A couple times in the last few weeks I've just come home from work and thought, "I really want to play some Stardew Valley right now." It's kind of crazy to feel this way about a game I've never even played!
Isn't it only ConcernedApe alone who is working on this at the moment? I really hoping that this will be a nice little game you can just sit back, relax, and play this once in a while. The issue with those types of games is that there needs to be something to drag the player back to playing it however...
I'm actually really excited about this one. It's a Harvest Moon I can play with my friends. We have been waiting for this for a long time haha
Yes he is as far as I know. I don't want to rush him or anything, I'm just excited about playing, eventually. As far as bringing people back to the game, I think that one thing people overlook in this game is that there is going to be a story. That's something that can drag people back. Especially if it gets updated with mini-episodes or something as time goes on or there are multiple paths to take.
I'll wait patiently. There is certain pressure put on ConcernedApe - the standard set by HM/RF franchise, expectations of players connected to it and in general - creation of the first Harvest Moon-esque game which tries to not only to offer what it's spiritual predecessor does, but develop what it lacked. I'd rather have this game be done well, really well with promise of beign developed and improved with time rather than get it early and find out it's 'merely' decent and after a week or two - nothing to get back to. Though maybe it's also mine expectations that are too high? Time will tell.
Honestly, after watching the first 45 minutes of the live stream played by tiy, I have to say Concerned Ape has already met my expectations. Personally I don't think the Harvest Moon games have set the bar too high. I don't mean to disparage Harvest Moon, I love it, but the first one was released in 1996 and it's not like the recent Harvest Moon is really that much different then the first. The crafting, the mines, the size of the farm, being able to walk through plants! All are huge improvements over Harvest Moon. The crafting looks way more in depth, the mines look much more fun to explore. The way you plant and harvest plants looks much easier and more fun. The only thing I'm waiting to see, and maybe it's towards the end of the video, is the villager interaction and story.
I've been feeling that way since I found it. I know them feels. I completely agree with Wasselin. While SV has a lot of similar key features that HM has, SV has really gone above and beyond to improve those elements and then some. When I was watching the little video for it, I was already won over but in the back of my head, I was thinking "Gee.. this is awesome, but it's a shame it's probably not multiplayer" Then wham! Multiplayer pops up and I was just stunned. I do think CA does have other people working on it with him, but for the most part, CA is the head honcho. P:
From what he said, no, he's working on it alone. He does all the sprites, the music, the coding, the maps, everything. He's been working on it for one and a half years, just about. Now, with Starbound, Tiy does have a team, which makes up Chucklefish. But Stardew Valley, while published by Chucklefish, is developed solely by ConcernedApe, at least thus far.
Can you really say that Harvest Moon for the NES and Harvest Moon for the 3DS aren't that different? Can you honestly say that? Yeah, SV has certainly gone above and beyond with being an improvement over Harvest Moon. From what we've seen, it just takes every element from Harvest Moon and improves them. SV is making changes while Harvest Moon (at least up until AN, has been dragged kicking and screaming into new changes. CA has testers, but I think he's the only coder.
I have to admit that I haven't played the 3DS harvest moon for more than an hour but I instantly recognized the clunky controls from the original. What annoys me the most about Harvest Moon is just the interface and control. Every action, such as watering or feeding animal requires way more effort than it should. Maybe it's just the difference between keyboard and mouse and a controller, but Stardew valley seems like it's made a huge leap from Harvest Moon in that regard. Also look at something like the mines in Harvest Moon and then look at the mines in Stardew Valley. Even without the enemies plotting a path through the mines in Stardew valley looks much more engaging then using your hoe on every square in a grid of dirt. The mines are practically identical in every Harvest Moon game I've played. Many iterations of Harvest Moon don't actually change gameplay at all, just the names and faces of villagers-- although sometimes only that. Some iterations of Harvest Moon are actually a step back in terms of the enjoyment and complexity of gameplay
The mines are very different in some games. If anything, I feel like the mines in Harvest Moon DS are probably the closest to the Stardew Valley mines.
Harvest Moon DS is the one with four different mines right? I don't remember those being anything like the Stardew Valley mine. The last one I tried was Harvest Moon Grand Bazaar, and if I remember correctly it doesn't even have a mine.
Harvest Moon had layers/floors with their mines, the recent one I was playing was the wii one (Animal Parade I believe?) and if I remember correctly, it had two mines and many floors on it. So maybe that concept will be brought onto here or it's a few floors.
Most versions of Harvest Moon I've played have had a cave or mine. Most have a certain of levels. Generally the cave/mine is a small room with a grid that you can dig in. You plow the squares with your hoe, until you find stairs leading down to the next level-- which is usually almost identical to the floor you were just on, except for a few special floors along the way. There is generally a limited number of floors with something special at the bottom. It's kind of like playing a lotto scratcher. You oncover each spot in the mine until you hit the jackpot of the stairs, then do it all over again until you reach the bottom or run out of stamina All the details of the mine/cave in Stardew Valley aren't yet revealed. But from what I've seen so far the mine is much more engaging. First off all there is a variety of enemies. Second you mine through the walls trying to find a path that will lead you to stairs that you can see. This makes it more like you are exploring a cave-- you are actively choosing a path through a cave. I've heard Concerned Ape say the mine is bottomless and randomly generated. There are other things you run into like underground water sources or chasms with bridges spanning them.
Nothing we can do except wait..and wait..and wait..and more waiting.. And get mesmerized by new updates from CA
Exactly what I meant~ In Animal Parade though, instead of using a hoe, you use a hammer to crush rocks and crystals in order to find ores and Wonderfuls. Sometimes gasses that can make it easier to mine or harder, depending on which gas you got, there was someone like confusion that switched your controls and one that "blacked out" a circle around you so it made it harder to find holes and ores or even the exit. I'm glad to hear the mines are engaging on SV, and the chasms with bridges sounds beautiful.
