Time Out for Facebook Games

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I first registered on Facebook in order to be able to view family photographs posted by a very good Harvest Moon friend. I confess I do not spend much time on Facebook, although I neglect to 'log out', causing people to believe that I am hovering there somewhere in the ethernet.

When I first arrived there, my friend sent me all sorts of invitations and virtual items. I didn't have a clue as to what was going on and sadly did not respond in any way. It was only yesterday, having seen a number of postings by different people about places like 'Farmville' and 'Farm Town' as well as some sort of Cooking game that I decided to investigate personally.

I therefore accepted the very old invitation by my Harvest Moon friend and attempted to claim the old 'gifts' she had sent... I downloaded a game bar for Farmville that does not work and cluttered up my browser with all sorts of Zynga 'apps'. So this is the world of apps that is advertised endlessly... Is it worthwhile to interact with them?

The answer, if one were to weigh REAL games like Harvest Moon, Rune Factory and The Sims, in a balance with these 'apps' would be 'No.' They are simplistic and lack any of the depth, humour or philosophy that is so much a part of the games I like to play. Incidentally, I explored a combat RPG called Castle Age at the same time, seduced by the rather lovely graphics.

I suppose, however, that these 'apps' are not intended to be compared to real games at all. They are not designed for uninterrupted concentrated gameplay. They are little time-fillers, a way to amuse and entertain oneself while one is multi-tasking on Facebook, having conversations with Facebook friends, 'creeping' on people or otherwise whiling away a lifetime online without really accomplishing anything. Places like Farmville and Farm Town give one a sense of DOING something at least, by harvesting crops and earning coins, even if there is no real depth to the experience.

All these games are free, by the way, but the entire purpose, disguised beneath cute graphics and offers designed in the spirit of universal friendship, is ADVERTISING. Furthermore, although there is no overt negative motivation on the part of the creators of these games, they are designed to give access to the players' personal information and details. I do not share my information on Facebook to any one apart from my friends, but Zynga immediately demanded access and received it as there is no alternative if you wish to gain access to the games they produce.

Basically, they ask you to promote their games by sending 'free gifts' to your friends, thereby introducing them to the game. There is nothing nefarious here, but it is marketing dressed up as gaming. You begin any game with a few assets and the ability to earn coins by playing the game, whether it is a matter of growing crops (Farmville or Farm Town) or working in a factory (Yoville) or embarking on Quests and fighting enemies (Castle Age). HOWEVER... if you are seduced by the superior goods that cost far more than you could hope to earn in the near future, you are offered an opportunity to purchase MORE 'Cash and Coins' with your REAL money, whether through PayPal or credit card transaction. Apart from this direct exchange of real currency for fake currency, there are a host of advertising offers from diverse companies, from Discover to Shoe Emporiums and Survey Groups, promising you game currency if you apply for a credit card, buy footwear or sign up to participate in surveys. Is this any worse than the adverts that clutter up the internet, forcing their way into your consciousness whenever you compose an email, perform a search or visit YouTube? I daresay it isn't and at least it is fun.

The interesting part of these games, to me, is the way they promote the entire concept of Facebook by giving you the opportunity to interact with your 'friends' on Facebook in a myriad of different settings. In other words, your friends can become your neighbours in Farmville, part of your army in Castle Age or neighbours and co-workers at the local factory in Yoville. Some of the interaction is generated by the game itself. Your 'friends' actually may not be online when they ask for assistance in raking leaves or frightening crows on their farms. It does give you the illusion that you are part of a community, however, and this may be comforting to individuals who live in real isolation or have few chances to socialise in the real world.

I never had much free time to spend on Facebook and I very much doubt if I will have time to work on my farms in Farmville or Farm Town or perform many Quests in Castle Age. I expect I have but skimmed the surface of these games and that there are more delights in store for a player who actually devotes many weeks to them. I certainly will try to visit my holdings in the Zynga universe from time to time to see how the games unfold, but I can't imagine that I will be doing so on a daily basis.

So far, of all the games I have explored, I liked Farm Town the best initially because you could plant crops and Trees and have both ranch animals and pets without being forced to use any 'real' money to invest in the enterprise. You evidently can purchase fishing locations as well in the form of ponds, rivers or beaches. If you receive a gift from a friend that you do not like, moreover, you can trade it for another one. With the fishing option, at first glance, it appeared to resemble Harvest Moon therefore more than Farmville, but in fact, I only have scratched the surface of Farmville. With respect to Farm Town, I don't like the look of my avatar much and the graphics in general are fairly simplistic, but any one who played early Harvest Moon games knows that satisfying gameplay is far more important than graphics. The incredible graphics that now grace any Harvest Moon or Rune Factory game are simply the icing on the cake.

Actually, people who are experts at Farm Town have utilised the rather simple graphics in some incredibly creative ways. One farmer created his farm in the form of a turtle and another created the figure of a dragon in his.

Although the graphics in Castle Age are lovely, they are static rather than interactive, like illustrations in a picturebook. The game really appears to be designed for multi-player action, something that never works well for me, because I really do not have the time for it. You can duel against other players or work with them to fight boss enemies... My problem with this particular game is the fact that any Quest or duel takes energy and you then have to wait for the gauges to refill. Again, though, it is a game to play while multitasking, not intended to occupy your attention fully.

I actually played a couple of computer games that are somewhat similar to these Zynga games, although they had more fully-defined goals. One was Virtual Villagers and the other was Fish Tycoon. I enjoyed both very much and. They worked in real time as do the Zynga games and of the two, I liked the Fish Tycoon best as it allowed you to create a magnificent aquarium on your desktop. Both games required some effort and concentration, however, as death was an element in each. You needed to keep your Villagers and Fish healthy and happy. The Fish Tycoon ultimately was released on the DS platform but I never had time to play that version. One of the reasons I liked the game in the first place was the fact that it could be on the desktop of my computer, giving me joy as I worked.

Chambers 6 and 7 of the Mine in HoLV

I have added both configurations for Chamber 6 and the two configurations for Chamber 7 to the HoLV Mining Site I created.

You will gain access to these on 20 Winter in the first year whether or not you actually defeat the Robot Mole.
HoLV Mining Puzzles

The Location of the Harvest Goddess Spring in HoLV

A player asked about the location of the Harvest Goddess Spring in a comment on this site, but as I recall my own confusion in the first days of Spring navigating the Map in HoLV, I decided to post some screenshots of it here.

There are two ways of approaching the screen where the Harvest Goddess Spring is located. You can approach it from the east, from the Mallard Lake screen or you can approach from the west, where the Funland headquarters and Mine are located.

It can be somewhat confusing as the river has a number of Spring-like configurations on this screen. In fact, where your access to the river at the far western point of this screen originally is barred by a large boulder, you later will be able to unlock a new fishing spot here by giving Ponta the 11th Fish and requesting a Fish Print of it. By then, you should be familiar enough with the Map not to become further confused!

One way of identifying the Harvest Goddess Spring is by looking for the green Turtle who appears to make it his home. Another is by looking for the large patch of dirt in front of it.

If you access the screen from the east, you first will come upon a little footbridge that leads to an area where two Fruit Trees stand. The one on the right is an Apple Tree yielding one Apple and the one on the left bears two Cranberries. There is a single patch of untilled soil here as well. This is where, when the square has been tilled, the Blue Mist Seed will be planted in the Blue Mist and Azure Swallowtail Quest.

Move left (west) beyond this area along the main path to find the Harvest Goddess Spring on your Character's right. In other words, if you are walking or riding west, you will see the Harvest Goddess Spring to the north. If, however, you descend the stairs from the Mine Entrance area to enter the screen, the Harvest Goddess Spring will be to your left but still on the northern side of the path, naturally.

New HoLV Mining Puzzle Site

As Mining in HoLV involves a series of puzzles, it is useful to be able to refer to the actual screenshots of each Chamber, 'before' and 'after' the puzzle is solved. Each Chamber has two possible Configurations or Puzzles. I created a post some time ago on this site with the Configurations of Chambers 1 - 5, but it can be rather annoying to look for old posts on this site.

