Amethyst - Is it quartz or not?

[KeySmasher]

The description for Amethyst is that it is "A purple variant of quartz." I know that Fire Quartz can be melted in the furnace make 3x the refined quartz as regular quartz, but currently Amethyst can not. This description is misleading and should either be reworded, or give Amethyst a recipe in the Furnace. Quartz has similar electrostatic properties as Amethyst (https://support.ereada.com/article/1283-amethyst-frequency) and like Quartz, was used in radio communications to generate frequencies. Anyone reading this article might note that "The standard vibration used for quartz clocks and watches was 32768 Hz", a number which I know all to well as 2^15, and correlates to the range of integers from -32,768 to 32,767. But I digress. Amethyst is quartz, and should be treated at least similar to quartz in the game. The color change is due to Iron impurities. Maybe for the game you should need 1 quartz + 1 amethyst + 1 coal to produce 2 refined quartz and 1 iron ore.

 

[FilthyGorilla]

The description for Amethyst is that it is "A purple variant of quartz." I know that Fire Quartz can be melted in the furnace make 3x the refined quartz as regular quartz, but currently Amethyst can not. This description is misleading and should either be reworded, or give Amethyst a recipe in the Furnace. Quartz has similar electrostatic properties as Amethyst (https://support.ereada.com/article/1283-amethyst-frequency) and like Quartz, was used in radio communications to generate frequencies. Anyone reading this article might note that "The standard vibration used for quartz clocks and watches was 32768 Hz", a number which I know all to well as 2^15, and correlates to the range of integers from -32,768 to 32,767. But I digress. Amethyst is quartz, and should be treated at least similar to quartz in the game. The color change is due to Iron impurities. Maybe for the game you should need 1 quartz + 1 amethyst + 1 coal to produce 2 refined quartz and 1 iron ore.

To be honest you are talking about a completely fictional game and world with magical creatures shaped like apples and weapons made of dragonteeth.

Not everything will have perfect continuity with real life, it shouldn’t, half the fun in a game like stardew is the escapism into that fictional game.

If we really wanted to dig into specifics you could discuss about literally anything from real life that isn’t in the game and pick it apart, it’s not meant to be perfect.

 

[KeySmasher]

To be honest you are talking about a completely fictional game ...

I'm just suggesting either a text edit or a new recipe. No new features or anything difficult. Let the devs decide how they like the idea. I could also suggest the Cookout Kit maybe spawn some coal the next day after the used kit despawns. The campfire, being a permanent and reusable lighting source, would not work well for this. I mean, sure you already need 3 coal to make it, but you also need 15 wood which suggests, like the Charcoal Kiln turns wood into coal, that the cookout kit could still drop anywhere from 2-5 coal to be used in your next kit. You could even go so far as to make a deluxe kit that adds a stone requirement (stones that circle the fire) which lasts 2 or 3 days instead of despawning after just one. That however, would require a new sprite and possibly an animation as the glow from the fire would shimmer on the rocks.

 

[imnvs]

Okay, when I do a Google search for "fire quartz wiki" the first result is the Stardew Wiki. There's no real world, official variant of quartz called that. Sure, you'll find some of the folks that want to cure Covid with crystals that'll call a red-hued variant of quartz by that name, but it's just quartz. The fire quartz from Stardew is more than a vaguely reddish tint to quartz.

Next, in the real world, that is literally what amethyst is. It is a rarer form of quartz caused by impurities/irradiation. SDV shouldn't do a text edit to change the description of amethyst.

Additionally, amethyst in SDV is worth the same amount as quartz (when talking gold value), but is much more valuable for its other uses. There's plenty of quartz/fire quartz to be had. We don't need to make it into refined quartz.

 

[KeySmasher]

...There's plenty of quartz/fire quartz to be had. We don't need to make it into refined quartz.

By that argument, there's plenty of coal too, but still, we have a Charcoal Kiln to turn wood into Coal. The necessity to turn Amethyst into quartz would be at the player's discretion depending on how much quartz he's been using and how desperate he is to get more quickly. Maybe he's just been getting Amethyst faster than he needs it and would rather use it in refined quartz than dump it in the bin. I kind of wish there were more uses for many of the other minerals as I find the whole dying mechanic to be purely esthetic and of no use to me.

 

[imnvs]

By that argument, there's plenty of coal too, but still, we have a Charcoal Kiln to turn wood into Coal. The necessity to turn Amethyst into quartz would be at the player's discretion depending on how much quartz he's been using and how desperate he is to get more quickly. Maybe he's just been getting Amethyst faster than he needs it and would rather use it in refined quartz than dump it in the bin. I kind of wish there were more uses for many of the other minerals as I find the whole dying mechanic to be purely esthetic and of no use to me.

