A Rune Factory 4 Shrine

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Crystal
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A Rune Factory 4 Shrine

Post by Crystal »

So Destinie suggested to me on Twitter that I should build a shrine for Rune Factory 4. Seeing how much in love I am with this game I am totally on board with the idea. Unfortunately I am unable to think of more than two sections I'd like to do for it -- introduction to the game and characters. I tried looking at my OOT shrine for ideas and I got nothing. I do have a few other ideas that could work but that would involve getting into guides and I'd rather keep the shrine purely informational if at all possible.

Anyone have any ideas on what I could do for it?
There are shadows before us - but only because the light is at our back.
Lethe
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Re: A potential shrine idea

Post by Lethe »

I haven't played RF4 (or any RF games for that matter) because I don't know whether it's worth the $$ when I can't tell whether I'll like it (digital only in Europe, can't buy used copy ;_;), but for general anime/manga/video game shrines, I really like seeing sections that convey why you like the subject matter so much - beyond an afterword in what's usually the last part of the shrine. It can be a review or recommendation page or it something present in various other pages of the shrine.

You can combine personal and informational by highlighting specific features of the game to comment on, things that you'd single out when recommending the game to friends unfamiliar with the game or the whole genre. (Many months ago, I heard that RF4 is so charming and successful because it combines so many popular elements reminiscent of other series such as Pokémon and Fire Emblem, so making references to those and introducing shrine visitors to RF4 via those series might be an idea, seeing how they're both subjects that you like as well. :D)

If you've played other Harvest Moon or Rune Factory titles, a kind of overview or comparison page along with personal impressions would be interesting to see, especially for newcomers to the series ("Which RF title should I start with?").

If you don't mind straying from the informational aspect too much, I'd also be interested in reading your personal gameplay experience because that's fun to read about and also conveys how much a person likes a game (whether or not you choose to include a review-like page) - similar to what Amassment members have been doing with Animal Crossing shrines and Fire Emblem "which strategies I used for this character, which stats they usually got in my playthroughs (rather than the top-down perspective in guides/walkthroughs)" pages. I think games with such an individualized experience profit the most from such sections.
Both despair and ecstasy are part of the elements that compose a person.
Sarah
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Re: A potential shrine idea

Post by Sarah »

I'm not familiar with this game at all, as I've never played it, but maybe you could talk about the music or soundtrack? And the settings of the game? And perhaps a section on why you love it so much which could also be like a recommendation/review for people who haven't played the game and are curious about it.

Also, perhaps discuss how it is different from the previous games? (If you're familiar with them.)

Like I said, I've never played before, so I don't know how helpful I've been. :swt2: Good luck, Crystal!
If you're interested in time travel, meet me last Thursday.
Crystal
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Re: A potential shrine idea

Post by Crystal »

Lethe wrote:I haven't played RF4 (or any RF games for that matter) because I don't know whether it's worth the $$ when I can't tell whether I'll like it (digital only in Europe, can't buy used copy ;_;), but for general anime/manga/video game shrines, I really like seeing sections that convey why you like the subject matter so much - beyond an afterword in what's usually the last part of the shrine. It can be a review or recommendation page or it something present in various other pages of the shrine.

You can combine personal and informational by highlighting specific features of the game to comment on, things that you'd single out when recommending the game to friends unfamiliar with the game or the whole genre. (Many months ago, I heard that RF4 is so charming and successful because it combines so many popular elements reminiscent of other series such as Pokémon and Fire Emblem, so making references to those and introducing shrine visitors to RF4 via those series might be an idea, seeing how they're both subjects that you like as well. :D)

If you've played other Harvest Moon or Rune Factory titles, a kind of overview or comparison page along with personal impressions would be interesting to see, especially for newcomers to the series ("Which RF title should I start with?").

If you don't mind straying from the informational aspect too much, I'd also be interested in reading your personal gameplay experience because that's fun to read about and also conveys how much a person likes a game (whether or not you choose to include a review-like page) - similar to what Amassment members have been doing with Animal Crossing shrines and Fire Emblem "which strategies I used for this character, which stats they usually got in my playthroughs (rather than the top-down perspective in guides/walkthroughs)" pages. I think games with such an individualized experience profit the most from such sections.
Compared to past RF games I've played I'd say this one is definitely worth the money. I played RF1 and RF2 and I got bored of them fairly quick. RF4 I'm at over 100 hours played and am still going strong. I even started a new character for the heck of it and I find I can still enjoy the game even when I already know what's going to happen. May be worth mentioning that in my shrine too.

