Screens in Two Towns

Alas, made good progress in Tides of Destiny (don't want to call it ToD because that means Death in German!) this weekend, but not much progress with the TT guides. I did want to share my ideas about the screens though because I want to publish your Fish and Insects information in a guide as well as foraging screen by screen. So here are my ideas:

Mountain Area:
There are nine screens in the Mountain Area that separates Bluebell Village from Konohana Village. It takes a total of 40 minutes to run on foot from one village sign to the other.
The screen closest to each Village will be designated as the Outlying Area. In other words, the section closest to Konohana is the Konohana Outlying Area and that closest to Bluebell Village is the Bluebell Outlying Area. In these two screens, you will be able to hear the Village Music and there will be no Items to collect in either.
Numerical designations will be:
E1: Konohana Outlying Area.
E2: Konohana Shallows
E3: Waterfall Screen
Centre: Mountaintop Screen
W3: Three Footbridges Screen
W2: Bluebell Shallows
W1: Bluebell Outlying Area
The centre screen is the Mountaintop Screen. The Mountaintop is the venue for the Festivals, such as the Cooking Festival, in which both Villages participate. The Goddess Spring is located here.
There are two screens where you can hand-fish in shallow water. One is directly east of Bluebell Village. The other is directly west of Konohana Village. The one closest to Bluebell will be designated as Bluebell Shallows and the one closest to Konohana as Konohana Shallows.
On the Konohana Shallows screen, there are two secret foraging locations in the form of a stand of Bamboo and a hollow tree stump. Wild Animals found on this screen include: Brown Ferret, White duckling, Drake, Monkey, Panda, Wild Boar
Some of the large Wild Animals, including the Boar and Bears, move from screen to screen. The smaller animals tend to stay on one screen.
Foraged Items:
Tree Stump: Weed, Branch, Stone, Honeycomb,
Bamboo Stand: Weed, Branch, Chamomile, Brown Mushroom
On the ground: Weed, Bamboo, Bamboo Shoots, Poison Mushroom,
Insects: Piggyback Locust, Scarce Large Blue, Spiked Locust, Dirt Grasshopper,
Hand-Fishing: Old Ball, Small Funa, Small Char, Killifish, Small Crab, Crab, Small Trout
Waterfall Screen, E3
This Screen has many paths, including one that goes beneath the Stone bridge to the heart of the Waterfall. Behind the Waterfall is the entrance to a Mine where one can find Ores as well as Wildflowers and other Items.
Once on the other side of the river, Freya discovers that she can walk under that bridge. There is fishing here using a fishing pole. There are rocks one can jump across to get to the other side of the river
Wild Animals include: Brown Monkey, Sparrow, Fox, White Monkey
Mine Entrance: Honeycomb, Scrap Metal, Weed, Branch, Mint, Ore Stone, Copper Ore, Magic Blue Flower
On the ground: Bamboo, Bamboo Shoots, Weeds, Stone, Branch,
On the trees: Honeycomb,
Insects: Swallowtail Butterfly, Longheaded Locust, Small White Butterfly,
Bouncy Mushroom on this Screen
Section Four: Gorgeous Vista on the right.
A slide takes Freya down to the river. A rock in the middle of the river allows Freya to jump across it to the other side where a fishing pier is found.
Animals: White baby duck, Mouse, Black Pig, Cardinal,
Tree Stump: Rocks, Magic Blue Flower, Weed, Mint,
Insects: Cornered Cricket, Cricket, Kutsuwa Katydid
On the Ground: Branch, Bamboo Shoots,
Mountaintop Screen, Centre:
Guard rails mark the trail. Festivals are held in this part of the mountain, and it appears as though a romantic interlude or two might also be had here. The Owl Pick up Service is opposite the festival grounds. The Harvest Goddess Srping is also in this area. From here, the mountain trail begins to take a downward turn towards BlueBell. There appears to be nothing to forage in this section nor animals to view.
Triple Wooden Footbridges Screen, W3:
On the Ground: Moondrop Flower, Magic Blue Flower, Chamomile, Rocks, Weeds, Mint,
On the Trees: Honeycomb,
Animals: Mouse, Brown Rabbit, White Fox, Brown Bear,
Insects: Hira Grasshopper, Kobane Grasshopper,
Fishing: From a pier.
Diving: Poison Mushroom, Scrap Metal, Mint
Oracle Sanctuary Screen:
At the Oracle's House: I've never seen writing like this before...
Inside of Rotting tree: Bamboo, Shiitake, Brown Mushroom, Chamomile, Branch,
Insects: Cricket, Nymph Butterfly,
On the Ground: Chamomile, Mint,
Animals: White Mouse, Brown Fox, Sparrow,
Bluebell Shallows Screen, W2:
Here you will find two separate tiered stair paths, one leading north and the other leading south. If you go up three grassy steps, you will find a wooden footbridge as well as a rabbit and a golden cat?. Go down to the main path again by means of a shute or slide.
From the main path, you could choose to go down tiered grassy steps to the Shallows. Here you will find a hollow log that sometimes is inhabited by a large brown bear but often is empty. To the right of the log is a tree stump where you can forage for Items.
Tree Stump: Weeds, Rocks, Walnut,
On the ground: Chamomile, Weeds, Rocks, Branch,
On the Cliff Side: Stone
Animals: Monkey, White Baby Duck, White Bunny, Drake, White Baby Duck, Brown Bear (which, incidentally, head butted Freya so that she nearly passed out),
Insects: Eastern Locust, Longheaded Locust, Swallowtail Butterfly,
Under Wooden Foot Bridge (use slide to get there): Brown Mushroom,
Fishing: Old Boot,
Bluebell Outlying Area, W1:
Nothing to forage.

