Stardew Valley launched on PC in 2016, charming gamers with its idyllic imaginative and prescient of straightforward farm life. In the 4 years since, the game has been ported to consoles and cellular, and offered greater than 10 million copies throughout all platforms. However, the success of this enjoyable retro simulation isn’t a previous phenomenon – it’s an ongoing effort. Since launch, developer Eric Barone (a.okay.a. ConcernedApe) has continued creating important updates for Stardew Valley, bettering and increasing the gameplay and story with out charging gamers something further.
In at present’s gaming panorama, post-launch updates are widespread; studios launch patches to repair bugs, in addition to add new options or content material. But even contemplating these practices, what Barone is doing with Stardew Valley is outstanding. He has given the venture years of sustained assist, refining the expertise even after the entire acclaim it obtained at launch.
“It wasn’t until the game came out and most people loved it that I was like, ‘Okay, I guess the game is actually good,’ but that’s kind of how I am,” Barone says. “I always have doubt about whether it’s good. I always think it’s bad. But I actually think that is a tool to my benefit, because it compels me to always go above and beyond and keep trying. I want it to be perfect, because I always feel like it’s not good enough.”
Past updates have included quite a lot of main and minor tweaks, together with new farm buildings to purchase and improve, further romantic pursuits to marry, and extra annual festivals to have a good time. However, the only largest new characteristic was the addition of multiplayer, which permits 4 folks to play collectively cooperatively. “[Multiplayer] was something that I had promised originally – that was one of the big selling points,” Barone says. “I had to make the hard decision to release it without multiplayer and patch it in later … Thankfully, now multiplayer is in, and the promise has been kept. That was a big relief.”
If co-op isn’t your factor, you aren’t ignored within the chilly. One of the nice issues about Stardew Valley is the way it accommodates a breadth of playstyles. If you’re primarily keen on making a living for higher upgrades, you possibly can pursue that loop. If you’re keen on the life-simulation angle and need to befriend all of the townspeople, that’s another choice. When figuring out what modifications to pursue in any replace, Barone tries to stability the wants of all types of gamers. He compares the method to getting ready a meal: “You can’t just have the meat; you also have the potatoes, and the salad beforehand, to make a perfect meal. And then it all needs a lot of sauce on top, and salt. If you don’t have all that, it’s not going to be good.” In brief, a superb replace wants one thing in each class: end-game actions for knowledgeable gamers, participating content material for brand spanking new gamers, and quality-of-life modifications for everybody.
For instance, the latest 1.four replace included a clothes-tailoring system, new hairstyles on your character, a “trash bear” that calls for particular gadgets and solely seems after the second in-game 12 months, a brand new farm map with co-op in thoughts, and far more. It’s a whole lot of different content material, and since it’s all free for individuals who personal the game, you possibly can at all times come again to Stardew Valley after time away and discover one thing new.
But is it attainable to alter an excessive amount of? The core Stardew Valley expertise is a rigorously paced introduction to the methods and world, and messing with that might disrupt a number of the game’s magic. “I’m very cautious about making changes to the base game,” Barone says. “I really don’t want to mess with the early-game experience; I don’t want people to boot up the game and say, ‘Wait, where’s my Stardew Valley?!’ I always try to make sure that if there are big new things you can do in the early game, it’s extra. It’s peripheral. It’s not affecting the core experience of the game. And if there are things that change that, I want to make sure they’re optional. There’s some new stuff in 1.5 that I think will be a good way for people to replay Stardew Valley and get a fresh experience, but it’s optional. If you’re new to the game, you’ll have the classic Stardew Valley experience. But if you’re are an experienced player, you have this option to play something fresh.”
Considering it takes dozens of hours to construct a really flourishing farm, beginning over from the start may seem to be insanity. However, loads of devoted gamers try this repeatedly, revisiting Stardew Valley like a house away from house. The game has a passionate and constructive group, and Barone has a superb sense of the sorts of issues gamers need to see added. However, it’s not a majority-rules situation. He developed Stardew Valley himself, and although different crew members have labored on the game since launch, he nonetheless views it as a private venture. “I think of the community like advisors,” Barone says. “They’re giving suggestions, but ultimately, I want it to come from me. I feel like if the game was just ruled by committee, it wouldn’t be Stardew Valley anymore. I try to accommodate the fans as much as I can, but there are certain things where I feel like, even if it’s a popular request, it’s not what I want to do.”
More marriage candidates and extra choices along with your children are two widespread strategies, however implementing both of them carries completely different issues. Time is at a premium for such a small improvement crew, and creating the entire needed dialogue and scenes for marriage candidates requires an unlimited quantity of labor. “If could just push a button, and it would do that all perfectly, then I would make many more of the characters marriage candidates,” Barone says. Without a straightforward resolution, nonetheless, any time spent creating new romance choices is time that may’t be spent bettering the game in different methods.
As for making the children extra fascinating, that state of affairs veers into unsure territory relating to how gamers see themselves on the planet. The fundamental character is deliberately left with an undefined persona, so gamers can extra simply insert themselves into the occasions and setting. Strong, pre-defined traits and dialogue could make you’re feeling like an observer slightly than a participant. “When it comes to your own children, I feel like it’s the same thing,” Barone says. “It needs to be left vague, or it will run into that problem.” However, that doesn’t imply the present implementation is ready in stone; Barone has concepts for modest enhancements he could make to the children sooner or later, however whether or not or not these will make the reduce for the 1.5 replace remains to be undecided.
Stardew Valley can’t probably embrace all the pieces each participant desires, however you merely want to take a look at the notes for any replace to see the massive checklist of issues which can be repeatedly added to the game. It’s an uncommonly beneficiant method in an trade stuffed with microtransactions and season passes, nevertheless it additionally feels in step with Stardew Valley’s thoughtful and healthful tone. “I know it sounds like I’m just saying this, but I really do care about the fans, and I want to make them happy,” Barone says. “There’s a whole Stardew Valley community that loves the game, and I don’t want them to stop loving the game. People ask, ‘Why don’t you charge for the updates?’ But in a way, people are paying for the updates with their appreciation and love for Stardew Valley.”
An abridged model of this characteristic seems in Game Informer concern 329.
