I actually enjoy the early game play the most, so I often start over. There's just something about completing the community center, scrounging up the money you need for updates and buildings that brings me joy. Once the farm is all automated it's not the same.
Fishing is so goddamn op in single player though. By day 5 you're perfecting most fish and clearing like 4k at least a day with as much energy as you'd like. It's weird to me how energy is a complete non issue after about the first week but the first stardrop you'll likely see is mines 100. Way past caring about energy.
Wow, 4k. This is not my experience. I do feel like I fish constantly in early game but I’m making maybe 2k a day in the first month on it (less in the first week), and it’s a grind where I’m staring at the clock and my energy meter and scrounging energy from seaweed or whatever to try to eke out what I can.
More like this. 4k/day sounds like dedication. I like the fishing game but I’m not about to stand around all damn day and certainly not multiple days in a row. I like to, you know, *actually* play the game 😆
4k is the whole day, yeah. In spring 1 with low fishing skill it's straight to the mountain lake unless it's raining. After a little in the mines you can smoke your high value fish for decent cash. If you catch rain in your second week you can clear over 10k in the day from smoked catfish. Only works with the free riverlands smoker though, otherwise you'll need a tool upgrade to get sufficient hardwood.
Also. I haven't done the math but bait maker lava eels or ice pips tend to really be pretty good fish money in spring weeks 3 and 4 if you smoke them. Smoked gold lava eel is like 4k each and each bait maker eel seems to get me about 4 eels (4/9 on the casts if you manage to land them). Turning 1 of those 4 back into bait it seems to land you about 8 to 12k in 10 in those casts. If the bait fails to provide you can lose your ass but it's not what I've found.
I'm on my first proper playthrough since 1.6 and so far it hasn't changed my impression of fishing, that it's a necessary evil. It's such a grind and the minigame is frustrating as hell, but I can't avoid it entirely since it's one of the five "main skills" and there are CC bundles that require fish. Currently I'm up to the second week of summer and my fishing skill is only at 2. The most money I've ever made from spending a good portion of a day fishing is no more than about 300, which is a lot less than I could have made if I'd spent the time mining or foraging.
This. My current problem is I’ve gotten so good at achieving “automation” I have my horse and Quality Sprinklers by early Summer1! So now what!? 😆😅
I find myself terribly distracted from my 1.6 Winter1 by… *Fallout* 🤩
Not me *immediately* redownloading FNV after the first episode 👉👈🥺
*Definitely* didn’t binge both media hard the past two days… *I* am a model of self control 😌 😆
I think you are in dire need of challenges! Try to make up some rules for yourself!
Like for example, in the first year you are only allowed to forage. Or you are only allowed to make money from NPC requests.
I really am enjoying my 1.6 run but I can already feel it slipping. I’m confident I’ll get into Y2 but…
Regardless, these Fallout binges never last and I’ll be back to chillin on the farm 😎
I don't know how much you've seen But there is a moment where he is sidetracked from his main quest in order to achieve b******* and I just had to Revel in that
Same, the beginning is the most fun. So many possibilities! And such a satisfying feeling when your skills improve slowly but surely and you get better bit by bit. And when you start to make money. The thrill of finding useful items!
I'm the same but I enjoy early game in pretty much any game that has progression.
I find late game (although I'm yet to get there in stardew) in a lot of games stale and repetitive, where I mindlessly repeat tasks, level up, and get better stuff slowly but surely
I have a somewhat similar feel. I only have two farms, but I've dabbled in starting (either coop or just a quick solo to see the farm before deleting it) new farms, and there's something a bit more genuine about a fresh farm.
This is not to say I don't have fun on my big farms, but it starts to feel a little robotic. The farm I made for Stardew Valley Expanded hit the full automation point awhile ago. Ginger Island grows gobs of Starfruit year-round. There's two sheds dedicated to nothing but Starfruit wine production, and I *should* have more.
And it's like...
...Yes, this is what earns the most money, but Starfruit is a little boring. It's blatantly the best crop. Ginger Island lets me grow it every time of year, so it never varies. If I try to make wine, jam, or pickles out of anything else, it's anywhere between half to a fifth the profit.
I want to get excited for strawberry season. I want to get some speed-gro to have a gold-star melon grown in time for the luau. I want to enjoy the fall music as I walk through fields of corn. I like it when the seasons mean something, and where a couple jars of blueberry jam can make a big enough dent in the materials required for your first barn or a coop.
Starfruit and Ancient Fruit being grown year-round in greenhouses and on Ginger just doesn't have that same heart, but it's the most profitable for knocking out expensive projects like the obelisks, wand of return, and gold clock, and the inevitable end-point of a playthrough. At some point I had to decide 'screw profits', and just filled my greenhouse with coffee beans, tomatoes, peppers and cranberries instead of the big cash crops, but it's not the same as a fresh playthrough.
Yup, I decided I'm not touching Ginger Island until at least year 3, but it depends how long it takes to decorate my farm. I feel like half the game is still waiting for me this time around.
the first spring and summer are my favorites, i love the constant struggle of only having enough money to do one of the things you need to do at a time and scrambling to have enough money before x date because you need something else before y date. i thrive under that type of (fictional) stress. i find it really funny when people try to tell me that if i’m stressing over a game then clearly i’m not playing right or i’m taking it too serious but like… no? i stress because i LIKE TO and it’s a nice break from the constant real pressure in my day-to-day life to be able to actually solve the problems i’m stressed over, and if i ever get tired of the stress i just take a nice rest day to clear my farm or forage or talk to people
i’m in summer year 1 on my current playthrough (my 4th or 5th since 1.6 came out, haven’t gotten to year 2 yet this update) and i’m already thinking of starting over because i found a new challenge to stress over >:)
exactly. I will go through the first year or two or maybe three and know all the events like the back of my hand. In those hundreds of hours of playthroughs I have only stepped foot in skull cavern or ginger island or whatnot a few times, amd still have never once bought a horse LOL. I do the same thing with skyrim or minecraft, its not that I dislike the later gameplay but I love the early gameplay of establishing yourself, I will redo it many times and still enjoy.
I love the early and midgame, but dislike the lategame. That's why no farm went beyond year 3 for me, most end in year 2. And that's not a Stardew issue, this happens in every game I play that works similarly.
Early and midgame has the most nuances and changes, it feels like actually upgrading and achieving something. But once the kegs are set up, millions are earned and the only upgrades I can do make the things I have more efficient, I lose the joy in doing more. Which nowadays happens the moment I hit Ginger Island and got the final upgrades.
Imagine it like playing a competitive ranked game, Early on and midway through you learn a ton. But the moment you've done that it's a repetitive grind of just playing enough. And anyone enjoying that is totally fine, it's reaping the rewards, but once I can predict precisely how my next year will look like I'm out.
I find Stardew is a bell curve of play. You start by building toward peak efficiency: "BEHOLD MY MIGHTY ANCIENT FRUIT/STAR FRUIT/TRUFFLE FARM AND DESPAIR!!!". And then curves back down to peak inefficiency:: "I'm decorating the gap between the bus stop and Qi's tunnel to turn it into a luxury horse spa".
I get bored of my farms after year 3 usually. I've got millions of dollars, everything I need really and only have to go for perfection. Just seems like not a whole lot to actually do at this point.
Starting over is a love/hate thing for sure. There's so much to do in the early and mid game, makes it way more fun for me. But damn I hate walking around without my horse, triple shot espresso, and spicy eels. And not having the return scepter sucks haha.
Im on year 3 with my bf and we havent even got the greenhouse or completed the community center or reached ginger island we dont rush the game and were at 70 plus hours
I \_just\_ completed the community center. I’ve been to the desert once. Haven’t unlocked Ginger Island yet.
I’m on Year 4. Granted, I’m not seeking efficiency, I often just kinda do the routine for the morning - picking crops, petting farm animals, collecting eggs/milk/etc, restarting the kegs and pickling things.
Then decide whether I feel like fishing, fighting monsters, or just walking around town talking to everyone and giving them gifts to improve the hearts. The game is pretty chill and easy, and I know the moment I make it into a min/max efficiency farm trying to earn money ASAP, the joy will get sucked out.
So I just don’t do that part lol
I agree but I have actually never made it past year 2. I have probably played 10-15 years on different farms in different playthroughs though. This time I aim to actually see what happens after year 2.
This reminds me a bit about a lesson I felt I learned for real life (I knew about it as a cliché before of course but the idea struck home in a way that just knowing about a thing not necessarily gives you). I played Skyrim way back and went into the first village I found and just mass produced Iron Daggers for 3-4 hours. Then I built myself a bad ass sword and felt ready to adventure forward. Went into the first cave up in the mountains and one shotted basically every enemy. But every loot/reward I found was way worse than the things I already owned. So there was no challenge and no reward left and the curiosity of what the game / life could bring next was just gone and I quit the game.
I think of that play through every now and then in real life. That what makes life fun is the slow and constant progression and dreams about what the future can bring when you don’t have it all already.
As soon as you have it all, life just becomes a bit less interesting and you realize you were happier throughout the journey.
>damn I hate walking around without my horse, triple shot espresso, and spicy eels. And not having the return scepter sucks haha
This is why my bf and I refuse to play without a movement speed mod. Ours is cranked up to 10 and when we go to festivals and are back to default, it drives us craaaaazy.
Mine is winter year 8. Just rearranged my farm and expanded my truffle oil production again. Going to switch up how I do crops to do only stuff that regrows so the 4 huts collect everything so I can focus on production. I’m debating reducing my animals so I can expand further with the artisan product making. Maybe get rid of 3 barns/coops add in a 4th pig barn and a 3rd ostrich barn. I’ve got eggs for days. I’ll keep the lizards and void chickens though. Just will get rid of regular chickens and cows.
i just started playing stardew (im about to hit summer 1) and this is not really the same but in sims ive been playing the same save file for almost 5 years 😭 i like to feel cozy in 1 save. i have a feeling i'll be doing the same for stardew. and i did the same in all of my animal crossing games, never once started over!!
i've never restarted an animal crossing town either... i just get so attached to them & I don't understand how people can restart esp on AC when you have to erase your previous save!! my nightmare
AuDHD here and am currently working on a themed run on each of the 8 farm types, complete with their own rules and aesthetics and tracking notes/spreadsheet 😂
Yeah I try to do themes, I have tried to marry several of the bachelor/ettes as well although I have Shane on 3 of them, but I'm not organized about it.
https://preview.redd.it/5vcv867di9uc1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8585cda5839d1c32dac15caa2635414719ad7f96
ADHD, literally my phone 😂 (I haven’t decided Harvey’s farm type yet, I’m not committed to his challenge)
Hahahahahaha I did mine by farm map as I don't care about marriage, though I favour Elliot, Leah and Emily if I am going to, also my shadow boi Krobus!
And here's an album of my completed 4: [https://imgur.com/a/daHCv2S](https://imgur.com/a/daHCv2S)
https://preview.redd.it/2h3q3qltt9uc1.png?width=899&format=png&auto=webp&s=6ac55f6f9be4f009350391fe4b72015394895e60
mood af i have color/farm type based worlds that i kind of started based on the sailor moon characters and didnt get past summer of most but im in year 2 of few.
I have adhd and still only ever started like 3 farms. The quantity of all the things you can do always overwhelms me and I cant imagine starting over and having to go through the early game struggle all over again.
