FoMT aka Story of Seasons for Switch by Freyashawk Introduction

Twenty years ago, I wrote my first strategy guide for my daughter.  IGN discovered I wrote a guide, and asked me if I wished to write more for them.  I wrote at least 250 FAQs and one printed guide... but that was long ago.  In the past seven years, I only have maintained a constantly updated strategy guide for an online game called Family Farm Seaside.

Now, Nintendo has released a new version of Friends of Mineral Town for the Switch.  That was the first game I played in the Harvest Moon series, and that was the subject of my first strategy guide.

A number of players (many of them friends) who used my guides in the past have asked if I intend to write a guide for this new version of FoMT.

I told my friends that I would try to write whatever strategy tips or details of changes in the game I could.  I am not the same Freyashawk who wrote 250 guides two decades ago.  I suffer from severe chronic pain and other bedevilments, not that long ago went through treatment for Stage 3 cancer, and am not certain what I can do here...

If you wish to take this journey with me, however, I will do what I can!

I will publish my results as a series of posts.  First, though, to review the game and the new platform.

INITIAL REVIEW
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I feel Nintendo made a big mistake here.  The original version had simple controls.  They worked well.  Why do they have to make it more complex simply because the Switch has so many buttons and actual joysticks?  These are unnecessary and the actions required by the game become almost impossible to a new player.

The friend who sent me the game started to play at the same time as I did.  We were on the telephone together exploring the first day or two of gameplay.  Neither of us could give an item to any one.  Giving gifts is one of the most important aspects of Harvest Moon.  It should be possible simply to press the action button 'A' to give an item to some one.

This is NOT the case.  

USING THE CONTROLS
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I read the little manual.  I even went online.  No one explains this properly.

Essentially, you have two joysticks, and two sets of buttons, left and right.  Beyond this, there are two buttons at the top on either side of the Switch.

Here is where they have made matters infinitely more complicated than they should have been.

Your tools are controlled by the left joystick. 
Your items are controlled by the right joystick.

So you see the two very poor photographs above.  The top one shows the controls you need to use to perform basic actions.

In the lower photograph, you see two Menus at the bottom.  The one on the left represents all Tools in your Pocket and the one on the right represents the Items in your Pockets.

Here is where it becomes overly complex.

The first action you need to take is to place an item in your hands.  You do this by using the right joystick.  It automatically will engage the little Menu shown on the bottom right of the screen.  By pushing to the left or right, you can highlight any item in your pockets and place it in your hands (although it looks like it is on your head).  Once you do this, you can press 'A' to give it to any one in front of you who is close enough to be able to 'Talk'.

The Menu on the bottom left, on the other hand, is the Tools Menu.  The left joystick does NOT automatically control this Menu.  Instead, you need to press the Left or Right Buttons on the left side of your Switch to cycle through the tools in your Pocket.

So what do you think about this?  It is too complicated for words! But there you have it.

POSITIVE CHANGES
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You can purchase an adult chicken from the Poultry Farm that will lay an egg the very next morning.  You can place that egg in the incubator and it will hatch, giving you a chick in a couple of days.

The Horse is given to you almost immediately.  It is a colt and you must raise it, but it requires no feeding.  You can purchase a Brush from Saibara.  There is a little glitch or problem with the Horse.  You should be able to ring the Bell to bring the Horse outside or send it back into the Barn.  My horse simply bolts outside at the crack of dawn, and often becomes stuck in the little area to the right of the barn, where he desperately turns one way and the other.... luckily by dawn, he somehow has gone back into the Barn.  I wasted a lot of time trying to get him out of his little prison.

GENERAL HARVEST MOON STRATEGIES
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There are advanced goals like creating the Gem of Truth and finding Power Berries, and my old guide appears to remain valid about those, but that should not be your initial goal.

Essentially, Harvest Moon is based on a few simple goals.  Shipping is critical to progress.  Many new items are unlocked by shipping specific totals of existing items like Crops and Grasses.  Ship as much as possible.  In other games, one can store items for future use, but the only items to store initially are the sticks and stones you find on your farm.  You have the tools but will not have sufficient energy to transform them into Mineral Stone and Wood, so store them.

Another goal is to forge the best possible relationships with every one.  Every character has a different set of likes and dislikes, but initially the main focus should be on meeting and greeting every one as often as possible and experiencing as many events as possible.