No, coal is a resource that is used in just SO many things, and wood is one of the easiest resources to acquire. You don't need that much refined quartz by comparison. Sure, "at discretion", but there's a better use than that.

What you primarily use amethyst for is gifts. It's loved by 4 people, disliked by only 3, and everyone else likes it. When people love stuff, you gift it to them. It's also required in some quests, whereas fire quartz is only randomly asked for possibly.

Finally, I have no idea what the dying mechanic has to do with any of this and how it relates to minerals.

 

[stardew_luv]

Why don’t you talk to Demetrius about it.

 

[stardew_luv]

But seriously like FG said things don’t always make sense in Stardew. I like you have a logical brain and it frustrates me when things don’t add up, but then I have to struggle to use my creative brain side and realize we are in a fictional world in Stardew and fiction doesn’t always make sense. I mean Abigail eats quartz, amethyst and other minerals after all. lol!

 

[ClaraCatte]

It's best to not try to equate fantasy with reality. Stardew is a place of magic, so things aren't the same.

 

[Maher]

Why don’t you talk to Demetrius about it.

I dunno. Demetrius seems to have a nematode secretion fixation.

 

[FilthyGorilla]

I'm just suggesting either a text edit or a new recipe. No new features or anything difficult. Let the devs decide how they like the idea. I could also suggest the Cookout Kit maybe spawn some coal the next day after the used kit despawns. The campfire, being a permanent and reusable lighting source, would not work well for this. I mean, sure you already need 3 coal to make it, but you also need 15 wood which suggests, like the Charcoal Kiln turns wood into coal, that the cookout kit could still drop anywhere from 2-5 coal to be used in your next kit. You could even go so far as to make a deluxe kit that adds a stone requirement (stones that circle the fire) which lasts 2 or 3 days instead of despawning after just one. That however, would require a new sprite and possibly an animation as the glow from the fire would shimmer on the rocks.

If you're unironically suggesting changes try out the game suggestions part of the forum. Personally I don't agree, bringing some aspects of ultra realism while the game isn't meant to be that way is just not fun.
While we're at it let's:
Make it so the mines never reset and monsters never respawn
The elevator in the mines requires spending 2 million to fix because it's a hazard and just going deeper wouldn't make it work again
Make all crafting recipes take time to craft, up to 10 hours for stuff like crystalariums which you can also only craft with help of Maru or Demetrius.
Let's remove all stacking functionality from everything, doesn't make sense to carry around a bunch of stacks of stuff
You will lose health if you hold radioactive ore or bars or anything crafted from them
Chests only hold like 10 items and none can stack, if you have a big item like a furnace you can only put a single one into the chest
Using furnaces lets off toxic fumes and after a while smoke fills the farm so you can't see and you lose health constantly as well as getting fines in the mail
Animals make the mess they do and require constant washing and cleaning of their coop, the outside area, etc.
Every time you break a machine it breaks into about 50% of the composite materials used to craft it - if you hit something with a pickaxe what do you expect?
You get fines for littering and placing anything anywhere
You need to get permits for making any building on the farm and get at least a few health inspections on the farm yearly

I could easily list hundreds of more "suggestions" that add very little in an attempt at becoming more accurate to real life or take away from the game.

 

[stardew_luv]

If you're unironically suggesting changes try out the game suggestions part of the forum. Personally I don't agree, bringing some aspects of ultra realism while the game isn't meant to be that way is just not fun.
While we're at it let's:
Make it so the mines never reset and monsters never respawn
The elevator in the mines requires spending 2 million to fix because it's a hazard and just going deeper wouldn't make it work again
Make all crafting recipes take time to craft, up to 10 hours for stuff like crystalariums which you can also only craft with help of Maru or Demetrius.
Let's remove all stacking functionality from everything, doesn't make sense to carry around a bunch of stacks of stuff
You will lose health if you hold radioactive ore or bars or anything crafted from them
Chests only hold like 10 items and none can stack, if you have a big item like a furnace you can only put a single one into the chest
Using furnaces lets off toxic fumes and after a while smoke fills the farm so you can't see and you lose health constantly as well as getting fines in the mail
Animals make the mess they do and require constant washing and cleaning of their coop, the outside area, etc.
Every time you break a machine it breaks into about 50% of the composite materials used to craft it - if you hit something with a pickaxe what do you expect?
You get fines for littering and placing anything anywhere
You need to get permits for making any building on the farm and get at least a few health inspections on the farm yearly

I could easily list hundreds of more "suggestions" that add very little in an attempt at becoming more accurate to real life or take away from the game.