I therefore created a little site that is devoted SOLELY to Mining Puzzles in Hero of Leaf Valley. Here is the link:

HoLV Mining Puzzles

As you can see, the URL is short and because it consists of a single post, you always will be able to access the screenshots of the Puzzles immediately.

The Amazing 'Golden Potato' in HoLV

This post will not offer any real tips for gameplay, but is a reflection on the entire basis of Harvest Moon. In Hero of Leaf Valley, there are a number of ways to save the Valley from development into an Amusement Park. The primary method involves successful accumulation of 50,000G in income, but even this method has different results depending on your actions in the first two years. The other two methods are either to transform the Valley into a Nature Preserve or a Tourist Attraction.

Players of the old 'Save the Homeland' game for the Playstation will recall the 'Sacred Land' Quest. I played 'Save the Homeland' myself long ago, but only now realised how much all Harvest Moon games are intertwined. For the 'Fruit of Fortune', grown from the 'Golden Potato Seeds' is none other than the humble Yam or Sweet Potato, one of the great 'money crops' or 'cash crops' in any Harvest Moon game.

It is entirely fitting that the 'Treasure' of Leaf Valley should be the Sweet Potato/Yam rather than any form of currency, jewels or precious metals. Incidentally, 'unlocking' Yams in the form of the Golden Potatoes of HoLV (not to be confused with the gold Mineral Potatoes) is an example of the value of experiencing all possible Events to complete all possible Story Quests in HoLV rather than doing the bare minimum required to save the land.

I have written about Dia's personal odyssey in HoLV before. It is a very touching tale of a rather fragile, sheltered girl who learns to appreciate the honest toil of a farmer and to interact personally with the soil. Although your friendship is a key element in her personal growth, her own recognition of the vastness of the universe and the extraordinary details in Nature, coupled with her love of reading and knowledge ultimately make her one of the most well-rounded Characters in HoLV.

This is not the case at the start of the game, however. In early Spring, she is shy and abrupt almost to the point of rudeness. Her dialogues, like the conversations of many individuals in reality whose painful shyness denies them ordinary social graces, could be mistaken for arrogance.

Dia's metamorphosis is somewhat similar to that of Mary Lennox's spiritual awakening in Frances Hodgson Burnett's classic, 'The Secret Garden'. Mary represents an archetype common among expatriate 19th century European colonialists, growing up in India and accustomed to the care of submissive servants rather than the attention and love of her own parents. She is sent 'home' to England where, initially bad-tempered and spoiled, her increasing interaction with wild animals and the earth itself transform her spiritually and physically. There is more than a little proselytising in this work by the author who, like many of her contemporaries, embraced the axiom of 'mens sana in corpore sano' in a reaction against elements that believed civilisation was designed to rise above Nature. The series of Harvest Moon likewise embraces a philosophy to the effect that Nature has the power to teach and heal, bringing us back from a rather unwholesome 'hothouse' technological lifestyle.

Dia is not the only Character whose attitudes develop and improve with regular social interactions. Members of the Funland crew, including their 'hot' CEO Alice, are changed by your encounters and friendship with them.

Farming as a form of heroism is a fascinating basis for a series of games. When one reflects upon the culture of the samurai as an integral part of Japanese culture and the historical conflicts between the warrior class and the farmers, Harvest Moon becomes even more interesting in philosophical terms. Farmers often were viewed as inferior and cowardly by the warrior class, not only in Japan but in any civilisation with a defined warrior culture. Kurosawa's epic classic, 'The Seven Samurai' depicts this conflict beautifully but at the same time shows the fallacy in traditional Samurai arrogant assumptions about the 'peasants'. Like the Samurai of Japan, the warrior class in the Arab world in the form of the bedouin of the desert believed that their superiority at arms gave them the right to raid the villages. A conflict always existed between the 'settled' groups who tilled the soil and the bedouin tribes.

Although Rune Factory allows your Character to be both farmer and warrior, it conforms to traditional Harvest Moon philosophy in that farming is NOT perceived as an inferior occupation. In fact, your Character, although a warrior in the past, ultimately derives honour from his accomplishments as a successful farmer rather than achieving glory through force of arms. Other warrior Characters such as Kross in Rune Factory Frontier embrace the farmer's life as a means of purification and spiritual advancement.

Friendship 'Bonus' a Double-Edged Sword in HoLV

On 10 Summer, Freyr's Horse had a single heart and was painfully slow to ride. On 11Summer, when he saved his game, he was astounded to discover that his Horse had the maximum Friendship Level of 5 Hearts and could run like the wind. He had not made any Wish with the Goddess with respect to the Horse, but had brushed it, whistled to it and mounted it.

11 Winter was a rainy day. All my animals were inside the Barn and the Chickens were inside the Coop. While caring for the Livestock, I accidentally pushed the Horse out of the Barn. I used the Bell instantly to bring him back into the Barn, but apparently the damage was done in terms of his FP.

Although, when I 'talked' to him, he was in a good mood, on the morning of 12 Winter, when I saved my game, my Horse, who had 5 Hearts on the morning of 11 Winter had only 1 Heart on 12 Winter.

In other words, the FP 'Bonus' can work both ways. The accidental effect of pushing the Horse out of the barn, however briefly, was multiplied to the point where he lost 4 out of 5 of his Hearts!

I reloaded and replayed the day, mainly because the Horse's speed is an integral part of the game, especially when you need to race against the Robot Horse.

If you don't do what you are supposed to do...

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In Hero of Leaf Valley, you will be visited by the Sprites on 2 Winter in the first year. They will beg you to deal with a 'strange bird' who is terrorising the Valley.

Obviously, you need to defeat the Robot Crow, but I always like to find out what will occur if you FAIL to make the proper gestures... Thus, after the Events that show the proper sequence of successful Events, you can find the results of a situation where Freyr did nothing whatsoever while the Robot Crow ate everything in sight. As the conversation between the Funland employees is rather amusing, I am posting it here. All of these Events are included in my HoLV Characters Guide in the section that is devoted to Alice.

Note that, if you DO defeat the Crow as you should, Alice's FP will increase. After the Event, Freyr visited her and found she had gained a heart.

By the way, despite dire warnings to the effect that the Robot Crow, if allowed to roam freely, will consume all the Crops and fruits in Leaf Valley, I did not find this to be the case when I tested the 'bad' result in my game. As a matter of fact, directly after the Event wherein Freyr stood motionless watching the Crow eat all the ftuit, he STILL found Chestnuts and Red Herb in the Items Shop/Florist Shop Square and all the usual items elsewhere on the Map.


Robot Crow Sprite SOS


On 2 Winter, at 6.00 a.m., I experienced a visit from three agitated harvest Sprites:

Nic: Freyr, it's terrible!

Nac: A strange bird is terrorising the town!

Flak: C-Can you do something?!

Nic: I think you should talk to that weird item shop guy. He's sure to know something about something that weird!

Nac: J-Just do whatever you can! Or I'll never be able to go outside again!


Defeat of the Robot Crow


Although Louis' Shop usually would not be open for business at this early hour, I rush immediately to the area where his Shop and Lyla's Florist Shop are located to trigger the next Event in this sequence.

An enormous robotic creature is pecking at some food on the ground. I run into Louis' Shop:

Louis: Oh, Freyr! Did you see that robot crow...?! It just appeared a few moments ago, but it's taking the fruit and... What, how to stop the robot...? I'm not sure I... Let me think about it...... I know, maybe...! I've heard that the robot crow has even been spotted during the night... Which means that it can still operate without the sun to power it or the need to be charged. Which means, I believe that... That robot crow is directly using food as its energy source. So maybe you will be able to stop it if you gather up all the food before it can get to them? J-Just to be clear, this is all just my hypothesis. Be very careful...

