One Year of Stardew Valley

Well, this is it. Exactly one year ago today, on March 18, 2016, I purchased, and instantly fell in love with, Stardew Valley. Since then, I have put countless hours into the game, played through numerous years on different saves, and enjoyed it all the while. I would like to take a minute to go back and reflect upon my experiences in the game, from several viewpoints.

The Good:
One of the first things that hooked me on SV was the lovable and memorable cast of characters. Many of them are unique and fresh, compared to NPCs in other games. And while there are obvious tropes represented in Pelican Town's population, I love everybody (even Pam).

Another one of the things that really stood out to me was the non-linear gameplay. I know, I know, this is what everybody says, but it is indeed one of the best qualities of the game. As someone who grew up on story-based games, the freedom to do whatever I wanted was a breath of fresh air. However, I do think that this openness to do anything does create problems, but I'll talk about that later.

I want to commend all of the effort that CA put into Stardew Valley. All of the little details really sell me the world. From the lost books in the library, to the pixel art throughout the town, everything has so much effort put into it.

Of course, there is a lot more that I think the game does well, but I do not want this post to be too long. What do you thing are the game's strengths?

The Bad:
Sadly, SV did not manage to keep its grip on me for the entire year I've had it. There were periods where I just got bored of the game, usually around the end of year five. I feel that the lack of late-game content is one of the game's most glaring flaws. Even with the new Wizard's quest in 1.1, there was a period towards the end of every save where the game just lost its flair to me.

As I said before, the non-linear nature of the game has resulted in some weaknesses. With multiple activities to do in any one day, it almost seems like CA went with quantity over quality. There's lots to do with farming and mining, even through the late game. However, things like fishing and foraging may be great ways to earn a little extra cash in the first year or so, but after that, seem rather pointless. I can try planting different crops, or delving into the procedurally-generated Skull Cavern, yet I'll always be catching the same fish and foraging the same goods. Even with farming being so important, it seems like crops are the only efficient way to make money. I would love to have a tree farm, or raise animals as a main source of income, but there just is not enough depth, or cash, in those fields.

The Random:
This is where I will leave off with a few questions that I still have about the game. We may see some answered, some maybe not. Some are quite subjective, so I'd also love to hear your opinions on topics I've mentioned, or any thoughts you guys have on the game.

-Will we ever learn more about the Gotoro Empire?

-What ever happened to the "Stardew Valley Secret" that was circulating around a while ago?

- Regarding NPCs, do you think it is better to get married early, or to wait around, and build relationships with many possible bachelor(ette)s?

-Is it considered "cheating" to use the wiki early on in the game, or is it better to discover things by oneself?

Lastly, for those of you who've read this far, I want to give a big thank-you to the Stardew Valley community. You guys are one of the best gaming communities out there, and the number of fan works, mods, and just the friendly and inviting atmosphere is amazing! I hope you all find the same level love in this game as I did!

With that, I mark my first year in Stardew Valley. I can only hope for many more.

-ThePineappleWarlord

 

I'm guilty of using the wiki since I started. I think it's kinda cheat-ish, probably not what CA intended.

Also, you should consider making money off other things; remember, this isn't all about min/maxing profit.

If I were to start a new farm, I'd level fishing to level 10 for Luremaster so I wouldn't need bait, then flood my farm and the ocean with crab pots. Not the most profitable, but it could be a nice change.

Some people have done orchard farms, dunno how much profit that yields but my greenhouse full of fruit trees (3 of each kind, could make more money by only doing poms but whatever) gives me over 5k a day, probably more if I cared to wine them. Seems like a good investment, as that pays off the initial cost (~75k) in half a season.

Also, if specializing in animals, you can make tons of money from truffle oil. I have 22 pigs and that gives me ~25-30 truffles a day not counting winter, and I make ~1.5k from truffle oil, so that's about 37,500 g/day x 3/4 (since not during winter) 28125 g/day if I spend all winter catching up on making oil. I only have 12 oil makers.

 

I still use foraged items for health/stamina in Skull caverns and the mines. My maxed Foraging allows for Iridium quality every time. Not to mention it does provide extra cash. I'm on year 3 nearing year 4 and I am still enjoying every second of this game. The freedom to do whatever whenever allows for strategic planning as well as the ability to take your own route in life on the game. But even with the quantity of quests, the quality does not falter. Every thing in it has a charm and elegance. From personal requests to bulletin board quests. But that's just me.