They may not be able to think outside the box on this, they may have something that prevents that. I doubt they are doing this on purpose. Just saying might want to hold off, ignore if need be and let it go.

 

[SoftViceMaster]

I don't see the issue here...? Like, amethyst is largely a thing used in gifts. And it's a fictional game, far as I know 'fire quartz' does not exist.

 

[KeySmasher]

...Finally, I have no idea what the dying mechanic has to do with any of this and how it relates to minerals.

From the Wiki:
Amethyst is used in the spool of the Sewing Machine with Cloth in the feed to create a Shirt. It is a purple dye when used in the spool of the Sewing Machine with a dyeable clothing item in the feed. It can be placed in the purple dye pot at Emily's and Haley's house for use in dyeing.

Most things have an alternative purpose for coloring in the tailoring mechanic. I just don't care about the clothing or fashion in the game.

 

[KeySmasher]

Oh I want to reply to so much of that. Let's break it down.

Make it so the mines never reset and monsters never respawn

I would be okay with them resetting just once each morning actually. That way, you can leave loot behind on levels you already cleared and run back and forth hauling that stuff out to your chests in the entrance.

The elevator in the mines requires spending 2 million to fix because it's a hazard and just going deeper wouldn't make it work again

One could argue that each 5th floor has to have a circuit breaker reset to enable power to the wall lighting for the next 5 floors as well as powering the doors to the elevator for that floor. Or maybe there's a debris obstruction that needs to be cleared from the shaft that you perform 5 floors at a time pulling debris out at the elevator door on that floor (everything in between settles downward to your level).

Make all crafting recipes take time to craft, up to 10 hours for stuff like crystalariums which you can also only craft with help of Maru or Demetrius.

I like this idea. I had married Maru on my last run through and wondered why she always talked about automating the farm more but never invented anything unique to help with that. She could have made something players have been asking for, like a machine that complements the hopper and works like the auto-grabber only it grabs from machines within 1 or 2 tile range to put the items into it's own storage. She's a nurse by occupation, which seems strange, but maybe some story line where she opens up a hobby shop or something to run repair services on machines and help with advanced construction. I mean, if Penny can get a new house built, why not?

Let's remove all stacking functionality from everything, doesn't make sense to carry around a bunch of stacks of stuff

Maybe the back pack can be given fewer spaces or every item has a volume to use in storage management and we can have wheel barrels, carts, and the like. That would be fun. Hitch up that horse to pull a plow even.

You will lose health if you hold radioactive ore or bars or anything crafted from them

I'm actually curious why this isn't already the case. The ore needs to be given a name though, like Uranium and there would need to be extra equipment slots for things like protective gear. I play Satisfactory once in a while too and this is the case. Toxic gasses as well in that game.

Chests only hold like 10 items and none can stack, if you have a big item like a furnace you can only put a single one into the chest

You kind of repeated yourself on this one.

Using furnaces lets off toxic fumes and after a while smoke fills the farm so you can't see and you lose health constantly as well as getting fines in the mail

Smoke is cleared by the breeze but there could be a limit to how much smoke can be cleared each day to give it that ambiance? We could even add a locust event forecasted as weather like the green rain is and the farmer would have to set up fires all around to create smoke and sway the locusts away when they come the next day.

Animals make the mess they do and require constant washing and cleaning of their coop, the outside area, etc.

A source of fertilizer other than bones and bug guts. Fruit Bats would also drop guano for the same effect. I can see that working its way into the game.

Every time you break a machine it breaks into about 50% of the composite materials used to craft it - if you hit something with a pickaxe what do you expect?

I think this was provided as a way of communicating your intent to pick the machine up rather than interact with it so you don't have to use additional buttons.

You get fines for littering and placing anything anywhere

The town would need a police service to catch you. I think people in such a small community would just assume you were intending to use the item where you place it, or retrieve it at a later date and not care. I put decorations in or around people's houses all the time since I have no need for them in mine and you can't sell them.

You need to get permits for making any building on the farm and get at least a few health inspections on the farm yearly

One could argue that the gold you pay for construction covers that since only one person does all the building. The mage doesn't build really. He materializes new buildings. Nobody is going to challenge him for fear they will have their house disappear in retribution.

 

[FilthyGorilla]

They may not be able to think outside the box on this, they may have something that prevents that. I doubt they are doing this on purpose. Just saying might want to hold off, ignore if need be and let it go.

It's possible they're just a troll, I was humoring them as this is hilarious, good reminder to just let go occasionally though, thanks

 

[FilthyGorilla]

Oh I want to reply to so much of that. Let's break it down.


I would be okay with them resetting just once each morning actually. That way, you can leave loot behind on levels you already cleared and run back and forth hauling that stuff out to your chests in the entrance.