I now must search for fruit on the ground, to collect it before the Crow can reach it to 'refuel'. It is not difficult. After collecting three pieces of fruit, the robot crow crashes and disappears underground.

Louuis emerges from his shop.

Louis: Freyr, you did it! I am very glad you were really able to stop it that way. I'm sure the Funland Company built this robot crow. The technology... Is really amazing... I think building such a thing proves how serious they are.

You now spy the Funland crew behind the tree near the flowerbeds.

Alice: H-Hey... It stopped working, what's going on?!

Charles: The robot crow is built to convert the fruit it eats into energy. Basically, it ran out of fuel.

Renton: Which means that we failed.

The angry CEO turns to both of them now, with incredulity.

Alice: Well, you say that pretty casually... Do you know how much that robot cost us?! How about you think about that!

Charles: Boss... You'll ruin your beautiful face if you get so angry.

Renton: It's all that farmer boy's fault.

Alice: Yes, that guy from the farm... What was his name? I'm not going to forgive him for this.

(And after all the gifts I have given her, walking late at night to the Mine to be courteous and friendly...)

Charles: I think it was, Freyr...

Renton: That's right. That was his name.

Alice: Freyr... I won't forget it again. You'll soon find out what happens when you make me angry!

The Event ends. There are two Red Herbs where I stand. Louis has vanished.

Oddly enough, Lyla stands in the middle of the area, as though nothing untoward has occurred, simply exclaiming:

Lyla: Good morning, what a wonderful morning. It may be a little cold, but I like it much better than the heat.


Failure to Defeat the Crow


If I had refused to try to defeat the Crow, simply standing there as it flew from fruit to fruit, refueling at will, it finally would fly away, triumphant.

My character would stand, shoulders slumped in the centre of the little square where the Items Shop and Florist are situated.

Alice, Charles and Renton then would walk up to me. The 'finger-snapping villain' music would play.

Alice: Oh, Freyr. It seems our company's robot has caused you a bit of trouble.

I turn to face them.

Alice: Well, not that you have any right to say what we do on our property.

Charles: It was wonderful, wasn't it? This machine can run forever as long as it has food to feed on.

Renton: that's right. It's got a large appetite like the boss!

Alice: I'm cutting your pay cheque in half.

Renton: Boss, wait! That's too much!

Alice:...But what Renton says is true. That robot has a big appetite. It might eat up all the food around here... I recommend you give up before then and just leave town. Bye then. Haaaaaaa ha ha ha ha!!

The Funland group would leave and the music would change as Louis would walk out of his shop to join me in the square.

Louis: ...that's unfortunate. But I am glad you were not hurt. The technology... Is really amazing... I think building such a thing proves how serious they are. But what they said seemed to support my hypothesis. I think we will be able to manage the next time. ...Most likely. Let's get back to our work for now. Although I believe that we should all be a little careful.


Louis Saves the Day


If your Character does not defeat the Robot Crow, either because he does not encounter it or fails to collect the fruit when he does find it, Louis will appear at your door at 6.00 a.m. on 5 Winter.

Louis: Freyr, good morning. There is something I wanted to ask you... Do you remember the robot crow? I actually saw it again last night. Maybe it was because there was not any food nearby, but it appeared low on energy. Seeing that, I thought this was my chance! So I gathered all the nearby fruit and hid them in my pockets. And then, the robot crow fell towards the beach! Perhaps it ran out of fuel. I still feel I was very lucky. But I believe that this matter is behind us now... Well, I just thought I should inform you... Good bye, then.

Improved HoLV Perpetual Calendar

When I first obtained Hero of Leaf Valley, I created a Festival and Birthdays Guide, pursuant to my usual habit of doing so for any Harvest Moon or Rune Factory game. When I realised that Events needed to be organised in the manner of FoMT/MFoMT, HM DS/Cute DS with the creation of an HoLV 1st Year Events Calendar Guide and an HoLV
2nd Year Events Calendar Guide, I briefly wondered if there were any point in keeping the HoLV Festivals and Birthdays Guide as all Birthdays and Festivals were included in the Events Calendar Guides for the first two years...

Well, I realised today that the HoLV Festivals and Birthdays Guide could be one of the most useful quick-reference Guides for players if I added Seasonal Crops, Fruits/Nuts/Berries, Fish, Insects and Most Wanted Items to each Season. Although this information is included in the HoLV Walkthrough/General Guide and the Most Wanted Lists and Delivery Requests are given in the HoLV Shops and Businesses Guide, tranforming the little HoLV Festivals and Birthdays Guide into a true HoLV Perpetual Calendar Guide with ALL of this seasonal information at a player's fingertips, as it were, for instant access, could be invaluable. I certainly find it extremely useful in my own game, which is my basic standard when I create any new guide.

Thus, the small HoLV Festivals and Birthdays Calendar Guide now is the HoLV Perpetual Calendar Guide as follows:


Hero of Leaf Valley PSP Complete Perpetual Guide


By Freyashawk

Introduction
The Perpetual Calendar
1st and 2nd Year Events Calendars
Friendship Levels and Story Quests
Effects of Seasonal Changes
Complete Perpetual Calendar
Spring Season
Spring Crops
Items found in the Wilds
Spring Wild Fruits, Nuts, Berries and Flowers
Spring Fish
Spring Insects
Spring Most Wanted Lists
Spring Birthdays and Festivals
Summer Season
Summer Crops
Items found in the Wilds
Summer Wild Fruits, Nuts, Berries and Flowers
Summer Fish
Summer Insects
Summer Most Wanted Items
Summer Birthdays and Festivals
Autumn Season
Autumn Crops
Items found in the Wilds
Autumn Wild Fruits, Nuts, Berries and Flowers
Autmn Fish
Autumn Insects
Autumn Most Wanted ITems
Autumn Birthdays and Festivals
Winter Season
Winter Crops
Items Found in the Wilds
Winter Wild Fruits, Nuts, Berries and Flowers
Winter Fish
Winter Insects
Winter Most Wanted Items
Winter Birthdays and Festivals


Introduction


This Guide consists of a Perpetual Calendar for Hero of Leaf Valley, with important information for each Season entered beneath the heading for the Season. It includes all Birthdsys and Festivals as well as Seasonal Crops, Items found in the Wilds, Season-Specific Fish and Most Wanted Lists.

Events that occur are NOT included in this Guide but can be found in my HoLV 1st Year Events Calendar Guide and HoLV 2nd Year Events Calendar Guide at:

Hero of Leaf Valley 1st Year Events Calendar Guide:
http://faqs.ign.com/articles/108/1087187p1.html

Hero of Leaf Valley 2nd Year Events Calendar Guide
http://faqs.ign.com/articles/109/1090010p1.html

The first two years of the game are critical in that the game automatically will end if you fail to save the Valley from the threat of development into an Amusement Park. All Events connected to this goal as well as Friendship Events are included in the Events Calendar Guides for the first two years.

In 'Hero of Leaf Valley', your quest to save the Land can be performed in a number of different ways and each 'Happy Ending' has its own pivotal Characters and Events. Fundamental to ANY successful completion of your Quest is the need to raise the Friendship Levels of other Characters in the Valley.

As in any Harvest Moon or Rune Factory game, Friendship Levels increase when you 'meet and greet' Characters regularly and give them items that they particularly like or love. A Birthday Gift has a greater value in Friendship Points than the same item would have if given to the Character on an ordinary day. Remembering Birthdays therefore is a key element in Harvest Moon.

Being aware of Festivals, their schedules and any possible results is important. Race Days are an opportunity to make money through wagering as well as winning prizes by entering your Horse and winning one of the three Races for the first time. The Harvest Goddess Festival in Spring is an opportunity to boost Friendship/Heart Levels with a Gift. The Harvest Festival in Autumn is a romantic Festival.

When you begin 'Hero of Leaf Valley', only two dates will appear on the Calendar on your Wall.

Spring:

11 Spring: Harvest Goddess Festival

22 Spring: Race Day

Whenever you meet a new Character, however, his/her Birthday immediately will be added to your Calendar.


