I need some motivation...

[Milk1989]

Hi everyone :)

This is my first post ever so I'm not quite sure this is the place to put this; my apologies if that's the case.

I've already played SV for a bit ( 100 hours gameplay ) and basically finished the "first part" of the story (At least, that's how I feel the community center and unlocking all buildings, animals, sprinkles etc... is )

The thing is that recently I lost all motivation to play :( While Im still very interested in the game and find myself watching videos or thinking about it a lot, but when it comes to play I feel like mods have "ruined" my experience, since now I know there are shortcuts to everything. I find it hard to go to the mines or farm any material when I know I can just get it with one click. It feels like the first is a waste of time, but then again, getting everything so easily takes away the fun.

I don't know if the community could help me or give me some tips / ideas about this. I think its something that happens a lot and well, Im trying to find my way out of this :)
Any experience-sharing would be appreciate :)

Thank you very much and have a happy week !

 

[VampireCake]

Hello and welcome.

How about 'reframing' how you think of doing things? What activites do you enjoy doing, rather than what items you get from them? For instance, I go Skull Cave diving a lot. There's nothing I actually need down there - I'm waaaay deep into the endgame - I just enjoy it and I like collecting stuff just for the sake of it. (I'm on pc and use the handy predictor, but no other mods)

Another idea could be a challenge or themed run - having restrictions can make you get creative. Have you tried all the different farm maps?

 

[Lew Zealand]

What you could try is start a new farm on a new map you haven't tried before, like VampireCake suggested, but with no mods. But before starting the game, go to Stardew Planner and map out your Farm design so you have a specific goal in mind. Get a different spouse/roommate. Design your House with a theme like a restauraunt or a bowling alley. Play the game as you normally would, but with the focus of needing to get all the materials for the design as well as completing the regular game quests. And when you think of something new that would fit, add that in to the plan.

Have fun!

 

[Lenora Rose]

I minimize the use of mods to "just get stuff" for exactly that reason. I prefer to earn my iridium pickaxe and Galaxy Sword, I've done the Skull Cavern with an elevator (though trying to minimize use and do the Qi challenges on the honour system) and I'm working on it without, and while I will never be a FilthyGorilla level cave diver, there's something to be said for the reward of doing it the hard way.

Mods should always and only be things that enhance and improve the game for the player, and if " just getting stuff" makes it boring, wipe those ones out.

(OTOH, you'll take my Automated Gates out of my cold dead hands, because nobody is in a game to open gates.)

 

[MogBeoulve]

I feel like you already identified your problem - mods unbalanced the game so it's no longer fun. So don't use them or take them out! This game had a lot of work go into it, and as a result I think it works very well as balanced without mods. Really, try a vanilla game with the silliest, least min-maxed setup you know of, and make it your goal to have fun with it, not to make a lot of money etc.

 

[Jayamos]

Really, try a vanilla game with the silliest, least min-maxed setup you know of, and make it your goal to have fun with it, not to make a lot of money etc.

What activites do you enjoy doing, rather than what items you get from them?

I like both these suggestions. My first game I had so much fun just goofing around, setting up the farm for max enjoyment instead of max money. I have several more farms planned with different maps and play styles, with just enough goal-setting to give some direction (and, y’know, get sprinklers in a reasonable timeframe). Silliness FTW!

 

[Farrow]

I don't think this has been suggested yet, but, challenges/self imposed rules, they make the game really fun by testing your skills and knowledge of the game. ^^ mods can even make more possibilities with this one

 

[Randoplants]

one thing I like to do is focus on having a chill time and not on getting all the things done quickly. I’ll skip getting coffee, won’t build the stable, and I challenge myself to get to bed by 10 every day. I find doing this every so often reframes my experience

 

[Rhiannon]

I play no mods and actually role play myself in the game world. In another post about variety, I talked about how I grow 2-3 of each deemed most valuable crops. I actually write down my goals, both short term and long term. Example of early game goals by year 2 end: complete community center, be best friends with at least 10 villagers, upgrade house to accommodate family, get married. As other things come up, I add them to the list. Then once I accomplish those goals, I make new ones: fully upgrade the farmhouse, decorate the farmhouse, have kids, be best friends with all villagers, add a third shed and get a special animal incubating in there, ponds and start making my farm look nicer and still be efficient and self sufficient. I am retired and am slowing in my RL. I'm also slower in gaming. I'm in NO rush to do anything. As someone mentioned above, I try to get in bed by 10pm. Of course there will be exceptions but a farmer has to get up at the crack of dawn and needs to get good rest!

