SotMC: Gameplay Guide

This guide is aimed to help you understand all of the core game mechanics, and ui screens; then it will point you in the right direction to further the game by yourself.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents {001}

{001} 1. Table of Contents
      2. Using This Guide (Please Read This)
{003}   a. Who This Guide Is Intended For
{004}   b. Please Take Time
{005}   c. Understanding Language
      3. The Farm (Main Game Screen)
{007}   a. Getting Started
      4. Stable
{009}   a. Horse Status & Navigation
{010}   b. Brushes
{011}   c. Water Trough
{012}   d. Food Trough
{013}   e. Lantern
{014}   f. Shop
{015}   g. Bucket
{016}   h. Trophies
{017}   i. Stall Number
      5. Corral
{019}   a. Obstacle Course
{020}   b. Forest Course
{021}   c. Dressage Course
{022}   d. Sledge Pulling
{023}   e. Using the Corral
      6. Gate
{025}   a. Mailbox
{026]   b. Wagon
{027} 7. Well
      8. Barn
{029}   a. Curing your Horse (Stethoscope, Syringe)
{030}   b. Book
{031}   c. Mortar
      9. Blacksmith
{033}   a. Anvil
{034}   b. Book
      10. Info Board
{036}   a. No.
{037}   b. Name
{038}   c. Level
{039}   d. Counter
{040}   e. Breeding
{041}   f. Status
{042} 11. Progressing Your Game
{043} ¤¤¤¤¤. To Do, Edits, Thanks

Using This Guide (Please Read This)

As a fore note, the numbers in curly braces {###} are for more precise navigation. Searching the page for the number indicated in the table of contents will return either the table of contents or the exact heading you're looking for.

Who This Guide Is Intended For {003}

This is a gameplay guide intended for new or generally confused players; I have tried to be as descript as I could without ruining the fun of the game. If you already have a basic understanding of the game, want to learn more in depth about the mechanics, or want to get all achievements as fast as possible, please look at my Complete Guide [link at the bottom of the guide].

Please Take Time {004}

I have taken time to try and be very thorough throughout the guide. If questions arise as you learn about the game, keep reading, the answer you're looking for is probably within the next section or two. However, if I have overlooked something, or you have a question that wasn't covered in the guide, please take the time to ask me in the comments section at the end before giving me a negative rating. I will update the guide as needed and strive to be the top resource for all things SOTMC.

Understanding the Language {005}

Term	Descriptor
SOTMC	Secret of the Magic Crystal (This game!)
Pony	Your horse
Spirit	Your horse's red bar
Condition	Your horse's blue bar
Stats	Your horse's statistics (eg; Strength, Speed, Intelligence)
Kicks	Shoes (horseshoes)

The Farm (Main Game Screen)

Getting Started {007}

The game starts and you select your gender. Once selected, you are placed on the main screen of the game, your 'farm.' And a helpful tutorial tip comes up:

"Your grandfather had been studying the nature of the meteorite crystals. He had left his old farm to you. You can try to help him by breeding special horses and to find the lost meteorite crystals. You can upgrade the buildings by choosing the bricks icon, or you can enter them if you choose the door icon! You have a colt waiting for you in your Stable. Go and spend some time grooming it!"

Your farm looks like this [see below]. The money in the top left is how much you can spend. The three (3) boxes in the top right indicate what the weather will be like. When you left-click on a building you get that box menu with the door and brick, use them to enter and upgrade the building respectively; I've numbered the different things you can click to help you navigate more easily. Each option will have it's own heading in the guide so you can use the index to skip to it.

1. Stable

2. Corral

3. Gate

4. Well

5. Barn

6. Blacksmith

7. Info Board

SUPER IMPORTANT TIP

• If you hit 'esc' to go to the menu and click on 'settings', you can disable the annoying tutorial popups (which I've handily included throughout this guide in "code" boxes) and also disable auto save.

Tips

• A clover will always appear on your farm if there isn't snow on the ground. Clicking on it will increase your luck at the races!
  
• The weather indicator sometimes shows a rainbow; clicking on the actual rainbow on your farm will give you gold!

Stable

"This is the Stable where your horses live. In the stable your horses can have some rest between trainings, races, and quests. Here you can feed and take them to water. In the Stable you can breed your horses."

"You'll find the grooming tools on the left side. Use the grooming-brush for the body, the hoof-brush for the hooves, and the sponge for the head. You ca buy new items for your adult horses which will improve their abilities. Click on the shop icon. When your colt is old enough, you can buy horseshoes from the Blacksmith!"

1. Horse Status & Navigation {009}

• The name bar, coloured bars, and door icon will appear on every screen that isn't the farm. The red bar is your horses spirit, the blue bar is your horses condition.
  
• Hovering over your horses name shows your horses statistics; all stats are raised at the corral except intelligence which is determined by how well you groom your horse as a colt.
  
• The door lets you travel to any building on the farm.

