Anyone Else Not Bother With the NPCs?

When I played Stardew Valley I kinda stayed a hermit. The NPCs I mostly interacted with were the utilities (blacksmith, shopkeeper, builder) and I had little interest in socializing (let alone getting married). I find this reflects how I am in real life as I mostly keep to myself.

Anyone else gravitate towards this play-style?

 

To each their own. Personally, I ignored all the bachelors and haven't missed them. Really it's only because you're forced to participate/view heart events for them at the proper stages and they get too intimate for my liking.

 

Stardew Valley wouldn't be nearly as enjoyable without the NPCs imo.
so no, I definitely don't play this way. I couldn't play this way

And I am not a social person irl. At all.

 

There are a couple of NPC's that I simply don't like as people, and I tend not to talk to them much. I will name no names. But I can appreciate that it takes all sorts to make a town. Quite a few of them are really fun characters who I like to RP doing things with. They make the little world of the Valley come alive, and the game wouldn't be much without them.

 

I talk to all of them so I can get presents in the mail. What? I like getting gifts too. Evelyn sends me cake.

 

The NPCs are great though. Especially when you get to know them better. *cough Shane *cough* But to answer your question: No, personally I don't think the game would be the same without the NPCs (also fam you're totally missing out on all the bachelor(ette)s because trust me they're amazing)

 

Evelyn's a hoot, but I don't think all her oars are in the water. She keeps promising to give me a cookie recipe I learned from her, like, four years ago.

 

It's all those years of rubbing fish on her knees and back I'm sure.

 

I'm someone who has social anxiety, big time, in real life. In SDV, I try to at least be somewhat friendly with most of the NPCs. They give you gifts when their heart amount is high enough, and some of them are a hoot to talk to. I think the only ones I don't talk to on a regular basis are the kids Vincent and Jas (mostly because I forget about them) and Shane, who starts of QUITE unfriendly.

 

There are quite a lot of people to keep track of, so at first it's daunting. I only befriended about 5 people that I saw the most for my first playthrough. But I'm currently doing a completionist run, trying to get all the recipes and full hearts with everyone. (Only the dwarf and krobus left).

 

*cough*Shane*cough*

 

I'm almost done getting everyone to full hearts, I've got one left each for Sam and Elliot.

 

I actually talk to every single NPC I see, every single day. I wish conversation raised their heart-levels b/c I'd be best buds with everyone! I go to every festival and talk to everybody there, even though they say the same thing every time (I wish the dialogue was more varied, actually). I play like this b/c I like RPGs and roleplaying and while I go through Stardew Valley, I really imagine myself as the farmer and so I can't min/max (ex/filling the greenhouse w/ nothing but ancient fruit) or else I'd lose some of the immersion factor. I find myself daydreaming sometimes, wishing I were a simple farmer (with a smokin hot redhead for a wife) in Stardew Valley, but the logical side of me understands real farmer's lives aren't nearly so glamorous, to say nothing of the fact that they're not millionaires like my farmer is...Still, my character is incredibly social (although all my relationship levels were low until last year when I got the Statue of Endless Fortune, and I've been able to give people more gifts on their birthdays), and I think it's for the same reason that you discussed; namely that it's simply my real life personality to be very sociable.

 

Conversations do actually help raise their affection, I think it's like 20 points each time you talk to them.

 

I never knew that. I just checked the wiki, and it turns out it's 20 points a *day* if you talk to them, that would explain why the relationship levels weren't going through the roof. Also, relationships deteriorate 2 points per day and while I talked to everybody, it was only the people I saw in my daily routines so I didn't go out of my way to talk to everybody. Interesting.

 

My strategy was to concentrate on a group of 4 or 5 at a time. Talk every day, gift twice a week, and NEVER forget birthdays, they're worth nearly three hearts on their own. Also, whoever you get for the secret gift exchange for the winter star will go up several hearts as well.

If anyone wants the exact numbers, I'll parrot them here from the Wiki:

Talk once per day = +20 points
Ignore = -2 points per day

Loved gift = +80 points
Liked gift = +40 points

Loved gift on birthday = +640 points
Liked gift on birthday = +360 points

Completing a quest for a villager = +150 points

Gifts given at the Secret Santa exchange at the Feast of the Winter Star are worth 5x their normal value.

Also, you can make them dislike you by firing rocks at them with a slingshot (not sure why anyone would want to do this) and if you're within 7 tiles of a villager and they catch you digging in the trash that will cause you to lose 25 points with them.

 

I'm happy with my results. Everybody was around 2-3 hearts (except for a few friends. Robin, for some reason LOVED me. Full hearts by Spring, Year 2) until last year when I got the Golden Statue and now about 2/3 are full hearts, and the rest are close behind. My lowest relationships are with the kids Jas and...uh...lil'...lil' Mikey, Krobus, the Dwarf and Harvey.

So it's possible to ignore all the NPCs actually, for the majority of the game, and then just give them their favourite birthday presents after you get the Golden Statue and you'll have full hearts with everybody in a year or two.

 

I agree the game would only be half as fun without the NPCs. I only started my second year and I already decided my farmer will marry Sam, be best friends with Sebastian and Abigail and friends with most of the others.

 

I kinda ignored every npc except the spouse and linus (i wanted the maki roll recipe =[ ).

Now that I'm 3 apple from finishing the community center on year 4(yes, i ignored fruit trees also) I'm starting to get hearts with other npcs for recipes and to get more things done in the game.

 

Each to their own. But while I really do wish they had more conversation to offer, I talk more or less regularly to the inhabitants. The cutscenes can be fun, and it's always interesting to get a gift in the mail--even if it's just a bunch of stones from George.