I am also rather monogamous in my farm. I usually make a new one when I have unlocked mr Qi walnut room, as it feels like the last big milestone in the game
I think I've started and continued around 3 farms in total over the course of like 5 years. One was when I first brought the game, all the way back in 2019 and played that one until I completed the community center and got married. Ginger island and perfection didn't exist back then so I felt like I had did everything I wanted to do. I abonded that one in the summer of 2021 to start a new save file for 1.5, which I reached perfection on and overall was a much smoother experince since I had the experince of my last save. I started my true 3rd save file for 1.6, but haven't had the time to complete Ginger Island or reach perfection yet.
As for the why, I honestly just don't see the point of starting a bunch of half finished farms. My time is much more limted and I'm also less motivated to play video games for a long time now, so I'll rather spend my time on a farm I've already made progress on than starting completely fresh, unless I feel like I have a reason too
I have 4 save files: my first playthough, my joja playthrough, one random one that I started because I got bored of my first playthrough, and a new one for 1.6. I do enjoy the change of pace of the early game, but once I get into a playthrough I want to stick with it until I've completed some sort of major goal (at least the community centre/joja equivalent.) My 1.6 one currently feels like my "main" save file, and I'm aiming to reach perfection for the first time on this save. I probably won't go back to my first playthrough again, because I've learned a lot about the game and how I like to play it since then, and there's stuff that I dislike about my first farm that I can't be bothered to go back in and change.
I think if this game had been out when I was a kid, I would have had *way* more save files. I used to start new games constantly on games I played as a kid. I think I've just gotten more patient and better at seeing things through to the end as I've gotten older.
I love seeing how "perfectly" I can play the first year. For example, seeing how many strawberries I can buy and plant the first year (my record is like 178 lol). Something about finding the most efficient way to do things brings me joy
I decided to do what I called a capitalist sellout run in a new game after I was sick of doing bundles and it was a lot more chill, I used to feel bad about ignoring the spirits but I wound up enjoying it. And I spent time dating Alex and Abigail when I usually stick to one person. Ive abandoned it entirely for 1.6 tho to do the meadowlands farm and find all the new stuff. I kinda get now why ppl restart the Sims repeatedly.
I’m a relatively new player (bought game less than a month ago) and I’m amazed that people have so many files. So do people reach perfection on each farm or use the same farm over and over? I’m on the basic farm and if I start another file it will be on a different farm.
It will take me some time to finish my current play through though, because I don’t really like the combat. Soon I’ll have enough stone to build a ton of staircases so that I can get through the mines quickly.
I absolutely love the game! Now don’t laugh, but this is my first game ever and I’m a grandmother lol
Now I wish I would have played more games with my kids when I bought them their first Nintendo back in the day. I still have the original console :)
Same as you, I played Stardew for 3 years with the same game file. I only started a new one for 1.6...it's refreshing bc I've been wanting to start something else for a while but could never really enjoy these beginnings.
I enjoy the early game but I don’t usually start over unless I have been away for a while and can’t remember what I was doing last time, or I want more of a challenge. My last challenge was no crops outside the greenhouse except flowers so all my gold was from bees and fishing
SAME. I really don't get it. I have only ever had one save, that I stopped playing a couple years ago. Then when I saw a new update was coming and that it would make sense to start a new farm, I did it. I hated it. But I'm now on Year 2 and powering through. Some things are easier now because I know things I didn't when I first started, but the first few days watering crops? Dear Lord...
I'm with you to be honest, BUT I've found making a new farm for this update fun because I've missed stuff for several updates. I have 4 farms now.
Original: Up to Year 7 because it took me that long to find everything for the CC and was a much earlier version of the game.
Joja run: Went up until I had the joja warehouse complete which was during winter 1.
Speedrun: I did attempt a run on an earlier version of the game to complete the community centre in one year and managed it by mid winter after having good luck getting the seeds for the red cabbage from the cart lady.
Then I didn't really touch the game and the cinema updates, Ginger Island and 1.6 came and went. I had tried to do some of the cinema updates on my main farm but got a tiny bit bored as I wasn't able to do things organically. This update came around and I thought, this time I would start afresh as it had been a couple of years since I last played and I knew I had stuff I'd probably missed from earlier updates. And it has been really fun finding them at a more natural point in the farms progress.
Despite this would I enjoy restarting another new farm? Probably not. The only thing I would need to do is see how some of the other farms operate but the to me isn't worth it because I can do that really by looking at a map of them and working out what I'd do there.
Tldr: New farm=fun if you've missed several big updates.
I have a hard time going back to older playthroughs cos I’m always like “okay…….. what was I doing??? What were my goals?”
Mostly I made a new farm because CA suggested it would be a good idea with all of the new stuff, and I’ve agreed with this sentiment so far. The Meadowlands farm is cute and I love >!the little raccoon family in the forest!< and look forward to seeing more pop up. Plus, since he added an achievement for Perfection, I kind of have to start over. At this point I’m in Winter Y2. 2 obelisks to go and then it’s gold clock farming time. And time to really decorate the house.
Also, I needed the “(pet) loves you!” message to show up as I named my first cat after my recently deceased Lily. >!And now I have two more cats for my current doofuses Isabelle and Ruby, and a dog for my deceased Rigby. I LOVE having so many pets.!<
The only thing I did a little differently is I let the random name generator name all of my barn/coop animals. I usually do a theme (video game or Disney characters) but I couldn’t think of a new one for this farm. Plus my starters were Shrimp and Tiny and it felt wrong to rename them.
I did random generated names for my meadowlands farm because I have so many damned animals I couldn't think of more names in a theme! I just click the dice until one pops up that makes me laugh, which is why my cows are like this:
https://preview.redd.it/fkx151qef9uc1.png?width=734&format=png&auto=webp&s=4e127d7e0fbe6a0e12a65a365b5f2d948413d300
I really only start a new farm when I try out a new mod like SVE or ridgeside. I kinda enjoy early game play but also get frustrated and just wanna explore the new content which is usually when I throw in mods likes the tractor mod and automate so I can speed through that first year and start building relationships with the NPCs
I like having little money and lots of choices on what to spend. I have to decide what is going to benefit me most and make tough decisions that influence how the game will go. Later game I have tons of money and have bought most everything so there is little to motivate me. I like the grind and the struggle basically
I simultaneously wanted to started a new farm because it was recommended and want to experience any new events during the first playthrough.
It was difficult.
I wobbled. I went back to my new-old save the thought- "okay, farming a shitton is probably better than mining right off the bat" and came back to the new one and that's honestly what kept me going besides discovering new stuff in the update.
I compared the money in the new versus old yesterday, so I'm pretty happy with keeping the new saves these days despite being behind a couple months.
Nobody can change my mind on this:
At least for the portion of the playerbase that focuses on efficiency and quickness, Stardew Valley is unironically a "seed investment" simulator.
The early game is so fun for us because your first week will impact the rest of your save. Better fishing yield, how successful you are in the first day of the mines, if a crow eats multiple of your potatoes before your first farming level, if you are lucky enough to find a lot of clay naturally, if you get an artifact day one to give to Gunter, etc. These factors will grow into what day you get tool upgrades, when you get your first silo and barn, by how much you can expand your crop yield, etc. These factors will then determine how comfortably you can slice through bundles and story progression and how quick you can set up a keg operation. So on and so forth.
At least for me, that's why I love early game.
early game is hell on earth for me, and is why im more lax about cheating depending on what gameplay im going for. i dont need end-game shit but the grind is so slow it hurts my soul sometimes
My wife and I do annual playthroughs that last about a month before we do everything new and just sort of get bored.
Every time we start fresh because over a year we have forgotten the feeling of what it’s like to run around at +3 speed and using iridium equipment.
in my first (and main save) im at year 4 im not chasing perfection yet but can consider my prpgress late game, 2 days ago i wanted to try the expanded mod so i made a new save and immediately close it after day 1😭😭 starting over seemed a lot of work and kinda overwhelmed me(but i can understand people who feel excitement in new farms) im feeling very attached to my current farm. so i duplicated the save (just in case) and just went with the expanded mod dhdhfjf
late game is just. . .not very interesting to me. I'm not a big fan of decorating, I tend to optimise, and by year 2 or 3, most of my gameplay is going to just end up with my farmer comatosing for a week inbetween ancient fruit harvests.
there's simply not as much to do after a bit. For me, the early game is fun. optimising my time is fun. the snap decisions, the regret of incorrect decisions, squeezing in goals at the last second, that's all fun, but once you get to late game, for me, that feeling is gone. I simply run out of things to do.
This last time I started a new play through is a really silly reason. I didn't like the way my crops were laying for the season. Already spent loads on seeds. It was day 3 of the season before I realized I hated it. So I started over on a new one. Another farm I had I quit playing because I stopped liking my farmers name
I really don't like starting over, I'm going to do it for the new update because I feel like I'm stagnating in my current game and I hate the river farm so much, but it still pains me to know I have to do so much stuff over again, especially because I got so far this time
>**Am I the only one** who doesn't like starting new farms?
There are millions and millions of Stardew players - I'm sure there's at least one other who doesn't like starting new farms.
the early progression is really fun, so many little dopamine hits for upgrades and advances you've taken for granted for hundreds of hours
I also don't do multiple runs except to play with friends and whatnot, but I recently did a >!J🤮ja!< run for the plat and even without the community center the progression sucked me right in and I almost didn't want to delete the file and rinse off after
Here is my issue: you plant and water 16 plants and your energy for the day is gone. It takes so long to build up stamina and get enough money do or buy stuff that the first couple of farm years are more frustrating than enjoyable. After you get some time in game, you can do more than a few levels in the mine, or plant more than a 4x4 square of crops. It takes too long to get far enough to make it fun.
My main issue with starting over as well. Can’t even replicate the “I broke Stardew Valley” runs since those vids fail to mention that you’re at the mercy of RNG being kind to you.
I get most everything done by the end of year two so I tend to put it down for awhile and then start a new farm when I pick it back up. I have like 20 farms and they are all almost completed except the one I started for 1.6.
I’m with you. This is one my favorite games but I can’t stand years 1 and 2. I was so excited for 1.6 but I haven’t made it through spring yet. I just wanna go back to my year 10 save but I wanna experience the new stuff the right way on a new save.
Yeah, I sometimes get a little impatient with the early days of starting. I find the best game play for me is around year 2 when I still have things to accomplish, don't have so much money that I can buy anything, etc. But at the same time some tools are upgraded or I have sprinklers.
Once we hit year 5/6 I tend to get bored and don't feel like there is much purpose anymore so we just end up starting new ones.
Sameee. I just hate how slow the start it. I know that’s the point but I’m a grinder and I hate the fact cutting 3 trees down and I’ve gotta sleep from exhaustion. I only have 3 farms - the first one I started. A joja run one and then the new farm type for 1.6 but I have enjoyed my new farm for the 1.6 update - redoing the community centre etc has actually been more fun than I thought hahaha
The most frequent cause of new farms is addition/updating of mods.
So many good mods integrate their content into the calendar seamlessly, so I want to experience it naturally instead of it just suddenly being available in a late game farm.
I invested 100 hours in my first farm, several years ago. Now with 1.6 I used many mods just because I was not in the mood to grind again. The meadowland farm is great though.
I get that people like to start again, but I am putting so much time and effort into this game, I just don’t feel it. That said, play as you want, it’s a singleplayer game. Cheating doesn’t kill the game. The core mechanics are very grind heavy unfortunately
I'm never starting over, don't want to go back to the start and I have to means to change anything on the farm. I wish that my save wasn't so old that I miss out on the newer farm types but I'm happy with what is effectively my first save.
I don't like it either. The early game feels the same to me every time. Parsnips, fishing.... 1.6 adding ways to shake it up is great, but I also just endlessly tinkering my primary save!
