Feb. 24, 2005 (JST*) Changes to the Fishing System
*Japan Standard Time

New Rules
When something catches the hook while fishing, the rod will now be pulled sharply to the left or right.
While keeping an eye on the target window that displays the stamina of the "fish," move the left analog stick (or press the 4 and 6 keys on the numeric keypad) in the opposite direction of the fishing rod’s movement. Performing this action correctly will deplete the stamina of the fish.

It is possible to reel in a fish using the method of the previous system. However, the more stamina a fish has remaining, the easier it will be to lose your catch. It is best to reel in your quarry after its stamina has been sufficiently exhausted.

You can cancel the act of fishing at any time.
When faced with a challenge beyond your ability, or a fish that you don’t wish to catch, you might find it preferable to simply cancel and try again.
(Please refer to "Fishing Instinct" below.)

Fishing Action
From the character’s point of view, the fishing rod will be pulled in one of three directions:

[ Forward ]
Moving the analog stick (or pressing the 4 or 6 keys on the numeric keypad) at this time will allow the fish to regain stamina. Wait for the fishing rod to be pulled to the right or left before attempting to counter the movement.
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[ Left ]
Pushing the analog stick to the right (or pressing the 6 key on the numeric keypad) at this time will deplete the stamina of the fish. Pushing to the left (or pressing the 4 key on the numeric keypad) will allow the fish to regain stamina.
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[ Right ]
Pushing the analog stick to the left (or pressing the 4 key on the numeric keypad) at this time will deplete the stamina of the fish. Pushing to the right (or pressing the 6 key on the numeric keypad) will allow the fish to regain stamina.
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Reeling in Your Catch
Pressing the confirmation button (or pressing the Enter key) will reel in your catch. The chances of successfully reeling in a catch will depend on the amount of stamina the fish has remaining. Even if a fish is not completely exhausted, it is still possible for someone with a high fishing skill to reel in a lower-level catch. In general, however, the more stamina a fish has, the more likely you are to lose your catch. There are also certain cases where your line will break.

With a fishing rod of sufficient quality, it is possible to reel in a fish at zero stamina with a high degree of success. Also, the higher the fishing skill, the less exhausted the fish has to be before it can be hauled up.

Canceling
Pressing the cancel button (or the Esc key) will halt the act of fishing.
Bait will still be lost in this case, but fishing rods will not break, and lures and rigs will likewise be unaffected.

Effects of Fishing Skill
- Depletion/recovery of fish stamina -
  If there is a substantial difference between a character’s fishing skill and a fish’s rank,
  the fish’s stamina will gradually change in the following way:

  Fishing skill > Fish rank: Fish’s stamina will gradually decrease.
  Fishing skill < Fish rank: Fish’s stamina will gradually increase.

- Bonus when reeling in a fish -
  When a character’s fishing skill is higher than a fish’s rank, it is less likely for a rod to
  break or for a catch to be lost.

* This bonus increases in proportion to the difference in rank.
* When wearing equipment that raises fishing skill, the improved skill value is used to
   calculate the bonus.

Properties of Fishing Rods
Fishing rods are divided into wooden and synthetic types, both with distinct properties.

Wooden fishing rod :
Lacks the durability of synthetic rods, but quickly depletes a fish’s stamina with its whip-like flexibility

Synthetic fishing rod :
Sturdy enough to keep a fish on the line for longer periods of time, but lacks the stamina-reducing bonus of wooden rods.

[ Wooden rods ]
  Willow Fishing Rod / Yew Fishing Rod / Bamboo Rod / Fastwater Fishing Rod /
  Tarutaru Fishing Rod / Clothespole / Mithran Fishing Rod

[ Synthetic rods ]
  Glass Fiber Fishing Rod / Carbon Fishing Rod / Single Hook Fishing Rod /
  Composite Fishing Rod

[ Other ]
  Lu Shang's Fishing Rod: A fishing rod with both flexibility and durability.
  Performs as an average rod, except when trying to catch…

* The durability of wooden fishing rods designed for catching small fish has been
   substantially increased.

Fishing Instinct
"Fishing instinct" refers to the messages that are displayed when something catches the hook. These messages can be used to predict the basic difficulty for catching a certain fish.


- Examples of fishing instinct -

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"You have a good feeling about this one!" :
You don't think that anything bad will happen when reeling in your catch.

"You have a bad feeling about this one." :
You think that something unfortunate may happen when reeling in your catch.

"You have a terrible feeling about this one..." :
You think that reeling in this catch will be an extremely bad idea.

* Messages that express your level of confidence in reeling in a catch will also be displayed.
* These messages only represent your "fishing instinct" and the actual outcome of a
   fishing attempt may differ, especially when a character’s fishing skill is low.


After struggling with a fish for a certain amount of time, the following message will be displayed :
"You don't know how much longer you can keep this one on the line..."
Several seconds after this message is shown, your catch will be lost, unless you make an attempt to reel in the fish.

* The timing of this message is not affected by fishing skill.

Other Adjustments
The following adjustments have been made to the fishing system.

- Fishing skill will now rise at twice the previous rate. -
  There is still a chance for fishing skill to rise when losing a catch, except in cases
  where the fish has a large percentage of stamina remaining.

- When the sabiki rig hooks several fish rather than just one, it will be slightly more
  difficult to reel in your catch. -

- The amount of time that a character must wait between fishing attempts will no longer
  change depending on fishing skill. The previous waiting time will now be spent struggling
  with your catch. -

- Fish will take the bait more often. -
  The message "You didn't catch anything" will be seen less frequently.

- The influence of moon phases on the abundance of fish has been increased. -

- Characters will become fatigued when fishing. -
  Constant displays of the message "You didn't catch anything" hint that your character has
  become fatigued. This fatigue is built up through catching large quantities of fish. At this
  time it is best to change areas, or take a break from fishing for a while.

- During the act of fishing, the surrounding characters will become semi-transparent. -