[Stardew Valley] Pelikenny Problems

I'm ready go tonight. There's a party, alright. We don't need the raisin for joy, oh yeah. Tick down to midnight.
User avatar
Delthazar
Why, helllooo!
Posts: 12001

[Stardew Valley] Pelikenny Problems

Post by Delthazar » Mon Feb 29, 2016 8:21 pm

Stardew Valley is out and is getting some good buzz. I might grab it, the only Harvest Moon that ever hooked me was the SNES original and this looks to be basically that with more stuff.

User avatar
John Layfield
Make sure John Layfield looks strong!
Posts: 2568

Re: [Gaming News] + Upcoming Games + General Games Chat

Post by John Layfield » Mon Feb 29, 2016 11:08 pm

What, not even Back to Nature?!

User avatar
Falcon Critical
Got Seniority
Posts: 4616

Re: [Gaming News] + Upcoming Games + General Games Chat

Post by Falcon Critical » Tue Mar 01, 2016 12:18 pm

Deltron 20X6 wrote:Stardew Valley is out and is getting some good buzz. I might grab it, the only Harvest Moon that ever hooked me was the SNES original and this looks to be basically that with more stuff.
Interesting, I'd never heard of this. Might be a good game to play while I'm listening to podcasts.

User avatar
Delthazar
Why, helllooo!
Posts: 12001

Re: [Gaming News] + Upcoming Games + General Games Chat

Post by Delthazar » Tue Mar 01, 2016 9:19 pm

Apparently it also has co-op support coming, so depending on the player cap we could start ourselves up some really shadowy agribusiness

User avatar
Delthazar
Why, helllooo!
Posts: 12001

Re: [Gaming News] + Upcoming Games + General Games Chat

Post by Delthazar » Wed Mar 02, 2016 2:24 am

Fuck it, picked it up, downloading now. A good chunk of my Steam friends list is either playing it or has it wishlisted so I may as well beat some of 'em to the zeitgeist for once. Watch 'em all play for two weeks and bail as usual.

So I'll be your canary in the coal mine. Looks like there are more people streaming Stardew on Twitch right now than WoW, so maybe this'll be an outta nowhere surprise hit, like 2016's Rocket League or something. #1 seller on Steam since it launched, ahead of stuff like The Division and the new Far Cry and Superhot, something like 98% positive reviews with well over a thousand. A good start.

Sunless Sea is also a good podcast game since there's no voice acting and the music is mainly ambient fare, sparsely used at that. There's an expansion coming too. You can still grab it on the cheap in the current Humble Bundle.

User avatar
Falcon Critical
Got Seniority
Posts: 4616

Re: [Gaming News] + Upcoming Games + General Games Chat

Post by Falcon Critical » Wed Mar 02, 2016 12:18 pm

RPS had an article about how much they liked Stardew Valley, and the PC Gamer podcast was gushing about it - so I've purchased it as well. Keen to try it out after work today.

User avatar
True Perception
My hole was almost closed, too, but now I've spread it back open / I could even be comfortable bareback!
Posts: 6124

Re: [Gaming News] + Upcoming Games + General Games Chat

Post by True Perception » Wed Mar 02, 2016 12:26 pm

Let me know. I'm not big on the farming sim thing, but I'm curious as to why people are so excited.

User avatar
Falcon Critical
Got Seniority
Posts: 4616

Re: [Gaming News] + Upcoming Games + General Games Chat

Post by Falcon Critical » Thu Mar 03, 2016 11:29 am

So how's your farm going Del? I've been spending most of my time running around town trying to figure out what everything does. Harvested that first crop they give you, planted a bunch of random seeds.

There's a lot of systems I don't understand, like whether trees and grass and stuff on your farm will always grow back on its own or if you need to leave some for it to spread from.

PC Gamer put up some basic tips, that last one especially seems like good advice.
http://www.pcgamer.com/stardew-valley-tips/

User avatar
Delthazar
Why, helllooo!
Posts: 12001

Re: [Gaming News] + Upcoming Games + General Games Chat

Post by Delthazar » Thu Mar 03, 2016 3:22 pm

Going pretty well, took a bit to refamiliarize myself with this style. Focusing on small crops for now, though I did build a nice stone path around the soil beds, and a silo. Cleared out all the stone/wood/weeds that don't require upgrading my tools. Met all the townsfolk, got a couple s-link scenes, I sorta have an idea who I'll be chasing there.

Trees and grass will grow back I think, I haven't cleared all that yet and probably won't. I like a little overgrowth along the outskirts of my farm, looks more natural, plus I like the grass and tree sprites. Grass definitely spreads over time, I had three small-medium patches at first that have now combined into one or two much larger ones. Pretty sure I have more trees too. If you see saplings when you wander around, those probably grow into full trees eventually. I've only been cutting down the trees that block expansion or obscure my view of the garden so far. A few trees I'll keep, for purposes you'll discover as you unlock crafting options. You can also plant new trees and grass fields with the right items (try shaking trees and see what falls out.)

