am writing this post to share two wonderful Birthday wishes that I received this morning from thoughtful friends.
With the power of the internet, I doubt that any Birthday of mine ever will be ignored, even if no one celebrates it in the real world in any given year... (I do suspect there may be some one locally who will organise something later in the day... at least one hopes so. One can't orchestrate one's own birthday really. It simply isn't done!)
I would like to thank the friends who went to all the trouble to send me special Birthday Greetings this morning! Now, if I only could find my ACWW cartridge and persuade a Neighbour to bring me a Cake despite the fact that the village no doubt is choked with weeds and the house infested with cockroaches in every cluttered room from LONG, LONG neglect on my part.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Upgrading Items in Rune Factory Frontier
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A question was asked as to how items can be upgraded in Rune Factory Frontier. Items that are made in your Kitchen or Laboratory as well as those created in your Forge or at your Workbench all can be upgraded to Level 10. You always need to be aware of the primary rule of upgrades in this game: the actual level of the upgraded item AT BEST can be only 1 Level above the level of the LOWEST LEVEL of ingredient used. The result will be 1 Level above the level of the lowest level of ingredient ONLY if you manage to create the item 'perfectly' or 'with expertise'. Otherwise, the Level of the Upgraded Item will EQUAL that of the lowest level of ingredient.
All tools can be upgraded using nothing more than two pieces of Scrap Iron. The ordinary rules of RFF still apply, however. If the level of the Scrap Iron is LOWER than the level of the Tool, you actually will DOWNGRADE your Tool when you reforge it!
It is with respect to Recipes that include Flowers as ingredients that players usually come to realise the benefits of using Greenifier, for many important Recipes for Weapons and Accessories include one or more Flowers as ingredients. For the common Flowers that can mature within a single season, the task is fairly easy. If you are diligent in watering the Crop and use both Greenifier and Formula C on one square, you can upgrade by three or four levels sometimes in the course of a single season.
Remember that you can use Greenifier ONLY ONCE on any single square, which means that the level of any Crop that you grow can improve only by one level. You can use any of the Formulae on a daily basis, however, and with Formula C, you will speed the growth by three days. I usually use Greenifier on the middle square only and then use Formula C on the same square on each subsequent day. Otherwise, if I choose other squares to upgrade randomly, I tend to forget which square has the upgraded Crop in it!
Where the Crop is slow-growing and rare, I try to grow it on the Floating Chamber near the Water Tower. With all my slow-growing rare Flowers at the same location, I can visit them daily without spending much time or effort to do so. Until you defeat the Giant Squid in the Water Tower, however, you will spend a fair amount of time, even with the rope shortcut, simply traveling to and from the Floating Chamber. It is not as practical to grow all the Crops there until you have established the Circle Portal. Until then, you may wish to confine your rare Crops to the various dungeons in Trampoli.
A general rule of thumb is: Don't use high level ingredients on Tools, because you can upgrade them from Level 1 simply by using 2 pieces of Scrap Iron. Use your high-level ingredients ONLY when all ingredients are high-level. Otherwise, you are wasting the level because the result will be based on the lowest level of ingredient.
N.B. My advice would be to take all four Elemental Capes and create a Black Robe instead. Even a Level 1 Black Robe would be superior to all the individual Elemental Capes.
The screenshots show a Level 2 Tiara, created using Level 1 Ingredients 'with expertise'.
Frantic Farming Strategies and Request
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More than a week after Frantic Farming was released, I am beginning to hear from other players who have found the game challenging in Story Mode and have not had an easy time completing every Story.
I wrote a little General Guide for Frantic Farming. Ultimately, I would like to include the actual text from each Story in the Guide, but I haven't had the time to transcribe them yet.
As I believe I wrote previously, my Strategy would be as follows:
Complete the game in Story Mode for both Chelsea and Mark, thereby unlocking the other two 'Modes', the Music player, the Records and some of the Character and Endings art. In doing so, you will unlock two new characters in the form of Shea and Natalie as well.
I did not find it that difficult to complete either Natalie's Story or Shea's Story.
In doing so, I then unlocked two more characters in the form of Vaughn and Elliot. It was after this that I met with my first real defeat in the final Chapter of Vaughn's Story. I still haven't completed Vaughn's Story...
In fact, this took me to the alternative strategy of playing the game in Story Attack Mode to unlock the other six characters. Doing so gave me vital practice in seeing how the Harvest Sprite moves and waters Crops. The tutorials are excellent but there is no real substitute for actual gameplay.
My biggest problem in Story Mode is running out of time in the Puzzles with a time limit. I don't run out of mature Crops as often as I run out of time.
I believe that the key to success is being able to use the Special Skill of the Character you are playing effectively. You need to 'set up' your Grid so that use of the Special Skill will have the greatest effect.
Another vital element in successful strategy is setting up the grid so that the Harvest Sprite's watering ALWAYS has the greatest effect. Chains, for example, increase his field of influence. When you are in a Mode that includes Stone-dropping, you need to make certain that you are able to break apart all the stones that fall on your field quickly without using all the watering efforts to do only that.
My own Touchscreen is worn out, which means that my own speed in moving crops is impaired. I think speed in moving crops is another vital element... and avoiding unnecessary or ineffective movements of Crops would be important where there is a time limit to the puzzle.
Big Crops and Gold Crops must be utilised to the maximum effect. Remember that, whenever a Big Crop is harvested, the Sprite will water a far larger area than usual. Set up your field accordingly BEFORE you harvest the Big Crop. Knowing when the Big Crops are set to appear is important as well. Don't allow nearly ripe Crops to be caught within the highlighted area... I often move Stones into those spaces when the puzzle includes those.
Gold Crops have two separate uses: when harvested singly, all other Crops of that type will become ripe instantly and be harvested. When they are at the end of a Chain, you receive a point bonus. Whenever the puzzle has a time limit, you need to bring any Gold Crop to the ripe stage as quickly as possible in order to maximise the benefit it will bring. Many times when I have been defeated, I had Gold Crops ALMOST at ripe stage in my grid.
At least, these are elements that I perceive... any other strategy tips from players would be appreciated!
Bluebomr2 mentioned a facet of gameplay that I neglected to add to this post: Favourites. It is extremely important to take note of a character's 'Favourite' Crops BEFORE you begin any puzzle as his/her Special Skill oftens affects only 'favourites'. These are not the same as 'Most Favourite Gifts', by the way. They are favourites specifically designed for the purpose of the puzzles in Frantic Farming. Each playable character has two 'Favourites'.
Actually, I'd like to make a Request:
If any player(s) would be willing to help transcribe some of the Stories in Frantic Farming for me, I obviously would credit them in the Guide and they would earn my eternal gratitude. The Stories I definitely still need are:
Lanna's Story, Denny's Story, Julia's Story, Sabrina's Story, Pierre's Story, Witch Princess' Story.
The only part of Vaughn's Story I am missing is the Ending...
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