Seasonal Changes


In any Harvest Moon or Rune Factory game, the change in Seasons will have an effect not only on the Crops you can grow but on the Items found in the Wilds as well. In HoLV, there are other Seasonal effects that are linked both to Individuals and local Merchants. These are the Most Wanted Lists and Delivery Requests that appear in the Menus of the local Shops as well as the Villa.

Delivery Requests are Year-Specific with a three-year rotation schedule. In other words, Delivery Requests for the 1st Year will be valid in the 4th Year and so on. Most Wanted Items Lists, on the other hand, are valid every Year. I therefore have included the Most Wanted Lists for each Season beneath the Season heading on the Calendar, as this is a Perpetual Calendar, valid for every year.


Perpetual Calendar


In this Perpetual Calendar, you will find all Birthdays listed with a 'Most Favourite' Gift valued at +3 FP first followed by other suggested Gifts that are less expensive but worth at least +2 FP. Beneath the heading of each Season, you will find Seasonal Crops that can be grown only in that Season followed by 'Other Crops' that can be grown in other Seasons as well. Fish that are specific to the Season likewise are listed first followed by the Fish that can be caught in other Seasons as well. Insects are listed in the same fashion. Items found in the Wilds as well as Wild Fruits, Nuts, Berries and Flowers have been included. Most Wanted Items for each Season are given here although they can be found in the HoLV Shops and Businesses Guide. I have not included Delivery Requests as they change on an annual basis. The information included in the Perpetual Calendar is valid for every year.


Spring


Spring Crops: Strawberry, Carrot
Other Crops: Potato, Tomato, Corn, Breadfruit, Alfalfa, Rice

Items Found in the Wilds: Red Herb, Green Herb, Grass, Common Seashell, Wonderful Seashell, Coral, Clam

Spring Wild Fruits, Berries, Nuts and Flowers: Apple, Cranberry, Orange, Very Berry, Blueberry, Moondrop Herb

Spring Fish: Huchen, Dace, Pale Chub, Dark Chub, Black Rockfish, Cobalt Rainbow Trout, Spanish Mackerel, Nagi, Rainbow Trout
Other Fish: Red Rockfish, Garden Eel, Sweetfish, Monkfish, Shrimp, Swordfish, Black Porgy, Mountain Grunt, Pacific Flying Squid, Porgy, Octopus, Surfsmelt, Loach, Albacore, Black Bass, Blotched Snakehead

All Seasons: Pirate Treasure, Sunken Treasure, Treasure Chest, Earthenware, Unusual Pot

Spring Insects: None limited to Spring
Other Insects: Swallowtail Butterfly, Drone Beetle, Monarch Butterfly, Grass Yellow, Caterpillar, Green Japonicus, Small White

Wanted Items Lists:
Grocery: Boiled Egg, Milk M, Fried Clam
Item Shop: Iron Ore, Copper Ore, Mineral Crystal
Florist: Fairy Dress Herb, Pink Cat Mint, Moondrop Herb, Coal
Cafe: Very Berry, Strawberry, Yogurt
Pub: Cheese, Black Truffle, Green Herb
Bob: Alfalfa Sprouts, Mineral Crystals
Carpentry: Blue Rock, Silver, Copper Ore
Villa: Rainbow Trout, Milk M, Carrot

1 Spring: Renton's Birthday (Grass, Any Nut or Berry)

5 Spring: Alice's Birthday (Rare Metal, Mineral Crystal, any Nut/Berry)

11 Spring: Harvest Goddess Festival
Ronald's Birthday (Boiled Egg, Any Nut or Berry)

6.00 a.m. Letter Announcement of Festival:

Harvest Goddess Festival (star)
Today is the Harvest Goddess Festival! Is there some one you'd like to thank? Is there some one you have a crush on? Take this opportunity to give a gift to that special some one, and become even better friends!

Tip: Gifts given to any Character today have a higher FP value than they would on any ordinary day.

16 Spring: Parsley's Birthday (Cranberry, any Nut or Berry)

22 Spring: Race Day

Entries must be made before noon; Races run and Medals exchanged between 2.00 p.m. - 4.00 p.m.

27 Spring: Lyla's Birthday (Pinkcat Herb, any flower, berry, nut)


Summer


Summer Crops: Watermelon, Wild Mint
Other Crops: Potato, Tomato, Corn, Breadfruit, Alfalfa, Rice

Items Found in the Wilds: Red Herb, Green Herb, Grass, Common Seashell, Wonderful Seashell, Coral

Summer Wild Fruits, Berries, Nuts and Flowers: Grapes, Cranberry, Chestnut, Walnut, Very Berry, Blueberry, Full Moon Berry, Moondrop Herb, Pinkcat Herb

Summer Fish: White-Spotted Char, Sweetfish, Squid, Longtooth Grouper, Dolphinfish, White Trevally, Catfish, Flounder
Other Fish: Greenling, Red Rockfish, Horse Mackerel, Garden Eel, Sweet Shrimp, Shrimp, Anchovy, Sardine, Eel, Swordfish, Blue Mackerel, Mackerel, Alaska Pollock, Pacific Flying Squid, Porgy, Octopus, Loach, Black Bass, Blue Hornard, Blotched Snakehead, Lobster

All Seasons: Pirate Treasure, Sunken Treasure, Treasure Chest, Earthenware, Unusual Pot

Summer Insects: Rhinoceros Beetle, Pincer Beetle
Other Insects: Red Dragonfly, Golden-Ringed Dragonfly, Lesser Emperor Dragonfly, Swallowtail Butterfly, Drone Beetle, Monarch Butterfly, Grass Yellow, Caterpillar, Common Skimmer, Green Japonicus, Small White

Most Wanted Lists:
Grocery: Black Watermelon, Strawberry Jam, Broiled Loach, Fried Corn
Item Shop: Red Herb, Pontata Root, Common Seashell
Florist: Frost Pansy, Fairy Dress Herb, Silverbell Herb
Cafe: Green Herb, Grapes, Chestnut
Pub: Porgy, Blotched Snakehead, Broiled Eel, Gazpacho
Bob: N/A
Carpentry: Gold Ore, Silver Ore, Coal
Villa: Garden Eel, Tomato, Corn, Full Moon Berry

1 Summer: Earth Day
Bob's Birthday (Honey, Fodder, Egg)

8 Summer: Gwen's Birthday (Full Moon Berry, any Berry or Nut)

10 Summer: Joe's Birthday (Any Fish)

14 Summer: Rudolph's Birthday (Rare Metal, Mineral Crystal, Red Herb)

15 Summer: Zann's Birthday

20 Summer: Fireworks Day

21 Summer: Wallace's Birthday (Boiled Egg, Any Berry/Nut)

24 Summer: Chester's Birthday (Rare Metal, Any Berry/Nut)

27 Summer: Race Day
Entries must be made before noon; Races run and Medals exchanged between 2.00 p.m. - 4.00 p.m.


Autumn


Autumn Crops: Pumpkin, Onion, Frost Pansy, Mistbloom
Other Crops: Potato, Tomato, Corn, Breadfruit, Alfalfa, Rice

Items Found in the Wilds: Red Herb, Green Herb, Grass, Common Seashell, Wonderful Seashell, Coral, Clam

Autumn Wild Fruits, Berries, Nuts and Flowers: Grapes, Apple, Cranberry, Chestnut, Walnut, Full Moon Berry, Pinkcat Herb

Autumn Fish: Leatherfish, Salmon, Pike, Tuna
Other Fish: Greenling, Red Rockfish, Horse Mackerel, Sweet Shrimp, Shrimp, Anchovy, Sardine, Eel, Chicken Grunt, Mountain Grunt, Black Scraper Fish, Raven Globefish, Tiger Globefish, Blue Mackerel, Mackerel, Alaska Pollock, Pacific Flying Squid, Black Porgy, Octopus, Ocellated Octopus, Sakura Salmon, Black Bass, Dark Sleeper, Albacore, Blue Hornard, Blotched Snakehead, Lobster, Smelt

