Ushi No Tane Forum

well, i play different games for different reasons, too.

i have to admit that the farming itself in 64 wasn't that great (except for that greenhouse *____*), but i'm not in love with that game purely for the social aspects, though that is quite good. i like the collection aspect quite a bit (a la carte home expansions, photos, items for your house, raffle prizes, unique horse and dog race prizes, etc.), and not everything collectable is something i'd consider social. mostly, i love that game for the synergy between the envrionment, characters, story, and gameplay that make it feel like you are actually in a small farming village with its own culture and you have to adapt. i think that is really what i play for -- the overall feeling and expereince of the game, not just one aspect.

i love BTN as well, and while the farming is stronger than in 64 and socialization a bit weaker, it still retains some of the immersive experience of 64. it's a much more laid-back game, which i like. i tend to focus more on farming in this one.

i really dislike FoMt because the farming and money making seems too robotic and tedious. it loses pretty much all of the synergy of its parent game and instead becomes focused too much on the money. i'm not a big fan of just grinding out tons of cash, so that's not the game for me. it loses the charm of the previous games and i have much less of a personal connection with it because of that.


when most people talking about socialization, though, they are talking about marriage, it seems. i couldn't care less about marriage, to be honest. even in BTN, all the girls are really boring to me, even though they have more personality than their incredibly bland FoMT counterparts. even in 64, marriage isn't a top priority to me, even though all the girls have great personalities. i like the farming aspect of HM more than i like the marriage aspect, for sure. however, i mostly like games that are an experience more than just a game, and for that, having fleshed-out villagers, great random events and festivals, and other social aspects is very important. of course, so is the overall feeling of the game, with the village itself taking on a life of its own, like it does in 64, where the setting is as important to the game as anything. so in that sense, i suppose you could say that i like the social aspects of it, but i don't really see it that way, since HM isn't a dating sim with farming by any means for me.


...then again, i am the person who stays up until 3~4AM every night in 64 to water all my crops.

Crezelda wrote:i admit that i play for the dating sim aspect mostly, but i also love the rags-to-riches transformation. i work to the bone the first year.

I'm the exact same way.

Googaboga wrote:Aaaw don't feel bad quigley.

No one should have to feel bad for why they play a game. Different people enjoy different things.

Thanks, Googa. ^^


*Reminisces* The thing that first drew me into Harvest Moon was a poster/advertisement-thing about AWL in a magazine.

The text next to one of the screenshots said, "Marry the woman of your dreams and raise a family!" I, being a shy, lonely guy who wasn't expecting to even date for another 10 years or so (at the time), was drawn to this idea of..."practicing" marriage and child-raising.

BUT it wasn't just that! The screenshot that was next to the above phrase showed the farmer working on their field, where there were many large, bright-red tomatoes and green-striped watermelons. When I saw that, I thought...wow, that looks nice.

Admittedly, the text didn't really match with the screenshot, but together they set my mind wondering about the game.

So I'd like to say that it was both the promise of marrying/raising a family AND the idea of farming (and growing colorful crops) that really got me into HM. I played it for both the farming and the social aspects.

Nina Star 99 wrote: i have to admit that the farming itself in 64 wasn't that great (except for that greenhouse *____*), but i'm not in love with that game purely for the social aspects, though that is quite good. i like the collection aspect quite a bit (a la carte home expansions, photos, items for your house, raffle prizes, unique horse and dog race prizes, etc.), and not everything collectable is something i'd consider social. mostly, i love that game for the synergy between the envrionment, characters, story, and gameplay that make it feel like you are actually in a small farming village with its own culture and you have to adapt. i think that is really what i play for -- the overall feeling and expereince of the game, not just one aspect.

HM 64 was the first HM game I ever played and it continues to hold a special place in my heart for the reasons you just listed. I love HM games that not only challenge you to keep building, farming, and working, but also have a socialization aspect that actually makes you want to work for the game in general. The townsfolk are usually the major part of the game for me: interacting with them and working toward helping out the town around with me with my own hard work is a wonderful experience - even if they are sometimes just stock characters.

