That's on in Frontier, the numbered Rune Factory games on the DS/3DS and the Tides don't have that Runey system.Padwolf said:Hmm, well, yeah not much like that, the only optimisation of your farm you need to do in it is how to actually grow your crops. There is a very harsh Runey system for when you are growing crops, it's very hard to achieve crops without a guide telling you where to properly grow them. The Runeys will basically eat and kill your crops if you don't manage them properly and place them properly. Otherwise I can't quite think of any other game that's like Harvest Moon but more challenging
I've played a fair bit of Frontier, beating the 4 Seasonal dungeons, but the tediousness of maintaining the Runeys made me walk away. I've played a bit of Tides, but the Golem island moving mechanic confuses and infuriates me. I've played the shit out of RF3 and is a solid game. Frontier would have been my favorite, if not for the Runeys.
@OP: There still is a fair amount of optimization of your farm going on. When you start off, you're given a small amount of clear land and you eventually gain axe and hammer to remove stumps and boulders to further clear the land so it can be plowed for cultivation. Plowed land can be cultivated, but non-plowed land has the chance to spawn stumps, which you need for wood to expand your house and farm. Also, as you play you'll eventually get a barn and recruit monsters to assist you in your farm duties so you have more time for dungeon crawling.
In Frontier, there were different categories of monsters each with their own specific farm skill; This one waters plants, this one harvests vegetables, this one chops stumps, this one cuts the grass (monster feed), etc. They did everything but plow and sow the seeds. And, how much (or rather how long) of your farm they worked depended on their friendship level, which you raise by daily brushings, giving them gifts and taking them with you dungeon crawling. After harvested, everything is put into your sales bin, and if you get there before 5pm, you can take the items out and save/cook them.
In RF3, each monster could do everything but plow, but each monster only worked a quarter of the field. So, you only needed 4 monsters instead of one for each task. You could give them permission to sow the land, but they'd use the most basic seeds for the season and it would directly come out of your wallet. Also, if let the monsters harvest, they immediately put it into your harvest box which you can't take them out. So, you'll have to harvest the crops yourself if you wanted to cook with them.
