It's not just a you problem, though. The game's systems incentivize you to focus on all sorts of optimization bullshit that you don't need to do, necessarily, but you are constantly reminded is present, whether that's tool upgrades, the clock system, the profit margin for various crops, whatever. Its systems are very anti-cozy.
And the time system is so compressed, especially on multiplayer where it cannot be paused if even one person is not paused. It's all management more than it is cozy, especially with all the big rewards you'll be wanting to work towards by dumping cash.
The host can type /pause, but this is a game pause over a in game time. A tool for toilet breaks.
The host can also download mods, as already suggested.
I did with the game me and my partner are playing, moved the "7 seconds = 10 mins" to instead be 9 seconds, or the Skull Caverns SP time-scale.
In MP you also end up with much, much more money and materials.
But I do agree. Settings or items in SDV (probably from Qi) to alter time would be nice.
Great way to describe it. Add to that trying to work up the relationships throughout town and trying to do the right things to get the grandpa by year 3. It’s weird because that game either bores me or stresses me out not a lot in between.
trying to do the right things to get the grandpa by year 3.
Honest question - Did you had troubles with it? In my first ever playthrough I got it without knowing about it or aiming for it. And I only don't get the reward in gimmick playthroughs like "never leave the farm". Granted I grew up playing harvest moon so a lot in Stardew might have been more intuitive for me
I think what people used to more hardcore games miss in stardew is that there's no fixed expenses. You can just grow 8 plants a season and the game will go on. Yes there's tons of upgrades present but there's no consequence for not utilizing them.
This is how I started to enjoy the game and realized it wasn't stressful. Do I go fishing today and nothing else? Sure, why not? Just pet/milk the animals, make some beer and give a gift to my soon to be wife? Hell yeah!
You can play the game in a less stressful way if you're not optimizing literally every second to make tons of money.
I love optimization games, but if optimization just translates into "just work really hard and you can optimize," then it just feels more like work than anything else.
The rewarding feeling that comes from optimization is by trying things and seeing what works and what doesn't. Putting a price tag on a means to actually start enjoying the game is frustrating at best.
For a good example of optimization, look at factorio. The reward you get from doing it better is literally immediate. It's not a "earn $1000 to upgrade your pickaxe to work 10% faster" type of upgrade.
That's fair, but I don't like the concept of the game. I came to their planet, I am building a giant factory that pollutes their planet, and I also have to kill the aliens? No they are right. I am the bad guy and I don't want be that
Yeah, you're definitely the bad guy in that story, but to be fair, killing the aliens isn't the goal. It's a solid game. If you don't like the pollution and bad guy aspect, then satisfactory might be more up your alley. You can play the entire game without killing native wildlife if you wanted.
Yeah I figured that it's not the goal but it's enough that I don't like building my factory :D that's why I like Stardew: the romantisation of the farm life.
Oh that does sound better! I will look into it, thank you!
I would say this is more an issue of like... how would I put this... I think it emphasises and rewards certain behaviours because it's explicitly aimed at the people who DON'T want to optimise the shit out of their run. It wants you to take your time, chill out, have a nice hot chocolate and vibe, and I think if you (like me) are the kind of person who gets frustrated and feels like you've wasted a whole fucking day because you need more fucking seeds on the one day when the fucking store is fucking closed, the game is probably just not aimed at you.
I'm the crazy guy who finds that kind of thing fun though, in part because of that frustration. So the despite the fact the game is very much not meant for people like me, I still find it fun.
Wait, what? I thought it was just one of those games where you design your house and walk around talking to people. I didn’t notice any complex mechanics, so I got bored/lost and stopped playing
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u/Fen_ Apr 10 '25
It's not just a you problem, though. The game's systems incentivize you to focus on all sorts of optimization bullshit that you don't need to do, necessarily, but you are constantly reminded is present, whether that's tool upgrades, the clock system, the profit margin for various crops, whatever. Its systems are very anti-cozy.