Stillmate (Free RPG) Introduction, Impressions, and Strategy Notes

This is an RPG created with RPG Maker 2000, with sailing as its main theme.
I heard it was fun, so I wanted to play it this time.
The game was released quite some time ago, but it seems that it has been repeatedly updated since then, with various elements being added over and over.
Regarding strategies, detailed information is available in the game's included instruction manual and on the official website, so this article will focus on providing an overview and my impressions.

Game Overview

I don't know the completion time because there's no playtime count.
The game description states that the playtime is over 20 hours.
If you try to do everything in-depth, it will probably take you over 100 hours.

The story follows the protagonist, Celia, as she embarks on a voyage to find her brother, Reinhard, who went missing in the New World, accompanied by Fried, a man who knew her brother, and her bodyguard, Safine.
While there is a main storyline, you can go anywhere in the vast world, and various side events await you.
It might be easier to understand if you imagine the free scenario system from the Romancing SaGa series.
However, while you can go anywhere, you can also encounter powerful enemies and be instantly defeated, so frequent saving is essential in this game.
This game is especially recommended for those who enjoy gradually figuring out the mechanics of a game on their own.

There are plenty of things to do, such as steadily making money through trade, searching for treasure in dungeons, gambling at casinos, and increasing the friendship levels of your companions.
I think it will take quite a long time to fully experience all the elements of the game.

voyage

In this game, you can basically only move around on the sea.
We will travel by ship, making stops at various ports along the way.
The game is based on a real-world map (including Dragon Quest III), and many of the place names are taken from real-world locations.
This is especially recommended for people who like world history.

Food is necessary for sailing.
While traveling, the remaining sailing time is displayed at the top of the screen, and in the initial ships...10 secondsYou can only move for one minute.
(Added on July 11, 2020: I had previously stated that it was 10 seconds, but the correct duration is 1 minute, so I am correcting it.)

Therefore, once they set sail, they will starve to death unless they frequently stop at ports.
Once you reach land, your time will be fully restored.

Boats can be replaced, and they can also be modified.
You can extend your sailing time by loading more food supplies, or you can carry more trade goods to make a profit.
Replacing or modifying equipment can be quite expensive, so it might be difficult to do so in the early stages of the game.

Also, when sailing close to land, you may discover "landmarks."
(e.g., historical buildings and World Heritage sites such as the pyramids, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, and the Great Barrier Reef)
Famous landmarks can be found all over the world, and discovering them brings fame.
Fame is a status that represents an adventurer's level, and many events progress only when this level is above a certain point.

battle

This game features fewer battles against enemies, unlike typical RPGs.
Of course, you will fight enemy characters and monsters in dungeons and events.
However, storms and icebergs occur more frequently.

In the open ocean far from the coast, you may encounter storms.
Storms have different levels of intensity.If you encounter the strongest "violent storm," you must be prepared to die.
This shows just how much of a threat nature can be to seafaring.

During the voyage, my ship also participates in battles,If your HP reaches 0, your ship will sink, and it's game over without question.

In polar regions such as the Arctic and Antarctic, you may encounter icebergs.
These also come in different sizes, but they're still more endearing than storms.

In general, you gain very little experience points from fighting, including these battles.
You can level up by purchasing experience points at training grounds located in each city.
The character level cap isn't very high either.
However, each level has a significant impact, and equipment and other factors are important for becoming stronger.

trade

Trade is the core of this work.
The idea is to buy something in one city, sell it for a higher price in another city, and make a profit from the difference.
This area can be even more enjoyable if you have some knowledge of imports and exports, the industries of various countries, and history, like you might have learned in school.

As you travel, you start to realize that goods from one place can be sold for a high price in another, and once you figure that out, you can't stop making money.
There's a certain enjoyment in devising your own trade routes.
In this game, no matter how much money you have, it's never enough, so no matter how much you earn, you never get bored.

guild

It's a facility located in a major city, used for taking on contract work.
In addition to simple jobs like delivering letters and procuring trade goods, there are also "special missions" that can only be accepted once.

The nature of these special assignments varies greatly.
Since dungeons are often unlocked and valuable items can be obtained, it's a good idea to complete all of these tasks.
However, the difficulty levels range from easy to very difficult, so you need to be careful not to get stuck.
Completing guild tasks will increase your reputation, so you'll want to discover famous places while diligently completing your work.

fellow

You become allies by participating in various events in different locations.
Since events often begin in taverns, it's important to head to a tavern as soon as you arrive in a new major city.

Having more allies is a great help in terms of fighting strength.
But that's not all; additional dialogue is added during events, and many special sub-events are also available.
I think the biggest benefit is that having people from diverse backgrounds and social statuses makes the event more lively and gives a sense of being on an adventure with a large group.

There's also a "likability" parameter for your companions.
Increasing your affection level through gifts and other means will also affect the ending.