2. Brushes {010}

• There are two (2) brushes and a sponge for grooming your horse; one (1) brush for it's hooves, one (1) for it's body, and the sponge for its head. All three (3) "brushes" will bring up both spirit and condition.

3. Water Trough {011}

4. Food Trough {012}

• The Water Trough and Food Trough will both raise your hoses condition by a significant amount.

5. Lantern {013}

• The lantern has no practical use.

6. Shop {014}

"You can click on the shop to buy new items for your horse. Every item is unique and improves your horse's abilities. You can try to find matching items for your horse."

• The shop allows you to buy new brushes, lanterns, and troughs by clicking on the respective item you wish to buy. If you have an empty stall in your stable you are able to buy a colt.

7. Bucket {015}

• The bucket has no practical use.

8. Trophies {016}

• When you horse wins a cup at a race, the cup is displayed on these shelves.

9. Stall Number {017}

• This is a numbered plaque for the stall your horse is in; it is only there to help you remember the order of your horses.

Tips

• Each item in your horses stall has statistic modifiers increasing the stats of your horse passively.
  
• You are not upgrading the stable by buying things in the shop; if you sell your horse all its belongings are sold too.

Corral

"This is the Corral where you can train your horses. You should try to reach the maximum of their abilities in order to have a sucessful breed. The higher level you reach, the better training your horses can have."

"Here you can train your horse to take them the highest level. Choose from the objects around your horses. If they have reached their maximum ability, you can breed them in the Stable to change them into superb steeds. Having a trained horse, you can take part in races or help others by taking on a quest at the Gate."

At the corral there are four (4) training courses for your horse; despite their descriptions, they all increase the stats they state. Each course takes a small amount of spirit and about half (50%) of your horse's condition.

1. Obstacle Course {019}

- - Strength, Reflexes

This sort of training develops the strength and reflexes of your horse.

2. Forest Course {020}

- - Stamina, Dexterity, Speed

This sort of training develops the stamina, the dexterity and the speed of your horse.

3. Dressage Course {021}

- - Speed, Reflexes

This training requires speed and dynamic reflexes.

4. Sledge Pulling {022}

- - Stamina, Strength

This sort of training increases the stamina and strength of your horse.

Using the Corral {023}

After selecting a course, you will load to a screen where your horse will run to the right; arrows will be floating in the air and you are to press the corresponding arrow key on your keyboard as your horse passes the arrow. If the correct key is pressed, you are graded on your accuracy; you are marked early, good, perfect, or late depending on how close to the right time you pressed it. You receive a "boo" for pressing the wrong key.



At the end of the course, all of your points are tallied and you are given a letter grade F, C, B, or A. Your horse then gains stats based on the grade you were given; the better the grade, the more stat points awarded. Zero (0) stat points are awarded if you fail the course.

Tips

• It is important to note that it is possible to take the courses at two (2) camera angles, chosen at random when you pick a course. Depending on the angle of the camera you have to press the key slightly earlier or later to compensate for your perspective[en.wikipedia.org].

Gate

"At the Gate you can send your horse to a race or to a quest. The higher the level is the better races you can send your horses for."

"You should choose the horse wagon if you want to send your horse to a race. If you want to help somebody who is in trouble, you should click on the mailbox and read the letters. Sometimes, when your horse is tired, it may fall ill during a Quest. If that happens you should visit the Barn to prepare a remedy for your horse! You can also make magical potions to increase your horse's abilities."

1. Mailbox {025}

• The mailbox is where you accept quests for your horse. Upon returning from a quest you gain money as well as a random chance of your horse both receiving and item and getting sick.

2. Wagon {026}

• The wagon is where you take your horse to enter competitions. There are five (5) competitions; one (1) for each stat except intelligence.
  
• You are awarded a trophy for winning, as well as a gold reward for placing in the top three (3).

Tips

• Avoid working your horse too hard in poor weather.
  
• Training your horses stats higher gives you a better chance of winning races, and don't forget about the clover for some extra luck!

Well

The Well {027}

"The Well will provide the Stable with fresh water, therefore if you need more room in the Stable you should upgrade the Well."

The well is one (1) of two (2) locations on your farm that you can't actually visit. Instead you can only upgrade the well to be able to own more horses at once. You add one (1) stall to your stable per upgrade.

Tips

• Multiple horses can go on quests or race at the same time! Furthermore, who doesn't want to own more ponies? No one.

Barn

"This is the Barn. You can make magical potions or cure your horse in case of illness. The magical potions can increase temporarily your horse's abilities. At every new Barn level you can find new recipes in the book."

"If your horse got ill, you would have to look for the stethoscope on the table to examine it. You can cure it with an injection. If your horse is healthy, you might try to mix magical potion by clicking on the mortar. You can find lots of recipes in the book lying on the table."

"Try the mortar to make magic potions. You need to use three components to make a potion. You can look for new herb combinations in the book."

