I feel that even though the issue of the spouses in Stardew Valley being even somewhat robotic in behaviour has been revised, there should be some more "intimacy" in the relationships. One way I think Ape could do this is by adding more cutscenes (like dates or outings with children) and ways to like meet up with other people. I also think it would be a cool feature if Ape added inviting people to your farm or ways to ask people to hang out, like go to the saloon or another place. It's probably a far fetched idea, but I still think it would be a nice touch to make the relationships with characters nicer. Just cause I don't feel like I established my first point well enough, for instance, if you had kids, you and your spouse could take them to the playground as a cutscene or get them to play with Vincent or Jas, depending on friendship levels. It would, once again, probably never be a feature, but it's just something I wanted to suggest anyway.
Maybe in a later patch. I'd rather have more gameplay than cutscenes where I can't do anything but watch.
I think it would be cool to add more "quests" to build friendships. Kind of like the bulletin board. Or like the Qi quests. It was almost like a scavenger hunt. But it kept you interacting with the game. But back to my point. There is a convo you have with Leah about an art show....for me, it was like 2 years later. Hugo me day I walk outside and BAM! There's Leah, inviting me to her art show. I can dig it. But past think I think it would be cool if there was another "quest" to learn something else about her. Or with Gus, i think he should give cooking lessons, and you would have to bring him the ingredients he needs. Or maybe the library holds an auction and you help Gunter gather things. Idk I'm spit ballin here, but I think more engaging game play and development with the villagers in general would be cool.
But yes we need more dates with spouses hello random date at the bath house would be fun, or some random event where you save your spouse from the Slime's, or how about a date to the city? that might work.
More cutscenes would be fun! They're a huge part of why I adore this game and it's such a shame you eventually run out of cutscenes in the late game. Some generic "let's go on a date" or "let's have fun with the kids" cutscenes for all spouses would be fun and then maybe a couple cutscenes could be specific to each spouse. Like my favorite spouse is Abigail and I'd absolutely love to be able to drag her down in the mine and help her get rid of her fear of it. A cutscene for that would be super cute.
Honestly, cutscenes are what the game uses to actually add more personality to characters and helps build more of a sense of progress when there isn't much else you can progress with in the late game. Yes, more content with artisan goods, or upgrades, etc. can do a lot, but I enjoy a game that gives the NPC's more time to show their personality.
I was thinking of a similar thing! I think once you're married, there could also be an option for you and your spouse to go on a walk during a snowy wintry night with the music "The Wind Can Be Still" playing while you walked about the town, mountains, forests, or wherever your spouse likes to go. Obviously, not just snowy wintry nights, any night or day would be good. =) I could see it as a continuous cinematic where the music and scene would keep going/looping until you decide to leave it. This could give your spouse more friendship points (up to a cap, of course) perhaps depending on how long you two walked for; this would also serve the purpose of letting time pass, though you can decide when the cinematic ends, not when the time limit has been reached. This gives those of us who appreciate those quiet moments more time before returning to what we need to do.
