I thought it was confirmed... Eh, might've read something wrong.
Anyways, here's a little bit more about the encounter slider and difficulty settings from the XSeed forums
here
Apparently you can change difficulty and encounter rates on the fly. So, that's a cool thing.
Return to PopoloCrois: A STORY OF SEASONS Fairytale - Info
I totally missed centen's question and Tom's answer on the estimated release date, Tom said that it mighty just barely make it into the "Winter" timeframe, and the first day of Spring is March 19th, so it is probably going to come out a lot later than the estimated release date. (Probably the "previously projected" date which was in mid-February.)
He did confirm the simultaneous launch of NTSC and PAL versions of the game.
The last mention of dual audio in that thread by Tom was on Oct 24th, says that it isn't 100% as contracts need to be signed - it is one of the few things/game features that Tom hasn't personally confirmed. Though Marvelous EU did.
Has he talked much about the animals and the special variants? Or any like, crop upgrade/hybrid systems if there are any? I can't think of much he hasn't said about the game yet, but I'm also not watching much of other people playing it, because I don't want to get tired of it before I even play it, which definitely happened for me with SoS.
*sigh* time to read that entire thread and both blogs again.
He did confirm the simultaneous launch of NTSC and PAL versions of the game.
The last mention of dual audio in that thread by Tom was on Oct 24th, says that it isn't 100% as contracts need to be signed - it is one of the few things/game features that Tom hasn't personally confirmed. Though Marvelous EU did.
Has he talked much about the animals and the special variants? Or any like, crop upgrade/hybrid systems if there are any? I can't think of much he hasn't said about the game yet, but I'm also not watching much of other people playing it, because I don't want to get tired of it before I even play it, which definitely happened for me with SoS.
*sigh* time to read that entire thread and both blogs again.
Hey, all! Tom from XSEED Games here. Figured I'd pop in and join the discussion, if you don't mind having me. These forums seem really nice and friendly, and while I can't say a lot about other Bokujo games, I certainly know plenty about Return to PopoloCrois, and will happily answer any questions you may have (that aren't still under NDA or anything, of course).
For starters, I'll address some of the comments/questions from the last two pages of this topic:
Farming does play an absolutely enormous role in the story, however, and I think most gamers -- even those who dislike farming sims -- will find themselves WANTING to farm because of the way the plot unfolds. You'll almost feel kind of bad if you don't, since your farmwork makes a lot of NPCs very, very happy.
Sadly, though, there will be no LE this time around. We tried, but we just couldn't make the numbers work.
My teaser is about something I've never yet even mentioned as a possibility anywhere. It should be a total surprise, and I think you guys are going to really like it. Or at least, I hope so!
That said, here's what I can tell you:
There are three types of farm animals you can have: cuckotti (chickens), sumoo (cows), and pacapacas (alpacas). Cuckotti lay eggs, sumoo produce milk, and pacapacas shed fur -- though if you don't keep the animals happy, you get NOTHING!
Eggs and milk are mostly shipped for profit, used in side-quests, or used in item synthesis. Pacapaca fur has all of those functions as well, plus a more practical use: you can use pacapaca fur inside a dungeon to warp back out to the dungeon entrance (according to the item description, the idea is that you've been spooling it out behind you the whole time you've been exploring, so when you "use" it, you're just following it back out to safety). This can be really useful, because while there IS fast-travel in the game (in the form of fairydust), you're not able to use fast-travel from inside dungeons -- only from overworlds and towns. So if you're in a dungeon and you want to go somewhere else quick, you'll definitely want to have some pacapaca fur on hand.
As special variants go, I know there are golden sumoo, and I think there are golden cuckotti and golden pacapacas as well. These essentially just look a lot cooler, and also produce much more of their respective byproducts. You gain these mostly through quests -- I don't believe there's any sort of evolution mechanic or anything like that.
Regarding crops, I'm not aware of any hybrid or upgrade system per se (the farming is fairly basic), but the relationship mechanics do play into this a bit. Since Pietro has a canon girlfriend in Narcia, he's not trying to romance any of the five "bachelorette" characters -- but he can still increase his relationship level to max with those characters, at which point they'll offer to come to his farm and help out. Once they've reached this point, their happiness will sort of... take physical form, I guess? And benefit your farming in various ways (shorter growth period, greater yield e.g. each turnip you pick is actually worth 2 or 3 turnips, better luck catching bugs, better luck quarrying for ore, or better luck with item synthesis).
There are also upgrades you can get through side-quests to your hoe, your watering can, your quarrying hammer, and your bug net.
...Like I said, it's all pretty basic, but it's fun and engaging, and the inclusion of multiple farms to tend means you'll never be at a loss for things to do, and you're always well rewarded for doing them.
