Which one do you like better? I've only been playing Stardew Valley for a few days and I can say it's a lot better than Harvest Moon. I don't know why,,,maybe it's just because of the small things in it. Maybe it's the skills and getting new items for the skills. Maybe it's crafting. Maybe it's the interesting characters. Maybe it's how the game isn't so childish and doesn't force a bunch of tutorials on you. Maybe it's the character development. Maybe it's the graphics and just plain old gameplay. I don't know. Stardew Valley just has a lot more charm and I actually want to play it for hours unlike Harvest Moon where I'll get bored in one in game day.
I agree with CowsGoM00. Harvest moon, mind you I've been playing them since they was first released, is nothing like they was back then. As I see the new one its just for the profit. That's why, when I saw Stardew Valley, I got excited. It's been a very long time since I've seen a game with so much dedication and effort put into it. Being 8-bit just makes it even more nostalgic. Harvest moon, back in the day, was amazing. But now that Stardew Valley has been released, I feel hope once more. HM should look at SV as an example and start gearing their gameplay to it.
That's a really hard question to answer. *Warning: Rant Ahead* What really got me into the HM series was "Another Wonderful Life". I found that game so captivating. I thought it was so cool to be able to influence your child. Everything from the friends you made to the toys you put in your toddler's toy box influenced what they did with their lives. Characters in AnWL grew and changed to, and I found the game to be so heartwarming, and the graphics were beautiful. I also like the story and character depth of "More Friends of Mineral Town" and "DS Cute". What turned me off the Harvest Moon series was "Tree of Tranquility"! There was SO much you HAD to do to progress in the game that it became more stressful than joyful. The new HM games are now becoming similar to ToT, and they're mass producing them to the point that they no longer hold their charm. Now, Stardew Valley has the one thing that I wanted that HM never gave me: a character you could customize! And all the things you pointed out too, like crafting and skills, are also major wow factors for this game. As for characters...I honestly feel like they have little depth to them and they all are kind of generic in a way; either people you would expect to see in the HM games or stereotypes. It's also a little disappointing too that none of the villagers grow or change, especially your children, who just stay toddlers forever. But hey, one man designed and made this game and it came out wonderful! Harvest Moon on the other hand...an entire team of people are working on these games and they still come out crapy. *Rant over*
I'll preface by saying that I never had the chance to play any of the actual Harvest Moon games, though I did want to for quite some time. In fact, I believe the Google search that first brought Stardew bobbing up to my attention was something along the lines of 'Harvest Moon emulation for Windows', or similar. And here we are. My impression, given what I've read, is that Stardew is CA's attempt at the Platonic Ideal shape of what a Harvest Moon game could/should/would have been, a sort of best of collection for Harvest Moon ideas and features. I believe CA took the things he enjoyed best in the Harvest Moon series and thought how to enhance those, and added what he wished Harvest Moon had used. He clearly drew some influences from other games as well-- there are echoes of Animal Crossing and Rune Factory in there-- and the combination of features works uncommonly well. ~Who can take a rainbow, wrap it in a sigh? Soak it in the sun and make a groovy lemon pie? The CA Man, the CA Man can! The CA Man can 'cause he mixes it with love and makes the world taste good!~
Having only ever played the original Harvest Moon myself, I don't have a ton of experience to draw on for comparison, but I do remember playing it for hours and hours, just like Stardew Valley. It was nowhere near as intricate as this though - so I'd definitely have to say in terms of immersion and detail Stardew Valley is the obvious choice for me. I would still like to try the other HM games in the series someday though, just to see how they play out.
Hmm, they are based on the same roots, yet grow in such different ways... I only played 2 Harvest Moon (both in the Gameboy Advance) and they hardly taught you anything, it was a bit more similar to SDV than the more modern HM games (from what I ve heard) but the characters were not that interesting, and everything was much, much slower too. I remember I was already a bit burnt with the game by the time I reached summer.
The only thing I liked better about HM than SV, is that in HM, as long as I could maintain my energy level, I could stay up all night. I have played three in the Harvest Moon series. WL, MM and AP. But, SV exceeds all of them. I definitely like the fact that I don't have to get married or pregnant if I don't want to. You can plant wherever you want, put buildings wherever you want, and basically do whatever you want. AND, you don't die at the end. I prefer that.