All Seasons: Pirate Treasure, Sunken Treasure, Treasure Chest, Earthenware, Unusual Pot

Autumn Insects: Blue Damselfly
Other Insects: Red Dragonfly, Golden-Ringed Dragonfly, Lesser Emperor Dragonfly, Swallowtail Butterfly, Drone Beetle, Monarch Butterfly, Grass Yellow, Caterpillar, Common Skimmer, Green Japonicus, Small White

Most Wanted Lists:
Grocery: Cranberry Jam, Stewed Apple, Baked Golden Potato
Item Shop: Moonlight Stone, Scrap Metal, Red Herb, Super Mushroom
Florist: Mineral Crystal, Wild Mint,Fairy Dress Herb, Stardust
Cafe: Cranberry, Pumpkin, Chestnut, Full Moon Berry
Pub: Big Mushroom, Clam, Pike
Bob: N/A
Carpentry: Sapphire, Ruby, Opal
Villa: Onion, Apple, Orange

2 Autumn: Louis' Birthday (Egg, any Berry or Nut)

5 Autumn: Aurelia's Birthday (Lumber, any Berry or Nut)

10 Autumn: Harvest Festival

6.00 a.m. Announcement Letter in Postbox
You may receive a visit from the Eligible Girl with the highest Heart Level inviting you to the Dance; Dance held until 4.00 p.m. at Plaza

Go to the Plaza before 4.00 p.m. to experience the Festival Dance.

12 Autumn: Tim's Birthday (any Insect or Egg)

20 Autumn: Gina's Birthday (Large Fish, any Berry, Nut or Egg)

25 Autumn: Race Day

Entries must be made before noon; Races run and Medals exchanged between 2.00 p.m. - 4.00 p.m.

29 Autumn: Katie's Birthday (Full Moon Berry, Egg, any Berry or Nut)


Winter


Winter Crops: Spinach, Stardust
Other Crops: Potato, Tomato, Corn, Breadfruit, Alfalfa

Items Found in the Wilds: Red Herb, Green Herb, Grass, Common Seashell, Wonderful Seashell, Coral

Winter Wild Fruits, Berries, Nuts and Flowers: Cranberry, Chestnut, Apple, Orange

Winter Fish: Char, Right-Eyed Flounder, Cod, Pacific Herring, Young Amberjack, Amberjack, Masu Salmon
Other Fish: Greenling, Red Rockfish, Monkfish, Chicken Grunt, Mountain Grunt, Black Scraper Fish, Raven Globefish, Tiger Globefish, Alaska Pollock, Pacific Flying Squid, Black Porgy, Octopus, Ocellated Octopus, Sakura Salmon, Black Bass, Dark Sleeper, Blotched Snakehead, Smelt, Surfsmelt

All Seasons: Pirate Treasure, Sunken Treasure, Treasure Chest, Earthenware, Unusual Pot

Winter Insects: None
Other Insects: Caterpillar

Most Wanted Lists:
Grocery: Boiled Egg, Onion Soup, Doria, Clam Chowder
Item Shop: Pontata Root, Mineral Crystal, Coal
Florist: Alfalfa Sprouts, Red Herb, Fairy Dress Herb, Mistbloom
Cafe: Strawberry, Grape, Watermelon, Green Herb
Pub: Porgy, Cheese, Milk M
Bob: N/A
Carpentry: Lumber, Scrap Metal
Villa: Amberjack, Smelt, Carrot, Potato

2 Winter: Woody's Birthday (Lumber or Golden Egg, Any Nut/Berry or Egg)

9 Winter: Dia's Birthday (Blueberry or Frost Pansy, Any Berry or Nut)

10 Winter: Kurt's Birthday (Tomato, Nut or Berry)

23 Winter: Liar's Day

Charles' Birthday (Fluffy Bread, Mineral Crystal, any Ore, Red Herb)

25 Winter: Martha's Birthday (Fine Cheese, any Nut or Berry)

30 Winter: New Year's Day Festival

Cookbook and Items Lists in HoLV

I usually create a separate Items List/Shipping Guide for any Harvest Moon or Rune Factory game but with HoLV, I decided to add the Items Lists to the Shops and Businesses Guide. It makes sense as you cannot SHIP items in HoLV, but you can sell them to local merchants.

The Items Lists with their ordinary selling prices are included at the end of the Guide, after the Delivery Requests Lists. So far, I have listed all Crops, all Ranch Products, all Items from the Wilds, Fish, all items from the Mine and all Cooked Dishes. I will add notes as to the merchants who will buy each category of item. I will try to add information as to when any merchant will pay a higher price, although that information is given in the Wanted Items Lists.

As far as the Cookbook is concerned, I have added a Table of Contents that lists all Recipes. Recipes in the Cookbook are organised according to Utensil, mainly because your Kitchen in HoLV is equipped with a Small Pot and a Small Frying Pan. I therefore felt that players would like to know the Recipes that could be made with those basic utensils.

Strategies for Fishing in Hero of Leaf Valley

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Fishing is an interesting aspect of both Harvest Moon and Rune Factory in general, but in Hero of Leaf Valley, a new detail has been added to the experience. Depth is a factor in HoLV and it cannot be overlooked. Some fish simply can be caught solely if you cast your Rod at the right depth. You can fish all Season without ever seeing a Fish that tends to stay in the shallows if you constantly cast your Rod to the deepest point that can be reached.

Depth is displayed on a vertical gauge that appears only when you have targeted a psrticular location by pressing X. Fishing in HoLV requires three different actions even before any Fish takes your bait. You first need to equip your Rod using the Square Button. You then need to choose a target by pressing X. When you have done this, the vertical depth gauge will appear on the right side of your screen. Any fish that are located at the target point will be displayed at their current depth. It is here that strategy must be employed if you are looking for a specific type of Fish.

For example, you can catch Salmon during the Autumn season, but you will not find this Fish in the deeps. You need to look for a target point that displays a fish in the shallows if you are searching for Salmon. There are other Fish, including Pike, that tend to stay in the shallows so a Fish that is displayed at that depth is not guaranteed to be a Salmon, but at least you have a chance of catching one.

If you are looking for Treasures, on the other hand, you need to fish in the depths. This makes perfect sense, as most artifacts or Treasures will sink to the bottom of the sea or Lake. Large Fish such as Tuna tend to prefer the depths as well.

It is very exciting to be able to find Pirate Treasure in any season when fishing at Crystal Bay. In HoLV, the first Treasure or Artifact of any type goes directly to your Storeroom to be displayed. Any duplicates you find or catch go into your inventory and can be sold. Some command a very handsome price. There are a number of different 'Chests' in HoLV. There is the traditional Pirate Treausre, but there is a 'Treasure Chest' as well. There are ancient Artifacts in the form of Pots, Eerthenware, Clay Dolls and other interesting items. There are a diverse number of Fossils as well.

In HoLV, Fish are both location-specific and Season-specific to some extent, although the Seasons that have been given officially for each type of Fish are not entirely accurate. I have been logging my results and will correct any discrepancies.

The Special Fishing Bait that can be obtained either from the Harvest Sprites or made in the Transformer 2 Machine using Lumber is extremely useful. It prevents any Rubbish from being caught on your Fishing Rod in the course of a single fishing expedition. When you catch no Rubbish, you obviously catch far more Fish than you would without the Special Fishing Bait.

The type of Fishing Rod you use will determine the Fish that you are able to catch. The best Rod is the only one that will allow you to catch Tuna, for example. Although a wide variety of Fish can be caught with the basic Fishing Rod, it always is best to upgrade as quickly as possible. Better tools use less Energy and are more effective.

Mining Configurations, Before and After

There are two possible configurations for any Chamber in the Mine in HoLV. I made a video about this, but decided to post stills on this site, as even I sometimes forget the configurations and am lazy about it. WIth it here on my site, I can refer to it immediately.