If you guys have any other questions about the game, please don't hesitate to ask!
-Tom
For starters, I'll address some of the comments/questions from the last two pages of this topic:
There are a couple short farming tutorial quests that are required, but they're literally 30-second affairs. So yeah, farming is very nearly 100% optional. What you've written here, Arcy, is entirely accurate -- this is a PopoloCrois game first and foremost, to be sure.Arcy wrote:The "Story of Seasons" stuff is somewhere between 95% to 100% optional from what I've been lead to believe from Tom's (lead translator) posts on the Marvelous/XSEED forums and from other importers. Yes, the story of Return to PoPoLoCrois is thematically appropriate for a crossover, and yes, you can get neat bonuses from doing the side quests (aka farming and socializing), but you can play through the game's story without touching it. (If there is a required farming or socializing tutorial, I haven't heard of it, but that's providing the margin of error.)
Farming does play an absolutely enormous role in the story, however, and I think most gamers -- even those who dislike farming sims -- will find themselves WANTING to farm because of the way the plot unfolds. You'll almost feel kind of bad if you don't, since your farmwork makes a lot of NPCs very, very happy.
I wonder... Is it that "tri-audio" thing? Or does XSeed have something else up their sleeve...?
I'll confirm the "trual audio" here, then -- that is definitely not what I was referring to, but yes, the North American release will indeed feature Japanese and English dual audio as well, with both Japanese audio tracks for Pietro and Narcia present and accounted for.He never "confirmed" dual or tri audio (and Marvelous Europe only confirmed dual, not triple), just said they were going to try to do it, but my money is on either a preorder feelie or a LE for NA. Or a release date that is sooner than expected.
Sadly, though, there will be no LE this time around. We tried, but we just couldn't make the numbers work.
My teaser is about something I've never yet even mentioned as a possibility anywhere. It should be a total surprise, and I think you guys are going to really like it. Or at least, I hope so!
Heh. Pretty much! Though technically, I only found out about PopoloCrois when I was in college, so it's not quite a CHILDHOOD dream... but it's definitely been a dream of mine for like, 15+ years. It's surreal to be working on something Popolo -- like I've come full circle.Gah, Tom's enthusiasm for PoPoLoCrois is so adorable. Its like he's fulfilling his life long childhood dream and he wants to tell the world!
Not quite simultaneous. Just wanted to clarify that both we and Marvelous EU are targeting Q1 2016/winter, but our releases are not necessarily going to be timed to occur simultaneously. (They might be, of course! But as of right now, we both just happen to be targeting the same basic release window.)He did confirm the simultaneous launch of NTSC and PAL versions of the game.
I haven't, no. And truth be told, I'm not that familiar with other Bokujo games -- I did do some work on both Rune Factory 4 and Story of Seasons, but my work focused solely on character interactions. All the farming stuff was handled by other people.Has he talked much about the animals and the special variants? Or any like, crop upgrade/hybrid systems if there are any?
That said, here's what I can tell you:
There are three types of farm animals you can have: cuckotti (chickens), sumoo (cows), and pacapacas (alpacas). Cuckotti lay eggs, sumoo produce milk, and pacapacas shed fur -- though if you don't keep the animals happy, you get NOTHING!
Eggs and milk are mostly shipped for profit, used in side-quests, or used in item synthesis. Pacapaca fur has all of those functions as well, plus a more practical use: you can use pacapaca fur inside a dungeon to warp back out to the dungeon entrance (according to the item description, the idea is that you've been spooling it out behind you the whole time you've been exploring, so when you "use" it, you're just following it back out to safety). This can be really useful, because while there IS fast-travel in the game (in the form of fairydust), you're not able to use fast-travel from inside dungeons -- only from overworlds and towns. So if you're in a dungeon and you want to go somewhere else quick, you'll definitely want to have some pacapaca fur on hand.
As special variants go, I know there are golden sumoo, and I think there are golden cuckotti and golden pacapacas as well. These essentially just look a lot cooler, and also produce much more of their respective byproducts. You gain these mostly through quests -- I don't believe there's any sort of evolution mechanic or anything like that.
Regarding crops, I'm not aware of any hybrid or upgrade system per se (the farming is fairly basic), but the relationship mechanics do play into this a bit. Since Pietro has a canon girlfriend in Narcia, he's not trying to romance any of the five "bachelorette" characters -- but he can still increase his relationship level to max with those characters, at which point they'll offer to come to his farm and help out. Once they've reached this point, their happiness will sort of... take physical form, I guess? And benefit your farming in various ways (shorter growth period, greater yield e.g. each turnip you pick is actually worth 2 or 3 turnips, better luck catching bugs, better luck quarrying for ore, or better luck with item synthesis).
