Aah i remember those sprites now lol, got them to do the harvesting and watering while i was fishing or mining. But after a while i remebered that it got boring after i had nothing to do shure i could take care of my animals or mine but the game wasnt made for that purpose it was made for farming and i stopped using the sprites and did it myself with my shining gold tools. I also like the idea about pipes more if you would say had to fix the pipes ocasionaly or other things like upgrading them manually then it sounds like a better idea to me atleast.
Well, actually, I'd be fine with some farm improvements that allow one to take care of the most boring and redundant tasks. Aside from the obvious benefit of preventing repetition, it would give player something to strive for and prevent necessity of grinding for the sake of acquisition of wealth etc. Obviously, such improvements shouldn't be too easily accessible. Some farm improvements in place, though - I don't see why not. Especially as it wouldn't have to be full automation - sprinklers/streams watering planted crops in decent radius, but still requiring said crops to be taken care of (as in, harvested) by the player or food dispensers for the animals as long there's some feed stored - I am all for. As I've mentioned in the past, back when Stardew Valley was not connected to Chucklefish, and on different account - two major obstacles for me in fully enjoying HM/RF series were choice between redundancy or decreased profits and limited time (be it for events, game end, marrying chosen fiancee) that prevented me from enjoying idle exploration and just having fun. Having some help in this regard would ease both of those possible issues in Stardew Valley.
With full respect toward the OP, I would not be a fan of machinery. I picture Stardew Valley as an ode to the age before machines, the age when men still worked with tools and had an intimate connection with those tools. It just seems cheap to have machinery in a game about subsistence. Shit, I'd go shoeless too! Get some dirt between those toes.
From what I've heard there are sprinklers already. Honestly I like the sound of it. While watering a small farm is fun it takes all day to water a really huge one. I'd rather spend Gold on sprinklers to have more time for exploring the caves than water everything by myself. As for those who want to water everything themselves I'm sure they have plenty of other things to spend money on, like animals. I don't know if Tractors and such would fit the look of the game, though...
already warning long post but cool ideas well machinery would be cool, i mean not all automated stuff but for make a big farm easier to take care and for diferents products to sell/use, here my ideas of machinery that arent (i hope so) implemented: in harvest moon you had machines for making advanced stuff like cheesse, mayounesse etc.. so these machines should have but they need power right? water mill, windmill and even a generator would be cool for energy, windmills or watermills coud be used to make flour, chiken feed(like in some harvest moons) too, and the energy generated can be used for the TV,icebox,bender and etc to be more realistic and you need to place and repairs the cables(some already placed by default for the tv) the cables can have diferent tiers for extend the time until break and add diferent tiers to machines like mechanical to eletric to be faster/better. besides pickaxes they can add drills as a faster way to mine and a recharing bench for the eletric tools that can besides the drills,flashlights,eletric screwdriver(for build even faster some stuff in crafting),and etc,lights would need power to work and for the balance you can craft the cables for you own(*idea from a minecraft mod* well copper you already mine and rubber can be take from a rubber tree) maaaaaybe vehicles besides horses to get even faster to places due the place outside the town is infinitelly procedurally generated like a scooter,a simple car ,but not tractors and sorta these would take out the "harvest moon feel" of the game and in the town can have a gas station. you read this all, thanks
