Here's a little story, as possible background for how this addition would come about. Recently, the community of Stardew valley has been a little disgruntled. Recently, the sewer overflowed and made the surrounding area almost deplorable until they cleaned it up, in short order. But that's not the problem. Several of the residents have noticed the local wildlife inexplicably disappearing, and some of it was just gone right after the spillage. A few of the more nature-savvy residents get together (you're invited, of course) and come to the conclusion that the wildlife was driven off by the severe pollution the spillage caused, even if it was taken care of quickly. Without the wildlife, the ecosystem will inevitably be thrown right out of whack. Robin, who attended the meeting because her husband was worried about the issue, suggests they build a sanctuary. At first, Lewis rolls his eyes, like 'another drive for business, huh?' before he realizes she wasn't joking. Seriously considering the option, the gathered residents come to the conclusion that it would be a great idea to build a sanctuary to attract the wildlife back into the valley. The only problem is that they have nowhere to put it. Here's where a choice comes in: if the player so chooses, they can have the sanctuary put in that little area to the right of the farm and left of the town, or bring up 'general effort' (read: don't build it, instead making a local law to be friendlier to the environment and letting the wildlife come back over time, which doesn't do anything gameplay-wise). As a mercy, the player can later craft a 'letter' and gift it to Lewis, which will proc the question to come up again, if the player changes their mind after saying no. By saying 'yes', an event will take place over four days, in which Robin, Clint, and Demetrius will be working in a small area, accessed via a path on the right border of your farm. If you help out each day, completion will be reduced to three days, instead of four (that part could be a little tricky, so maybe not. I don't know how coding works, so it's a guess). Once it's done, Demetrius will give you his thanks (+Heart with him, Clint, and Robin for helping out) and let you know that he's more than willing to set up more diverse 'attractions' for wildlife. The 'buildings' are in fixed positions, for the most part; I.E., there are a few 'hotspots' for each building, so it's not free placement. At first, all you'll have is a 'Leafy' tree at the center of a grassy grove. It attracts birds. Talking to Demetrius will allow you to upgrade (or learn how to, since you're the farmer here) it to a 'Greatwood' tree (thicker trunk, generally bigger), then to an 'Elderwood' (same upgrade, except it additionally looks older). Talking to Leah will let you build a 'Carefully Constructed Tree', which is geared towards squirrels. Squirrels give you nuts. You can upgrade it to 'Twirling Tree', then to 'Wooden Maze' (which just makes them look more complex/add more holes). Talking to Linus will let you build a 'Grassy Field', which attracts foxes who regularly give you unique (or out-of-season) berries. It can then be upgraded to a 'Fruitful Meadow', then 'Harvester's Home'. Talking to the Dwarf will let you build a special underground area, which attracts moles that regularly dig up minerals and whatnot. At first, it's a 'Basic Burrow', then a 'Digger's Dugout', and finally a 'Natural Digsite'. Once each of the top levels have been achieved, the Wizard will send you a letter. It informs you that he commend you for your dedication to the wildlife, and asks that you come see him for something. Talking to him allows you to upgrade each area once more each. The base cost is 25 Void and Solar essence, plus the additional- Tree - Duck Feather, upgrading it to an Ancient Tree. C. Tree - Cedar Resin, upgrading it to a Branching Labyrinth. Field - Pomegranate, upgrading it to a Dreamscape. Burrow - Rabbit's Foot, upgrading it to a Miner's Paradise. Once this has been done and the upgrades have been completed, each of the four animals - a bird, a squirrel, a fox, and a mole - will be sitting in a circle, and at the center, a Stardrop fruit. Once you eat it, they'll scatter back to their own little homes, and you'll have the satisfaction of having built one of the most impressive and magical sanctuaries in the country - nay, in the entire world! I think if this was turned into an update, it would deserve a spot as DLC, considering the massive scope of the project. What do you guys think?
It doesn't sound like THAT massive of a project, but it'd definitely take some work. I don't think it'd merit DLC, though...but...I do like the general premise, heh. At first I was like: ...a sanctuary? for WHAT? However...I do like it.
I feel like once you say DLC people run for the hills. HOWEVER remember this is one person and this does look to be a decent chunk of content. Also DLC doesn't have to take a lot. Honestly I've gotten more out of this game than many 'full priced' (($30-$60)) titles made by full game companies and they plug smaller DLC things rather often. That out of the way I think it sounds amazing.
I've seen a few people talking about aquariums, and it gave me an elaboration upon this idea; By talking to Willy, you'll be able to build a Small Pond on one of the sides of the area. This, instead of being a harvestable reward, is a trophy-case for your fish! Like the others, it can be upgraded, but it's mostly for aesthetic (and a few more fish-slots, because space is limited). It can be turned into a Mineral-Rich Pond (pond looks better), then a Misty Tarn (waterfall looks better), and for the magical upgrade, you'll need the essences plus a Woodskip (because you get it from a magic pond), with creates a Stardew Lagoon, which is extra-magical and has the added benefit of slowly regenerating your energy, like the sauna, except it's right next to your house (and it has a regen-limit, for balance purposes)! The main focus of this update would be animals, if you couldn't tell. There are relatively not too many, but then again, you can only add so many until you run out of things for them to produce.
Dang. It's been a bit too long since I showed up here, but even now, I still love the game. Given that it's been such a long time, I'd like to know if people would still be interested in this idea; I am for sure.
Evidently. But whether or not he is/will/would do it in the first place, do you like the idea? Or even better, do you have any ideas that could approve upon it?
I like it! I agree with what others said about it being a lot of work to code, but I'm all for anything that adds any aspect of helping Nature in the game. Would be even better if the Junimo might somehow be involved in each of the builds as well, perhaps the prize at the end being friendship with them that will bring them to your farm to help out sometimes.
At first I never understood what the original poster was going for, but the more I look at it , the more I like it. If CA cannot do it because of time restraints, then I would love to do this as a giant group project. Have the community work on one giant mod.