One could argue that each 5th floor has to have a circuit breaker reset to enable power to the wall lighting for the next 5 floors as well as powering the doors to the elevator for that floor. Or maybe there's a debris obstruction that needs to be cleared from the shaft that you perform 5 floors at a time pulling debris out at the elevator door on that floor (everything in between settles downward to your level).


I like this idea. I had married Maru on my last run through and wondered why she always talked about automating the farm more but never invented anything unique to help with that. She could have made something players have been asking for, like a machine that complements the hopper and works like the auto-grabber only it grabs from machines within 1 or 2 tile range to put the items into it's own storage. She's a nurse by occupation, which seems strange, but maybe some story line where she opens up a hobby shop or something to run repair services on machines and help with advanced construction. I mean, if Penny can get a new house built, why not?


Maybe the back pack can be given fewer spaces or every item has a volume to use in storage management and we can have wheel barrels, carts, and the like. That would be fun. Hitch up that horse to pull a plow even.


I'm actually curious why this isn't already the case. The ore needs to be given a name though, like Uranium and there would need to be extra equipment slots for things like protective gear. I play Satisfactory once in a while too and this is the case. Toxic gasses as well in that game.


You kind of repeated yourself on this one.


Smoke is cleared by the breeze but there could be a limit to how much smoke can be cleared each day to give it that ambiance? We could even add a locust event forecasted as weather like the green rain is and the farmer would have to set up fires all around to create smoke and sway the locusts away when they come the next day.


A source of fertilizer other than bones and bug guts. Fruit Bats would also drop guano for the same effect. I can see that working its way into the game.


I think this was provided as a way of communicating your intent to pick the machine up rather than interact with it so you don't have to use additional buttons.


The town would need a police service to catch you. I think people in such a small community would just assume you were intending to use the item where you place it, or retrieve it at a later date and not care. I put decorations in or around people's houses all the time since I have no need for them in mine and you can't sell them.


One could argue that the gold you pay for construction covers that since only one person does all the building. The mage doesn't build really. He materializes new buildings. Nobody is going to challenge him for fear they will have their house disappear in retribution.

If you missed it those suggestions were purely sarcasm, I don't think adding them would benefit anything or anyone in any way

 

[imnvs]

From the Wiki:
Amethyst is used in the spool of the Sewing Machine with Cloth in the feed to create a Shirt. It is a purple dye when used in the spool of the Sewing Machine with a dyeable clothing item in the feed. It can be placed in the purple dye pot at Emily's and Haley's house for use in dyeing.

Most things have an alternative purpose for coloring in the tailoring mechanic. I just don't care about the clothing or fashion in the game.

Ah, I see the issue here. You originally said "DYING" not "DYEING" which are two very different things.

Dying: occurring at or connected with the time that someone dies.
Dyeing: add a color to or change the color of (something) by soaking it in a solution impregnated with a dye.

 

[Malymin]

Amethyst, in real life, is a type of quartz; the in-game description reflects this.

Amethyst, in real life, is also never used for industrial purposes, despite the fact that we use (colorless) quartz for industrial purposes. We don't put amethyst in quartz clocks, for example, because it would be a waste of its ornamental qualities.

I don't think it's 'unrealistic' that we can't turn Amethyst into refined quartz. Because yes, you could technically use amethysts in electronics in real life - but nobody does it.

People don't use sapphires or rubies for industrial purposes either, even though corundum as a mineral has industrial uses as well.

Why would you want to destroy a perfectly good gemstone?

 

[KeySmasher]

Ah, I see the issue here. You originally said "DYING" not "DYEING" which are two very different things. Dying: occurring at or connected with the time that someone dies. Dyeing: add a color to or change the color of (something) by soaking it in a solution impregnated with a dye.

Thankyou for that correction. It is easy to drop a letter or two while smashing away at the keyboard. You see there... (no you didn't). I almost sent you 'keybord'. If it weren't for the red squiggly underline, I might not have caught that. 'Dying' is a valid spelling and the web browser does not have the same kind of grammar check that a word processor might so I had no such notification of a typo to catch my attention. I know I am not perfect. I often spell 'hanger' when I mean 'hangar' when speaking with the Star Citizen community about ship hangars. And for the record, and partially in response to the troll comment, I am not a troll. I am just a person who believes his words may have value and often take the defensive position to reflect on any criticism to my comments. I noticed you were speaking about me as a gender-non-binary and I applaud you for that but I will disclose for the ease of this conversation that I identify as a male, just like the doctor said I was when he filled out my birth certificate.

You are right on one more matter as well. I agree we can let this topic be for now. Updates keep rolling out so let's just see what changes when they do.