How do you like to play SDV?

Discussion in 'General Discussion' started by Mahlorie, May 17, 2018.

  1. Mahlorie

    Mahlorie Poptop Tamer

    Hello SDV Forums!

    I recently got into a creative discussion with my friends over the "proper" way to play SDV. The popular opinion seems to be along the lines of "make the most money + complete the community center + befriend all the villagers in 2 years to achieve the best score."

    I was in the minority, where I said I preferred a "go with the flow" kind of playstyle, where my main objective is to have fun with the game rather than focus on completing objectives with an arbitrary deadline (considering you can redo your score after Year 3). It's a lucky day? Guess I'll go to the mines. Unlucky day? Guess I'll forage or fish. Oh look, I have things the villagers like. Guess I'll do a gift day. Of course, that kind of playstyle isn't exactly the most effective at earning money or completing objectives, but if I'm having fun, then what's the harm?

    How do you all prefer to play?
     
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    • guitardude_324

      guitardude_324 Big Damn Hero

      Like many things, there is no right way to play, everybody works differently.

      Me personally, I always crunch to get the Community Center done Year 1. My best is winter, day 3. I'm hoping to break that record and complete it in the fall but that heavily depends on red cabbage and nautilus shell being at the travelling cart during the first year.

      After that, I focus on building towards heavy money makers. Barns filled with kegs, an entire quadrant of my farm dedicated to 260+ bee boxes, and a quarry filled with crystalarium creating diamonds.

      Relationships are always 2nd priority for me with the exception of Shane and Linus. Sashimi, Coffee, & Pepper Poppers run through my character's veins at this point.
       
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      • Lorekeeper of Wyverns

        Lorekeeper of Wyverns Void-Bound Voyager

        I just kind of go with the flow myself. Though I do try to get stuff done as soon as possible simply so I'm not having to while away time waiting for the ability to do it again, as well as try and make a decent amount of money (especially in the later parts of the game), I'll usually just do with what I feel like doing on each given day, albeit with some influence from luck or whatever. If it's sunny, I'll work on crops and fish afterwards. Rainy, I'll go into the mines unless my luck's absolutely terrible. In which case, I'll fish again. But if I don't want to do something on a given day (aside from tending to crops, I'll do that anyway), I'll just go and do what I want to do.
         
        • WilliamZ

          WilliamZ Phantasmal Quasar

          Actually yours is the best approach, the game isn't very long and If you archieve everything in year one you won't will have nothing else to do than anoying everyone here on the forums.

          The only things that I like to rush on my games are fixing the minecarts, get the stable and max friendship because I hate friendship decay in this game.

          PS: I can't spell check on my handset so forgive my broken english.
           
          • Borodin

            Borodin Oxygen Tank

            As I mentioned here in another thread recently, there was a poster--about a year ago, I think, who said his little brother played to pet the dog every morning, plant one seed, and water it. That was all; and he greatly enjoyed it.

            Which is all that matters in the end. So play for whatever goal or lack of goals you want, and if it makes you happy, great.
             
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            • nevyn21

              nevyn21 Cosmic Narwhal

              I like to play in a smoking jacket with a cold gin and tonic and a nice pipe.

              Thers’s no right or wrong way to play and the only game metric that applies to everyone is grandpa’s evaluation. That only requires 12 out of 20-some points so it’s a low bar made lower by being able to get a re-evaluation whenever you want.
               
              • Lilliput

                Lilliput Supernova

                Definitely in the relaxed play camp, as anyone who has seen my farms in the past can attest. I'm strongly about characters, I make a farmer with a certain theme and persona and put myself into their shoes, er, boots. I plan the farm and decorate and pursue goals based on who the character of the farmer I create is-- a witchy sort, a pirate girl, a monster-hunter, a ghost-girl... and then play accordingly. I'm never in a hurry to finish anything, as far as I'm concerned Grampa had his chance with the farm and let it go all to ruin, so, his opinion is duly noted and generally ignored. Sorry, Gramps. Go haunt a house. Aesthetics are my thing, and I'm more interested in having a farm that's comfortable and rustic and relaxing than a mass-production factory with concrete flooring over every inch. The game is more of a creative sandbox than a business simulation for me.
                 
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                • Git Gud Fox

                  Git Gud Fox Star Wrangler

                  I like to do challenge playthroughs to see how much I can accomplish in 1 year or 1 season. I'm always watching what other people are doing to see if there's an idea I've missed or something that could be refined further. I also seek out any item or element that I don't use and use it to see if it's just not good or if I simply haven't discovered a niche use for it.

                  When multiplayer goes live, and my friends play, we will probably find some way to compete with each other and troll each other's efforts.
                   
                  • One More Day

                    One More Day Cosmic Narwhal

                    Now I've done (almost) everything in the game I start new farms all the time, to challenge myself in various ways. A couple of my recent ones

                    Set everything up to go from farming 0 to 10 in one harvest (I aimed for ~500 pumpkins near end of fall, but want to try again to do it sooner with melons in summer)

                    Reach farming 10 without any fishing, mining or foraging, except any incidental tree chopping and rock breaking to clear space for crops. This means no spring onions, salmonberries or sashimi for emergy, no ore for tool upgrades or sprinklers, no cheese presses or mayo machines. It means buying the rarecrows. Only just started this one, looking forward to summer for access to the spa

                    Next I plan to try the new profit margin setting from multiplayer, on 25%, but as a single player, and see how it changes how I play the game


                    I still have my biggest farm, which has tens of millions of gold, and stocks of thousands of pretty much everything, so I sometimes use that as a sandbox to try stuff, like I recently tried fill all the bodies of water on the map with crab pots, just for the sheer hell of it

                    Why? Well, because why not. The only other popular thing I still want to do is to actually complete the community center within a year, which I've never actually managed.
                     