Well there was a point in my life where I was obsessed with More Friends of Mineral Town and I would revisit it pretty much every year. There were certain gripes I had about the game tho, and all of it was pretty much solved + improved by SDV. I still like the HM games I play, but I just like SDV more and I'm more involved with the gameplay, characters, customization, and pretty much everything.
Just stating my opinion here using pros and cons. For the note, harvest moon game that i play are Friends of Mineral Town, Back to nature, Harvestmoon DS Cute and Tales of two towns. SDV Pros Character Customization Casino Movable Buildings (waiting 1.1 update) Last forever Green House Artifact and Mineral Collecting Monster battle reward More knick knack to decorate farm Can decorate house all you want Food with skill boost Slime breeding Endless skull cave Can choose the right time to have a baby More plant variety to grow More Building Fishing mini game Endless way to make money No Jealousy before marriage Cons Less Romance Feel (because bachelor/bachelorette talk is random so when you in a relationship with them, you have to be lucky to caught them say something sweet) Furniture that are sold in store are random (it's been 3 years, and i never find winter table) Kids don't talk Less Family event Kids, Dog and Cat are useless Harvey's pedo mustache (maybe just me) Rain totem are useless on first day of season No Secret character No Rivalry HM Pros A lot of field to plant Have more family feel after marriage More Bachelor (HMDS Cute) More Random Event Date (HMToTT) Can befriend wild animal (HMToTT) Kid interacting with villagers Pet have Uses Player can fix NPC problem & relationship (ex: Kai and popuri elope, Duke Alcohol problem) Cons Some events need hours of hours playing games to see Jealousy before marriage Cursed items Some Item have expired dateSDV excellence in sandbox like gameplay and HM excellence in character interaction. It's only my opinions, maybe some my cons are pros for other people. And because it's been so long i played HM games, this only things that i can remember.
I am a huge fan of both Harvest Moon and Stardew Valley and have played nearly all Harvest Moon games. And the problem is: You can`t compare a whole series with just one title. You want RPG elements? Then choose the Rune Factory: A fantasy Harvest Moon series You want nostalgic fealings? Choose SNES,N64, GB/GBC series Modern graphic and a lot of new things? Sunshine Islands, Tales of two town, Tree of Tranquility,.... Classic? Harvest Moon Back to nature There are so many Harvest Moon titles and they all have their unique characterizations. My favourite ones are Back to Nature and Rune Factory 4. Especially in Rune Factory 4 the characters evolve so much and you have so many options. A huge con of Stardew Valley is the lacking character evolution. Of course there are the heart events, but they don`t fit in so seemless as in Rune Factory 4. In RF4 I realy had the feeling that you grew closer and that everything fits in. But I also love Stardew Valley. In my opinion there is no "This one is better.". They are both unique game (series) and I wouldn`t want to miss one of them.
Are they planning to add any new content or update anything in SV or is the game set in stone the way it now plays? There are some things I think they could imrpove on or even make a little easier.
Cool, i will look forward to it as long as it doesn't change the fundamentals of the game. Just improves, for me I hope they extend the day time as I need more time to do everything. Can I ask though, how do you know about this update? Is it posted someewhere so I can see it myself?
News on the updates is here http://stardewvalley.net/post-launch-progress-update-version-1-1-and-more/ and http://stardewvalley.net/update-on-1-1-progress/ and the developer twitter here https://twitter.com/ConcernedApe . Complete with some screen shots of upcoming new content and hints about the upgrades (and a few secrets he won't tell us yet, the rascal).
Brilliant thank you for that. These forums seem a much friendlier place than previous ones I used to read. I used to play WoW (World of Warcraft) solidly for 6 years and gave up on the forums there due to so many idiots, trolls and down right obnoxious ppl. Nice to see a helpful and friendly crowd .
Warcraft is a game of combat and competition; there's no real reason for fighting around here. Because we all know ducks are better than chickens. **Watches forum descend into flames.**
Oh man... Emily and shane? why not Sandy! aww... shes the only npc in the game that has given me anything for NO reason! a glass of milk in the middle of the desert with only 1 heart? dang! and poor Clint!
Well, if you ever get nostalgic for all the stupidity and strife, just check out any forum on Steam. On the other hand, we're a pretty laid back, friendly bunch. We get along and help one another well, aside from the odd participant who's been sacrificed out of necessity to Jas under a full moon. But you already knew about that, I'm sure.
The one thing I do like that was in many of the HM games was time standing still while you were inside buildings.