Screen W1:
Screen W2: Hand-fishing Bluebell
Pale CLoud Yellow on northern steps, Small White on top tier, Long-headed Locust on top, Eastern Locust
Cleft in the cliff on the top tier north, Weeds
Spotted Locust on main path
Screen W3: Three wooden footbridges
Nymph butterfly
Mountaintop Screen: Centre
Screen E3: go down a slide to get to the river, fishing pier on the left (west) bank, reached by jumping over rock and log, to the far right of the screen is a stump , return to main path via bouncy mushroom
Screen E2: handfishing Konohana
Screen E1

Let me know what you think. Your work is incorporated in this, as you will recognise... but I didn't edit it fully or make all the descriptions conform to one another or to my names for the screens.

Birthday Caveat in Tale of Two Towns

Players who wish to have their Birthdays acknowledged by other Villagers in Tale of Two Towns should refer to my 1st Year Calendar Guide BEFORE they choose their Birthdays as a Birthday that falls on a Festival day may not be acknowledged. My research assistant, ILuvHM had this experience in her own game where she unfortunately choose a birth date that was pre-empted by a local Festival!

In Sunshine Islands, you could visit people AFTER the Festival ended to receive Birthday Greetings and Gifts, but in Tale of Two Towns, no one in her home village made any reference whatsoever to the Blessed Event...

Freyashawk's Guiding Principles

Players familiar with my Guides know that they fundamentally are based on my own gaming experience. It often only is when one begins a second file or second game that one discovers there are variations in Events or other aspects of any Harvest Moon or Rune Factory game.

In Tale of Two Towns, there are four different possible games one can play. There is a game played as a Boy living in Bluebell Town. Then there is a game played as a Boy living in Konohana Town. One can play as a Girl living in Bluebell Town. Finally, one can play as a Girl living in Konohana.

In the course of the game, a Player who begins his/her life as a Boy or Girl in one Village can move to the other and continue moving each Season. As Marriage is an aspect of Tale of Two Towns, the game will vary depending on the spouse one chooses.

What this means is that Tale of Two Towns is as rich and complex as any other Harvest Moon or Rune Factory game.

In specific terms, however, there will be some variations with respect to the information in the Guides. Prices, for example, will vary depending on your Character's point of Residence. A Player who lives in Bluebell Village will find the prices higher in Konohana and one who lives in Konohana will find prices higher in Bluebell. I am going to try to organise price lists according to the lowest possible price, which would be that for a Resident of the Town. It would be a little absurd to log every price twice.