As far as marriage, go at your own pace. Rushing or waiting, doesn't matter. But with more currency in your pocket, it allows for a more 'comfortable' life. But even without it, you'll be pleased. Do what you will!

 

I used the wiki from the beginning as well, mostly because I was struggling with some of the basic mechanics of the game; it's quite different from any other game I've played. I tried not to rely on it too much, and I really appreciated finding out things like a villager's favorite food from one of their friends or family members rather than just reading it on the wiki. I don't think it's "cheating" in the way that exploits are; I refuse to use any of those (search YouTube to find plenty if you don't know what I'm talking about).

I didn't get married until I had 8/10 hearts with every bachelor/ette, mostly so that I didn't have to worry about jealousy from giving gifts. Getting married sooner might have helped because by the time my spouse moved in I had all iridium sprinklers and deluxe animal housing with auto-feeders, so there was little left for him to do but repair fences (though he still tells me he fed the already-fed animals). But I really wasn't that interested in the romance aspect of the game anyway (my spouse was the only villager I gave a bouquet to).

 

I still use the wiki, because without it I tend to be lost. I don't consider it cheating because back in the day, one would use 'strategy guides.' And that was our Wikipedia then. lol I like the wiki pages, very helpful and helps with us newer players. But I agree. The mechanics differ from old Harvest Moon games and Animal Crossing. So the learning curve is easier if you have played them, but still different.

 

I would with respect suggest that fishing isn't under-developed. There are a lot of different kinds of fish, and certain ones are required to finish the community center. Several in turn, once cooked, offer specific skill bonuses, and for the completist, the idea of catching legendary fish is attractive. Plus, if you don't want to eat meals made from them, fish are a very profitable sell. If there are other, similar games that do more with fishing, I think it would be great--but I don't know any. And speaking just for myself, the inverse difficulty game CA has created with fishing in SDV seems both challenging and fun.

 

Even my girlfriend complains of the fishing skill. But honestly, I find it challenging and very fun. It's an actual skill instead of casting a line, and getting a fish with no effort. And I too enjoy the idea of legendary fish and such. I like it. I usually tell folks it gets easier with practice and level ups/new bobbers. Which it does. lol

 

I agree. As I recall, CA was very proud of having created a mini-game of inverse difficulty. Which makes sense: it becomes easier the more you do it, just as other tasks become easier (but display this by requiring fewer "hits" with a tool and saving more energy).

 

I've got a couple more months before I hit the one year mark, but I have been playing this game nonstop since I found it back in May and I even got my mom hooked on it. For me, the good comes from the relaxed playstyle, and all the little atmospheric details - birds and crickets chirping, leaves blowing, distant wind chimes and ravens in the Fall. I love that you can switch up the look of each farm and what you want the main focus to be - so far I've had a dairy farm, a chicken ranch, and I'm just starting a brand new save which will be a goat farm. We are given the option to choose who we want to marry (even the same gender), or even to pass on marriage altogether. The whole idea of ditching the rat race and the city life to return to nature and a simpler life is one that resonates strongly with me.
That being said, if I had to name the cons, my two complaints would be the speed of default time (I use the Timespeed mod to get around this), and like the OP mentioned, the lack of new things to do once you reach endgame. I've learned to pace myself so that I don't finish everything in the first year, holding off on house upgrades and marriage until years 2 and 3. I like to try and play out a save until the end of year 4 but it gets very repetitive after the beginning of year 3. Some additional content for endgame would be awesome.

As far as the Wiki, I don't consider it cheating. You aren't competing against anyone and lots of games come with some sort of guide to help you get through them. I watched several LP's and studied the Wiki extensively before I even started my first farm. I like to know what I'm doing before I jump into something.

As to the big secret...I think I might have stumbled on that when I hatched a slime in my house and my husband killed it, asking me why there were monsters in the house. As far as I know, no one had done it previously, but we never got any sort of confirmation from CA as to whether or not this was the undiscovered secret. I like to think it was though. lol

 

This is well said. Primarily, I agree with the first large paragraph's statements. I enjoy the laid back approach and the speed at which YOU want to play. It's a game for any type of player. Do what you will and live off of whatever suits you.

 

It is just about my one-year anniversary for this game as well (about another week or so to go), and I'll share my thoughts. (Lilliput? Being opinionated? Gosh, what a shock.)