There are also upgrades you can get through side-quests to your hoe, your watering can, your quarrying hammer, and your bug net.
...Like I said, it's all pretty basic, but it's fun and engaging, and the inclusion of multiple farms to tend means you'll never be at a loss for things to do, and you're always well rewarded for doing them.
Better not to, I'd say -- since it's a more story-driven game, you'll get more out of it if you go into it blind. There are definitely plot twists and moments of high character development, and those will have a lot more impact if you know nothing about them before playing. I tried to be respectful of this in all my character descriptions for the manual and website, as well.I can't think of much he hasn't said about the game yet, but I'm also not watching much of other people playing it, because I don't want to get tired of it before I even play it, which definitely happened for me with SoS.
If you guys have any other questions about the game, please don't hesitate to ask!
-Tom
A wild XSEED employee appeared! Welcome to the Ushi forums, Tom! Haha, this is probably one of the last things I expected... Then again, Hatsuu joined just for a few chats about RF4...
I would've liked an LE, but I understand if the budget wouldn't allow it. Still, "trual" audio confirmed then! Other localization companies need to get on your level now!
And if that's the case, then it seems like you've got something else up your sleeves then. Well, you've got me stumped as to what it could be.
Oh right, one question though, Tom:
When will the website for the game be up?
I would've liked an LE, but I understand if the budget wouldn't allow it. Still, "trual" audio confirmed then! Other localization companies need to get on your level now!
And if that's the case, then it seems like you've got something else up your sleeves then. Well, you've got me stumped as to what it could be.Oh right, one question though, Tom:
When will the website for the game be up?
Well, you guys have been such huge supporters of us, it seems only fitting we pay you a visit from time to time. I would've been here sooner, but like I said, I'm not a big Bokujo player, so I wouldn't have had a lot to say previously (though I could've always talked about Rune Factory 4 -- Xiao Pai best girl!).Night Owl wrote:A wild XSEED employee appeared! Welcome to the Ushi forums, Tom! Haha, this is probably one of the last things I expected... Then again, Hatsuu joined just for a few chats about RF4...
Not for a few weeks yet, probably. It's being worked on, but... well... Ken left me in charge of writing up the text and brainstorming the layout for it. And, uhh... let's just say, I didn't skimp on the details.Oh right, one question though, Tom:
When will the website for the game be up?
Our poor web designer might need therapy by the time she's done sifting through all my craziness! Heheheh...
-Tom
Xiao Pai is a good choice. Alas, there weren't enough save files for me to marry everyone so I had to give priority to Dylas and Leon. Seriously, I need ALL the save files I can get my hands on in games like RF4 where I just want to marry everyone. Guess that's a testament to how engaging the characters in the game are... Although I bet Hatsuu would pop up again if someone made a thread on Trails of Cold Steel.
Still, Rune Factory aside, it sounds like Ken and your web designer might end up regretting giving you free reign of that project. Still, the website designs are usually very pretty, so I can't wait to see it in action. And you know, have it open in a tab just to listen to the music while I go about my internet things...
Oh, and by the by, as someone who has attended all 3 "XStreams" so far, I'd like to say: I'm looking forward to the next one. They're quite enjoyable.
Still, Rune Factory aside, it sounds like Ken and your web designer might end up regretting giving you free reign of that project.
Still, the website designs are usually very pretty, so I can't wait to see it in action. And you know, have it open in a tab just to listen to the music while I go about my internet things...Oh, and by the by, as someone who has attended all 3 "XStreams" so far, I'd like to say: I'm looking forward to the next one. They're quite enjoyable.
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Melody Muse
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RopeMaidenKirie
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Tom! Welcome to the forums :D Really great to have you here answering questions!
Very excited to hear about what this "surprise" may be. I'm not sure how you managed to pull out the stops and get us so much added content into the game (trual audio, encounter rate changer, etc) but it all sounds amazing. I'm really in the mood for a more whimsical-like RPG, so I'm very much looking forward to hearing more info on release. Do we have any sort of time frame on when we may hear about the surprise? Or is it just basically going to be soon-ish/closer to release?
There's definitely a ton of RF4-aholics (myself included) over in the RF section of the forums, so you're in very good company :p
Very excited to hear about what this "surprise" may be. I'm not sure how you managed to pull out the stops and get us so much added content into the game (trual audio, encounter rate changer, etc) but it all sounds amazing. I'm really in the mood for a more whimsical-like RPG, so I'm very much looking forward to hearing more info on release. Do we have any sort of time frame on when we may hear about the surprise? Or is it just basically going to be soon-ish/closer to release?