Requests are another aspect of the game that may vary from file to file. I haven't experienced enough yet to know how much variation there is, but I am logging all Requests with their Rewards. Many of the Requests in Tale of Two Towns are repeated again and again, but the Requested Item and the Reward may vary each time. In other words, you may have a Request for Special Medicine ingredients from Georgia. The item requested may be a type of fish that can be caught with the hands, but the actual variety of Fish requested may differ each time. She will give the same reward of Udon Noodles more than once but I have to see if the Reward Item changes as well in the course of time.

New Guides for Tale of Two Towns

The following Guides will be available today for Tale of Two Towns:

Tale of Two Towns General Guide
Tale of Two Towns 1st Year Calendar Guide
Tale of Two Towns Cookbook Recipes Guide
Tale of Two Towns Characters Guide

Note that NONE of these Guides, apart from the 1st Year Calendar Guide are complete. I update them daily and hope that whatever information has been added at this point will be useful enough to justify publication even in their incomplete form.

Introduction to Tale of Two Towns

The newest game in the Harvest Moon series is 'Tale of Two Towns' and this is the Site devoted to the game. You will find the links to my actual Guides as Tabs above this Post.

The Guides will be available on IGN as usual as well. A preliminary General Guide and First Year Calendar Guide can be found now on this site.

'Tale of Two Towns' has been released for the ordinary DS system but a slightly different version is due to be released for the 3D system shortly. Evidently, the game will be the same for the most part, but there will be some special little additions to the 3D game.

In 'Tale of Two Towns', you choose not only your character's gender but his/her residence of choice. There are two Towns, as the name of the game announces. The Towns are Bluebell and Konohana. Bluebell Town specialises in Animal Farming. Konohana specialises in Crops and Orchards. The Towns are separated by a mountain region.

The Harvest Goddess will tell you the history of the Two Towns as well as the reason why she blocked the tunnel that cuts through the mountain and once acted as a shortcut between them. Too much bickering between the Mayors and villagers of both towns became unbearable to her and she caused an earthquake to bring down boulders to act as a barrier. Your primary task at the start of the game is to restore good relations between Bluebell and Konohana as she regrets the act that further divided them.

Although Crop Farming and Animal Husbandry are divided between the two Towns and you must choose between the two at the start of the game, it is not only possible but desirable to change your residence from time to time. You have the ability to make a choice each season, so every player can experience the unique beauty and charm of each Village, not only as a tourist but as a resident. While living in one Village, you are encouraged to visit the other. Each Village has some basic shops, but there are specialised businesses that can be found only in one of the two.

Note that although you must choose between Crop Farming and Animal Husbandry, you will be able to grow Crops on your Farm in Bluebell Village or raise Animals on your Farm in Konohana.

In true Harvest Moon tradition, there are Cooking Festivals and it is the Cooking Festivals that offer you the opportunity to begin to mend relations between the Two Towns.

Players of both Harvest Moon and Rune Factory will note new options in this Harvest Moon game that have been taken from Rune Factory. Among other things, there is a Message Board where Requests can be taken and Courtship includes both Heart Events and 'Date Events'.

Players who enjoyed Grand Bazaar will note that some of the Characters as well as gameplay options from that game have been included in Tale of Two Towns. The three brothers who were so prominent in the Bazaar are Characters in Tale of Two Towns. Another Grand Bazaar option is the ability to purchase pets who will herd your Animals as they do in Grand Bazaar.

The Mountain Area that separates the Two Towns is particularly glorious in this game, and gives a Player the ability to forage for Mushrooms, Bamboo Shoots and other wild items as well as Fishing and catching Insects. New to Two Towns is the ability to catch fish with your hands! The use of a Fishing Rod is necessary to catch many varieties of Fish but shallow waters offer the chance to 'hand fish'.

A preliminary General Guide should be available on my new Tale of Two Towns site this weekend.

Happy Harvesting!

Introduction to this Site

This is the site where the Guides for Harvest Moon 'Tale of Two Towns' will be found. The male Character Freyr has been given the town of Bluebell and the female Character Freya has been given Konohana. Each story has been given its own Page, located above this post.