Players like myself who love Harvest Moon always looked for farming
simulation games similar to Harvest Moon on Facebook but generally
without success. Yesterday, when my beloved Family Farm Seaside Farm
failed to load for the second day, I desperately sought ways to fix the
problem. One suggestion was to install another game and then reinstall
Seaside. In perusing the list of free games in the shop, I discovered a
little game called Harvest Day Country Life. It is not so much similar
to Harvest Moon but actually constitutes a Thai version of Harvest
Moon.
Unfortunately, I have been unable to fix the
problem that prevents Farmily Farm Seaside from loading but that is
neither here nor there where Harvest Day Country Life is concerned.
What
is interesting about the game is that it can be played either on a
mobile device or on a PC/Laptop. To play it on a PC or laptop, one
first must 'like' the Country Lfe page and then follow a link to an app
that will allow one to play. The app is easy to install and the game
appears to load easily on laptops if one chooses that option.
Players
familiar with Harvest Moon understand that it is the games in the
series are detailed and require a great deal of time and patience. New
options are unlocked gradually. Dialogue can be important and there
usually are festivals that are celebrated. 'White Day', a version of
Valentine's Day, evidently is included in Harvest Day.
The
basic premise of Harvest Day Country Life is that a young man named
Derek is given a farm to restore. He is in love with a girl who is
going off to the big city and during the course of gameplay will receive
letters from her and will be able to send her gifts. Gift-giving is
very much a part of the game as it is in any Harvest Moon game. Every
individual has different tastes in terms of the gifts they prefer. You
actually will raise your Level by giving a number of acceptable gifts to
an individual.
At the start of the game, there apepar
to be three Characters who can be befriended. They are Lee, the Mayor,
Jane the Florist and a 'Kid'. An acceptable Gift is met with the
response of: 'Thank you. It would be helpful sometimes.' The item that
elicits this response from Lee is Mushroom. The one that elicits this
response from Jane is Long Bean. So far, I have not found an acceptable
Gift for the Kid. He is not terribly keen on Long Bean, Corn, Mushroom
or Small Fish. I will continue to waste valuable items on him until I
find one that he likes.
There are three seasons in the
game as there are in Harvest Moon. The first is Summer. The last is
Winter. The second is simply called 'Rainy'. I suppose it may equate
to the Monsoon Season in Asia. Crops are season-specific and if you do
not harvest them befroe the season changes, they will wither.
You
are given one field at the start of the game, a small Bag that holds a
total of five Items, basic Tools (Axe, Hammer, Hoe, Watering Can,
Sickle) and 10 Bags of Long Bean Seeds. You must clear your field,
create plots with your Hoe, plant and then water the seeds in order to
begin your farming life. The Watering Can must be filled before it will
be effective.
You awaken at 6.00 a.m. and
automatically go to bed before midnight. The game will save when you go
to bed. As in Harvest Moon, you can run out of energy and if you do,
you will lose a day in recovering from your exertions. It is not worth
the price.
Weather and moles can decimate your field
overnight. Still in the first Season, I do not have enough money to
purchase a Dog to protect my field from the Moles, although I have
purchased a Fishing Rod that allows me to fish from piers. I unlocked
an area by a lake that has good fishing as well as two Mushrooms that
can be collected almost daily. The Mountain area is another area that
often has two Mushrooms to be collected. There is a single Mushroom at
the end of a path that is south of the Mining area. I unlocked the Mine
but have not been able to afford a Pickaxe yet. Even without one,
though, there are two Moles in the Mine that collect ores for you. The
longer you wait, the more Coins you will obtain from their efforts.
I
was forced to email the developers in order to suss out the use of the
Pickaxe once i had purchased it. You do not use it INSIDE the Mine.
Inside the Mine, the two Moles collect unspecified treasures for you
that are converted into Coins instantly when you tap on the Sell bar.
It is on the land in front of the Mine that the Pickaxe can be used.
Uncover every plot to see if you can find Ores. I found Gold on the
second day.
The Mushroom House is quite different from
the Mushrooms found on the various paths in the wilds. You will find
the Mushroom House in the Village. When unlocked, it is similar to the
Mine in that you collect unspecified Mushrooms that are converted into
Coins instantly once a time period elapses. In the Mushroom House,
unlike the Mine, you can choose a specific time period from 2 Hours to 8
Hours. Tap on each Mushroom square on the wall when the time has
elapsed to collect 100 Coins from each Square where a Mushroom has
matured.
The Mushrooms will go bad if not collected in time. I need to ask the developers how much grace time exists between the time when they mature and the time when they rot.