I now have created a separate site for these Puzzles at:

.HoLV Mining Puzzles

I have used Roman Numerals for each Chamber and each Configuration. Thus, the first Chamber would be Chamber I. The first Configuration would be Chamber I.I. and the second would be Chamber I.II.

Incidentally, if you push any Yellow Rock too far and have no way to fix it, simply leave the Chamber and return. All Rocks will be reset to their original position.

The video I made on YouTube some time ago is more sophisticated, but this post at least will give players a quick reference point to the ten possible Configurations in the first five Chambers of the Mine.

My Character, as small as a flea in the screenshots, is standing in each 'after' screenshot at the Rock that needs to be smashed with the Hammer.

Remember always that only the Yellow Rocks can be moved but that they cannot be hit directly with a Hammer. The only way to smash a Yellow Rock is with an explosion wave from a Rock of any other colour.

You can smash the Rocks manually one by one, apart from the Yellow Rocks, but it will cost you dearly in energy and you will lose the items that are inside any Yellow Rocks in the Chamber.

To move any Yellow Rock, stand as close to it as possible until you see the prompt to 'Grab' with the O Button. Use the O Button to 'Grab' it. You then can move to any side of the Rock without letting go of it. Once your Character is positioned to push the Rock in the right direction, use the X Button to 'Push'. When the Yellow Rock has been placed properly, find the Rock that you wish to smash and, with Hammer equipped, use the Square Button to smash it. If the Explosion Wave destroys every Rock in the Chamber, you will hear a fanfare and see a prompt: Well done!


Chamber I.I before and after:










Chamber I.II, before and after.






Chamber II.I before and after.







Chamber II.II before and after.






Chamber III.I before and after.






Chamber III.II before and after.


On 1 Winter in the first Year, the second set of tunnels north of Chamber 3 should be cleared of rubble. You will be able to enter one new Chamber to the left and another new Chamber to the right. The tunnel to the left leads to this Chamber:






Chamber IV.I before and after.



Chamber IV.II before and after.



Take the tunnel to the right to find the fifth Chamber.




Chamber V.I before and after.






Chamber V.II before and after.

Question for Players of Hero of Leaf Valley

IGN has a limit as far as the size of any Guide is concerned. I therefore cannot add the schedules and/or strategies for all 16 Story Quests to the Walkthrough/General Guide. I have created an HoLV Characters Guide which contains the actual text of the Story Quest Events in the sections devoted to the Characters most closely connected to each Story Quest. The actual schedules of ALL Story Quests are provided in the HoLV 1st Year Events Calendar Guide and the 2nd Year Events Calendar Guide.

I wonder, however, if this is too fragmented for players. Perhaps I should add the text of all Story Quest Events to the Events Calendar Guides for each of the two first year. Alternately, I could add the schedules of all Events to the Characters Guide. At the moment, the text of the Events in the Characters Guide includes only the actual date and time when Freyr experienced each Event.

I believe the easiest solution would be to add the schedule of each Event to the Characters Guide. The Table of Contents in the Characters Guide does show where the Events for each Story Quest are included. If I provide the complete schedule as well as the actual date and time when my Character experienced the Event, this should prove helpful.

If any player has an opinion on the matter, please feel free to add your comment to this post.

Here is an example of how I intend to organise the actual Events in the HoLV Characters Guide:


The Tale of the Cake Contest



Katie's Events:


The following section includes all of Katie's Friendship Events as well as all Events connnected to the Tale of the Cake Contest Story Quest.


Katie's 1st Friendship Event


Schedule: 26 Spring - 28 Spring, 30 Spring or 2 Summer:

6.00 a.m. Katie's 1st Friendship Event (Tale of the Cake Contest) (Optional)

Location: Homestead

Requirements: You must have met Wallace previously; Katie must have 20 FP or higher

N.B. To gain +15 FP with Katie at the very start of the game, give negative responses to all three Questions posed by the Harvest Goddess


On Friday, 26 Spring, I experienced Katie's 1st Event when I left my farmhouse.

Katie: Good morning, Freyr! If you're free, why don't you come to the cafe? I'll treat you to some cake!

We now are at the Cake. I cram an entire slice of cake into my mouth.

Katie: How is it? Do you like it?

I nod.

Katie: Oh, good! Well, if you're going to stay here, I'd like you to know that you're always welcome in our cafe! We keep losing business because...well, more people move out of Leaf Valley than move in these days.

Wallace: Oh, don't worry. We still get by. But I hope you'll come by often, Freyr.

Katie and I now are at my door again.

Katie: Did you know that my grandpa and your grandmother were close friends since childhood? Maybe we can be close friends, too! Stop by and say hello sometime!

'Endings' in Hero of Leaf Valley

Some one who saw one of my HoLV You Tube videos made a comment to the effect that it looked like 'Save the Homeland' with more Harvest Moon activities. In fact, although this is true in a very general way, Hero of Leaf Valley is far more complex.

For a start, I seem to recall that 'Save the Homeland' would end when you completed ANY Story Quest. Essentially, the first Story Quest that you completed would end the game. You then could begin again with some of your assets to follow a different Story Quest.

In 'Hero of Leaf Valley', you can COMPLETE as many Story Quests as you like without any fear that the game will end abruptly, cheating you of the chance to play any longer.

It is on 30 Winter in the 2nd Year that the 'Ending' to the first part of the game will occur.

If you have 50,000G on 30 Winter, you will experience one of THREE endings associated with 'Shoot for the Stars!', the Main Story Quest. The first of these will allow you to enter the third year with the possibility of courting and marrying Alice. This Ending will occur only if you defeated EVERY Robot sent into the Valley and if you decided to rescue Alice and the Funland employees from drowning. The second Event Ending is the one that occurs if you tried your best but did not defeat EVERY Robot. The third ending Event is the one that occurs if you couldn't care less about Alice and simply wish to purchase the Land and be done with Funland.

If you do not have 50,000G on 30 Winter, you can experience one of three other Ending Events. The first is associated with the Nature Preserve solution. The second is associated with the Tourist Destination solution. The third is the ending that will occur if you neither have 50,000G nor completed at least three Story Quests in the Nature Preserve category or three Story Quests in the Tourist Destination category. The last Ending, therefore, is the Event that represents failure to save Leaf Valley.

If you fail to save the Valley, you will be forced to begin the game again, but will be allowed to keep some of your assets. What is interesting, however, is the fact that, even if you succeed in saving the Valley, you have the option to start a new game with your current assets.

In other words, the old 'Save the Homeland' option to play a new game still exists. This may be the choice of a player who has chosen to complete only a few Story Quests in the first game and wishes to experience more Events.

Of course, with the PSP capability of keeping multiple save files, you can save your game before 30 Winter in the 2nd year and then choose to start a new game in one file while going forward into the third year in another file.

Players who do not choose to move forward into the third year will not be able to marry, nor able to create a Greenhouse or experience the Sprinkler system that is available only in the advanced phase of the game. They will not meet Zann...

Nor will they be able to marry. In the context of marriage, there is another potential 'Main Story' in Hero of Leaf Valley.

If you have spoken frequently to the Harvest Goddess, you may have noted her wistfulness and loneliness. Even in the first year, she is outspoken in her dissatisfaction with her isolation from all but the Harvest Sprites.

Many of the Story Quests in HoLV are connected to the Harvest Goddess in one fashion or another, but there is one that is vital to her future. If you have any desire to court the Harvest Goddess, you must complete the Harvest Goddess Temple Quest. Furthermore, you must make certain that, at the end of the 2nd Year, her FP is higher than that of any of the ordinary Eligible Girls. You then will experience 'Marina's Confession', an Event of Transformation in which the Harvest Goddess sheds her wings and divine duties to become the human Girl Marina. This represents a significant change and it is one that players may wish to consider.