Not a whole lot of the later HM games pull off the synergy experienced in HM64. But for me, while farming and being an entrepeneur are major aspects of the game, the social aspect is wonderful as well. I have to care about the town and environment in order to really get engrossed in the farming. But I definitely love how you can set your own goals most of the time and keep getting better and better at your own pace.

The spin offs nowadays have a better social aspect than the core HM games, so I've sort of migrated to them... but I still play HM pretty regularly and eagerly await each new installment. Currently about to dive into Animal Parade :D

I play mostly for the farming. Getting married,socializing, is a lot of fun for me, but I just enjoy farming a lot for some reason So I guess the answer here is 'maybe' because I play HM games for both of those.

quigley wrote: Thanks, Googa. ^^


*Reminisces* The thing that first drew me into Harvest Moon was a poster/advertisement-thing about AWL in a magazine.

The text next to one of the screenshots said, "Marry the woman of your dreams and raise a family!" I, being a shy, lonely guy who wasn't expecting to even date for another 10 years or so (at the time), was drawn to this idea of..."practicing" marriage and child-raising.

BUT it wasn't just that! The screenshot that was next to the above phrase showed the farmer working on their field, where there were many large, bright-red tomatoes and green-striped watermelons. When I saw that, I thought...wow, that looks nice.

Admittedly, the text didn't really match with the screenshot, but together they set my mind wondering about the game.

So I'd like to say that it was both the promise of marrying/raising a family AND the idea of farming (and growing colorful crops) that really got me into HM. I played it for both the farming and the social aspects.

That's awesome quigley ^^.

Oh hey an advertisement for AWL in a magazine is what got me into HM too :3. I was a little girl and had gotten tired of all the fighting games my brothers got. I wanted something that had different things to offer. Then I saw an add for AWL. It was a game that had no fighting at all. I had never seen such a game before. I had to get it. And I did. I've been in love with HM ever since.

Dragoonwing wrote: I have to constantly remind myself there are townspeople I should be talking to.

haha, i can be like this sometimes.

i have to force myself to go out every week or so and talk to all the villagers in FoMT since i would totally ignore them otherwise. i talk to carter when i go grab the truffle/herb from the back of the church, and that's about it. the characters in that one really don't engage me at all, though. that game feels really empty to me somehow, since i place the most weight on the synergy of elements rather than one element like farming or socializing, and it is really missing pretty much any feeling. it's just a bunch of mildly entertaining pixels.

Every aspect is important to me, but the farming what made me want to play Harvest Moon in the first place, and it still stands as a vital part of what keeps me interested in the series today. It feel so rewarding to work hard, trying to raise a farm with little money and stamina to start with, and eventually turning a neglected, weed-ridden field into a sea of prosperous crops and beautiful pasture.

This is part of why I treasure the older games so much. You aren't just some kid who wants to try their hand at farming, you're someone trying to breathe life back into a once lively farm. It seems almost hopeless, knowing that you're alone and there's so much work to be done. But you get the job done, the farm grows, and with it, so does your family and the relationship you have with your neighbors. Your farm is the heart and soul of everything you've accomplished.

Of course, the social and marriage/family-raising aspects are important as well. It would be a pretty lonely game without neighbors and potential spouses to interact with, and only growing crops and raising livestock gets monotonous after a while. It sort of feels like the farming and socializing help balance each other out~ When you're done with one, you have time for the other, and vice versa.

I mostly play it for the awesome farming (and dungeon crawling, for RF.) The dating sim is just an added bonus, IMO.

I play it for the animals. They're adorable and I love raising them in the game xD. I also do like the crops though, and the villagers to talk to are nice :3.

EDIT:Posted in wrong topic, sorry.

I play for both. I like to farm and its fun to see heart events and stuff, but sometimes I don't even get married lol.

I came for the farming, stayed for the villagers.
Though I do still love farming and foraging. I love to make me some money xD