Stardew Valley

Victoria Raverna · Post by **Victoria Raverna** » Sat Feb 27, 2016 10:11 pm

You've inherited your grandfather's old farm plot in Stardew Valley. Armed with hand-me-down tools and a few coins, you set out to begin your new life. Can you learn to live off the land and turn these overgrown fields into a thriving home?

Anyone bought it?

baelthazar · Post by **baelthazar** » Sat Feb 27, 2016 11:14 pm

Yes. After about 4-5 hours of playing it, I think it is quite good. It evokes a sense of the original Harvest Moon, but has some of the complexity and interesting aspects of later HM (and Story of Seasons) games. Full disclosure, I am a huge HM fan and have played versions of the game since the Game Boy Advanced era. So far, Stardew Valley is not only attractive, it also offers a lot of what I like about HM.

That being said, I am only in the early stages and have yet to get chickens or other animals. The one thing I do NOT like is that you cannot save during the day (at least I have not found out how). So you either go to bed to save and lose the rest of the day, replay the day, or finish the day and save. Some of the later HM games allowed for writing in the journal whenever you wanted to save.

Still, if you like these life-sim farming games, I think this one is worth the relatively modest price.

Sepiche · Post by **Sepiche** » Wed Mar 09, 2016 2:43 pm

My wife picked this up as did I after trying out her copy for a bit.

It's an excellent little Harvest Moon style game that is very well balanced. The mechanics are simple to understand, but more depth and new features unlock on a regular basis, the days are just long enough to get things done, but short enough that you just want to play "one more day", there's a nice variety of ways to keep busy and make money, but you're not forced to do anything you find boring. Just a fun, charming game all the way around.

I think my wife is starting to get dangerously addicted, but that's probably mostly because she's been busy this week and has only been able to play a bit here and there.

wonderpug · Post by **wonderpug** » Wed Mar 09, 2016 2:50 pm

I've only put in an hour but I really like what I see so far. It seems like a better modern Harvest Moon than the latest actual Harvest Moons and Story of Seasons games have been. More of what I like, less of what I don't.

ColdSteel · Post by **ColdSteel** » Wed Mar 09, 2016 3:26 pm

Amazing that it was developed by a single guy over many years and now the game's already sold over 300K copies on Steam. He must be thrilled.

Cylus Maxii · Post by **Cylus Maxii** » Wed Mar 09, 2016 4:05 pm

This looks pretty fun. I may have to try it. I'll at least drop it on my wish list for possible future sale.

killbot737 · Post by **killbot737** » Wed Mar 09, 2016 4:09 pm

I got it last weekend and I had a lot of fun with it. I don't believe there's a way to save a day without going to bed.

If you do get it check out some "things I wish I knew" pages when you get started. Especially the thing about the beach. That will help out a lot with early cash flow and will enable you to get a better (gold-infused-fabric, apparently) backpack so your carry space isn't so limited. There are a bunch of other little things to figure out but that one tip would have been extremely helpful for my first week of gameplay.

P.S. You can watch TV.

baelthazar · Post by **baelthazar** » Wed Mar 09, 2016 5:33 pm

wonderpug wrote:I've only put in an hour but I really like what I see so far. It seems like a better modern Harvest Moon than the latest actual Harvest Moons and Story of Seasons games have been. More of what I like, less of what I don't.

I have now sunk about 22 hours (WHAT!) into the game over the past week or so since release and I can say that it is better than almost all of the other Harvest Moon games I have played. Technically, since there is a aspect of killing monsters in the mines, this may be closer to Rune Factory than Harvest Moon, except for the lack of magic. There are far more craftable items than similar games (things like tapping trees for syrup, harnessing lighting for batteries, and kegs for making wine and beer). I like Story of Seasons, but this just feels more fun and with extra personality. I would rank it just below Rune Factory 4 as my favorite HM-style farming sim.

It is well worth the price of admissions and a very strong game. Don't wait for a sale, it's cheap enough and this guy deserves the support!

Post by **godhugh** » Wed Mar 09, 2016 10:01 pm

This game really is amazing. I have 24 hours played and I'm about half way through fall in my first year. The game has an amazing variety of things to do, but I've almost never felt overwhelmed or rushed to get things done. You can engage, or not, in any of the different aspects and the game never really punishes you for your choices. So far I've mainly focused on fishing (lvl 8) and mining (level 85 in the mines) but I'm starting to develop my farm more now (quality sprinklers are a life saver) and will probably be looking more into the relationship stuff once winter hits. I'm halfway through Rise of the Tomb Raider but all progress on that game has stopped because Stardew Valley is just so great.

killbot737 · Post by **killbot737** » Wed Mar 09, 2016 10:19 pm

godhugh wrote:So far I've mainly focused on fishing (lvl 8) and mining (level 85 in the mines)

WHAT!?!