There's definitely a ton of RF4-aholics (myself included) over in the RF section of the forums, so you're in very good company :p
Woo, yay Tom! It is sometimes hard for new people to adjust to BokuMono forums as they are generally kinder and gentler than, well, the Internet, but I can't think of a better target audience for a new PoPoLoCrois game for exactly that reason. Thanks for addressing my last post so thoroughly, and it is awesome to know the Golden variant of livestock comes from quests! 
I had forgotten completely that the dual-audio of the Japanese VA was just Pietro and Narcia (thus, tiny enough in space that one of the two JP options didn't need to be deleted to make room for EN space, yay!) so I can't wait to flip those on the fly and discover which set of actors I prefer.
I'm looking forward to seeing what's hidden up TomSleeves in regards to both hidden game features and the Website!
I had forgotten completely that the dual-audio of the Japanese VA was just Pietro and Narcia (thus, tiny enough in space that one of the two JP options didn't need to be deleted to make room for EN space, yay!) so I can't wait to flip those on the fly and discover which set of actors I prefer.
I'm looking forward to seeing what's hidden up TomSleeves in regards to both hidden game features and the Website!
It'll be right around when the website goes live -- maybe a bit before, since I can't seem to keep my mouth shut (I was thinking I might reveal it in the very next blog, if I'm given the OK to).RopeMaidenKirie wrote:Do we have any sort of time frame on when we may hear about the surprise? Or is it just basically going to be soon-ish/closer to release?
Also, thank you all for being so welcoming! It's definitely nice to be on a forum where that's the norm.
-Tom
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RopeMaidenKirie
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The bolded is why you're such a fan favorite, Tom :pwyrdwad wrote:
It'll be right around when the website goes live -- maybe a bit before, since I can't seem to keep my mouth shut (I was thinking I might reveal it in the very next blog, if I'm given the OK to).
Also, thank you all for being so welcoming! It's definitely nice to be on a forum where that's the norm.
-Tom
Very excited to hear we'll learn of it soon, whatever it is! I love the enthusiasm of the XSEED blogs in general, so I'd be pretty happy if it was announced there.
Another question if I can--have you stated anywhere about how long is the game? I'm sure it widely depends on a bunch of variables, but an average time frame for completion would be nice to know. So many games coming out soon that I'm going to have to shift around some things to be able to squeeze it in.
The main story is roughly 15-20 hours, so if you skip all the side content and just blaze your way through, that's about how long you can expect to spend with it. Side-quests and farming add to that considerably, though, as you might imagine -- not as much as in a proper Bokujo title (not by a long shot!), but you can still expect to get a good 40, 50, or 60 hours out of this game.RopeMaidenKirie wrote: Another question if I can--have you stated anywhere about how long is the game? I'm sure it widely depends on a bunch of variables, but an average time frame for completion would be nice to know. So many games coming out soon that I'm going to have to shift around some things to be able to squeeze it in.
It's a respectable length, and considering how little time I have to play games these days, it's preferable to have something that's less of a time commitment, so I was pretty satisfied.
-Tom
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RopeMaidenKirie
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Considering I'm swarmed with a backlog (only going to get worse this year), I have the same sentiment! Thanks Tom, that sounds great.wyrdwad wrote: It's a respectable length, and considering how little time I have to play games these days, it's preferable to have something that's less of a time commitment, so I was pretty satisfied.
-Tom
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Melody Muse
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Agreed. It's funny how I think almost every gamer (at least that has access to a credit card and/or renewable funds) is in that position anymore. Especially with the steam, the humble bundle, gog, the various console specific stores, and things like that. It's so opposite of when I was a little kid and I thought having 6 or 7 N64 cartridges was more than anyone could own.RopeMaidenKirie wrote:Considering I'm swarmed with a backlog (only going to get worse this year), I have the same sentiment! Thanks Tom, that sounds great.wyrdwad wrote: It's a respectable length, and considering how little time I have to play games these days, it's preferable to have something that's less of a time commitment, so I was pretty satisfied.
-Tom
Btw Tom, IDK (or forgot) where/who to relay this to, but I just wanted to say I have been really happy to see various games localized by XSeed in the Humble Store, so I just wanted to say thanks to whoever did that and to you guys for localizing the games for us so they can be there. I just really think it's great when game companies help support charities so I hope you don't mind me posting this message here in case you know who I should send it to or if you could for me, or something, if that makes sense? Sometimes I feel like with a smaller company it can be even harder to know where to go to say stuff like that for me so I figured I would say it here.
Also this is only the second PoPoLoCRoIS game to be localized in English, right? I have to admit I never even heard of the series before this so I am excited to see how this game is! (Maybe I should read the manga or watch the anime, if either are in English.)