Post VanaFest 2012 Interview, by Gamer Escape

[Fereydoon]

They should make the initial trip similar to what happens when you purchase your way to AU, you get dumped on an airship and dropped off in the middle of nowhere. (Woodlands) and have to find your way to town.

[Dotsudoku]

There should be a system identical to TOAU, really. The maiden and early subsequent trips should require a boat or airship, and a more convenient quest-based warp should be added down the line.

[Lucavi]

^ Only if they dropped people off in random areas. Otherwise, you end up with MMO realities mucking up in-game lore with hundreds of people being "dropped off in the middle of nowhere" in the exact same place, much like when hundreds of people start their journeys in MMOs in the exact same spot alongside one another.

Would be pretty cool to see; maybe even make it phased to ensure that you're all alone at least for the first part.

[Kaisha]

They should make the initial trip similar to what happens when you purchase your way to AU, you get dumped on an airship and dropped off in the middle of nowhere. (Woodlands) and have to find your way to town.

Heh, really? I never did the buy route for ToA access, figured you just got the pass and then off you go to the boat, not get dropped off there as a fugitive.

[Slycer]

A straight up port there feels anti-climatic. No tension or build up, unless they plan on having some form of per-requisite quest that doesn't involve running around talking to 20 NPCs per nation...

I'd rather they spend time developing a new useful area than waste time on an area that I'll care about once ever.

Or they could do something along the lines of Fereydoon's post where they integrate it into the storyline. For example, you start the first cutscene and you're on a boat (just in the cutscene), which somehow gets shipwrecked along the way, and then you wind up washed up somewhere in a random location on the coast of the new region and have to wander your way to the city, at which point you can unlock the port that lets you go back and forth to the main continent.

[SephYuyX]

Im looking forward to Harvest Moon XI.

[Damane]

Disappointed at lack of new boat tune due to no boat.

As far as a boring ride went, it could have been something more than just your standard-fare boat ride. Make it perilous seas or some shit where you have to fight to make the boat survive the run, which would explain their lack of keeping in touch with the existing continents.

A straight up port there feels anti-climatic. No tension or build up, unless they plan on having some form of per-requisite quest that doesn't involve running around talking to 20 NPCs per nation...

why waste time on something you use once, maybe twice. I rode the boat form mhaura to whitegate a total of 2 times...

[Kurstone]

Im looking forward to Harvest Moon XI.

me too @ -@, sad they said that you couldn't add stuff to it like MH, but then again expanding it might mean trade x number of logs and you get a little shack/storage house built, how i miss you harvest moon

[Tarage]

Off topic but Kurstone your avatar and sig look like they are responding to eachother's reactions...

[vadre]

Mizuki Ito- Well, one of the most memorable things for me recently is the announcement of Hiromichi Tanaka’s retirement. While I was saddened by that fact that he is retiring, I feel very proud and fortunate to be a developer at the same company with a person who retired while being loved by many of the fans.

Frankly, I'm shocked and slightly disappointed that no one's jumped on this.

[Tarage]

What did you think he would say? "Tanaka retired while being loathed by the fans who probably wishes he would get cancer in the first place"? Of course they are going to spin that he was liked.

[Chamaan]

He got a lot of good will when he announced he was sick. They might just be under the impression that it was a love/hate relationship and we still respected him even when we made fun of him.

And worry not, cats and kittens. You know that all of Adoulin will be 90% boat rides like Venice. Boat to get around the city like a tram ride, boat to the farm, boat to the wilderness.