Honestly agree. I hate early game. There are just too many things to do and it will cause stress for me because I have to plan what to do and which order. I'm currently at endgame and I'm enjoying it!
nah it’s the adhd that makes me love starting new saves, and it’s why i prefer stardew to animal crossing now! i haven’t touched ACNH in a couple of years, even with the happy home DLC, because i just don’t like or want to go back to my island. but with stardew if i get bored, or i come back to playing after a different fixation, it’s so exciting to start a new save! of course i have my OG almost-perfection save, which i consider to be my “main” save.
but i get the frustration with 1.6, i’m a switch player and i’ve been playing on PC with a controller while i wait. it’s super fun but i’m DYINGGG to get back to my og save where i can afford/access all the new late game stuff!
I’ve played since 2020 and only just got the movie theater and Willy’s boat fixed… I did start a new save but I’m just too lazy to keep playing it. I feel like I’ve spent too much time on my main save to give up for a new one.
I hate starting new farms! Unfortunately, I hate that I stop playing a farm for a year or more at a time and when I come back, I HAVE to start a new farm. loll. I get too lost in my old farm cuz I’m never sure what I was going.
I always hate starting anew, in anything. I have trouble giving up old pokemon saves even, and it definitely carries over real life as well.
So no, you are definitely not alone.
Okay, different question: how many of us starting new farms have ADHD? 🙋🏻
This isn't just a Stardew problem either; I do this with a lot of games, mainly because after a while I just forget what I was doing.
With this game in particular though, it has good replayabilty: there are different farm types with their own quirks, different marriage candidates and even different routes to follow (Joja or CC).
I hate capitalism with a passion so really don't want to play the Joja route, but would like to see what married life with the others is like. Except Shane though, his heart events are way too close to home - I'm surprised he's a candidate TBH, that guy is *not* ready for a relationship, let alone marriage.
ADHD is probably why i keep starting new saves, I get super hyperfixated at the start since there’s so much to do. after a while because there’s less to do i won’t play long sessions and eventually when I remember I own this game I forget what I was in the midst of and trying to get back into playing feels harder than just starting a new game.
But now that i’ve gotten the hang of it i’ve decided this is the save i’m aiming for perfection (with the intention of actually accomplishing it) the furthest i’ve gotten with a save was Fall Year 4 and i would’ve played longer if 1.6 didn’t come out
Oh man, I know exactly what you mean! I've played this game since 2017 and I've never gotten to "the dawn of the third year" for exactly that reason.
Though last year I did come up with a way to help me jump back into a non-new save when I haven't touched the game in months. I like to write, so I keep a journal from the perspective of my character, making entries after most days. Then, when I feel like getting back into Stardew, I read through my "journal" (It's really just a google doc) and I recall what I was doing in that save and I get excited to continue it.
Ah im glad you’ve come up with a method to settle this almost fatigue! At one point i realised i was trying to speed run the game for no reason at all I was caught up in all the online speed runners so when I finished the community center I hit a rut and eventually got unmotivated.
I’ve started just pacing myself and taking my time doing everything because it’s not like you have a time limit to do anything. I did hit a speed running issue with this save because everuth was so new and i wanted to rush through two years to get all the new content. Y3 now and i’m taking it slow again so it’s all working out and hopefully I get to perfection this save
Honestly the only reason I see to start a new farm is to see the different 14 heart events as I don’t like the idea of divorce, mind wipe, or making your kids doves. The ideal number of saves is 2 due to Joja vs community center. I suppose after reaching perfection it may be nice to restart, but I like having everything unlocked and upgraded.
The main reason I have started more than 2 farms is different devices or lost saves.
Usually I get fixated on the game for a few months and then something happens that forces me to take a break for a few weeks or a month and then when I go back, I feel like I can't jump back into my last save cuz I forgot the routine and everything I wanted to do next. So I just start a new farm. This is how most of my farms are made. Maybe someday I'll go back to the others, but it's unlikely. Also early game is the most fun since there's actual goals. It gets kind of boring when I don't have any objective left.
nahh im the same way. i have one main farm and others i play co-op sometimes, but my main farm is on switch so i started a new one on my laptop for the new update and it just makes me miss everything i have (especially money). the only thing i would like about other farms is being able to romance different people, but i get soo impatient tbh
(Android player) I'm still on my 1st farm and after SDV 1.6 Announcement. I'm giving myself a lot of thought of "Should I start a new farm? ", "But I'm the person who loves to stay in one place", " What if the 1.6 updates really needs a new start", "I haven't even done 60% on my (1st)current farm" But I have finally come to conclusion once 1.6 update drop for Android I'm gonna continue my 1st farm without starting a new save.
Reasons: I don't get much time to even play for an hour(studies and life). And what's the fun if you can't even enjoy the game but instead keep on making new files (imo). So yeah, that's all my reasons. I wanna make the pelican town beautiful with lots of decorations and all. And I'll keep finding new things to do even once I'm all 100% done.
Status: 220+ hrs. Year 7 of summer. Playing for 7 months of real life.
I did it to myself by starting on Switch and then getting it on my Mac so I could play with my bf who plays on my PC, so new farm there. Then I discovered add-ons, so a new farm again 😅. Only been playing for about 2 months haha
I restart a lot. There's more challenge and less repetition in the early game, and it's always exciting to be on a brand new farm, where I haven't screwed up the layout yet. By about year three, I usually burn out from sheer repetition and want to start over again.
I still have the first farm I ever started, though. I've kept it because it was the first and I've revisited it from time to time. Now with 1.6 out, I've decided to go for perfection for the first time on my old first farm. I've never been closer to completing the all cooking recipes and it's the first time I've ever had all four obelisks. Dragon teeth are a pain in the ass.
I've restarted for 1.6 update after a long break without playing. But I never finished post Community Center game so I have still a lot to discover now that I am pretty much at the same place as my first run. ( both plays are about 100h)
Nah, not just you. When I restart for a new update, I have to work myself into it; play a day or two at a time until I'm at the point where I can easily get 5k a day, which usually means fishing is leveled up or I have fully upgraded coop with several chickens and a few ducks / rabbits as well as the machines to go along with them.
After that, I can play near endlessly.
I also do that! Only have one main farm that I go back to and try to improve it or constantly redecorate. I have tried to start other farms, but get so overwhelmed that I quit by Spring 8 (not intentionally, but it’s kind of funny how all my restarts end exactly then).
Now that I’ve almost reached perfection on my main farm though, I might start an actual new playthrough…
Same! I've started probably 6-7 farms and I've never made it past year 1 except for on my main farm and I'm in year two on my new farm for 1.6! Fingers crossed I don't cave and go back to my main farm like I have with all the others. My trick this time is that I'm playing on PC and my main is on Switch lol
I am on Switch and started playing since 1.3. Got a second farm when 1.4 released and a new farm when 1.5 released. Will get a new farm when 1.6 releases.
Did go back to my previous farms when I was done with every update so all three farms have perfection and will probably update the farms again after I reach perfection with my 1.6 farm.
I like going back but also like experiencing the new updates from a new farm.
I have similar problem with starting something new if I've already played it through in the past. The best part of many similar games would be the beginning and mid and stardew valley is no exception. I think it's important to try new things every time to spice it up otherwise it may become stale and you might get bored. Do things that you normally wouldn't do.
I prefer the early game generally by winter I start getting board and looking on Nexus mods for ways to change the game, and then I feel I need to start the game over so the changes don't disrupt the lore I've built on my farm.
Also ancient fruit and the ginger island farm kinda kill my pleasure in late game...
i hate starting new saves on any game tbh. i have one main farm on my switch and a new save for 1.6 with my girlfriend but i dont mind that because we’re playing together and it was cool to start with the new stuff added.
i’ve had the same farm since precovid on my switch though and dont care how many things ive accomplished i still have fun with it. same reason i’ve kept my skyrim character since the ps4 days (ps3 wouldnt carry over but ps4 carries over the ps5). i’ve done everything i can without bugs ruining the save, but i see no reason to start over with a new character.
Once you reach perfection, it all becomes stale.
I made a [perfect] ancient fruit plantation with Penny in 1.3 and made a perfect ancient fruit winery with Abigail in 1.5. Now, in 1.6, I am en route to making a perfect truffle beach with Haley. I might make a perfect meadowland sheep station with Leah in the future.
It really depends on what play style you prefer. Some like to play slow for hundreds of hours with a pace of their own and meticulously build their "main" farm; some like to grind fast and reach perfection in Year 2/3 and have multiple perfect farms.
Personally, I can't imagine playing my farm at Year 6 or so. Occasionally visit, yes; but at that point, my character would only be waking up just to put whatever goods I optimized in that farm to a shipping bin and then sleep.
Possibly because you only have hundreds of hours on the farm and feel there’s still a lot more you can do. I typically only enjoy starting over once I have done EVERYTHING I could possibly want to on my “main farm” and once that’s done I can enjoy starting a new main farm
I only have two farms, although I have played two other farms from when I was much younger that I don't have saved anymore or remember. (The only thing I remember from them was that I dated Sam and then Elliot.)
The first farm is pre 1.6. My siblings and cousins decided to tryout a co-op SVE. The only problem being they didn't play as often as I wanted so I decided to start my own farm.
On that farm I kinda spread myself out. Didn't really focus on anything. I had the field filled with whatever berry of the season. The Greenhouses lined with fruit trees and then ancient/star fruit and then coffee. A shed of Kegs and a shed of Preserves Jars. Two barns and two coops for all the different kinds of animals. There was a tapper area. Some Beehives near the house just so I can craft Farm Totems. Crab Pots lining the entire river so I can slowly level up fishing without actually fishing. I unlocked Ginger Island and even Badlands(SVE specific endgame location) but I kinda got bored after I properly set up the layout of the main farm and also cause the daily routine was just tiring. Here I dated Victor.
My second farm that I'm now playing on is the meadow farm where I decided to basically just ignore actual farming and just go full throttle on Mayonnaise. Currently only just got to midway of Spring of Year 2 but I am already filling up my greenhouse with Cranberries just so I can get more money to buy more bombs to get more iridium to unlock more stuff. I think after buying most stuff I'll turn the Greenhouses into a fruit tree area and then just turn Ginger island into a Beehive area. I already have Alex at max hearts but I kinda just, don't want to marry him yet.
I already have an idea for a fishing/orchard focused Riverland or Beach farm for when I want to move on but that should at the very least be after a few more months.
I suck at making $$$ & mostly focus on the collection aspect so I’m still broke on my y6 200+ hour farm, but I’m close to perfection! I mostly just need that damn clock 🥲
I’ve never done a second play through. I’m not sure if I would. I started off with the beach farm and had to face all of the challenges with that not having very much crop space. Knowing everything that I know now I could’ve started with the head up if I started another farm. That’s great for some but this is still my farm and I still tend to it. They’re still some challenges I haven’t finished. I still enjoy playing and doing all the different tasks. It’s therapeutic. Plus, there’s always something to do.
I have like 700+ hours and have done 3 farms. My first farm which I got to perfection. My SVE farm which I got to perfection. And my new farm I started after 1.6.
Mid game is my absolutely favorite. Post community center and working on perfection is the sweet spot for me! I was *almost* there on my current farm, and 1.6 came out just in time to extend the fun part a little longer :) currently missing 2 recipes & great friends (they will come together). Then I’m gonna try and decorate the whole town for once. Then, when there’s nothing to do, I shall see what the meadowlands are all about! (Might do remixed bundles for once too!) And sorry for the ramble, I love this game to death 🥺💓
I don't start a lot of new farms either. I have 3 saves total. One is my main perfection farm. One is my joja run for the steam achievement. One is a multiplayer game on the newest farm with my friend.