Something else to mention is I take long breaks from games when it stops being fun and exciting. I'm doing a YT channel and have paused a game because of that. I'll get back to it when my enthusiasm comes back. And it will. I've been playing SDV off and on since 2016 or 2017 and I always enjoy it when I return.

 

[qaija]

Hi everyone :)

This is my first post ever so I'm not quite sure this is the place to put this; my apologies if that's the case.

I've already played SV for a bit ( 100 hours gameplay ) and basically finished the "first part" of the story (At least, that's how I feel the community center and unlocking all buildings, animals, sprinkles etc... is )

The thing is that recently I lost all motivation to play :( While Im still very interested in the game and find myself watching videos or thinking about it a lot, but when it comes to play I feel like mods have "ruined" my experience, since now I know there are shortcuts to everything. I find it hard to go to the mines or farm any material when I know I can just get it with one click. It feels like the first is a waste of time, but then again, getting everything so easily takes away the fun.

I don't know if the community could help me or give me some tips / ideas about this. I think its something that happens a lot and well, Im trying to find my way out of this :)
Any experience-sharing would be appreciate :)

Thank you very much and have a happy week !

Stardew Valley is an extremely complex game. After playing for 100 hours you have only just begun to scratch the surface of all there is to do and all there is to know about this game. I began playing at the beginning of August last year and have logged 1677 hours playing the game according to Steam. Yes, that includes some non-playing time, but less than 5%. I am retired and my favorite pasttime is playing computer games, so I play a lot. I am still learning how to play more effectively, and still enjoying the game almost as much as I did when I started playing it.

Perhaps you are just overwhelmed right now. I am unable to judge what motivates you to play it. For some people it may be too complex to enjoy. As others have posted here, my only suggestion would be to do what you enjoy doing. And if you don't find anything in that category, just play something else for awhile until you want to come back to it.

And I don't play with any mods. I prefer to play the way Concerned Ape intended. If he wanted to modify how it is played further, he would have done so.

Good luck and have fun!

 

[MissDandy]

Its kind of along the lines of what Lew said but really set a personalized goal only for yourself. If its big enough, a lot of the natural game play will come with it. Things like mining, building relationships and discovering all parts of the map will come to be along the way, and then you can really experience them without the mods. With more hours of game play, things really get a lot deeper and you start to discover all the little in-game easter eggs that were put in the game.
And for some people, the fun part is the challenge and seeing hours of game time pay off instead of one click of a button doing it. It really makes your accomplishments in-game feel more rewarding, and you might find yourself wanting to be challenged more.

 

[FilthyGorilla]

Sometimes it’s best to focus on journey before destination.

Focus on the act of getting something rather than that thing itself. Fixating too much on that can lose the point of really doing anything.

I would also recommend doing tasks that are fun without being required, the main thing that comes to mind being skull cavern.

I’m very far into the post game, I have literal billions of g at my disposal and I still to sc for the fun and challenge. A good game in my eyes is measured by what you can do that isn’t necessary at any given time and stardew is one of the best games in that aspect.

Another way to change up your play style and mindset would be to place certain rules upon yourself or take up a challenge. That way it isn’t about the things you gather but the loopholes, tasks, and rules you had to perform and avoid doing. It can add a whole new aspect to playing the game and a challenge could be literally anything.

A good starting challenge that doesn’t focus too much on items is getting level 10 of every skill as fast as you can. Could you do it in year one?

Try to deal in the arbitrary rather than the games set goals as that will help you stray away from your current playing.

Good luck and really just have fun, if it isn’t with this game it’s fine, sometimes letting something go is better than holding on for too long.

 

[GDawney]

Between my tablet and my PC I have about 8 different saves that I am actively playing. Only one of them is modded. Each of my farmers have different personalities and different game strategies. When things get boring, I work on a different save. I am switch back and forth between the mobile version (YAY for the MOBILE UPDATE) and my PC things and the game mechanics work differently, so even that keeps me engaged. Otherwise, as others have said, give yourself some different goals. Watch a playthrough and try to duplicate it. My best advice for you: Start a new Save and challenge yourself.