...

Return to game/normal life

Sepiche · Post by **Sepiche** » Thu Mar 10, 2016 11:25 am

I just read that the developer is currently working on adding 4 player coop.

That's a great addition to the game, but I'm afraid that means I might never talk to my wife again (at least outside of Stardew Valley).

Lordnine · Post by **Lordnine** » Thu Mar 10, 2016 11:42 am

I've never played a Harvest Moon game so I have no idea what is normal but is there an actual win state in a game like this or does it pretty-much just go on forever?

baelthazar · Post by **baelthazar** » Thu Mar 10, 2016 2:18 pm

Lordnine wrote:I've never played a Harvest Moon game so I have no idea what is normal but is there an actual win state in a game like this or does it pretty-much just go on forever?

I am not sure of this, but I do think there is a "win state." Hidden on your property is a statue of your grandfather that says "prepare for me on the dawn of your third year." So I suspect that you will be judged on your performance at some point in the third year. For most of the HM and Rune Factory games, you have a "end game" that is the culmination of a story. After the story missions are over, you tend to get a second "story" and a bit of a more free-form game. For example, in Rune Factory 4, you beat the "end boss" in a fight, but often do this before you have had a chance to get married and have kids.

I suspect that SDV is the same, you probably get an end story and then can play the game sandbox for a while to ensure you can get married and have kids. In some of the HM games, you have kids and then go on to play those kids, but I do not think this is going to be like that.

stessier · Post by **stessier** » Thu Mar 10, 2016 4:11 pm

Can you have more than one save file? I'm wondering if I get this can my daughter and wife play or do they each have to get their own copy (which I guess would mean their own steam account)?

Sepiche · Post by **Sepiche** » Thu Mar 10, 2016 4:15 pm

stessier wrote:Can you have more than one save file? I'm wondering if I get this can my daughter and wife play or do they each have to get their own copy (which I guess would mean their own steam account)?

Yeah there are 3 save slots IIRC.

stessier · Post by **stessier** » Thu Mar 10, 2016 4:16 pm

Excellent, thanks!

Cylus Maxii · Post by **Cylus Maxii** » Thu Mar 10, 2016 4:32 pm

Dang it, forum effect!

I just bought this even though I don't have time to play it for a couple of days..

I really liked playing Animal Crossing with my kids and always wanted to play Harvest Moon - but they were always on the Nintendo and I never got to. But I watched them way too much. heh

Sepiche · Post by **Sepiche** » Thu Mar 10, 2016 9:09 pm

Sepiche wrote:
stessier wrote:Can you have more than one save file? I'm wondering if I get this can my daughter and wife play or do they each have to get their own copy (which I guess would mean their own steam account)?
Yeah there are 3 save slots IIRC.

Now that I check, I think I mixed this up with Punch Club that I've also been playing lately... for the record Stardew Valley has unlimited saves.

Cylus Maxii · Post by **Cylus Maxii** » Fri Mar 11, 2016 12:49 pm

Cylus Maxii wrote:I just bought this even though I don't have time to play it for a couple of days..

And yet it sucked up all my available gaming time last night. I've already spent 4 hours playing it. Love it, so far!

I'm perusing the official WIKI during down time at work. The scope of this game is amazing.

Cylus Maxii · Post by **Cylus Maxii** » Fri Mar 11, 2016 2:15 pm

Here is a really cool farm planner I found:

PLANNER

killbot737 · Post by **killbot737** » Sat Mar 12, 2016 3:00 pm

I don't believe these people understand how to take care of books. I keep finding them when I till the worms. Maybe they're trying to educate the worms?

Moat_Man · Post by **Moat_Man** » Sat Mar 12, 2016 3:11 pm

baelthazar wrote:
Lordnine wrote:I've never played a Harvest Moon game so I have no idea what is normal but is there an actual win state in a game like this or does it pretty-much just go on forever?
I am not sure of this, but I do think there is a "win state." Hidden on your property is a statue of your grandfather that says "prepare for me on the dawn of your third year." So I suspect that you will be judged on your performance at some point in the third year. For most of the HM and Rune Factory games, you have a "end game" that is the culmination of a story. After the story missions are over, you tend to get a second "story" and a bit of a more free-form game. For example, in Rune Factory 4, you beat the "end boss" in a fight, but often do this before you have had a chance to get married and have kids.

I suspect that SDV is the same, you probably get an end story and then can play the game sandbox for a while to ensure you can get married and have kids. In some of the HM games, you have kids and then go on to play those kids, but I do not think this is going to be like that.