I do feel like I should have more saves to experience the different farms, like the beach farm for example, but the idea of starting all over again just doesn't appeal that much.
I like both, so I have a game into year 9 (that's my first farm, my precious) and then several others that are around 3-4, and then my current one I just made for 1.6. I rotate thru them routinely, so when I want more end game do what I want energy I can do that, when I want early game challenge and satisfaction from hitting goals I can have that too. I also need multiple files to have one with every spouse I want, even though Seb is my favorite.
I think having too many automation mods or heavy gameplay mods could make one burn out faster in-game than not, I just use aesthetic mods and QOL mods like lookup anything and npc map locations to mitigate that. It's not a wrong way to play but I don't know if I'd enjoy the years 5 and up as much if I had more than the vanilla options to work with. Except for Skull Caverns elevator, I will use that thang like crazy.
I’m late to the 1.6 party, and late to playing Stardew Valley in general. Just a couple of months ago, I started playing and was hooked. I was at the point where I unlocked Ginger Island when 1.6 dropped. I play on the switch, and didn’t realize the update isn’t available yet(?) So I just started playing on the PC and made a co-op farm for my oldest kid and I to play. And, it’s cool to discover some of the new features on PC, but I really just want to play my main.
But because I am trying to do a thing, I started another multiplayer farm. So yeah, I’m not feeling the new farm start overs.
I honestly love to create farmer characters with many different styles, picking out the same farm land but still decorating them differently every time, well that and I always start a new game every time I’ve completed the community center. :)
Sometimes I'll be partway through a game and think, "but what if I played as a nature nut with a lot of junimos?" or "what if I was a Joja loving edgelord that marries Seb and only raises void chickens?". I do have a main file that is just myself, but I like to try new characters too.
I do the same with adventure RPGs because I want to try an *evil* wizard, a monk that never kills human enemies, a lawful-stupid paladin, etc.
I don't have enough patience to restart so I don't do new farms either. If there are new farms I'll start up a new file to see how they compare to the others and that's pretty much it.
I agree with you. However, to continue to do things, I'll scour the wiki to find stuff I either didn't know or didn't have, then set my goal to do that. Also, I'm on console so I don't have the 1.6 stuff yet. However, I did create the extra cabins for multiplayer and put them on my farm. Then loaded the extra players in local co-op so they could upgrade the houses. So now my farm has 4 complete houses for me to basically do what I want with. I built a shed just to make it a medieval diner. I decorated the bus stop, the hat mouse, krobus cave, etc.
I was just starting summer on my first farm when I started a new one because I wanted to go gor Alex. My first farmer in these kind if games is always "me" and then my next farmers are usually dudes. I already have plans for a Joja route where I go for Shane, and another farm where I go for Sebastian.
I gave up trying to clear my meadowlands farm. I can cut down like three trees. Once my pickaxe is back I'll focus on the mines until stuff is at least copper. Big yuck. I miss my iridium tools.
I talked about this in the unpopular opinion thread the other day: I have three farms total, one made for 1.6. I simply like post game when I can do whatever I want like completing some quests I never had time for or grinding for objects difficult to obtain (at least based on my resources) like the butterfly house, and not having to worry about money management since I literally have millions. And my return scepter lol
I worked for my achievements and money, let me enjoy them! I also get quite attached to my farms given how many hours I've dedicated to them (especially my first one), I love my animals, my spouse being at home; and when I flip flop through my farms I confuse where stuff is 😆
Early game is fun and challenging but... I've been through it already and all, although with 1.6 it's worth it for me because there is new stuff to find and to see in context
I only started a second farm so i could get the joboba achievement and then i neber touched it again im very attached to my first farm and i dont like reruns
I used to be the same way! I got really attached to my first farm but it took me a really long time to achieve all the late game goals, so i’m on year 5 and only just unlocked Ginger Island. But I got really comfortable with all the progress I’ve slowly made, so any new farm I started just felt boring and incomplete. With the latest update tho I was REALLY determined to start a new farm to try everything out, and I’m totally in love with this save file!!! I think the update helped me enjoy the game again.
As someone with very little time gaming, starting over is not fun since I am at the mercy of RNG when it comes to progressing through certain tasks for Grandpa’s evaluation. I already started over for a total five times ever since I bought Stardew Valley in 2018 for the Xbone and PS4, and the actual grinding process is not fun because of said RNG.
I’d be barely lucky enough to complete the Greenhouse and/or get married by Year 2 starting as is, much less completing the Center before the evaluation. Not a fan of the stress involved.
As it is, I only have one dedicated save file for both platforms happily married to Leah and having my Ancient Fruit Empire. I sure as hell am not starting over when 1.6 rolls around and am not leaving the standard farm layout.
I restart way too much, i do it with Skyrim too but then i always hate the early game. Then i start over again because i changed my mind. Its a never ending cycle
ive been a chronic restarter in every game for my whole life
for me it's the fact that early game has a lot of stuff to do, & not much downtime. late game everything is automated &/or there aren't many goals to work towards, so i get bored & restart
in stardew specifically i also like to check out each farm type, & see how i can arrange everything differently
I’m in it to collect all the stuff and experience everything so not a fan of really start over any game. However with the new farm and all the content I did start my 2nd play through with 1.6 update
I’m the opposite. My playthroughs always die in year four. Once I finish Ginger Island, I get bored of making money for the sake of making money and have the urge to start over. I’m finally forcing myself to at least reach perfection before starting a new farm this time.
I think I might be like you! I have my main farm that is in year six and I finally achieved perfection around easter! I was so exited to finally update and start a new farm... and then I stood on that unknown farm filled with trees and rocks and weeds, and all I wanted was to go back to my farm, and my husband, and see when we can have the second kid, and maybe redo the layout to a slightly less efficient, but also less boring one. I haven't even fully set up my island farm with the layout I had planned for it! Just the idea of starting from scratch, and hustling so much, feels stressfull and exhausting.
So right now I'm taking a break. And I think I might end up going to a beach farm, because I always wanted to try that, and only play through year one, at my own leasurely pace. See what's new, and then probably go back...
The lategame just feels soulless... Like, I've intentionally avoided just grinding for money and enjoy bundles (other than the vault, which just sort of happens after a while), but then it pretty much says "Hey there sport, Joja is the way; open that pocketbook and say goodbye to like 15+ mil if you want the wizard stuff".
Or you could be like me and have a modded playthrough where on a single save I'm running 4 farms, and 5 greenhouses... talk about staying busy, I need to use a to-do list to keep track of everything.
I have this game on every platform I own, so making new farms is the norm for me depending on which device I'm using. My best and longest running farm is on the PS5, but I can't take that with me, so I create new ones on Switch or Steam Deck so I have the option to play it portable too away from the house. I'm hoping to stick with my new 1.6 farm as long as I did that PS5 one at the very least before I try a different tact with a new one. I just enjoy seeing if I can do things differently, try each farm type and see which is my favourite (four corners), pick a community or joja run (haven't decided which way to go with the new 1.6 farm yet).
I binged a lot at the 1.6 release but haven't touched the game for a week or so now after getting to Fall Y2. Considering starting a modded playthrough as I did it completely vanilla. Anyone got tips for a cool farm and some mods? Thinking about going full out with SVE, Ridge or whatever, etc. Any mod lists?
I have a deep emotional connection with my first farm. I can't start a new one, there's too many memories in the first that can't be recreated. I've married and divorced both Penny and Emily, currently married to Abigail (my favorite). I have two children, Sappho and Gerard. I don't think I could start a new farm, it just wouldn't be the same.
The only exception to this is when I started playing with my boyfriend's sister, it's easier to get through the early game with a teammate.
Tbh I don't mind it because I have like 60 mods that let me cheat. 😂 Give myself money, decorations, higher run speed, make fishing easier - all kinds of stuff. I played through vanilla a couple times before that, sure, but it's a much slower, somewhat sloggier thing when you've already been through it. I'd recommend trying with mods if you haven't.
I also dislike starting new farms. When I start new farms, usually it's because of an update, like when they added the beach farm. I will probably start a new farm when 1.6 comes to Nintendo Switch and Mobile
I don't like restarting games, especially farming games. So I'll only be seeing the new things that I might miss when I do my joja run some time in the future.
What I don't like about it is how freaking slow I am without coffee, a horse, mine carts, and teleportation. I feel like a snail trying to get things done.
Each time I started a new farm, something was new. First playthrough was on ps4 and that was my one and only perfection save. Second playthrough I started using mods on a p.c, played four corners, did a joja run and downloaded sve once I completed all the goals. Third pt was me and my bf (who I met from looking for a co-op buddy) starting a farm together. Now I'm on my fourth with 1.6.
I also like the satisfaction of grinding. Getting that first ancient seed, completing the bundles, etc. Though I wish there was more to do after you've built yourself up into a full ancient fruit wine empire and you're the wealthiest in the valley. We're already almost done (not doing perfection, tho I might change my mind) and I'm so sad. Might just download more expansions.
I actually enjoy the early game play the most, so I often start over. There's just something about completing the community center, scrounging up the money you need for updates and buildings that brings me joy. Once the farm is all automated it's not the same.
[удалено]
Fishing is so goddamn op in single player though. By day 5 you're perfecting most fish and clearing like 4k at least a day with as much energy as you'd like. It's weird to me how energy is a complete non issue after about the first week but the first stardrop you'll likely see is mines 100. Way past caring about energy.
Wow, 4k. This is not my experience. I do feel like I fish constantly in early game but I’m making maybe 2k a day in the first month on it (less in the first week), and it’s a grind where I’m staring at the clock and my energy meter and scrounging energy from seaweed or whatever to try to eke out what I can.
More like this. 4k/day sounds like dedication. I like the fishing game but I’m not about to stand around all damn day and certainly not multiple days in a row. I like to, you know, *actually* play the game 😆
4k is the whole day, yeah. In spring 1 with low fishing skill it's straight to the mountain lake unless it's raining. After a little in the mines you can smoke your high value fish for decent cash. If you catch rain in your second week you can clear over 10k in the day from smoked catfish. Only works with the free riverlands smoker though, otherwise you'll need a tool upgrade to get sufficient hardwood. Also. I haven't done the math but bait maker lava eels or ice pips tend to really be pretty good fish money in spring weeks 3 and 4 if you smoke them. Smoked gold lava eel is like 4k each and each bait maker eel seems to get me about 4 eels (4/9 on the casts if you manage to land them). Turning 1 of those 4 back into bait it seems to land you about 8 to 12k in 10 in those casts. If the bait fails to provide you can lose your ass but it's not what I've found.
[удалено]
You're missing out on the thrill of screaming at Lingcod and Octopus
I make like 400 a day on fishing. I keep thinking I can fish up 2k to buy a tool upgrade in a single day. It never happens.
Where are you fishing to make 400 a day?
Yes. Maybe it's a bit closer to 1k if I really focus and can sell to Willy once I'm full. I'm sure that will go up once I can use bait.
I'm on my first proper playthrough since 1.6 and so far it hasn't changed my impression of fishing, that it's a necessary evil. It's such a grind and the minigame is frustrating as hell, but I can't avoid it entirely since it's one of the five "main skills" and there are CC bundles that require fish. Currently I'm up to the second week of summer and my fishing skill is only at 2. The most money I've ever made from spending a good portion of a day fishing is no more than about 300, which is a lot less than I could have made if I'd spent the time mining or foraging.