That said, collecting about 350 wood right away is a good idea, as you can use 300 of that to fix something pretty useful, and 50 to build a storage chest that you'll probably want to have almost immediately.

Grass has a very important use though, it's a good idea not to cut it down right away or it'll just go to waste. That's where the silo comes in. The quest progression suggests building a chicken coop as your first farm building, but the silo is cheaper and takes less resources, and you'll need it with the coop anyway.

I think I have all or most of the sidequest material unlocked and ready to go. Some of it looks to be pretty deep.

User avatar
Falcon Critical
Got Seniority
Posts: 4616

Re: [Gaming News] + Upcoming Games + General Games Chat

Post by Falcon Critical » Thu Mar 03, 2016 3:34 pm

Yeah I've not been clearing much of the farm, I'm thinking about building paths down through the trees and such to the farm animal store/Leah's house. I've basically sunk all of my money into crops at this point (I'm in the second week) and am starting to see good return.

Took me ages to figure out where the crafting was, as soon as I did I built a chest and that's made it a lot easier.

I found a brown t-shirt then skin-matched it so my guy looks like he's walking around shirtless and tanned the whole time. Doesn't fit so well early on since I'm supposed to be green out of the city, but as time progresses it's going to make more sense :pac

User avatar
Delthazar
Why, helllooo!
Posts: 12001

Re: [Stardew Valley] Movin' to the country, gonna vore a lot of peaches

Post by Delthazar » Thu Mar 03, 2016 3:41 pm

For Spring crops, I think Cauliflower has the best return, but also takes forever to grow. I figured that out too late and missed the related bundle. Maybe next year!

Jeez, I haven't found any new clothes yet. Well, a pair of boots, but that's a little different I guess. I was pleasantly surprised by all the options at character generation though, there must've been like 200 shirts alone.

Leah is cool. It's a three-way race between her, Abigail, and Maru. No clear Chie here.

User avatar
Delthazar
Why, helllooo!
Posts: 12001

Re: [Stardew Valley] Movin' to the country, gonna vore a lot of peaches

Post by Delthazar » Thu Mar 03, 2016 3:55 pm

There's probably enough meat here for a new thread, especially if more of you duders jump onboard.

User avatar
Falcon Critical
Got Seniority
Posts: 4616

Re: [Stardew Valley] Movin' to the country, gonna vore a lot of peaches

Post by Falcon Critical » Thu Mar 03, 2016 4:50 pm

Are you using mouse/keyboard or a controller? As soon as I saw the controller option I plugged in and went that way, it really fits the chill vibe. Turned off the vibration since it would jiggle every time you hit a stone or tree.

User avatar
Delthazar
Why, helllooo!
Posts: 12001

Re: [Stardew Valley] Movin' to the country, gonna vore a lot of peaches

Post by Delthazar » Thu Mar 03, 2016 5:11 pm

Yeah, I'm primarily using a controller, though keyboard/mouse remains active at the same time, which is nice for quicker menu interacts on occasion (like in the bundles and splitting stacks of items.)

User avatar
Falcon Critical
Got Seniority
Posts: 4616

Re: [Stardew Valley] Movin' to the country, gonna vore a lot of peaches

Post by Falcon Critical » Fri Mar 04, 2016 7:38 pm

It's useful that it saves at the end of each day. I bought an apple tree, placed it then accidentally swung my hoe at it. I'm not going to lose 4k to a misclick :pac

User avatar
Delthazar
Why, helllooo!
Posts: 12001

Re: [Stardew Valley] Movin' to the country, gonna vore a lot of peaches

Post by Delthazar » Fri Mar 04, 2016 7:40 pm

Oh yeah, a patch went up, but may have been pulled for more fixes. It adds a new zoom control that's supposed to be pretty sweet.

I'm trying to get a handle on fishing. Slow going...

User avatar
Falcon Critical
Got Seniority
Posts: 4616

Re: [Stardew Valley] Movin' to the country, gonna vore a lot of peaches

Post by Falcon Critical » Fri Mar 04, 2016 9:43 pm

It's like the Breath of Fire fishing - well from BoF3 at least. It doesn't have the technique stuff they added in BoF4. I think getting a better rod is the key to starting fishing proper.

I'm 3 days into summer now, got that silo built and I have hay coming out of my ears after leaving the grass unchecked throughout spring.

User avatar
Delthazar
Why, helllooo!
Posts: 12001

Re: [Stardew Valley] Movin' to the country, gonna vore a lot of peaches

Post by Delthazar » Fri Mar 04, 2016 10:46 pm

It might just be me, but river fishing feels easier than ocean or lake fishing. I was able to pop the first fishing cheevo just now. There's probably tiers too: breams are easy, shads a little harder, catfish and tiger trout much harder, and the same goes for ocean/lake fish. I was also fishing at night during the rain, so there might be a little Persona 4 in there too.

