So, Stardew Valley!

[flamebyrd]

The following text was written a week or so ago and then I kept playing Stardew Valley instead of working on it, so it's very out of date. But I'm posting it now and there'll be a full review later, I guess. Maybe once I've finished all the bundles?

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Vague spoilers, nothing specific:

I've now played a full year of the game (in-game time).

I've been trying my very best not to hyper-optimise on my first playthrough and try things out without looking them up on the wiki beforehand, but it is Extremely Hard and I'm mostly failing at that. There are definitely some areas I'm behind - I've only just reached level 40 of the mines, I only just got a preserves jar and keg, and oh yeah, I don't have any animals yet. I desperately need a regular source of iron so I can make sprinklers, but I still hate the mines and the quarry is not providing.

I'm at 8 hearts with Leah, but I'm not sure I want to date anyone yet. I'm now working on building friendship with Shane, because he's a sad lonely jerk and I feel bad for him.

Comments

[st_aurafina]

I'm now working on building friendship with Shane, because he's a sad lonely jerk and I feel bad for him.

Oh, man, he's such a sad sack, I'm the same.

[flamebyrd]

I just got his 8-heart event today and, no spoilers, it was so worth it!

[9ofswords]

It does take some effort to work with Shane cuz he really didn't make it easy to like him in the beginning. XD

[sami]

see also: Sebastian, who also makes it difficult to find him enough to talk to him *at all*

[flamebyrd]

Hah, yeah. But at least on a game mechanics level, once I realised he loved hot peppers I was able to raise friendship with him relatively quickly!

[sami]

My usual default spouse is Maru, because she adores strawberries and that makes her easy to keep happy, but on my current playthrough I married Alex, who's a lot more sweet when you get to know him.

... I could give you some advice regarding sprinklers but it might be a bit spoilery so I will not unless you want me to.

You can get *some* iron from fishing. Not a lot, but... some.

And if you're doing okay for money I'm pretty sure you can buy it from Clint the Blacksmith right from the start.

[sami]

oh also animals are kind of a hassle until you get to farming 10 especially if you don't have a silo yet, I wouldn't worry too much about that.

[flamebyrd]

Hah, like I said this post was written a while ago and I've moved on to other problems. For example, I have plenty of iron now but I'm struggling with gold. I'm still trying to avoid min-maxing or stressing too much about strategy, though!

[sami]

Gold gets easier later, but I suspect via methods you won't enjoy. (Combat-heavy.) Otherwise Clint sells that too when you're feeling richer.

I don't do min-maxing so much as just a certain amount of straight-up maxing via starfruit wine and ancient fruit, but I've had a whooole bunch of playthroughs so I've kind of developed some efficiency shortcuts, of a sort.

It's just a really fun game and it's very soothing when I'm stressed.

[alias_sqbr]

The mines can get easier if you upgrade your weapons and bring food with defense/attack stats (I like the roots platter, which you get a recipe for at Combat level 3)

I tend to put off animals as long as possible because you have to pat the damn things EVERY DAY but they are useful for making money and food, plus of course for the community centre. Don't bother with sheep they are a waste of time!

[flamebyrd]

Thanks for the tip about roots platter! Now that I have a kitchen I've started doing that and it really helps.

I have 4 chickens and 4 cows now and I am seriously tempted to sell some of them once they hit max friendship... Petting the animals is exhausting! I need to upgrade my coop as quickly as possible so I can get ducks :D But ugh cash.

[alias_sqbr]

Oh wow that is a lot! I only bother with one of each type, but that's pretty wasteful of the barn space. Pigs are the best value-per-animal. You probably know this but: if you turn milk and eggs into cheese and mayo they sell for way more.

Also, some hints: Try to keep at least one of each mineral/gem, you get the ability to replicate them and sometimes you sometimes need obscure ones for fish ponds and crafting. Also DO NOT donate a prismatic shard to the museum until you've used one to get a prismatic sword (the best sword in the game). Sadly prismatic shards can't be replicated. And hatch your first dinosaur egg in an upgraded barn rather than donating it.

[flamebyrd]

Argh, too late on the dinosaur egg! I guess I just have to hope I'll get another one sometime. I don't think I've got a prismatic shard yet, but I have a LOT of minerals sitting in chests and was wondering if it was safe to just sell them, but I guess I'll hold onto them!

I did know about milk and eggs selling for more once processed, but I don't have the processing machines yet... I keep thinking I should just hold on and get them through a bundle but I'm getting impatient.

[alias_sqbr]

You should be able to craft a mayo machine, it's only farming level 2. You get cheese maker crafting at farming level 6, since you mentioned sprinklers you can probably do that too?

Dinosaur eggs show up as a drop from a moderately high level monster in the mines, so you should be able to get another one eventually, they used to ONLY be able to be gotten from artifact spots so it was heartbreaking when I donated mine in my first game.

Oh! And if you get an ancient seed, donate it, since Gunter will give you an actual seed you can plant. But keep at least one of these plantable seeds around until you have a greenhouse (and then use a seedmaker to plant A LOT of ancient fruit, and roll around in the resulting money)

[flamebyrd]

Haha yeah, it's not that I can't craft the machines, I'm just stingy with my materials... I crafted one of the coal-creating machines and then got one from a bundle like 2 days later so I'm bitter.

I got my dinosaur egg via fishing (in a treasure chest)! I'm guessing that's pretty low odds though so I'll continue to wend my way down the mines... I'm at 80 now.