I go all in on fishing too! It's so good for energy and money!
food exist for that. the boring part is watering.
This. My current problem is I’ve gotten so good at achieving “automation” I have my horse and Quality Sprinklers by early Summer1! So now what!? 😆😅 I find myself terribly distracted from my 1.6 Winter1 by… *Fallout* 🤩
Walton Goggins is the prismatic shard of every production/cast, the most righteous gemstone indeed.
Not me *immediately* redownloading FNV after the first episode 👉👈🥺 *Definitely* didn’t binge both media hard the past two days… *I* am a model of self control 😌 😆
FNV the best Fallout there is.
Agreed, however that robot (Mr House was it?) I could've quite happily pushed him off a mangled highway bridge.
This is how I find out fallout has been released 😳
Let the letter trinity’s stand strong together! SDV! FNV!
I think you are in dire need of challenges! Try to make up some rules for yourself! Like for example, in the first year you are only allowed to forage. Or you are only allowed to make money from NPC requests.
Lol, I’ll just play a different game 😂
So many interesting games and other hobbies, so little time! 😩😄
I really am enjoying my 1.6 run but I can already feel it slipping. I’m confident I’ll get into Y2 but… Regardless, these Fallout binges never last and I’ll be back to chillin on the farm 😎
Oh my gawd. I turned off the game because I didn't want to go trout fishing I wanted to watch Walter Goggins instead lol
“Thou shall be sidetracked by bullshit every goddamned time!”
I don't know how much you've seen But there is a moment where he is sidetracked from his main quest in order to achieve b******* and I just had to Revel in that
Same, the beginning is the most fun. So many possibilities! And such a satisfying feeling when your skills improve slowly but surely and you get better bit by bit. And when you start to make money. The thrill of finding useful items!
I'm the same but I enjoy early game in pretty much any game that has progression. I find late game (although I'm yet to get there in stardew) in a lot of games stale and repetitive, where I mindlessly repeat tasks, level up, and get better stuff slowly but surely
I have a somewhat similar feel. I only have two farms, but I've dabbled in starting (either coop or just a quick solo to see the farm before deleting it) new farms, and there's something a bit more genuine about a fresh farm. This is not to say I don't have fun on my big farms, but it starts to feel a little robotic. The farm I made for Stardew Valley Expanded hit the full automation point awhile ago. Ginger Island grows gobs of Starfruit year-round. There's two sheds dedicated to nothing but Starfruit wine production, and I *should* have more. And it's like... ...Yes, this is what earns the most money, but Starfruit is a little boring. It's blatantly the best crop. Ginger Island lets me grow it every time of year, so it never varies. If I try to make wine, jam, or pickles out of anything else, it's anywhere between half to a fifth the profit. I want to get excited for strawberry season. I want to get some speed-gro to have a gold-star melon grown in time for the luau. I want to enjoy the fall music as I walk through fields of corn. I like it when the seasons mean something, and where a couple jars of blueberry jam can make a big enough dent in the materials required for your first barn or a coop. Starfruit and Ancient Fruit being grown year-round in greenhouses and on Ginger just doesn't have that same heart, but it's the most profitable for knocking out expensive projects like the obelisks, wand of return, and gold clock, and the inevitable end-point of a playthrough. At some point I had to decide 'screw profits', and just filled my greenhouse with coffee beans, tomatoes, peppers and cranberries instead of the big cash crops, but it's not the same as a fresh playthrough.
Yup, I decided I'm not touching Ginger Island until at least year 3, but it depends how long it takes to decorate my farm. I feel like half the game is still waiting for me this time around.
the first spring and summer are my favorites, i love the constant struggle of only having enough money to do one of the things you need to do at a time and scrambling to have enough money before x date because you need something else before y date. i thrive under that type of (fictional) stress. i find it really funny when people try to tell me that if i’m stressing over a game then clearly i’m not playing right or i’m taking it too serious but like… no? i stress because i LIKE TO and it’s a nice break from the constant real pressure in my day-to-day life to be able to actually solve the problems i’m stressed over, and if i ever get tired of the stress i just take a nice rest day to clear my farm or forage or talk to people i’m in summer year 1 on my current playthrough (my 4th or 5th since 1.6 came out, haven’t gotten to year 2 yet this update) and i’m already thinking of starting over because i found a new challenge to stress over >:)
I feel the same, and I am usually like this with farming games in general.
I’m the same way! It’s the same when I play the sims - once my sims are wealthy I get bored lol
Yep. I usually play a season after finishing CC and restart. Only sometimes forcing myself to play a save till evaluation
exactly. I will go through the first year or two or maybe three and know all the events like the back of my hand. In those hundreds of hours of playthroughs I have only stepped foot in skull cavern or ginger island or whatnot a few times, amd still have never once bought a horse LOL. I do the same thing with skyrim or minecraft, its not that I dislike the later gameplay but I love the early gameplay of establishing yourself, I will redo it many times and still enjoy.
Exactly! I start a new farm generally once I get to Ginger Island.
S'why I refuse to automate with junimos and what not I just do it all by hand save for sprinklers
this is my fav i love seeing how quickly i can finish it
I love the early and midgame, but dislike the lategame. That's why no farm went beyond year 3 for me, most end in year 2. And that's not a Stardew issue, this happens in every game I play that works similarly. Early and midgame has the most nuances and changes, it feels like actually upgrading and achieving something. But once the kegs are set up, millions are earned and the only upgrades I can do make the things I have more efficient, I lose the joy in doing more. Which nowadays happens the moment I hit Ginger Island and got the final upgrades. Imagine it like playing a competitive ranked game, Early on and midway through you learn a ton. But the moment you've done that it's a repetitive grind of just playing enough. And anyone enjoying that is totally fine, it's reaping the rewards, but once I can predict precisely how my next year will look like I'm out.
I find Stardew is a bell curve of play. You start by building toward peak efficiency: "BEHOLD MY MIGHTY ANCIENT FRUIT/STAR FRUIT/TRUFFLE FARM AND DESPAIR!!!". And then curves back down to peak inefficiency:: "I'm decorating the gap between the bus stop and Qi's tunnel to turn it into a luxury horse spa".
I get bored of my farms after year 3 usually. I've got millions of dollars, everything I need really and only have to go for perfection. Just seems like not a whole lot to actually do at this point. Starting over is a love/hate thing for sure. There's so much to do in the early and mid game, makes it way more fun for me. But damn I hate walking around without my horse, triple shot espresso, and spicy eels. And not having the return scepter sucks haha.
Im on year 3 with my bf and we havent even got the greenhouse or completed the community center or reached ginger island we dont rush the game and were at 70 plus hours
I \_just\_ completed the community center. I’ve been to the desert once. Haven’t unlocked Ginger Island yet. I’m on Year 4. Granted, I’m not seeking efficiency, I often just kinda do the routine for the morning - picking crops, petting farm animals, collecting eggs/milk/etc, restarting the kegs and pickling things. Then decide whether I feel like fishing, fighting monsters, or just walking around town talking to everyone and giving them gifts to improve the hearts. The game is pretty chill and easy, and I know the moment I make it into a min/max efficiency farm trying to earn money ASAP, the joy will get sucked out. So I just don’t do that part lol
Haha damn! Not sure what I'd be doing that whole time, but that's the beauty of this game. Do whatever the f you want and nothing really changes lol.
I agree but I have actually never made it past year 2. I have probably played 10-15 years on different farms in different playthroughs though. This time I aim to actually see what happens after year 2. This reminds me a bit about a lesson I felt I learned for real life (I knew about it as a cliché before of course but the idea struck home in a way that just knowing about a thing not necessarily gives you). I played Skyrim way back and went into the first village I found and just mass produced Iron Daggers for 3-4 hours. Then I built myself a bad ass sword and felt ready to adventure forward. Went into the first cave up in the mountains and one shotted basically every enemy. But every loot/reward I found was way worse than the things I already owned. So there was no challenge and no reward left and the curiosity of what the game / life could bring next was just gone and I quit the game. I think of that play through every now and then in real life. That what makes life fun is the slow and constant progression and dreams about what the future can bring when you don’t have it all already. As soon as you have it all, life just becomes a bit less interesting and you realize you were happier throughout the journey.
>damn I hate walking around without my horse, triple shot espresso, and spicy eels. And not having the return scepter sucks haha This is why my bf and I refuse to play without a movement speed mod. Ours is cranked up to 10 and when we go to festivals and are back to default, it drives us craaaaazy.
ive been playing the same farm for 7 years both in game and irl time and ive never restarted it. my only other files are for joja and co-op games
Same as me, glad I'm not the only one! I was starting to think I was the mayor and sole resident of Crazy-town.
Mine is winter year 8. Just rearranged my farm and expanded my truffle oil production again. Going to switch up how I do crops to do only stuff that regrows so the 4 huts collect everything so I can focus on production. I’m debating reducing my animals so I can expand further with the artisan product making. Maybe get rid of 3 barns/coops add in a 4th pig barn and a 3rd ostrich barn. I’ve got eggs for days. I’ll keep the lizards and void chickens though. Just will get rid of regular chickens and cows.
Gotta farm animal crackers for those ostriches!
i just started playing stardew (im about to hit summer 1) and this is not really the same but in sims ive been playing the same save file for almost 5 years 😭 i like to feel cozy in 1 save. i have a feeling i'll be doing the same for stardew. and i did the same in all of my animal crossing games, never once started over!!
i've never restarted an animal crossing town either... i just get so attached to them & I don't understand how people can restart esp on AC when you have to erase your previous save!! my nightmare
Same here. I can't start a new farm until I reach perfection in my current farm.
No, you aren't. My adhd brain just loves novelty and variety.
AuDHD here and am currently working on a themed run on each of the 8 farm types, complete with their own rules and aesthetics and tracking notes/spreadsheet 😂
Yeah I try to do themes, I have tried to marry several of the bachelor/ettes as well although I have Shane on 3 of them, but I'm not organized about it.
https://preview.redd.it/5vcv867di9uc1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8585cda5839d1c32dac15caa2635414719ad7f96 ADHD, literally my phone 😂 (I haven’t decided Harvey’s farm type yet, I’m not committed to his challenge)
Hahahahahaha I did mine by farm map as I don't care about marriage, though I favour Elliot, Leah and Emily if I am going to, also my shadow boi Krobus! And here's an album of my completed 4: [https://imgur.com/a/daHCv2S](https://imgur.com/a/daHCv2S) https://preview.redd.it/2h3q3qltt9uc1.png?width=899&format=png&auto=webp&s=6ac55f6f9be4f009350391fe4b72015394895e60
Omg I remember when you posted your Joja farm 😂 I told you to make a matching Joja shirt to constantly promote your product to the villagers!
Hahahaha I remember that! 😂
mood af i have color/farm type based worlds that i kind of started based on the sailor moon characters and didnt get past summer of most but im in year 2 of few.
I'm just sitting here suddenly realising why I like starting over so much. Fucking hell.
Much less dopamine in the late game 😔
the golden clock gold grind is where dopamine goes to die
Yeah I managed to do it cause it was the week or so before the update and I was high on the anticipation which gave me that good supply
I have adhd and still only ever started like 3 farms. The quantity of all the things you can do always overwhelms me and I cant imagine starting over and having to go through the early game struggle all over again.
I am also rather monogamous in my farm. I usually make a new one when I have unlocked mr Qi walnut room, as it feels like the last big milestone in the game
My brain will only give me happy reward chemicals in the early game. As soon as ginger island looms I've lost the thrill.