One important group of Characters is the Harvest Sprites.  Do focus on raising their friendship levels so they will be willing to work on your farm.  Farm work is arduous.  You will be hard pressed to perform even necessary chores like watering all of your Crops.

STAMINA AND ENERGY
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You can recover all of your energy by spending time in the Hot Spring.  It takes TIME, so try to push through until night after shops are shut and people are behind locked doors and then spend all the time needed to restore all of your Stamina and energy.  You do not jump directly into the Hot Spring.  You need to enter by the door.  Watch as stamina levels are restored and do not exit until you have regained all hearts.

Another useful aspect of the Hot Spring is the ability to boil an egg, transforming it into a Hot Spring Egg.  Rick will give you one in his first event.  To create more of them, simply toss an ordinary egg directly into the Spring.

INITIAL EVENTS
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This is not comprehensive, and simply consists of Events I have experienced initially.

Tuesday, Spring, 1st Week:

Anna, Grandma, Stu (now Yu), Thomas in their houses

Ran downstairs in Inn

Brandon in his bedroom at the Workshop at 4.00 p.m. No event.

Cliff, Church at Noon.  Rainy day.  Cliff in Church; Grey upstairs at Inn.

Rick in house at 5.00 p.m.

Popuri and Lillia in Poultry Farm (house) at 5.00 p.m.

Thursday, Spring, 1st Week:

1st Heart Event with Cliff.  Enter Church at 10. or noon on 3 Spring.  Rainy Day.  Choose 'Take your time'.

1st Heart Event with Elli. 10.30 a.m.  Enter Clinic.  The 1st response will please both Yu and the Doctor, but it is the second response that pleases Elli

1st Heart Event with Marie.  Enter Library on Wednesday after noon, 2.40 p.m.

1st Rival Heart Event between Grey and Marie.  Enter forge on Wednesday, 4 Spring, 11.40 a.m.  When you exit, experience Popuri's 1st Heart Event immediately.  Follow her home and experience Rick's 1st Heart Event.  He will give you a Hot Spring Egg.

1st Rival Heart Event between Doctor and Elli, 2.00 p.m., entering Clinic on rainy day


Saturday, 7 Spring:  Enter screen walking from farm path towards Hot Spring and Lake to experience Jennifer's 1st Heart Event.  Choose second option to the effect that your own chakras are aligned.  Leave screen to walk towards farm, but immediately turn back to go towards Lake and Hot Spring to trigger the event between Jennifer and Harris.  She gives him Power Stone and tells you that you do not need one.

SHOPS AND PRICES
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Please be aware that my vision has become extremely poor.  It is very difficult for me to see numbers, especially when the item is flashing in the Menu.  If I make an error in any price, that is what causes it.

SHOP SCHEDULES
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General Store: Shut Tuesday and Sunday
  Open 9 to 5

Mineral Clinic: Shut Wednesday
  Open 9 to 4

Winery: Shut Saturday
  Open 10 to Noon

Library: Shut Monday
  Open 10. to 4.

Workshop: Shut Saturday
  Open 11 to 4

Yodel Ranch: Shut Monday
  Open 10 to 3

Poultry Farm: Shut Sunday
  Open 11. to 4.

Forge: Shut Thursday
  Open 10 to 4


Poultry Farm:
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Chicken: 1500 G
Brown Chicken: 1500 G
Angora Rabbit: 3000 G

Chicken or Rabbit Feed: 10G

Saibara upgrades Tools but you must give him the Ores needed for each upgrade

He sells the following:

Brush: 800 G
Milker: 2000 G
Clippers: 10000 G

Sells jewellery as well.

Mugi sells:

Calves

  Calf: 5000G
  Coffee, Strawberry, Fruit Calf: 10000G

Sheep: 4000G

Alpaca: 4000G

Fodder: 20G

Breeding Kits: 3000G

You will have some mature Grass on the southeast corner of your field, and can use your Sickle to cut it.  Place it in the Silo.

General Store:

Sells Seeds initially:

Turnip
Cucumber
Potato

Basic Bag: 3000 G
  (You really need this as it expands your pockets!!!)

ITEMS FOUND IN THE WILDS
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Spring:

Bamboo: Lake

Grapes: Farm and Mountain

Honey: Tree on farm

Moondrop:  On paths 

Blue Grass: On paths

Yellow Grass: Beach

Orange Grass: Beach