From the official wiki:
Now, the first thing you should know. You can do whatever you want. You will be given a rating at the start of year 3, but do not take this as a deadline and it is not the end to the game. You're encouraged to be productive, but above all else, have fun in what you choose to do. This game doesn't have to be a farming sim if you find yourself not enjoying that after trying it. Sure, farming is rewarding in terms of income, but you can fish, forage, mine, fight monsters (in the mines), raise livestock, make artisan goods, give gifts to neighbors, explore, buy furniture for your house, and complete help wanted ads from the town bulletin board. Figure out what you like doing and do it.

baelthazar · Post by **baelthazar** » Sun Mar 13, 2016 11:05 am

killbot737 wrote:I don't believe these people understand how to take care of books. I keep finding them when I till the worms. Maybe they're trying to educate the worms?

Literally bookworms.

hitbyambulance · Post by **hitbyambulance** » Mon Mar 14, 2016 2:33 am

one of my friends is really into this right now. i'll probably get it at some point as i did like the old HM games, but i'm too into Minecraft right now.

Carpet_pissr · Post by **Carpet_pissr** » Tue Mar 15, 2016 3:42 am

I have had Hero of the Kingdom II on my wishlist forever and never pulled the trigger - it's also supposedly a casual game with very high ratings...just wondering if anyone has played it for comparison? Looks to be similar to this except without the 16 bit looking art design.

Baroquen · Post by **Baroquen** » Tue Mar 15, 2016 8:50 pm

Carpet_pissr wrote:I have had Hero of the Kingdom II on my wishlist forever and never pulled the trigger - it's also supposedly a casual game with very high ratings...just wondering if anyone has played it for comparison? Looks to be similar to this except without the 16 bit looking art design.

My kids love both of these games. It's all I can do to keep them from playing on my laptop so I can actually use it. That said, I don't see much similarity. SV is a pretty clear HM clone, with the same systems in place. Farming, fishing, the friendship aspects. Hero of the Kingdom (and I assume the sequel - haven't played that one nearly as much), is a more simple and more structured. You point and click to complete quests and gather various resources that you invariably trade for other resources or quest items. And that's basically the game mechanic. It's interesting and a nice little game to pass the time, but not nearly as free form as SV. And IMO, not very Harvest Moon-esque at all.

Paingod · Post by **Paingod** » Mon Apr 11, 2016 9:52 am

Moat_Man wrote:From the official wiki:
Now, the first thing you should know. You can do whatever you want. You will be given a rating at the start of year 3, but do not take this as a deadline and it is not the end to the game. You're encouraged to be productive, but above all else, have fun in what you choose to do. This game doesn't have to be a farming sim if you find yourself not enjoying that after trying it. Sure, farming is rewarding in terms of income, but you can fish, forage, mine, fight monsters (in the mines), raise livestock, make artisan goods, give gifts to neighbors, explore, buy furniture for your house, and complete help wanted ads from the town bulletin board. Figure out what you like doing and do it.

I got into this game last week and have been playing the crap out of it. At the rate I'm going, there won't be much left to do after the beginning of Year 3 that I already haven't done. I'm in on the 12th of Fall in the 1st year and I've...

At least level 5 in all skills, 7 in Farming, 9 in Fishing.
Made it to level 85 in the Mines.
Gotten each spousal 'option' to at least 4 friendliness - with one at 7.
Gotten most other villagers to 1 or 2 friendliness by gifting them random crap from my adventures when I pass by them.
Completed every season item in the Community Center, with Winter being all that's left. I need $35,000 to finish the Vault.
Created a large garden, a barn, two silos, a coop, and a number of small manufacturing pieces.
Almost completely cleared my lot of trees and rocks, leaving it a massive grassland.
Got the 24-slot backpack; essential item. The 36 is a luxury as 24 can sustain me for a long trip in the mines.
Upgraded several tools to Steel - just not enough gold bars and money to go further yet.

The Wiki for this game is essential to villager friendliness. There's no way to find people consistently each season as their schedules change and they wander around. I don't hesitate for a second to go there for info.

My weeks are mostly gifting and social work early on (Sun/Mon), and then spending most of the rest of my time scavenging, fishing, and exploring the mines. I've stockpiled items the spousal prospects like or love. Farming isn't my focus (I'd probably be wealthier if it was), but I make enough of each crop to meet the Community Center goals and sell off excess. I skip most festivals and events if there isn't a reward to be had, and hardly bother with side quests since they tend to ask for things I don't already have and I get tired of failing them over and over.

Baroquen · Post by **Baroquen** » Mon Apr 11, 2016 10:30 pm

See, I like the little quests and the farming. I like the crafting a fishing a lot, but don't much care for the village friendliness stuff. My kids, on the other hand, are all about the villagers. They must know the names of all of them and REALLY get jazzed for their birthdays. My daughter just wanders around doing whatever strikes her fancy (today it was a scarecrow and finally setting up a big field of crops). Didn't let my son play today because he was being a brat, but he'll do everything. He hits the mines, they both think the pool is a blast, and he's more of a forager.