                    • parabolic paradise

                      parabolic paradise Subatomic Cosmonaut

                      I like the idea of having just a relaxing little farming experience, but I generally end up feeling more comfortable if I'm actively working towards something, so my days end up being fairly busy and productive regardless. What I tend to do in a new game is get myself situated in terms of crops, tools, and inventory as an initial priority. Once I have my final backpack and a fiberglass fishing rod I'll play around on the Stardew Valley Planner to figure out some sort of theme and design to work towards. After my farm is designed I'll pick a spouse based on who would best fit the theme, and start making that plan a reality.
                       
                      • Reddestiny921

                        Reddestiny921 Pangalactic Porcupine

                        I have tried to play as quickly as I can but I prefer a nice slow relaxed play, there is no such thing as wrong way to play a game unless a game has specific endings and a player decides which one they prefer. Then technically if you're already on a path to a different ending than what you want that would be playing the wrong way, lol. Though with most games whatever you enjoy is the best way for you, 'proper' gets thrown around in situations where it doesn't fit it's a game if you're having fun you're playing it 'properly'.
                         
                        • everfreefire

                          everfreefire Big Damn Hero

                          I've been running little challenges in new files just to see what sort of things I could get away with and still end up getting 4 candles for Grandpa's Shrine when he first pops up. Silly thing is, part of me wants to redo some of them just to see if I can do better, though I can't imagine it going too much better.
                           
                          • Sventex

                            Sventex Pangalactic Porcupine

                            I have a Minecraft mindset. I spend time planning out what kind of farm I want like what focus it'll have (is it an Orchard? Winery? Ranch? Crop dedicated?), and think up ideas on how to develop it into something looks both beautiful and practical. By specializing the farm, I leave a future farm playthrough filled with things I haven't done yet to keep things fresh. Then I'll just spend time dedicated to realizing the vision I had planned out, which often takes until the end of the 2nd year. Generally I side with Joja because specialized farms can't meet the demands of the Junimos very well.

                            An example can be seen here:

                            Timelapse of my Farm
                             
                              Last edited: May 18, 2018
                            • AdamGotStardrop

                              AdamGotStardrop Void-Bound Voyager

                              Same with you tbh, just go with the flow. I haven't completed the Community Bundles except the minecart.
                              I like to take things slow, this game does not have a deadline so why not just enjoy and relax?

                              Although I did rushed on getting to the bottom on the mines. Just to make future exploration easier.
                               
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                              • Reneeisxena

                                Reneeisxena Big Damn Hero

                                I have done the complete the community center path many times. So, lately I've gone the Joja route. The first time was just for the trophy but I have found that it really frees up time for just having fun making my farm the best it can be. As for the effect on friendship, I had one NPC mention the community center being gone and that was George. But no one else even notices and when I had been doing the center no one really said much about it after it was done. I'd occasionally see someone in there but no one gave me a thank you or a I'm so glad the center is open now. With the Joja mart going strong and all I have to do is pay money to get things fixed.
                                I will then concentrate on building my barn up to house as many pigs as I can afford. The truffles they find are very profitable. It's also so nice to fish when I want to, not because I have to get a certain fish for the center or have to wait a full year because I missed the one item to complete a bundle and it only grows in a specific season. It's a much more relaxed game play. I never have to see or talk to Morris if I choose, once everything is fixed. Plus Shane is able to keep his job.
                                 
                                • Git Gud Fox

                                  Git Gud Fox Star Wrangler

                                  That seems like an area that could have been improved. If I could make a change, I would cause the Joja path to put Pierre out of business and cause Pierre to wind up working as some kind of assistant manager to Morris. Something to add a little weight and make the playthrough feel more personal.
                                   
                                  • musical74

                                    musical74 Space Kumquat

                                    I tend to go with the "relaxed" group - I'm more enjoying the exploration and the fact that the game allows you to play it relaxed. I'll ship a variety of crops and do a little of everything (outside of using the slingshot...no way on that!) but don't really focus on any one thing. Will Grandpa be annoyed that I'm taking a slowish route? Probably, but when you aren't motivated by money much, so be it.
                                     
                                    • Sventex

                                      Sventex Pangalactic Porcupine

                                      But Grandpa wants you to embrace the Joja lifestyle! You'll break his ghost heart if your not doing grueling, honest labor to rake in the dough.
                                       
                                      • Rauchschwalbe

                                        Rauchschwalbe Cosmic Narwhal

                                        Of course there is a right way to play it. And the only right way is to have fun. Every other way you're playing it wrong. Or don't like farm simulations.
                                         
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                                        • Bluemoonvalley

                                          Bluemoonvalley Aquatic Astronaut

                                          I do a mixture of "going-with-the-flow" but also getting the community center completed and continually building up my farm progress.
                                           

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