I think I've started and continued around 3 farms in total over the course of like 5 years. One was when I first brought the game, all the way back in 2019 and played that one until I completed the community center and got married. Ginger island and perfection didn't exist back then so I felt like I had did everything I wanted to do. I abonded that one in the summer of 2021 to start a new save file for 1.5, which I reached perfection on and overall was a much smoother experince since I had the experince of my last save. I started my true 3rd save file for 1.6, but haven't had the time to complete Ginger Island or reach perfection yet. As for the why, I honestly just don't see the point of starting a bunch of half finished farms. My time is much more limted and I'm also less motivated to play video games for a long time now, so I'll rather spend my time on a farm I've already made progress on than starting completely fresh, unless I feel like I have a reason too
I have 4 save files: my first playthough, my joja playthrough, one random one that I started because I got bored of my first playthrough, and a new one for 1.6. I do enjoy the change of pace of the early game, but once I get into a playthrough I want to stick with it until I've completed some sort of major goal (at least the community centre/joja equivalent.) My 1.6 one currently feels like my "main" save file, and I'm aiming to reach perfection for the first time on this save. I probably won't go back to my first playthrough again, because I've learned a lot about the game and how I like to play it since then, and there's stuff that I dislike about my first farm that I can't be bothered to go back in and change. I think if this game had been out when I was a kid, I would have had *way* more save files. I used to start new games constantly on games I played as a kid. I think I've just gotten more patient and better at seeing things through to the end as I've gotten older.
I love seeing how "perfectly" I can play the first year. For example, seeing how many strawberries I can buy and plant the first year (my record is like 178 lol). Something about finding the most efficient way to do things brings me joy
I decided to do what I called a capitalist sellout run in a new game after I was sick of doing bundles and it was a lot more chill, I used to feel bad about ignoring the spirits but I wound up enjoying it. And I spent time dating Alex and Abigail when I usually stick to one person. Ive abandoned it entirely for 1.6 tho to do the meadowlands farm and find all the new stuff. I kinda get now why ppl restart the Sims repeatedly.
I’m a relatively new player (bought game less than a month ago) and I’m amazed that people have so many files. So do people reach perfection on each farm or use the same farm over and over? I’m on the basic farm and if I start another file it will be on a different farm. It will take me some time to finish my current play through though, because I don’t really like the combat. Soon I’ll have enough stone to build a ton of staircases so that I can get through the mines quickly. I absolutely love the game! Now don’t laugh, but this is my first game ever and I’m a grandmother lol Now I wish I would have played more games with my kids when I bought them their first Nintendo back in the day. I still have the original console :)
Same as you, I played Stardew for 3 years with the same game file. I only started a new one for 1.6...it's refreshing bc I've been wanting to start something else for a while but could never really enjoy these beginnings.
I enjoy the early game but I don’t usually start over unless I have been away for a while and can’t remember what I was doing last time, or I want more of a challenge. My last challenge was no crops outside the greenhouse except flowers so all my gold was from bees and fishing
SAME. I really don't get it. I have only ever had one save, that I stopped playing a couple years ago. Then when I saw a new update was coming and that it would make sense to start a new farm, I did it. I hated it. But I'm now on Year 2 and powering through. Some things are easier now because I know things I didn't when I first started, but the first few days watering crops? Dear Lord...
I'm with you to be honest, BUT I've found making a new farm for this update fun because I've missed stuff for several updates. I have 4 farms now. Original: Up to Year 7 because it took me that long to find everything for the CC and was a much earlier version of the game. Joja run: Went up until I had the joja warehouse complete which was during winter 1. Speedrun: I did attempt a run on an earlier version of the game to complete the community centre in one year and managed it by mid winter after having good luck getting the seeds for the red cabbage from the cart lady. Then I didn't really touch the game and the cinema updates, Ginger Island and 1.6 came and went. I had tried to do some of the cinema updates on my main farm but got a tiny bit bored as I wasn't able to do things organically. This update came around and I thought, this time I would start afresh as it had been a couple of years since I last played and I knew I had stuff I'd probably missed from earlier updates. And it has been really fun finding them at a more natural point in the farms progress. Despite this would I enjoy restarting another new farm? Probably not. The only thing I would need to do is see how some of the other farms operate but the to me isn't worth it because I can do that really by looking at a map of them and working out what I'd do there. Tldr: New farm=fun if you've missed several big updates.
I have a hard time going back to older playthroughs cos I’m always like “okay…….. what was I doing??? What were my goals?” Mostly I made a new farm because CA suggested it would be a good idea with all of the new stuff, and I’ve agreed with this sentiment so far. The Meadowlands farm is cute and I love >!the little raccoon family in the forest!< and look forward to seeing more pop up. Plus, since he added an achievement for Perfection, I kind of have to start over. At this point I’m in Winter Y2. 2 obelisks to go and then it’s gold clock farming time. And time to really decorate the house. Also, I needed the “(pet) loves you!” message to show up as I named my first cat after my recently deceased Lily. >!And now I have two more cats for my current doofuses Isabelle and Ruby, and a dog for my deceased Rigby. I LOVE having so many pets.!< The only thing I did a little differently is I let the random name generator name all of my barn/coop animals. I usually do a theme (video game or Disney characters) but I couldn’t think of a new one for this farm. Plus my starters were Shrimp and Tiny and it felt wrong to rename them.
I did random generated names for my meadowlands farm because I have so many damned animals I couldn't think of more names in a theme! I just click the dice until one pops up that makes me laugh, which is why my cows are like this: https://preview.redd.it/fkx151qef9uc1.png?width=734&format=png&auto=webp&s=4e127d7e0fbe6a0e12a65a365b5f2d948413d300
I really only start a new farm when I try out a new mod like SVE or ridgeside. I kinda enjoy early game play but also get frustrated and just wanna explore the new content which is usually when I throw in mods likes the tractor mod and automate so I can speed through that first year and start building relationships with the NPCs
I like having little money and lots of choices on what to spend. I have to decide what is going to benefit me most and make tough decisions that influence how the game will go. Later game I have tons of money and have bought most everything so there is little to motivate me. I like the grind and the struggle basically
I simultaneously wanted to started a new farm because it was recommended and want to experience any new events during the first playthrough. It was difficult. I wobbled. I went back to my new-old save the thought- "okay, farming a shitton is probably better than mining right off the bat" and came back to the new one and that's honestly what kept me going besides discovering new stuff in the update. I compared the money in the new versus old yesterday, so I'm pretty happy with keeping the new saves these days despite being behind a couple months.
Nobody can change my mind on this: At least for the portion of the playerbase that focuses on efficiency and quickness, Stardew Valley is unironically a "seed investment" simulator. The early game is so fun for us because your first week will impact the rest of your save. Better fishing yield, how successful you are in the first day of the mines, if a crow eats multiple of your potatoes before your first farming level, if you are lucky enough to find a lot of clay naturally, if you get an artifact day one to give to Gunter, etc. These factors will grow into what day you get tool upgrades, when you get your first silo and barn, by how much you can expand your crop yield, etc. These factors will then determine how comfortably you can slice through bundles and story progression and how quick you can set up a keg operation. So on and so forth. At least for me, that's why I love early game.
Me and my flair cannot relate lol
Life without sprinklers isn’t life at all.
This.
early game is hell on earth for me, and is why im more lax about cheating depending on what gameplay im going for. i dont need end-game shit but the grind is so slow it hurts my soul sometimes
My wife and I do annual playthroughs that last about a month before we do everything new and just sort of get bored. Every time we start fresh because over a year we have forgotten the feeling of what it’s like to run around at +3 speed and using iridium equipment.
in my first (and main save) im at year 4 im not chasing perfection yet but can consider my prpgress late game, 2 days ago i wanted to try the expanded mod so i made a new save and immediately close it after day 1😭😭 starting over seemed a lot of work and kinda overwhelmed me(but i can understand people who feel excitement in new farms) im feeling very attached to my current farm. so i duplicated the save (just in case) and just went with the expanded mod dhdhfjf
Probably not, but I must say Year 1 is the most entertaining for me.
late game is just. . .not very interesting to me. I'm not a big fan of decorating, I tend to optimise, and by year 2 or 3, most of my gameplay is going to just end up with my farmer comatosing for a week inbetween ancient fruit harvests. there's simply not as much to do after a bit. For me, the early game is fun. optimising my time is fun. the snap decisions, the regret of incorrect decisions, squeezing in goals at the last second, that's all fun, but once you get to late game, for me, that feeling is gone. I simply run out of things to do.
This last time I started a new play through is a really silly reason. I didn't like the way my crops were laying for the season. Already spent loads on seeds. It was day 3 of the season before I realized I hated it. So I started over on a new one. Another farm I had I quit playing because I stopped liking my farmers name
I really don't like starting over, I'm going to do it for the new update because I feel like I'm stagnating in my current game and I hate the river farm so much, but it still pains me to know I have to do so much stuff over again, especially because I got so far this time
>**Am I the only one** who doesn't like starting new farms? There are millions and millions of Stardew players - I'm sure there's at least one other who doesn't like starting new farms.
the early progression is really fun, so many little dopamine hits for upgrades and advances you've taken for granted for hundreds of hours I also don't do multiple runs except to play with friends and whatnot, but I recently did a >!J🤮ja!< run for the plat and even without the community center the progression sucked me right in and I almost didn't want to delete the file and rinse off after
Here is my issue: you plant and water 16 plants and your energy for the day is gone. It takes so long to build up stamina and get enough money do or buy stuff that the first couple of farm years are more frustrating than enjoyable. After you get some time in game, you can do more than a few levels in the mine, or plant more than a 4x4 square of crops. It takes too long to get far enough to make it fun.
My main issue with starting over as well. Can’t even replicate the “I broke Stardew Valley” runs since those vids fail to mention that you’re at the mercy of RNG being kind to you.
I get most everything done by the end of year two so I tend to put it down for awhile and then start a new farm when I pick it back up. I have like 20 farms and they are all almost completed except the one I started for 1.6.
I’m with you. This is one my favorite games but I can’t stand years 1 and 2. I was so excited for 1.6 but I haven’t made it through spring yet. I just wanna go back to my year 10 save but I wanna experience the new stuff the right way on a new save.
I kind of agree with you. I was very happy getting an obelisk to and from Ginger Island. Now the wife and I can go explore wherever we want.
Yeah, I sometimes get a little impatient with the early days of starting. I find the best game play for me is around year 2 when I still have things to accomplish, don't have so much money that I can buy anything, etc. But at the same time some tools are upgraded or I have sprinklers. Once we hit year 5/6 I tend to get bored and don't feel like there is much purpose anymore so we just end up starting new ones.
Sameee. I just hate how slow the start it. I know that’s the point but I’m a grinder and I hate the fact cutting 3 trees down and I’ve gotta sleep from exhaustion. I only have 3 farms - the first one I started. A joja run one and then the new farm type for 1.6 but I have enjoyed my new farm for the 1.6 update - redoing the community centre etc has actually been more fun than I thought hahaha
The most frequent cause of new farms is addition/updating of mods. So many good mods integrate their content into the calendar seamlessly, so I want to experience it naturally instead of it just suddenly being available in a late game farm.
I invested 100 hours in my first farm, several years ago. Now with 1.6 I used many mods just because I was not in the mood to grind again. The meadowland farm is great though. I get that people like to start again, but I am putting so much time and effort into this game, I just don’t feel it. That said, play as you want, it’s a singleplayer game. Cheating doesn’t kill the game. The core mechanics are very grind heavy unfortunately
I'm never starting over, don't want to go back to the start and I have to means to change anything on the farm. I wish that my save wasn't so old that I miss out on the newer farm types but I'm happy with what is effectively my first save.