The way to 'win' the game or at least make progress and not fail is to fill orders from the Cooperative and the Factory. You are allowed only one order per season with the Factory but you can take as many Orders as you like from the Cooperative. Only one Order can be in force at any given time with the Cooperative. Choose carefully... you may be offered a choice of three. I made the mistake of taking an order for Kale while I had sufficient Chilis in my Warehouse to fill an Order... when I cancelled the Order for Kale in order to free my Farmer to accept an Order for Chilis, I lost 75 Fame. Rejecting an order is tantamount to failure, in other words. It would have been better to have kept the Kale Order, even though I would lose a few days while the Kale in my fields matured.
Very important to buy the Dog House and the Scarecrow. Before I had both in my Fields, I lost a large percentage of plots filled with Crops every day. Even with the Dog House and the Scarecrow, you may lose plots if there is a Typhoon or other nasty weather condition but you should not lose them to bird attacks or mole attacks any longer. Bird attacks and Mole attacks leave destruction in their wake similar to the Typhoon but on a daily basis. You will awaken to find quite a few spaces in your Field now filled with Rocks, Weeds and Branches. I have not found a positive use for any of these Items. No one likes them as Gifts, unlike Harvest Moon where you usually can find one Character who likes Rubbish stuff. No one likes the Boot either.
You can clear your Fields either by using the appropriate tools or with your bare hands.
As your Levels increase, you will have upgrade
Points that can be used either to improve your Stamina, reduce prices
in the shops or increase the selling price of the Items you collect.
Some of the basic prices of items you can obtain are as follows:
Crops:
Long Bean: 105 Baht
Grow in Summer.
Corn: 240 Baht
Grow in Summer
Calabash: 380 Baht
Grow in Summer
Carrot: 360 Baht (Received this as a Gift)
Grow in Winter
Chili: 160 Baht (Received this as a Gift)
Eggplant: 270 Baht
Grow in Rainy
Lettuce: 285 Baht
Grow in Winter
Mining:
Gold Stone: 151 Baht
Rare item. Where it is from is still mysterious
Silver Stone: 100 Baht
Valuable Item. Rumour says it gives power to the owner.
Copper Stone: 50 Baht
Worth a bit more than typical stone.
Foraging:
Mushroom: 75 Baht
Found in the Forest in the Summer season
Shoot: 75 Baht
Found in the forest in the rainy season
Fishing:
Old Boot: 5 Baht
A used boot. no one would want it.
Small Fish: 15 Baht
Typical fish found everywhere
Large Fish: 50 Baht
Typical fish found everywhere
Small Premium Fish: 150 Baht
Rarely found. Sell it with high price
Big Premium Fish: 250 Baht
Very rare. Legend says it gives luck to the owner.
Gift-giving
to Friends is a good way of obtaining Crops and other Items, including
Gems. You must tap on the icon of the globe to connect to Facebook.
Once connected, you will have the option to send gifts to all your
Friends who play the game. Tap then on the icon of the basket to
receive all Gifts that have been sent to you. I have received many
Crops that were out of season from Friends.
The premise
of the game is rather like 'Save the Homeland' in that you have a year
to pay off a debt primarily by earning a specific Fame total. Fame is
earned when you fill orders at the Cooperative and Factory. You can
fill only one order per season at the Factory but you can fill more at
the Cooperative. Once an order is filled, you must wait until the next
day to accept a new Order from the Cooperative.
FAME
Fame
is increased by filling orders at the Factory and the Cooperative.
Levels are increased as well when you do this. Level increases occur
when Relationships with Villagers advance. Greet or give a preferred
item to the Villagers often in order to increase Friendship with them.
When the Villager's Heart is filled, you will receive a Gift in return.
GIFT RESPONSES
Villagers are very particular where Gifts are concerned and it takes a long time to fill a Heart Level.
So far, I have been able to find only one item that is liked by each Villager apart from the Kid.
The
preferred Gift for Lee is a Mushroom. The preferred Gifts for Jane so far are
Long Bean and Chili. The actual responses appear to be the same for Jane and
Lee. The Shrine and the Kid are different.
For an Item that is not liked particularly:
Well... thanks. Don't be bothered next time.
For a preferred Gift:
Thank you. It would be helpful sometimes.
The responses I received from the Shrine and the Kid were:
Shrine for Mushroom: Well... I think you have to learn more about respect.
Kid for Mushroom, Old Boot: Err... thanks.
The Kid appears to really love Shoot: Oh, thanks so much.
LETTERS
You will receive letters from your girlfriend in Bangkok periodically. If you buy Gifts for her, you will receive responses for those actions. You may receive letters from other Characters.
When you have filled a specific number of orders, you may receive a boost in Fame from Lee:
Dear Derek
I heard a lot of compliments about the quality of your products. This will help boosting up your reputation a lot.
(fame +50)
Lee
(Received in the middle of the rainy season)
Lee