It's really entertaining for all three of us. I'm enjoying it a lot personally, and glad to have a nice wholesome game for them to play too.

Paingod · Post by **Paingod** » Tue Apr 12, 2016 7:12 am

Baroquen wrote:glad to have a nice wholesome game for them to play too.

I don't know. Having to retrieve the Mayor's lucky purple shorts from Marnie's bedroom was pretty risque.

telcta · Post by **telcta** » Tue Apr 12, 2016 9:59 am

Paingod wrote:
Baroquen wrote:glad to have a nice wholesome game for them to play too.
I don't know. Having to retrieve the Mayor's lucky purple shorts from Marnie's bedroom was pretty risque.

Oh, that's where the shorts are. I gave up looking and I don't really focus on the social aspect of the game so I have no idea how much effort I have to put into Marnie to get into her bedroom. Can active quests be deactivated or removed from the list?

Fun game... whenever I have some time, I'll play a day or two, it's oddly relaxing for me.

Paingod · Post by **Paingod** » Tue Apr 12, 2016 10:12 am

telcta wrote:Can active quests be deactivated or removed from the list?

I don't think so. They either expire, like most of the "bring me 2 X" missions - or last forever, like "Build a Coop" and "Find the Shorts"

telcta wrote:Fun game... whenever I have some time, I'll play a day or two, it's oddly relaxing for me.

Yeah - I like that it's very laid back. I imagine that I'll get in the mood for this kind of game once every couple of years and this will scratch that itch very easily for a very long time. I don't think it'll be easy to improve upon the formula in a significant way beyond what this game has.

Apollo · Post by **Apollo** » Wed May 25, 2016 9:02 pm

Just picked this up, and I'm loving it! I wish I had noticed this thread before.

There are actually mods available for this game, including one that adds a lot of new territory. I just wish there were more little games like this.

Victoria Raverna · Post by **Victoria Raverna** » Wed May 25, 2016 10:02 pm

Hard to believe a single man made this game.

Developer(s) ConcernedApe
Publisher(s) Chucklefish Games
Designer(s) Eric Barone
Programmer(s) Eric Barone
Artist(s) Eric Barone
Composer(s) Eric Barone
Platform(s) Microsoft Windows, OS X, Linux
Release date(s) Windows
WW February 26, 2016
OS X, Linux
WW TBA
Genre(s) Simulation, role-playing video game
Mode(s) Single-player

hentzau · Post by **hentzau** » Thu Jul 07, 2016 10:35 am

Took me a while to find this thread, what with the name of the game not being in the title and all...

Anyway, I got this during the sale, and as I stated in the sale thread I picked up a steam link and steam controller to play it on my TV. I will state that it is not a perfect solution by any stretch of the imagination, but I played for several hours this way and was pretty happy with it.

Getting the controller mapped properly is still a work in progress, but I've got it pretty close. I have some occasional lag spikes in the game, but it's pretty rare once I got the Steam Link connected directly to my router. All that said, I did have one show stopping bug running it this way, where my guy wasn't able to interact with anything after playing for about 2 hours. My son reported something similar to me when I got home last night after he was running it for about the same amount of time.

Going to keep playing around with this, really enjoying it on the big screen like this.

Z-Corn · Post by **Z-Corn** » Fri Jul 08, 2016 2:43 pm

hentzau wrote:Getting the controller mapped properly is still a work in progress, but I've got it pretty close.

I just chose one of the community-created controller presets and it works really well.

hentzau · Post by **hentzau** » Mon Jul 11, 2016 3:40 pm

Man, I suck at Fishing...

Zarathud · Post by **Zarathud** » Mon Jul 11, 2016 10:30 pm

No. Fishing sucks. Start planting, then add on livestock, and switch to spelunking in winter.

baelthazar · Post by **baelthazar** » Tue Jul 12, 2016 1:07 am

hentzau wrote:Man, I suck at Fishing...

I hated fishing until I realized you can just hold the button and you do not have to mash it to keep the bar moving.

hentzau · Post by **hentzau** » Tue Jul 12, 2016 11:08 am

baelthazar wrote:
hentzau wrote:Man, I suck at Fishing...
I hated fishing until I realized you can just hold the button and you do not have to mash it to keep the bar moving.

I've been trying that too, but I just don't have the touch. It just seems to go zooming past the fish and then I let go and it drops below the fish and then it yo-yos and I get all

baelthazar · Post by **baelthazar** » Tue Jul 12, 2016 12:11 pm

Once you get an upgraded rod, it gets better. The problem is that you have to catch a few fish to get that!!!