Really love this game; have put in a ton of hours. But as has been noted by so many others the end game falls a little flat. You spend so much time investing in your farm but all that you put together just get's thrown into a big wood box and turns into money that soon becomes pointless. I noticed some other posts concerning this that included player run shops etc. My idea isn't far off from that. So, my "big" idea (as in probably too difficult to implement but fingers crossed) that I would love to see included. Basically it comes down to your own restaurant or eatery (sorry Gus) that uses ingredients from your farm and is also built on your farm (or adjacent to if a new cel is required/desired). Finally all those ingredients and recipes will be useful for something. You could let the player create a menu for their eatery that uses the locally produced goods and then all they need to do is create the devices to house and produce it while having staff do the manual stuff of day to day business (another feature that has been clamored for by other players). So say beer and pizza is on the menu. You'll need everything to produce those things to be grown on the farm or stocked up from a previous season. Then you will need to hire the appropriate staff (spouses included) such as a cook, servers and possibly people to help on the farm to keep you stocked up. You'll need whatever device "crafts" said items like the keg and the inclusion of a wood-fire stove. Then as the restaurant uses those ingredients you gain cash/rep/etc as towns people and tourists come for the locally grown food which of course you will name (no more generic "pale ale", it is now "whisky River Farm Ale" or whatever you want to call it). And as the available produce changes with the seasons so would the menu as the player would have to come up with something new all year round. No longer does everything go into a box as an impersonal transaction for money. And also things on the farm would be a bit more lively with more visitors. Just imagine visiting your eatery as the proprietor and chatting with all the people who came to try your food that you grew? The actual establishment would be fun to design and furnish also. I imagine something with a garden and hanging lights for outside dining and something with a roaring fireplace and wood construction for the days when it's cold or the weathers acting up. I know that SV already has an eatery that is supposed to serve in somewhat the above fashion but I find I rarely have a reason to visit the saloon. Likewise it seems some of the above suggestions where begging to be part of the saloon or Pierre's Store but somehow didn't make it. If you wanted to possibly co-opt Gus (or Pierre for that matter) into the whole affair, like becoming part owner of the saloon (or a business relationship with the store) or having him help with the players establishment in order to avoid any conflicts of competition (or maybe some business drama is a good thing maybe?) then you could do that. Point is something definitely feels like it's missing with the whole wooden box crop/cash transmogrifier option. It's just not as rewarding as a game that extols connections with folk and nature should be. Otherwise, awesome game, keep up the good work!
Interesting. You could also take orders from townspeople and get affection/cash bonuses for being able to make the desired recipe. My only concern is that it would place too much obligation/stress on the player. Managing a farm, artisan goods, animals, mining, fishing, and other tasks is plenty to do. Having a business to run on top of that sounds like way too much pressure. I realize you're talking about endgame here so realistically most of your other obligations would be resolved, but it still sounds like kinda a big responsibility in a game that already requires you to do a lot in a limited day.