To start with, the game structure. As others note, open-ended, non-linear, delicate wash only. This is not uncommon in these days of large sandbox games like Minecraft, and even many RPG's offer a freeform experience, but it's an approach that I've always preferred. I believe it's what the SimCity creator Will Wright referred to as the difference between a videogame and a software toy-- he likens it to a ball game versus a ball. One has a structured win/lose set of conditions, and the other is simply a toy that you are free to create rules for. Stardew Valley is less of a toy than, say, some of the early Sim-games, yet still leaves a player free to set their own goals, their own guidelines to what a 'win' or 'lose' is. You want to wander the map and pick flowers? Sure. You want to min/max every dollar from your time and build a fortune of millions? Enjoy. You want to be besties with every villager, break hearts and play the social gadfly? Knock yourself out. Champion the Community Center. Work with Joja. Build a barn and fill it with shiny rocks. Unleash rampant slimes upon Pelican Town. (I'm look'n at you, Luthien.) There is no right or wrong way to play, so long as you're having fun.

Secondly, the game design. There's a lot of threads that talk about the music, or the art, or the little design flourishes like the fishing minigame or Journey of the Prairie King. Every so often there will be musings on the things that don't quite seem to work as they should; little glitches or bugs, or things like the slingshot, which just about everyone agrees is less than ideally functional. (A polite euphemism for, 'GAAAAH!', followed by burying the slingshot in the bottom of a chest and never looking at it again.) But let's stop for a minute and think about what we've got, which is a game designed, programmed, executed, scored, written, and created by one man. We sometimes find fault with something CA did, or did not do, in his work, we still have to acknowledge that one man, largely self-taught in game design, took years to craft every facet of Stardew Valley, from drawing the art, to scoring the music, to writing the dialogue, to programming the game engine, to planning the storyline. One man. However you think the finished product turned out, that's a heck of an achievement and worth some applause by itself.

Somewhere, I had to get up on my favorite soapbox, game atmosphere. Well. This is the big one for me. I can forgive a game having poor storyline or wonky mechanics (though Stardew is not guilty of those faults) if the game tugs at my mood properly. And oh, oh boy, does Stardew do that. With a few well-placed pixel fireflies and the chirp of a cricket, there's the luminous twilight of a late Summer. Or a crisp galloping Autumnal wind that makes me hunch my shoulders as I play, braced for the chill. Or the shudder of a thunderstorm in Spring. The seashore area in the game is only a couple of screens in size yet invokes the tang of spray; I can all but feel my toes splashing at the edges of the tidal pools. Leaves jumble past along the trails as I stalk the elusive wild mushroom. Or maybe I've just come around the corner and startled a woodpecker, tap-a-tap against a tree. Or my own axe-tap on the trunk of an oak releases a flutter of dozens of confetti butterflies from the canopy. I could go on like this for quite a while, but you get the idea. CA didn't /have/ to include all these rich little bits of fluff and rococo embellishment to the game, but he did, realizing, perhaps, that a country life simulation needs, above all else, life.

There have been periods when the burnish of the game dulled a bit; I did not play for weeks at a time, and even today my enthusiasm has dipped slightly, though I continue to keep my skills in practice for the hopes of multi-player farming and mining someday in the hopefully near future. But I never once regretted buying the ticket for admission.

The too long, didn't read version of this post is: Me likey this game, yah.

 

Thank you guys for your feedback! I think it's really cool to see the different ways people have approached the game, especially now that it's been out for a while.

 

This. Games that can capture the attention of min maxers, atmospherics, rpers, casuals, and all sorts of other types seem like there the best kind. Nobody's farm is the same. Each game I've played has been very different from the noe before it. Something always seems to surprise you in one game that didn't happen in another. Meteor, witch, lucky treasure drop early on, good pig merchant buys. Good stuff all around.

 

Exactly. This game caters to EVERYONE. It has a little something for any type of gamer. I love it.

 

Help please .I am new at Stardew Valley. My first few days and my actual time playing is way too short, about 13 minutes and I have to go to sleep (in the game). How can I extend my time so I can play for hours if I want to?

 

There's a mod that does that, it's awesome. Here's the link for it: http://www.nexusmods.com/stardewvalley/mods/169/?

 

Focus your first energy on gathering stuff to make snacks (in your crafting menu), sell enough so that you've got money buy food from Gus, eat fish that you catch...those things will help replenish your energy as you go through the early game

 

I'm not talking about the energy. I'm talking about the day cycle is so short - I don't have much time to do stuff. Any solution to this? I don't want to use mods.

 

Don't try to do everything in one day. There are many more days.

 

Ah. I see. Without giving away spoilers, I hope, I will say that once you upgrade certain things you can get speed-boosting things. Also there are time-speed mods you can get if you're into that sort of thing