If you haven't done so already, try tapping your trees. They take a while to produce, but there's probably good money and crafting options in maple syrup and pine/oak resins.

Oh yeah, rainy days seem to be the best for finding ocean forage on the island across the repaired bridge.

User avatar
Falcon Critical
Got Seniority
Posts: 4616

Re: [Stardew Valley] Movin' to the country, gonna vore a lot of peaches

Post by Falcon Critical » Sat Mar 05, 2016 4:39 am

Interesting tips. I don't have a tap yet to plug into trees, but I built a coop and got two chickens going. I'm perhaps ill-advised in that I'm currently saving to buy a kitchen for my house... potentially money that should be going towards next season's crops.

Nothing ventured nothing gained!

User avatar
Delthazar
Why, helllooo!
Posts: 12001

Re: [Stardew Valley] Movin' to the country, gonna vore a lot of peaches

Post by Delthazar » Sat Mar 05, 2016 3:22 pm

That last bit was probably just random luck. :pacdown

Been to the mines yet?

User avatar
Falcon Critical
Got Seniority
Posts: 4616

Re: [Stardew Valley] Movin' to the country, gonna vore a lot of peaches

Post by Falcon Critical » Sat Mar 05, 2016 5:30 pm

Yeah I've been down 10 floors in the mine, it was mostly copper for upgrading gear that led me down there. Watched a little of day[9] playing it and he immediately noticed the backpack on the counter in the general store, which I totally missed all this time.

Have you upgraded your backpack?

I'm looking forward to chilling out with some Stardew after the intensity of XCOM.

User avatar
Delthazar
Why, helllooo!
Posts: 12001

Re: [Stardew Valley] Movin' to the country, gonna vore a lot of peaches

Post by Delthazar » Sat Mar 05, 2016 6:10 pm

The mine is great for gems in addition to ores. If you're getting closer to Abigail, she loves Amethyst, and Maru likes/loves various metal bars, though in her case she's just as happy with a sweet pea flower as chunks of refined copper. I'm getting closer to floor 40 for the quest... the monster situation in the mines definitely switches up a lot the deeper you go.

Got the first backpack upgrade, which was kind of a gamechanger even with a ton of chests (I crafted one for basically every item grouping: planting stuff, harvested crops, fishing stuff, crafting mats, monster loot, etc.) Gonna hold off on the next upgrade until after I build my coop and probably the first house upgrade.

This game is amazingly chill. There's no way to really lock yourself out of any content, so it's a great low-stress relaxation game.

User avatar
Falcon Critical
Got Seniority
Posts: 4616

Re: [Stardew Valley] Movin' to the country, gonna vore a lot of peaches

Post by Falcon Critical » Sun Mar 06, 2016 2:52 am

I died in the mines going from 10-15, the screen went green and a whole swarm of those homing flies showed up when I was already low on health. You get teleported back to the entrance, lose two items and 'forget' 10 levels of the dungeon, so definitely flee instead of dying!

I then got back through the first 10 levels in one day, it's nice that combat doesn't make you tired.

I'm in fall now, I planted an apple tree in the end of Spring, expecting it to grow up this season, but it's stayed small. Perhaps because I built paths in adjacent squares? It does say it has to be empty in the squares around the tree for it to bear fruit.

I still suck at fishing, caught a couple bream and got the first fishing skill up but it doesn't seem any easier.

User avatar
Delthazar
Why, helllooo!
Posts: 12001

Re: [Stardew Valley] Movin' to the country, gonna vore a lot of peaches

Post by Delthazar » Sun Mar 06, 2016 3:00 am

Sooner or later Willy should send you a mail about new rods, that definitely helped for me. I still can't catch the really fast fish though. 'course, I'm not sure how bait works and I keep forgetting to get the skill buff from the trout soup.

Those bee swarms nearly got me a couple times. Every 5 to 10 floors is a treasure chest along with the usual elevator unlocks, so you might get lucky and get a better sword. If not, you can buy them eventually, or maybe spend copper/cash to blacksmith-up the starter sword, but that's probably a waste of resources.

I still need to plant trees. I'd guess the paths were the culprit yeah, since they seem to impede the spread of grass as well.

I'm around the start of winter now. Managed to Rank 10 Abigail's s-link, but can't quite trigger the scene. Bought the first house upgrade. Got a lot of paintings and other decorations that don't want to snap into place. :(

User avatar
Falcon Critical
Got Seniority
Posts: 4616

Re: [Stardew Valley] Movin' to the country, gonna vore a lot of peaches

Post by Falcon Critical » Sun Mar 06, 2016 11:47 am

I had trouble placing anything in my house with the controller, with the mouse it was very easy though, have you tried that? Leah gave me that sculpture she was working on from her house. Currently s-link rank 6 - her birthday must be in winter, I've been looking for it every season.

The slimes with stars on their heads in the mine will drop loot, so far got a ring that creates light around me (very useful), a pair of shoes and a level 2 dagger (faster hits, short range, no swing arc)