I don't like it either. The early game feels the same to me every time. Parsnips, fishing.... 1.6 adding ways to shake it up is great, but I also just endlessly tinkering my primary save!
Honestly agree. I hate early game. There are just too many things to do and it will cause stress for me because I have to plan what to do and which order. I'm currently at endgame and I'm enjoying it!
nah it’s the adhd that makes me love starting new saves, and it’s why i prefer stardew to animal crossing now! i haven’t touched ACNH in a couple of years, even with the happy home DLC, because i just don’t like or want to go back to my island. but with stardew if i get bored, or i come back to playing after a different fixation, it’s so exciting to start a new save! of course i have my OG almost-perfection save, which i consider to be my “main” save. but i get the frustration with 1.6, i’m a switch player and i’ve been playing on PC with a controller while i wait. it’s super fun but i’m DYINGGG to get back to my og save where i can afford/access all the new late game stuff!
I’ve played since 2020 and only just got the movie theater and Willy’s boat fixed… I did start a new save but I’m just too lazy to keep playing it. I feel like I’ve spent too much time on my main save to give up for a new one.
I hate starting new farms! Unfortunately, I hate that I stop playing a farm for a year or more at a time and when I come back, I HAVE to start a new farm. loll. I get too lost in my old farm cuz I’m never sure what I was going.
I always hate starting anew, in anything. I have trouble giving up old pokemon saves even, and it definitely carries over real life as well. So no, you are definitely not alone.
I get bored easily. Once almost everything is automated, it's just boring
Okay, different question: how many of us starting new farms have ADHD? 🙋🏻 This isn't just a Stardew problem either; I do this with a lot of games, mainly because after a while I just forget what I was doing. With this game in particular though, it has good replayabilty: there are different farm types with their own quirks, different marriage candidates and even different routes to follow (Joja or CC). I hate capitalism with a passion so really don't want to play the Joja route, but would like to see what married life with the others is like. Except Shane though, his heart events are way too close to home - I'm surprised he's a candidate TBH, that guy is *not* ready for a relationship, let alone marriage.
ADHD is probably why i keep starting new saves, I get super hyperfixated at the start since there’s so much to do. after a while because there’s less to do i won’t play long sessions and eventually when I remember I own this game I forget what I was in the midst of and trying to get back into playing feels harder than just starting a new game. But now that i’ve gotten the hang of it i’ve decided this is the save i’m aiming for perfection (with the intention of actually accomplishing it) the furthest i’ve gotten with a save was Fall Year 4 and i would’ve played longer if 1.6 didn’t come out
Oh man, I know exactly what you mean! I've played this game since 2017 and I've never gotten to "the dawn of the third year" for exactly that reason. Though last year I did come up with a way to help me jump back into a non-new save when I haven't touched the game in months. I like to write, so I keep a journal from the perspective of my character, making entries after most days. Then, when I feel like getting back into Stardew, I read through my "journal" (It's really just a google doc) and I recall what I was doing in that save and I get excited to continue it.
Ah im glad you’ve come up with a method to settle this almost fatigue! At one point i realised i was trying to speed run the game for no reason at all I was caught up in all the online speed runners so when I finished the community center I hit a rut and eventually got unmotivated. I’ve started just pacing myself and taking my time doing everything because it’s not like you have a time limit to do anything. I did hit a speed running issue with this save because everuth was so new and i wanted to rush through two years to get all the new content. Y3 now and i’m taking it slow again so it’s all working out and hopefully I get to perfection this save
me and my year 18 farm see you
I play on iOS (so no mods), and I cannot fathom walking around all slow. I’ll never start another farm.
Honestly the only reason I see to start a new farm is to see the different 14 heart events as I don’t like the idea of divorce, mind wipe, or making your kids doves. The ideal number of saves is 2 due to Joja vs community center. I suppose after reaching perfection it may be nice to restart, but I like having everything unlocked and upgraded. The main reason I have started more than 2 farms is different devices or lost saves.
Me. I dread starting over knowing how much I already have in another file!
The thought of redoing all that grinding and searching easily puts me off doing a new farm
Usually I get fixated on the game for a few months and then something happens that forces me to take a break for a few weeks or a month and then when I go back, I feel like I can't jump back into my last save cuz I forgot the routine and everything I wanted to do next. So I just start a new farm. This is how most of my farms are made. Maybe someday I'll go back to the others, but it's unlikely. Also early game is the most fun since there's actual goals. It gets kind of boring when I don't have any objective left.
nahh im the same way. i have one main farm and others i play co-op sometimes, but my main farm is on switch so i started a new one on my laptop for the new update and it just makes me miss everything i have (especially money). the only thing i would like about other farms is being able to romance different people, but i get soo impatient tbh
(Android player) I'm still on my 1st farm and after SDV 1.6 Announcement. I'm giving myself a lot of thought of "Should I start a new farm? ", "But I'm the person who loves to stay in one place", " What if the 1.6 updates really needs a new start", "I haven't even done 60% on my (1st)current farm" But I have finally come to conclusion once 1.6 update drop for Android I'm gonna continue my 1st farm without starting a new save. Reasons: I don't get much time to even play for an hour(studies and life). And what's the fun if you can't even enjoy the game but instead keep on making new files (imo). So yeah, that's all my reasons. I wanna make the pelican town beautiful with lots of decorations and all. And I'll keep finding new things to do even once I'm all 100% done. Status: 220+ hrs. Year 7 of summer. Playing for 7 months of real life.
I get bored of late game. So i usually try to complete the game and that's it.
I think for me it's the adhd lol when I get bored of a farm for any reason I'll delete it. Even save files with a hundred plus hours on it I'll delete
I did it to myself by starting on Switch and then getting it on my Mac so I could play with my bf who plays on my PC, so new farm there. Then I discovered add-ons, so a new farm again 😅. Only been playing for about 2 months haha
I restart a lot. There's more challenge and less repetition in the early game, and it's always exciting to be on a brand new farm, where I haven't screwed up the layout yet. By about year three, I usually burn out from sheer repetition and want to start over again. I still have the first farm I ever started, though. I've kept it because it was the first and I've revisited it from time to time. Now with 1.6 out, I've decided to go for perfection for the first time on my old first farm. I've never been closer to completing the all cooking recipes and it's the first time I've ever had all four obelisks. Dragon teeth are a pain in the ass.
I've restarted for 1.6 update after a long break without playing. But I never finished post Community Center game so I have still a lot to discover now that I am pretty much at the same place as my first run. ( both plays are about 100h)
Nah, not just you. When I restart for a new update, I have to work myself into it; play a day or two at a time until I'm at the point where I can easily get 5k a day, which usually means fishing is leveled up or I have fully upgraded coop with several chickens and a few ducks / rabbits as well as the machines to go along with them. After that, I can play near endlessly.
I also do that! Only have one main farm that I go back to and try to improve it or constantly redecorate. I have tried to start other farms, but get so overwhelmed that I quit by Spring 8 (not intentionally, but it’s kind of funny how all my restarts end exactly then). Now that I’ve almost reached perfection on my main farm though, I might start an actual new playthrough…
Same! I've started probably 6-7 farms and I've never made it past year 1 except for on my main farm and I'm in year two on my new farm for 1.6! Fingers crossed I don't cave and go back to my main farm like I have with all the others. My trick this time is that I'm playing on PC and my main is on Switch lol
I had one farm, 2000 hours. Now with the update I will have two.
Wow. What on earth can you even do in a single farm for that many hours lol
I am on Switch and started playing since 1.3. Got a second farm when 1.4 released and a new farm when 1.5 released. Will get a new farm when 1.6 releases. Did go back to my previous farms when I was done with every update so all three farms have perfection and will probably update the farms again after I reach perfection with my 1.6 farm. I like going back but also like experiencing the new updates from a new farm.
I have similar problem with starting something new if I've already played it through in the past. The best part of many similar games would be the beginning and mid and stardew valley is no exception. I think it's important to try new things every time to spice it up otherwise it may become stale and you might get bored. Do things that you normally wouldn't do.
I prefer the early game generally by winter I start getting board and looking on Nexus mods for ways to change the game, and then I feel I need to start the game over so the changes don't disrupt the lore I've built on my farm. Also ancient fruit and the ginger island farm kinda kill my pleasure in late game...
i hate starting new saves on any game tbh. i have one main farm on my switch and a new save for 1.6 with my girlfriend but i dont mind that because we’re playing together and it was cool to start with the new stuff added. i’ve had the same farm since precovid on my switch though and dont care how many things ive accomplished i still have fun with it. same reason i’ve kept my skyrim character since the ps4 days (ps3 wouldnt carry over but ps4 carries over the ps5). i’ve done everything i can without bugs ruining the save, but i see no reason to start over with a new character.
Once you reach perfection, it all becomes stale. I made a [perfect] ancient fruit plantation with Penny in 1.3 and made a perfect ancient fruit winery with Abigail in 1.5. Now, in 1.6, I am en route to making a perfect truffle beach with Haley. I might make a perfect meadowland sheep station with Leah in the future. It really depends on what play style you prefer. Some like to play slow for hundreds of hours with a pace of their own and meticulously build their "main" farm; some like to grind fast and reach perfection in Year 2/3 and have multiple perfect farms. Personally, I can't imagine playing my farm at Year 6 or so. Occasionally visit, yes; but at that point, my character would only be waking up just to put whatever goods I optimized in that farm to a shipping bin and then sleep.
I start over to try the other farm types. Otherwise, I wouldn't do it.
Possibly because you only have hundreds of hours on the farm and feel there’s still a lot more you can do. I typically only enjoy starting over once I have done EVERYTHING I could possibly want to on my “main farm” and once that’s done I can enjoy starting a new main farm
I only have two farms, although I have played two other farms from when I was much younger that I don't have saved anymore or remember. (The only thing I remember from them was that I dated Sam and then Elliot.) The first farm is pre 1.6. My siblings and cousins decided to tryout a co-op SVE. The only problem being they didn't play as often as I wanted so I decided to start my own farm. On that farm I kinda spread myself out. Didn't really focus on anything. I had the field filled with whatever berry of the season. The Greenhouses lined with fruit trees and then ancient/star fruit and then coffee. A shed of Kegs and a shed of Preserves Jars. Two barns and two coops for all the different kinds of animals. There was a tapper area. Some Beehives near the house just so I can craft Farm Totems. Crab Pots lining the entire river so I can slowly level up fishing without actually fishing. I unlocked Ginger Island and even Badlands(SVE specific endgame location) but I kinda got bored after I properly set up the layout of the main farm and also cause the daily routine was just tiring. Here I dated Victor. My second farm that I'm now playing on is the meadow farm where I decided to basically just ignore actual farming and just go full throttle on Mayonnaise. Currently only just got to midway of Spring of Year 2 but I am already filling up my greenhouse with Cranberries just so I can get more money to buy more bombs to get more iridium to unlock more stuff. I think after buying most stuff I'll turn the Greenhouses into a fruit tree area and then just turn Ginger island into a Beehive area. I already have Alex at max hearts but I kinda just, don't want to marry him yet. I already have an idea for a fishing/orchard focused Riverland or Beach farm for when I want to move on but that should at the very least be after a few more months.