Review (contains spoilers)

I just wanted to see the ending, so I finished the game even though there were still events left to complete.
My strategy for clearing the game was to increase the number of allied ports to 30 or more.
In a sense, this is a method that can be achieved if you have enough money.
Even so, saving up was quite difficult, but I felt a great sense of accomplishment.

I think I played for about 30 hours, but my completion rate was only 36%.
We've gathered all our teammates,I didn't try to increase my popularity by giving gifts or anything like that, so no one stayed with me, and it was a lonely ending.
Albert is the only one who's still working as captain under Celia, but I have a feeling it's going to end with Default.
I've been thinking that Celia would be a good match for a man like Albert.

Although it's a free-scenario game, it has a solid main storyline, and I found it very enjoyable.
In particular, the presence of my teammates was very strong.
Combined with the theme of sailing, I was able to immerse myself in the world of the story and feel like I was on an adventure.
Each person has their own unique personality, and the interactions between them are also fun.
There are plenty of side events involving your companions, and each character is explored in depth, making it easy to grow attached to them.
However, there aren't many opportunities for combat, and once you progress a certain distance, there's no longer a need to strategically use different party members.
However, since it was a free-scenario game, I was able to take my favorite characters with me wherever I wanted.

Regarding the game, the idea that everything could be solved with money felt realistic in a way.
Once you get the hang of trading, you can make money forever by traveling back and forth between two ports.
Strangely enough, it didn't feel like work at all. When I started to get a little bored, I'd play with the feeling of, "Maybe I'll take a little trip to clear my head and do some events along the way."
It felt like I was taking a vacation in between my trading work, and not in a bad way, but I really did feel like I was working.
For now, it seems like I'll need money to strengthen my members and increase their affection levels, so I'm planning to earn money by aiming to increase my completion rate.

I haven't really delved into the trading aspect of the game.
The way to earn money in the adventure part is different from buying and selling trade goods, so at first I didn't really know what to do.
However, after looking at strategy guides and other resources, I vaguely understood the game and created a profitable trade route, and also made investments.
Since it's quite expensive and transporting money during the adventure part is more time-efficient, I only use it occasionally to collect tribute payments.
However, the idea of assigning my crew members to various tasks and setting sail felt exciting, as if it could be a story in itself.
It seems there will be more updates in the future, so I'm really looking forward to them.

Strategy Notes (Contains Spoilers)

Whenever I encountered something I didn't understand while playing, I was able to solve most of the problems by checking the developer's walkthrough website.
I'll also be taking notes on things I notice while playing.

A place in an unnamed town

The nameless town where the old man-related events take place is a bit hard to find, but you can get there by heading south along the river east of Dixon and opening the sluice gate.
The world map in the walkthrough showed the locations of the towns, but I got lost trying to remember where to enter them.
I'm probably the only one who's confused, but I'll make a note of it anyway.

Useful trading schemes

I think the important factors are that it doesn't require much time or effort, and that the capital gains from selling it are substantial.
I feel happy when I find an efficient scheme on my own.
(I recently learned the word "scheme," so I wanted to try using it.)
Ideally, a method that only requires a round trip between two locations would be the most efficient.
I'll share some trading strategies that I found to be efficient during my own gameplay.
Just because it's profitable doesn't mean you should keep going back and forth on the same route; you'll get bored. So, if you make purchases along the way to your destination, you'll feel like you're on an adventure while doing business.

- A combination of Alexandria pepper, London textiles, and Lisbon delivery missions.
I buy pepper in Alexandria, sell it in London, and buy textiles at the same time.
After that, on his way back to Alexandria, he delivered textiles to a guild in Lisbon as a delivery job.
The reward for weaving is not very high,As a bonus, it also helps you gain fame, so it was useful for raising your reputation in the early stages of the game.

- A combination of selling weapons from Seville, gold from Veracruz, and items in Scandinavia.
This type of trade can be started early in the game, is efficient due to its short distances, and is a viable option.
Selling Veracruz gold all the way to Scandinavia is a bit of a hassle, but the profit per hour is quite high, so I think it's worth using until the end.
Once your trading level is at its maximum, you don't need to involve weapons from Seville; simply traveling back and forth between Northern Europe and Veracruz is sufficient.
I relied on this the most when it came to earning money.

- Round trip between Cape Town gold and Copenhagen glass
It's a simple round trip: buy glass in Copenhagen, travel south along the coast to sell it in Cape Town, buy gold there, and sell it back in Copenhagen.
Gold from Rio de Janeiro is cheaper than gold from Cape Town, but it's dangerous because it crosses the open ocean.
This area, particularly around Africa, has some dangerous zones, but is generally safe.
However, it's less efficient than the Veracruz-Northern Europe route.

- Round trip between the whale oil of the polar gnomes and the timber of Kaliao
The method involves buying whale oil, which is fairly expensive, in Nome and selling it in Callao in the south.
The route involves traveling along the coast of the American West Coast back and forth, so while the distance is somewhat long, the danger is relatively low.
If you have the opportunity to stop by the polar region, you can use this service while you're there.