You can keep multiple save files in Hero of Leaf Valley. If you wish to experience Marina's Confession, you MUST save one file before you have raised any Eligible Girl's Heart Level to a point where the Harvest Goddess no longer can compete for the highest rank in your affections. You then can split your game into two separate paths, one for a future where the Harvest Goddess remains her divine self and another where she is allowed to come down from her pedestal to seek a very human life.

Incidentally, you can find the text of 'Marina's Confession' in my HoLV Characters Guide.

All in all, 'Hero of Leaf Valley' is far more than a new version of 'Save the Homeland'.

The Harvest Festival Dance in HoLV

I would like to dedicate this video to my friend and HM comrade, ILuvHM for all of her tireless work in logging the text of dialogue and events in Hero of Leaf Valley with me.

Animal Problems in HoLV

Players have had sad tales to tell about their Animals in almost every Harvest Moon games. Animals sometimes become stuck in walls when builders expand homes or barns. Animals left outside, even in pens, sometimes escape and disappear, even though the game does not recognise that they have vanished...

Well, HoLV has some occasional problems with Animals as well. Some are amusing but others can cause loss of Hearts.

Another player's Journal vividly describes the problems she has encountered with her own dog Junah:

'Where is junah? Ugh! I can hear him barking but can’t see any part of him. I whistle. He’s behind the trash can in the wall. He can’t seem to get away. I waited by the bed again and made a quick grab for him. Is this normal? Does he sleep in the walls? In AP your dog slept by your bed...

In another entry:

'Where is Junah? Junah is stuck behind the TV. I whistle and looked out from behind the tool box. I can see his feet running under the TV. I walk over and the word 'Examine' is highlighted. I walk over to my bed and wait for the words 'Pick up', then grab him. I put him down again by the table. He’s walking funny. His feet are going forward, but his body is sliding sideways. He walks through the kitchen wall and into the fridge. The fridge looks like it has a tail as Junah’s tail is sticking out. Funny. I decide to leave him in the fridge to help himself to all the fish he can eat.'

Her descriptions are hilarious and happily, her dog's situation caused no loss in Friendship.

In my own game, however, my first Dog problem DID result in the loss of a Heart.

I had taken my dog to the Grocery Shop area to 'Search' for items. He did this quite docilely and successfully but THEN went into the sign in front of Ronald's Shop. He looked like one of those guys that appear in old films wearing 'sandwich boards' to advertise some one's business. He really appeared to be wearing the sign or else to have mutated into a half-dog, half-sawhorse creature.

This would not have been a problem had he responded when I whistled for him, but he failed to do so. The sun set and I think the silly creature fell asleep in between the boards. Meanwhile, knowing that I would lose significant FP with him if I could not take him home with me, I continued to whistle for him. In desperation, I actually walked into my Homestead, then returned to the area immediately to see if the shift in screen would shift HIM. Well, it evidently shifted him to another dimension as he had disappeared completely.

I went into the Homestead again to see if somehow he had followed me and had put himself safely to bed. No such luck.

He was at five hearts when I took him foraging. I may have incurred two black strikes, one by whistling at him after he fell asleep and the other by 'abandoning' him on another screen. The fact that I stayed up until 1.00 a.m. trying to retrieve him counted for nothing...

At 6.00 a.m. the next morning, he was at four hearts but waited by the food dish as though nothing untoward had occurred. Very annoying. My only recourse if I did not wish to live with the loss of affection would be to reload from another slot and replay the day. It isn't worth the effort. I have the Power Berries and it will be interesting to see how quickly I can win back the lost heart...

Incidentally, I won the heart back in a single day. Even so, it was irritating because it was the DOG'S fault and not mine!

Video Tutorial about Mining in HoLV

Not as artistic as I would have liked perhaps, but I am having trouble with my laptop again.

In any case, it provides useful visual information about the Rock Configurations in the first three Chambers of the Mine as well as information about the Underground Lake.



Although this video really was created to show the Rock Configurations in the first three Chambers, a brief explanation of Mining may be in order.

First of all, you need to unlock Mining in general by working Part-Time for Rudolph five times before you will be able to unlock Mining for yourself. In order to experience some of the Story Quest Events that are linked to the Mine, you must satisfy requirements in terms of the total number of items that you have obtained from the Mine. Mineral Crystals do not count where these totals are concerned, as you can 'create' them yourself using the Transformer 1 Machine. In order to experience all possible Events in the Story Quests linked to the Mine, you need to have obtained at least 30 items from the Mine. This is a fairly low requirement, as are any of the Requirements in HoLV. It actually represents the bare minimum any player should be able to obtain if he/she visits the Mine a few times.

A new Chamber should be unlocked at the beginning of any new Season, BUT it is possible that there are minimum requirements that must be met here as well. Obviously, if you did not unlock mining yet, the Chambers will remain barred with fallen masonry. There may be some requirements in terms of the total number of items that players have obtained previously in the Mine as well. These totals would be fairly minimal, but Mineral Crystals would not be included in the count. The reason why Mineral Crystals are not counted is because you can create them yourself by placing Grass in the Transformer 1 Machine in the same manner in which you can create Special Fish Bait by placing Lumber in the Transformer 2 Machine.

If you have unlocked no new Chambers in the Mine NOR the Underground Lake, then I would assume it is a mining requirement rather than an additional fishing requirement.

In my game and those of players who were able to access the Underground Lake as soon as Ponta spoke of it, we had been mining on a regular basis since the start of the game, gaining access to the Mine as early as we could in Spring by working 5 times for Rudolph. We had been selling items from the Mine regularly to local merchants and had given gifts to Rudolph to raise his FP. We experienced two of his Friendship Events before Autumn... Rudolph's total FP is the only other variable that comes to mind.

Incidentally, the only Harvest Moon and Rune Factory games that I cover are the genuine authentic versions published by Natsume and XSeed. True fans of Harvest Moon and Rune Factory will obtain the genuine article, even if it involves some personal sacrifice, in the interest of helping to support the people who make these games available to us. If you are using bootlegs or illegal downloads, then you are NOT supporting the creators of these fabulous games. Illegal downloads and bootlegs tend to have all sorts of 'bugs' and problems, from an inability to save your game properly to corrupted data or options that do not work.

General Strategies in HoLV

Any Harvest Moon or Rune Factory game can be played in a number of different ways and HoLV definitely is part of the Harvest Moon series. It differs somewhat from most traditional Harvest Moon games in the necessity of 'saving the homeland' from Funland's threat of development by the end of the 2nd Year. There are a wide array of choices as to how you wish to accomplish this goal, however, and players need not experience ALL possible Events in HoLV in order to achieve the goal.

For many players, including myself, however, experiencing all possible Events IS a goal and I created the 1st and 2nd Year Events Calendar Guides with that aim in mind. A certain amount of planning is necessary if you wish to experience all possible Events simply because ALL Events are time-restricted and many have specific weather requirements.

When you experience the Event at the Villa where you obtain the Silk Thread and are told to give it to the Harvest Goddess, Flak makes an odd statement about his patroness, the Harvest Goddess:

Flak: Harvest Goddess keeps bugging us if the 'Silk Thread' is ready yet. But she's so fickle, she won't care about the 'Seven-Colour Cloth' in a few days!

When I experienced this dialogue, I was rather shocked for a moment by the Sprite's apparent disrespect for his Goddess, but then I realised what he was trying to tell you. All Events are set to occur within specific time periods. You can't carry the Silk Thread for weeks before deciding to take it to the Harvest Goddess and expect her to respond in a positive manner.

This is where an Events Calendar Guide can be vital. Most of the Events that occur outside buildings require fair weather. You therefore will not be able to experience them on rainy or snowy days. If an Event is set to occur only within a specific four day period and you have a rainy day, the window of opportunity becomes even smaller.

