Lappy
Sodbuster
As I played through my first farm, one of the things that really drew me into the game was the variety of situations everyone lived in and how different their histories were. For example:
However, something lacking variation in this cast of characters as they are currently comprised is their skin tone. Save for Demetrius and Maru, everyone is a shade of white. I don't get any sense that anyone in the Valley is of Asian, Latin, or Native American (presuming the Valley is in the Americas) descent.
I also appreciate that your romantic choices were not limited to one gender - that you could choose either, or both. However, none of the established romantic interests/relationships in the town are between same-sex villagers.
On my first playthrough, I married Leah. The second time around, I gave bouquets to each of the twelve single villagers, and played through each 10-heart event, just to see what they all were.
I hope that more NPCs will find their way to the Valley, if not in the next big update, then perhaps sometime after that. I greatly enjoy the different jobs, interests, and personalities found in the game. I would also like to see more NPC diversity in each of the areas mentioned above. I understand that race and sexual orientation are touchy subjects for many people, especially the latter, but they really should not be. Broadening the range of characters in ANY way would make the game more relatable to more players, and would better reflect the spectrum of the player base.
But even without introducing more characters, I think most, if not all, of the NPC dialogue should be re-written such that they are not surprised at their interest in someone of the same sex.
Someone who lost his mother and doesn't want a relationship with his father, who now lives with his grandparents
Someone who chooses to be houseless and live off the land
Someone who re-married and has had a child with each husband
A mother raising two children while her husband is deployed
The deployed husband returning later in the game and dealing with PTSD
Characters dealing with drinking problems (their own or others')
Characters living in a trailer
Adult siblings sharing a living space without their parents
I could go on and on. I love that Penny wants to teach kids and hates alcohol because of what it does to her mother. I love that Leah moved to the Valley to find herself as an artist. I love that video game nerds, coders, and jocks are all represented, that some take longer than others to warm to you, and that some are pretty self-absorbed.
Someone who chooses to be houseless and live off the land
Someone who re-married and has had a child with each husband
A mother raising two children while her husband is deployed
The deployed husband returning later in the game and dealing with PTSD
Characters dealing with drinking problems (their own or others')
Characters living in a trailer
Adult siblings sharing a living space without their parents
I could go on and on. I love that Penny wants to teach kids and hates alcohol because of what it does to her mother. I love that Leah moved to the Valley to find herself as an artist. I love that video game nerds, coders, and jocks are all represented, that some take longer than others to warm to you, and that some are pretty self-absorbed.
However, something lacking variation in this cast of characters as they are currently comprised is their skin tone. Save for Demetrius and Maru, everyone is a shade of white. I don't get any sense that anyone in the Valley is of Asian, Latin, or Native American (presuming the Valley is in the Americas) descent.
I also appreciate that your romantic choices were not limited to one gender - that you could choose either, or both. However, none of the established romantic interests/relationships in the town are between same-sex villagers.
On my first playthrough, I married Leah. The second time around, I gave bouquets to each of the twelve single villagers, and played through each 10-heart event, just to see what they all were.
I was disappointed to find that for the same-sex relationships (at least, male/male - I haven't seen the female/female events) each of the six said something along the lines of "I've never felt like this way about a man before." This might be true for some characters (for example, it is alluded that Sebastian has liked Abigail for quite some time), but I don't think this should be the case for all the characters.
And on the flip side, perhaps some NPCs would prefer relationships with the same sex, so they would be surprised to be interested in someone of the opposite sex.
And on the flip side, perhaps some NPCs would prefer relationships with the same sex, so they would be surprised to be interested in someone of the opposite sex.
I hope that more NPCs will find their way to the Valley, if not in the next big update, then perhaps sometime after that. I greatly enjoy the different jobs, interests, and personalities found in the game. I would also like to see more NPC diversity in each of the areas mentioned above. I understand that race and sexual orientation are touchy subjects for many people, especially the latter, but they really should not be. Broadening the range of characters in ANY way would make the game more relatable to more players, and would better reflect the spectrum of the player base.
But even without introducing more characters, I think most, if not all, of the NPC dialogue should be re-written such that they are not surprised at their interest in someone of the same sex.
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