Ushi No Tane Forum

I think the simplicity of the earlier games were something that I really appreciated. I like the newer games, don't get me wrong. The Wii titles are some of the best in the series, and the 3DS games have been wonderful, but I do miss the old school charm of just picking up and going about your farm. I have said this before, but I do not mind working for the extra things in the newer games. Waiting 2 years, or completing requirements to get a certain, higher level item makes sense to me. But I remember some of the DS games, and even ANB would often make you wait to get items like your axe, which you never had to wait for before. It just made the games feel tedious, when as a veteran, I want to plug the game in and go. I do have to say, I feel as the balance has been refined, and I feel like it is less of a problem now, but some things do creep up. I also feel like having a world where you can do more than just farm is important, but not make it anything too grand. So having a mine, and a fishing area, and having a residential area, and expanding your farm is something that makes me play more.

It is also unfair to blame the game as a whole. As I have grown older, I have honestly become less invested as I was as a kid. I can't sink in all the hours I used to, and when I do play a year, I get bored and want to move onto the next game. But that is the great magic of the older games that I can't find in the newer games. Dropping ToT for 5 months was doable because you could pick it up, and continue from where you were. In the newer games, I am so confused as to what I have done, that a day is carved out to catching up, and I get bored. Once again, not the game's total fault, I have a part to play in it as well, but it's not as "pick up and go" as it once was.

That being said, SOS really revitalized my love for the series after a string of some pretty bad BokuMonos (although GrB is underrated, and the best DS game. There, I said it). I am excited to see what the inevitable Switch game will bring, and how some of these issues are dealt with.

Well, I don’t think number of years is a very good measurement for someone who plays more than just the 3DS games, since there’s so many different speeds for time throughout the series. Like, comparing years in GBC to years in AP would be ridiculous. Also for AWL since there’s ten days each season, but long-ish days. I’ve possibly played the most years in AWL since I’ve gone until death, and the male GameCube version has quite a few years. A better measurement would be playtime, but I don’t even know if there’s ways to check that on a lot of the things I have. *shrug*

So, focusing on 3DS and the activity log...

ToTT has a total of 188:48. First file is in year 3, spring.
Second is in year 2, winter.
Married in both, but no children.

ANB has 207:10. Only one file, year 4, summer. Married, no child.

SoS has 181:42. Just one file (which actually says 171:15, Interesting), year 3, summer. Married, no child.

3oT has 278:24. First file is in year 4, in spring. Married with a grown child.
Second is still in year 1, in winter.

And RF4 destroys everything with 372:05. 3 files. First is year 10 (think it skips years at some point), winter, married with a kid.
Second is year 3, summer, dating.
Third is year 1, summer.

Looks like I definitely play more when there’s a story even though I’d like to think it doesn’t really matter.
I also prefer when the kids grow or at least become useful at some point. Not that I don’t try to have the boring kids anyway. Just takes long.

I think just adding strange little Easter eggs would keep me more interested. Like I’ve said before in life, I like weird, preferably creepy or dark things, and if I think I might be onto something strange, I’ll definitely wait around to see if anything else happens with it.
AWL is a great example. I was always walking into places at different times of day to either trigger cutscenes or see if anything has moved. Still don’t know if I’ve seen everything.

I like things I can interact with. In 3oT, there’s that music player in Ford’s house that plays AWL music. They should add the record player back in like in AWL and DS. Would definitely try to get all of the music.
There’s also the swing, but I want to actually swing on it. Also want to slide on the slide I built. Let me play. My kid should too. These things need a purpose.
Just let me be able to click all over the place and discover new things.

And speaking of things I build, customizing could certainly be better. Stupid barns in the way of everything. And I want to move things in my house again. So much neat stuff, but nowhere to put it.

Achievements are pretty effective on me. I want to get literally everything done. Especially when achievements involve collecting something I actually care about. Collecting clothing has always been one of my main goals. It was different when I have to wait for certain festivals to buy them made like in AP than it is to just get the recipe and make them though. Not sure which I prefer.

Things can get too ridiculous if you have to wait too long though for achievements and unlockable things. I feel so far behind in SoS. I feel like I should’ve made more progress than I have, being in year 3.

Robinstar wrote:SoS has 181:42. Just one file (which actually says 171:15, Interesting)

That's funny. Your 3DS counts anytime the game is running as playtime, your file will only count the time when you're playing that file. Maybe you just often boot up the game walk away for a sec while it's still on the startup menu and that time has just stacked over time (10 hours is still a lot though)? I'm assuming you only have one file and you didn't restart.

I need to check my activity log......

i play the longest in games that give you plenty of stuff to do without making you feel overwhelmed. ds/cute, island of happiness, anb, and trio of towns are the ones i've gotten farthest in in terms of in-game years. i've also put a lot of hours into animal parade, but i start that one over a lot because the plot is so short and there's not much else to keep me focused after i'm married and have kids and everything. i could try to get all the trophies but the only thing in video games more boring than achievement hunting is tedious metagaming stuff that turns the game into math

I love AP. I never got far in years because the days are so long but it's so relaxing. I took the new game+ and made two new files of each gender. I want to try marrying all the different characters. I hope the upcoming SoS Switch game is it like.
//I've probably said that before though.

Genie9 wrote:GrB is underrated, and the best DS game. There, I said it

*Sam Smith voice* I know I'm not the only one.