Curing Your Horse {029}

3. Stethoscope

4. Syringe

This is the main use of the barn and requires 5 clicks.
Stethoscope > Anywhere on your horse > "Okay" dialogue > Syringe > Your horses head
The medicine can only be applied to your horses head.
The cost of the medicine is based on the level of illness, determined by which quest it got sick on.

1. Book {030}

• You start with zero (0) recipes unlocked. Even when upgrading the barn you still have to pay to unlock the new recipes.
  
• "Temporarily" is a understatement. The potions last one (1) quest or race.

2. Mortar {031}

• When you click on the mortar you will be shown a selection menu in a ring shape listing the number of each ingredient that you currently have.
  
• Upon selecting a combination unlocked in your book you will start an arrow mini game similar to the corral training. If you chose your ingredients correctly and pass the mini game you succeed in making your potion.

Tips

• Your horse can still go on quests while it is sick. It seems cruel, but you can save money and spoil them later!
  
• Remember, potions only last one race or quest!

Blacksmith

"At the Blacksmith's you can make magical horseshoes. The higher level the blacksmith's building is the better horseshoes you can make."

"You can make magic horseshoes by using the anvil. These horseshoes can be made by making use of the special descriptions which can be found in the book lying on the table. If your horse has horseshoes you can visit the Corral to train it in order to reach the maximum level!"

"Try the anvil to make your magic horseshoes! Choose three materials and mix them on the anvil. You can look for new combinations in the book."

1. Anvil {033}

• When you click the anvil you will be shown a list of ingredients identical to when you use the mortar.
  
• Also, in the same way as crafting a potion, select ingredients to complete a recipe found in your book. You will play a falling arrow game identical to the one in the barn, and very similar to the corral training.

2. Book {034}

• Similar to potions, you start with zero (0) recipes unlocked. Even when upgrading the blacksmith you still have to pay to unlock the new recipes.
  
• Unlike potions, however, the horseshoes last until you sell your horse.

Tips

• There's no need to unlock horseshoe recipes, despite what the game text says, your don't need horseshoes to train at the corral.

Info Board

"You can get information about your horses at the Information board of your farm."

1. No. {036}

• This is a numbered list of your horses by stall number.

2. Name {037}

• The name given to your horse. These are chosen from a predefined list.

3. Level {038}

• The number of stars indicates the level of your horse. When they are fully trained the stars turn gold. Each level or star is 100 stat points.

4. Counter {039}

• This is a timer in seconds (in real time) until your horse is back on your farm. Quests and races send your horses out.

5. Breeding {040}

• If your horse is able to breed it will say "yes." There are a number of reasons why a horse might not be able to breed.

6. Status {041}

• This is a toggle between "healthy" and "illness." Your horse can get sick on quests.

Progressing Your Game

Progressing Your Game {042}

The ultimate goal of the game is to collect all of the magic crystals.
If you find yourself wonder what exactly you should be doing, it's raising your horses!

This is a list of things you could actually do:

• Upgrade your Farm
  
• Groom your horse, or shop at the Stable
  
• Train a horse at the Corral
  
• Send your horse on a quest or race at the Gate
  
• Mix a potion at the Barn
  
• Get some new kicks at the Blacksmith
  
• Observe your horses general information at the Info Board

If you would like a more direct answer on what exactly you're supposed to do, please take a look at my complete guide.

I am considering including a few "real" answers in this guide (eg; getting new horses, how to level up a horse, how to obtain more stable space, how to actually get the magic crystals) using spoiler tags (spoiler tags) so people don't need to look at the complete guide and ruin more than they have to.

¤¤¤¤¤

Secret of the Magic Crystal Manual
SOTMC: Complete Guide
To Do {043}

Edits

v0.01 [7/30/2013] Release to Steam.

Thanks

[Get in here cupcake]

No @scaz , it's not.

[scaz]

This isn't a game with micro transactions/in-app purchases is it? I hate those types of games.

[spacejumper]

Sorry, I think you misunderstood something. There's no mention of the number of stalls available from what I can glance in the guide. I can't remember exactly what the max is but if your upgrades are max, that's probably it.

[Aislyn]

Hey guys, I just have a question, I've upgraded my well to 5 the maximum as they say in the game. My stables are also level 5 but I only get 6 stalls? It seems like I can't have more stalls then 6? I see here that you can have more, how do you do that?

[spacejumper]

alt+enter is the default windows hotkey if the game doesnt have an option. I can't recall if it works or not in this game.

[o.debra]

Thank you for the info! Question, can you make it a full screen?? How?

[spacejumper]

Check out my complete guide
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=154926970
it's a year or two out of date now but I probably covered it.

[douglas]

Thanks for this guide! Could you maybe explain how to increase the Intelligence?

[Happy Dead Guy]

Thank you. I had no clue what to do.

[spacejumper]

No worries! I have a few updates to do for probably a year now. You'd never believe how much real life screws things up.