Wine basement: It would be nice to have wine basement with entrance near the house to keep wine barrels and preservation jars there. It could give some bonuses to wine and jellies (-25% make time - with little help from Junimos?). It could be bought by large amount of stone from Robin (or some miner ). This could be one of two or three ways to update your house, maybe as an option from two mutually exclusive ones (wine basement vs. workshop basement)? Just like on real country farm. Partner adventure: From time to time you could propose going to the adventure with your life partner and depending on the person she or he could help you in hand-to-hand combat, range combat, mining, healing, offensive spells (Abigail, Sebastian ). When things goes extremely wrong he could use the "go-back" totem, and return to the farm. Maybe this should be initiated by some craftable adventure totem? Cave time: When working on farm time passes normally (1st day of season is as short as it should be and management is crucial), but when entering caves time should pass slower (two, three times slower?). Being on adrenaline makes time go slower (like in real life), and it could make caving more fun. Generally caving is limited not by time, but by consumable resources (healing, energy) and inventory space.
I really like the Partner Adventure idea. It becomes plain after a while of adventure on your own, but having your soulmate coming with you for a cave exploration would be different.
A wine cellar would be so rad! I was just posting in another thread about how I wished there were another building for artisan machines. Even a fully upgraded barn is too cramped for me.
I was thinking about something like this: https://thepatandsaganshow.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/chantal-lescure-cellar.jpg Most vineyards in France have something like this (basement, with round ceiling) filled with barrels with family most secret wines. It would fit to the farm.
I, at least, want my wife to know what I do when I vanish from the farm all afternoon, finally returning home, not with blonde hairs on my shirt but slime guts. Having her come with would be that much better. It would be a great chance for some husband and wife (or other if you prefer) banter and for spouses to differentiate themselves from each other. I imagine some of them would want to be right there beside you swinging a blade while others might only enter a floor to gather loot for you after the monsters are gone.
I like the partner adventure, but I see it in a different way. I'd like if you could help your spouse in their profession, so they can start earning money for the farm. These quests should take a considerable amount of time and resources but in the end you'd get a new source of revenue. F or example: Abigail could ask to join you in the mines on rainy days, and if you go spelunking when you return home she'd give you a satchel of 5-10 gems she found (diamond, ruby, emerald, etc.) You could build a workshop for Maru where she tinkers during the day and once a month she makes one (of a variety of) robots that you can sell or craft with You could build a Schoolhouse for Penny where she teaches Jas and whats-his-name and their parents send you a cheque once a month (although I prefer if each spouse gave you a unique item that you can keep/craft with/sell...sooo maybe...textbooks? What items of value could a teacher collect?) You could build a photo studio for Haley where she can develop her photographs and once a month she'll produce a magazine for Stardew Valley (great for gifts!) You could build an art studio for Leah where she can paint and once a month she'll produce a painting you can either decorate with or sell You could build a gym for Alex where he works out for his girdball games and once a month he'll produce a "signed" girdball (or, you know, a better idea than that. A signed girdball...Lol!) You could build a music studio for Sam where he records his band's music and once a month he'll produce a record you can either play in the jukebox in the tavern, or sell You could build an office for Sebastian where he does his IT business and once a month he'll produce a program or just give you a cheque for what he earned (I still prefer unique/useful items) You could build Elliott a library where he writes and once a month he produces a "short story" you can sell, or give as liked/favourite gifts You could build Harvey a workshop where he builds model airplanes and once a month he produces a model airplane you can decorate with or sell. You could even have it so once a year, after the Feast of the Winterstar they give you a major item (like, Harvey could build a model train set, or Haley makes a portfolio of her pictures, or Elliott writes a "novel", or Leah paints a piece of "fine art") that either has some use or can sell for a lot. Either way, I'd like to see the spouses become a lot more important than they currently are. Kind of sucks that they give up a lot of their personalities to become a housewife/househusband
I personally think that time should be frozen indoors even, because it's like a "rest", sort of. Other farm games do it too sometimes.
ConcernedApe considered that (He's said that he considers Back to Nature to be the best Harvest Moon and it's fairly obvious that Stardew Valley is an homage to it) but decided that, instead of pausing time in buildings, he'd make time pass more slowly. (7 real seconds per 10 minutes of in-game time rather than 5 seconds like in Harvest Moon.) I'd link you to my source for that, but it's getting late, I'm getting tired, and I really don't feel like tracking it down again.
I think slowing down time would be the best of both worlds. If you paused time it would really mess up the townsfolk's personal schedules. I actually like watching them walking around with their own agenda. Makes the town look so animated!