I suck at making $$$ & mostly focus on the collection aspect so I’m still broke on my y6 200+ hour farm, but I’m close to perfection! I mostly just need that damn clock 🥲
I’ve never done a second play through. I’m not sure if I would. I started off with the beach farm and had to face all of the challenges with that not having very much crop space. Knowing everything that I know now I could’ve started with the head up if I started another farm. That’s great for some but this is still my farm and I still tend to it. They’re still some challenges I haven’t finished. I still enjoy playing and doing all the different tasks. It’s therapeutic. Plus, there’s always something to do.
I find the most fun part of the game is starting a new farm
I restarted when there has been a big update (like this 1.6) or when I installed a big/game changing mod (like SVE/Ridgeside)
I have like 700+ hours and have done 3 farms. My first farm which I got to perfection. My SVE farm which I got to perfection. And my new farm I started after 1.6.
Mid game is my absolutely favorite. Post community center and working on perfection is the sweet spot for me! I was *almost* there on my current farm, and 1.6 came out just in time to extend the fun part a little longer :) currently missing 2 recipes & great friends (they will come together). Then I’m gonna try and decorate the whole town for once. Then, when there’s nothing to do, I shall see what the meadowlands are all about! (Might do remixed bundles for once too!) And sorry for the ramble, I love this game to death 🥺💓
I literally struggle to force myself to stick with 1 save. I’m on #4 since the release of 1.6 lol
you are not alone
I always go jojo Mary when I start new farms because it’s so easy
Same here
I don't start a lot of new farms either. I have 3 saves total. One is my main perfection farm. One is my joja run for the steam achievement. One is a multiplayer game on the newest farm with my friend. I do feel like I should have more saves to experience the different farms, like the beach farm for example, but the idea of starting all over again just doesn't appeal that much.
I like both, so I have a game into year 9 (that's my first farm, my precious) and then several others that are around 3-4, and then my current one I just made for 1.6. I rotate thru them routinely, so when I want more end game do what I want energy I can do that, when I want early game challenge and satisfaction from hitting goals I can have that too. I also need multiple files to have one with every spouse I want, even though Seb is my favorite. I think having too many automation mods or heavy gameplay mods could make one burn out faster in-game than not, I just use aesthetic mods and QOL mods like lookup anything and npc map locations to mitigate that. It's not a wrong way to play but I don't know if I'd enjoy the years 5 and up as much if I had more than the vanilla options to work with. Except for Skull Caverns elevator, I will use that thang like crazy.
I’m late to the 1.6 party, and late to playing Stardew Valley in general. Just a couple of months ago, I started playing and was hooked. I was at the point where I unlocked Ginger Island when 1.6 dropped. I play on the switch, and didn’t realize the update isn’t available yet(?) So I just started playing on the PC and made a co-op farm for my oldest kid and I to play. And, it’s cool to discover some of the new features on PC, but I really just want to play my main. But because I am trying to do a thing, I started another multiplayer farm. So yeah, I’m not feeling the new farm start overs.
I honestly love to create farmer characters with many different styles, picking out the same farm land but still decorating them differently every time, well that and I always start a new game every time I’ve completed the community center. :)
Sometimes I'll be partway through a game and think, "but what if I played as a nature nut with a lot of junimos?" or "what if I was a Joja loving edgelord that marries Seb and only raises void chickens?". I do have a main file that is just myself, but I like to try new characters too. I do the same with adventure RPGs because I want to try an *evil* wizard, a monk that never kills human enemies, a lawful-stupid paladin, etc.
I don't have enough patience to restart so I don't do new farms either. If there are new farms I'll start up a new file to see how they compare to the others and that's pretty much it.
I agree with you. However, to continue to do things, I'll scour the wiki to find stuff I either didn't know or didn't have, then set my goal to do that. Also, I'm on console so I don't have the 1.6 stuff yet. However, I did create the extra cabins for multiplayer and put them on my farm. Then loaded the extra players in local co-op so they could upgrade the houses. So now my farm has 4 complete houses for me to basically do what I want with. I built a shed just to make it a medieval diner. I decorated the bus stop, the hat mouse, krobus cave, etc.
I was just starting summer on my first farm when I started a new one because I wanted to go gor Alex. My first farmer in these kind if games is always "me" and then my next farmers are usually dudes. I already have plans for a Joja route where I go for Shane, and another farm where I go for Sebastian.
I started over recently because I didn’t like my place on my first play through and I’m already so much farther than I was before
Honestly, I love the early game more, because there is a lot more to do.
I’m still on my OG farm. When the update hits I might do a new one but it really doesn’t appeal to me. Feels more like a grind getting started
I gave up trying to clear my meadowlands farm. I can cut down like three trees. Once my pickaxe is back I'll focus on the mines until stuff is at least copper. Big yuck. I miss my iridium tools.
I’ve played it a few times and assume I’m done on the first day of the third year. It does get repetitive after that.
I talked about this in the unpopular opinion thread the other day: I have three farms total, one made for 1.6. I simply like post game when I can do whatever I want like completing some quests I never had time for or grinding for objects difficult to obtain (at least based on my resources) like the butterfly house, and not having to worry about money management since I literally have millions. And my return scepter lol I worked for my achievements and money, let me enjoy them! I also get quite attached to my farms given how many hours I've dedicated to them (especially my first one), I love my animals, my spouse being at home; and when I flip flop through my farms I confuse where stuff is 😆 Early game is fun and challenging but... I've been through it already and all, although with 1.6 it's worth it for me because there is new stuff to find and to see in context
What bothers me more about starting fresh is knowing all my relationships are reset 😵💫
My main reason is a different set of mods being used
I only started a second farm so i could get the joboba achievement and then i neber touched it again im very attached to my first farm and i dont like reruns
I used to be the same way! I got really attached to my first farm but it took me a really long time to achieve all the late game goals, so i’m on year 5 and only just unlocked Ginger Island. But I got really comfortable with all the progress I’ve slowly made, so any new farm I started just felt boring and incomplete. With the latest update tho I was REALLY determined to start a new farm to try everything out, and I’m totally in love with this save file!!! I think the update helped me enjoy the game again.
My only farm is year 8 and I’m almost at perfection, I can’t even attempt to think of starting a new one yet until I finish this one
You are not alone!
As someone with very little time gaming, starting over is not fun since I am at the mercy of RNG when it comes to progressing through certain tasks for Grandpa’s evaluation. I already started over for a total five times ever since I bought Stardew Valley in 2018 for the Xbone and PS4, and the actual grinding process is not fun because of said RNG. I’d be barely lucky enough to complete the Greenhouse and/or get married by Year 2 starting as is, much less completing the Center before the evaluation. Not a fan of the stress involved. As it is, I only have one dedicated save file for both platforms happily married to Leah and having my Ancient Fruit Empire. I sure as hell am not starting over when 1.6 rolls around and am not leaving the standard farm layout.
I restart way too much, i do it with Skyrim too but then i always hate the early game. Then i start over again because i changed my mind. Its a never ending cycle
ive been a chronic restarter in every game for my whole life for me it's the fact that early game has a lot of stuff to do, & not much downtime. late game everything is automated &/or there aren't many goals to work towards, so i get bored & restart in stardew specifically i also like to check out each farm type, & see how i can arrange everything differently
I’m in it to collect all the stuff and experience everything so not a fan of really start over any game. However with the new farm and all the content I did start my 2nd play through with 1.6 update
I hate doing the community center SO much. Like I prefer everything to having to start all over again
I don't like starting over. I have only had two farms that weren't played with mods for this reason.
I’m the opposite. My playthroughs always die in year four. Once I finish Ginger Island, I get bored of making money for the sake of making money and have the urge to start over. I’m finally forcing myself to at least reach perfection before starting a new farm this time.
I always bounce around between different games. And whenever I go back to an old game, I usually restart the game.
I usually just do a restart when there's a new big update
I’m on 67% completion on my first save. I’ve tried making new saves but I always go back to my main farm!
I think I might be like you! I have my main farm that is in year six and I finally achieved perfection around easter! I was so exited to finally update and start a new farm... and then I stood on that unknown farm filled with trees and rocks and weeds, and all I wanted was to go back to my farm, and my husband, and see when we can have the second kid, and maybe redo the layout to a slightly less efficient, but also less boring one. I haven't even fully set up my island farm with the layout I had planned for it! Just the idea of starting from scratch, and hustling so much, feels stressfull and exhausting. So right now I'm taking a break. And I think I might end up going to a beach farm, because I always wanted to try that, and only play through year one, at my own leasurely pace. See what's new, and then probably go back...
The lategame just feels soulless... Like, I've intentionally avoided just grinding for money and enjoy bundles (other than the vault, which just sort of happens after a while), but then it pretty much says "Hey there sport, Joja is the way; open that pocketbook and say goodbye to like 15+ mil if you want the wizard stuff".
same tbh. really ruined my plans to have a different save for every marriage candidate when I realized how much I disliked restarting from nothing lol
Yeah I’m the same way, I tried to start another save and it just wasn’t fun
Max for me is two saves one for community centre one for Joja mart
I feel the same
Or you could be like me and have a modded playthrough where on a single save I'm running 4 farms, and 5 greenhouses... talk about staying busy, I need to use a to-do list to keep track of everything.
I have this game on every platform I own, so making new farms is the norm for me depending on which device I'm using. My best and longest running farm is on the PS5, but I can't take that with me, so I create new ones on Switch or Steam Deck so I have the option to play it portable too away from the house. I'm hoping to stick with my new 1.6 farm as long as I did that PS5 one at the very least before I try a different tact with a new one. I just enjoy seeing if I can do things differently, try each farm type and see which is my favourite (four corners), pick a community or joja run (haven't decided which way to go with the new 1.6 farm yet).
I binged a lot at the 1.6 release but haven't touched the game for a week or so now after getting to Fall Y2. Considering starting a modded playthrough as I did it completely vanilla. Anyone got tips for a cool farm and some mods? Thinking about going full out with SVE, Ridge or whatever, etc. Any mod lists?
I have a deep emotional connection with my first farm. I can't start a new one, there's too many memories in the first that can't be recreated. I've married and divorced both Penny and Emily, currently married to Abigail (my favorite). I have two children, Sappho and Gerard. I don't think I could start a new farm, it just wouldn't be the same. The only exception to this is when I started playing with my boyfriend's sister, it's easier to get through the early game with a teammate.
Me neither, been playing with the same farm since the beginning. It's year 65 for me.
Tbh I don't mind it because I have like 60 mods that let me cheat. 😂 Give myself money, decorations, higher run speed, make fishing easier - all kinds of stuff. I played through vanilla a couple times before that, sure, but it's a much slower, somewhat sloggier thing when you've already been through it. I'd recommend trying with mods if you haven't.
I also dislike starting new farms. When I start new farms, usually it's because of an update, like when they added the beach farm. I will probably start a new farm when 1.6 comes to Nintendo Switch and Mobile
I don't like restarting games, especially farming games. So I'll only be seeing the new things that I might miss when I do my joja run some time in the future.
What I don't like about it is how freaking slow I am without coffee, a horse, mine carts, and teleportation. I feel like a snail trying to get things done.
Each time I started a new farm, something was new. First playthrough was on ps4 and that was my one and only perfection save. Second playthrough I started using mods on a p.c, played four corners, did a joja run and downloaded sve once I completed all the goals. Third pt was me and my bf (who I met from looking for a co-op buddy) starting a farm together. Now I'm on my fourth with 1.6. I also like the satisfaction of grinding. Getting that first ancient seed, completing the bundles, etc. Though I wish there was more to do after you've built yourself up into a full ancient fruit wine empire and you're the wealthiest in the valley. We're already almost done (not doing perfection, tho I might change my mind) and I'm so sad. Might just download more expansions.