I haven't really noticed the Fire Emblem or Pokemon aspects of it but it does make sense with befriending monsters and going on adventures with the townsfolk. No wonder I love it so much. xD

Ohh yeah! That would be a good thing to talk about too. I've played a couple other RF games like I mentioned, and several of the Harvest Moon games as well.

Writing about personal experiences would be good too. I'm pretty sure I have a lot to say about this game. It has made me cry so much for one reason or another. I have no idea what I could write for strategies as I tend to focus mostly on physical damage, but I suppose even that could be something to talk about as well.

So many awesome ideas! Thanks Lethe! :D
Sarah wrote:I'm not familiar with this game at all, as I've never played it, but maybe you could talk about the music or soundtrack? And the settings of the game? And perhaps a section on why you love it so much which could also be like a recommendation/review for people who haven't played the game and are curious about it.

Also, perhaps discuss how it is different from the previous games? (If you're familiar with them.)

Like I said, I've never played before, so I don't know how helpful I've been. :swt2: Good luck, Crystal!
Ohh yeah for sure! I really like the music in this game so that may be worth mention too. Maybe also mention some of my favorite songs as well? Settings I plan to talk about in the introduction section, but a separate section for why I love it is definitely something I should do. I love the idea!

That would be worth discussing too. I've played Rune Factory 1 and 2 and those I quickly grew bored of and even traded in the games (which is something I am hugely regretting doing now. wtf younger self!?).

Thanks Sarah!
There are shadows before us - but only because the light is at our back.
Destinie
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Re: A potential shrine idea

Post by Destinie »

HI CRYSTAL I AM EXCITED THAT YOU ARE CONSIDERING THIS!

I totally agree that #4 is the best in the series. I played the first one and was very "meh" about it. I got #4 on a whim and I'm so addicted to it. *_* There's so much you could do with a shrine to a game like this, I think. I think that a backstory about the game is necessary but aside from that I would be really interested in your personal experience with it.

What character do you play? Which characters are your favorites? Any good strategies for making money? Weird things, tips and tricks, love life, monster pets, idk now I am rambling. I think the big question is where do you start and what will your goal be?
Crystal
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Re: A potential shrine idea

Post by Crystal »

I'm not sure if you saw the screenshot I posted on Twitter about my outline for the shrine but a lot of the stuff you suggested is good too. I'm not sure if I can do tips and stuff because I'm still learning things myself but I do plan to make this shrine the most opinionated shrine I have ever made if that counts for anything lol.

So far I plan to make an introduction to the game, talk a bit about the characters (include things like birthdays, gifts they like, voice, etc), talk about the story arcs, the music, and probably some other things too that I haven't thought about yet. I plan to keep it small for now so I don't want to go super crazy but all your suggestions are really good too!
There are shadows before us - but only because the light is at our back.
Destinie
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Re: A potential shrine idea

Post by Destinie »

Oh! I may have missed it (or totally forgot!!) but I will check it out. :) I like what you have thought of so far. I like the idea of including their gifts they like and such like that.

As for tips, if there's a particular way that you play that you think works well I think that would be good to include. For me, I usually start with fishing as an easy way to make money and then try to max out all of my farm tools but there are so many different paths you can take in the game that might be interesting to hear about.
Crystal
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Re: A potential shrine idea

Post by Crystal »

Yeah that's true. Early on I like growing lots of turnips to make money. I also like befriending lots of monsters that drop items (woolies, cluckadoodles, and bufamoo's especially) so I can sell those too. I may have to mention that somewhere.

I was talking with my sister last night about some things she'd like to see on a RF4 site and she wanted to see preferences like what monsters I like and what upgrades I like to do on weapons on such. I think that would be a fun idea too as we do things differently in the game.
There are shadows before us - but only because the light is at our back.
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