The Event where you obtain the Silk Thread is set to occur between 4 Autumn - 12 Autumn from 6.00 a.m. - 5.59 p.m. only in fine weather. The Event wherein you give the Thread to the Harvest Goddess is set to occur between 4 Autumn - 13 Autumn from 6.00 a.m. - 5.59 p.m. in good weather. If you wait until 12 Autumn to experience the first Event, you only have 12 Autumn and 13 Autumn in which to experience the second. If rain is predicted for 13 Autumn, you MUST go immediately to the Harvest Goddess Spring after obtaining the Silk Thread to give it to the Goddess.

If you do not obtain the Silk Thread before 13 Autumn, you will not be able to complete the Story Quest of the Harvest Goddess' Gown. That does not mean that you will be unable to save the land from the Funland threat of development by any means, but it does mean that you will be unable to experience many interesting Events in your current game.

Obviously, you can play the game more than once. With the PSP, you even can begin a game and then save the same game at different points in order to move forward along different paths in each file. If, however, you enjoy the challenge of experiencing as much as possible in a single file and game, you may wish to attempt to experience 'Dia's Jealousy' and 'Taking the Silk Thread to the Harvest Goddess' both on 4 Autumn, provided the weather is fine or if it is rainy, on 5 Autumn, at the earliest possible opportunity.

Characters often give very sound advice in Harvest Moon and Rune Factory. In HoLV, you will receive very useful advice from Wallace:

Wallace: It's important to plan what you're going to do each day.

This is not merely the ramblings of an old man. It IS very important to plan your day in advance, simply because the Map is large and some areas can be rather remote. The Harvest Goddess Spring probably is the most remote of all destinations because it cannot be reached from the Plaza, the central point, or hub, of Leaf Valley. From the Plaza, paths go directly to the Grocery, the Florist and Items Shop, Woody's Carpentry, the Beach and the Villa. To reach the Harvest Goddess Spring, you either need to take the Grocery path through the Cafe/Pub area, then through the Mallard Lake and Church area or you have to go to Woody's Carpentry area, through the Forest of Pike Mountain and then through the Mine/Funland Corporation area. In other words, no matter how you choose to do it, you have to go through three areas before you can reach the Harvest Goddess Spring.

Renton will tell you that it takes half a day to circle the Valley. Given the fact that most Events occur before 6.00 p.m., you need to plot your course rather carefully if you wish to maximise your experiences in a single day.

That having been said, it is not difficult to meet the ordinary Requirements for most Events in HoLV. Many Events involved with the main Story Quest occur automatically when you leave your Farmhouse at 6.00 a.m.

The reason why there are specific rather narrow time slots for each of the Events in HoLV is because the game includes more linear plots than other Harvest Moon games. When you consider that there are sixteen different Story Quests, each of which must operate smoothly within the context of the others and each of which includes a fair number of Events that must be completed within a two-year period, Hero of Leaf Valley represents rather an incredible achievement. 'Save the Homeland' was a marvelous game for its time, but 'Hero of Leaf Valley' is far more complex and sophisticated. The wealth of dialogue is astounding. I noted that dialogues about the weather can include a remark that deals not only with current weather conditions but actually compares that with the weather of the previous day! The fact that responses to specific gifts can vary according to heart levels makes the game very sophisticated in terms of dialogue as well.


My own strategy is to experience all possible Events at the earliest opportunity in a single day if I can even if it means that I will not make much money that day. Once I have cleared the Calendar of Events, I can relax a little and spend the rest of the days in that time period as I please, without worrying about weather or being at a specific location at a specific time.

Your Kitchen in Hero of Leaf Valley

I am not the only player who experienced a little thrill the first time I walked into my new kitchen. First of all, whenever you obtain a Kitchen in Harvest Moon, you feel that you finally have ARRIVED. Your life becomes so much easier and cooking IS fun. All those raw ingredients that you toted about in your Rucksack for weeks now can be stored in the fridge or USED to create new dishes.

It may be possible to obtain the House expansion in Spring but most players do it immediately after the Summer Races. A House Expansion, after all, is desirable, but there are other expenses in Spring that need to take priority. Furthermore, you have to order one of the existing projects on Woody's Menu before the House Expansion in the form of Kitchen, Bath and Toilet will be unlocked.

The Kitchen, Bath and Toilet are situated in a separate chamber. You will awaken to find that your bed has been moved but if you expect to find a small kitchen counter in the same room, you will search in vain. Walk through the opening in the centre of the eastern wall and...

From the Journal of a good friend who is a Harvest Moon comrade as well:

'OMG… the kitchen is beautiful! When I woke up I’m like hey why is my bed moved? Oh yeh, the kitchen! Walk around looking….where is it? Slight sucking in of breath upon seeing it! Very pleasantly surprised. I had expected a starter kitchen like Joe and Kurt's.'

Players of A Wonderful Life/Another Wonderful Life may recall similar experiences with respect to the Kitchen in those games.

If you consider the premise of HoLV, which is story-driven, it makes sense to allow a player to obtain a Kitchen, Bath and Toilet as a single building project. After all, the business of saving the homeland must take precedence over everything else. Other Harvest Moon games that divide the House Expansion, Kitchen, Bath and Toilet expansions into four and sometimes even five different upgrades do not have the same urgency or time limit where the plot of the game is concerned. You have only two years to save Leaf Valley in HoLV. The HM gods mercifully decreed that, with the weight of this responsibility resting upon your shoulders, you should be allowed the benefit of cooking, bathing and changing your clothes with a single home upgrade.

For my part, it was the additional storage space that thrilled me most when my new house expansion was unveiled to me. Even with the Large Rucksack, I never had sufficient space, and it saddened me whenever I was forced to give away, sell or consume a seasonal item simply in order to free a slot in my Rucksack.

I, of course, had hoped to make every Cooked Dish as early as possible, but I finally had to dispose of my Apples and Oranges in the interest of space. No longer, though! All edible items can go into the Fridge, to await future use...

Your initial Kitchen provides you with a small Frying Pan and a small Pot. These allow you to cook any Dish that requires only one ingredient. Although all Recipes are included in my HoLV Cookbook Recipes Guide, I included an 'Easy Recipes' section in my HoLV Walkthrough/General Guide that gives all the Single-Ingredient Recipes for Pot and Frying Pan.

Remember that Cooked Dishes often are 'Wanted Items' by local merchants. In Summer, Corn is on the Wanted Items list at Clove Villa but Ronald's Wanted Items List includes Fried Corn. Martha will pay 60G for raw Corn, but Ronald will pay 100G for the same ear of Corn when it has been cooked in a Frying Pan. the Wanted Items Lists for every Season are included both in my HoLV Walkthrough/General Guide and my HoLV Shops and Businesses Guide.

The items that are the subject of Delivery Requests often are out-of-season. Once you have a Kitchen, it is easier to store Crops, Fish and items from the Wilds in anticipation of a future Delivery Request.

At the end of the first Summer, it is worthwhile to consider a potentially profitable Wanted Item that will go into effect on 1 Autumn. Scrap Metal usually sells for 10G, but during the Autumn Season, Louis will pay 30G for each piece of Scrap Metal. Unfortunately, you can store only a total of 99 items of any variety in your Toolbox. A single slot will take 99 items, but if you attempt to fill a second slot with the overflow, the Toolbox will not accept the items. You therefore must keep any excess Scrap Metal in your Rucksack if you wish to profit from Louis' need for the item in Autumn.

In the screenshots of the Kitchen, you will note that Freyr is dressed in an outfit that is different from the one worn throughout the pre-Kitchen period. A change of clothing is a benefit of taking a Bath in HoLV.

Incidentally, there is one very frustrating aspect in HoLV where the Bath is concerned. There is no prompt whatsoever at the door of the Bath or Toilet. If you stray too close to the door, your Character will slide right in, have a bath as quick as lightning and be out again, clearing the water from his ears... having WASTED his daily Bath while his energy still was at the full! I have done this twice early in the morning after cooking up some quick dishes at the counter... Very annoying! It wouldn't matter if you could have multiple baths, but only the first one counts, so it is very exasperating when your Character decides to have a quick bath without permission!