i dunno if this is legal to share or not, but actually there is some object left by Tiagox during development (to remember where he set the correct direction i think) beside the correct path entrance.
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I mean, it isn't illegal to share tips for a game but yeah xD
I used the rocks to help me keep track of the right way forward while designing the place, and they're still a little reliable. Tho the intended way is to get the solution from Mappi Village, which you should already have access to by the time you can enter the Misty Woods (after finishing Cindy's quest). You can either pay the guru to "read your fortune", or finish the donkey quest and wait for chapter 7 to get it from the lake monster quest.
I assume most people get their first orb from the Mappi quest anyway, which gives you all you need to cross the woods. Things only get this convoluted if you happen to stumble on the first orb REALLY early, in chapter 4.
(Btw, there's some hidden treasure in the Misty Woods in the place you'd least expect. *wink wink*)
LMAO, I actually skipped the Lake Monster quest because in my head I was like, "This is such a scam. I'm outta here." So, I didn't get the hint for the Misty Forest, and then I realized near the end of the game before the Wraith quest that I should get some mithril equipment just in case. Then I went into the Misty Forest and after some experimenting, I realized the rocks were next to the correct path and assumed that was the hint lol. It wasn't until I beat the game that I went back to finish the Lake Monster quest and finally realized why there was a "hole" in the story about the relationship between Mappi Village and the northern one.
It's kinda hilarious as to how this got so convoluted without me realizing it. Not to mention I recovered the first orb (probably early like you mentioned in your comment) from the first ruins. But I really enjoyed the main story, and the Wraith ending was pretty funny!
Well that sure must have been a confusing escalation xD
But that's on me for wanting to give the player the freedom to do things out of order tho. But I wonder if I should remove all mentions of Mappi Village if the player hasn't been there yet. (But you're right, it does turn out to be a scam lol)
I'm still thinking how I could implement the third village to the story. It's going to give you a third (and maybe fourth?) perspective on how the complicated beast people/human relationship can go. It's supposed to build upon what you know from the other two so maybe I can make finishing the other quests a requirement. At any rate, we'll see. I'm working on a different game now anyway, so this one won't get any new big updates anytime soon.
Well, I actually went to Mappi Village which was what made me realize it was a scam. But maybe you could have the northern village send the letter to Mappi instead of the other way around (assuming the player went to the northern one first)? It is hard trying to keep a story together while letting the player have freedom to explore, but I really enjoyed the freedom I had in the game since it allowed me to progress at my own pace and do some exploration.
A third village sounds really cool! And expanding on the human-beast relationship sounds really neat. But good luck on your other game!
Thanks! I'm gonna need it xD
I don't want to change the letter thing since there's a reason it comes from Mappi to Huyuchi, only for chief Eino to rip it apart. But one thing I can do is just make sure you need to finish at least one of the village's quests to visit the third (if not both). It could just start as a quest that spawns into that conditions in the guild's quest board. Anyway, I have a few ideas as to how it could start, so I'm sure I'll get to a good solution eventually lol
But I'm glad you liked the freedom. The main story is based on a novel I wrote back in 2018 so I couldn't find much space for player expression without messing up the plot, so I wanted to remedy this a bit with the side quests (which were ideas I was saving for a possible sequel).