I'd like the wizard to send us to the past for some smaller quests to complete, rather than have a whole new mode for a different SDV.
I mean, it'd be cool, but not sure if the devs have that much time.
Maybe when The Haunted Chocolatier is doing as well as SDV, that they can focus on another big story, but again, rather sending us back in time, seeing younger versions and learning about the past of many, with a few quests to complete.
Also to explore, so we can have fun in that timeline, too, but mostly just that, and not a whole new game mode to basically play a different game.
Maybe the witch wants to screw around, and the wizard asks us for help to stop her.
Like early Pelican Town being filled with (not too strong) enemies we have to fight when going through, and complete quests while surviving.
It would be a huge mission, and sure, some show a somewhat different personality, as they grew to be the villagers we know now, but some fun fact about younger villagers sounds cool.
And after done with all of that storyline, we can go back by visiting the wizard, just to play around, or even find some new stuff, like furniture, seeds, crafting and cooking recipes from back then. And find some secret places, which have a bit of a story, which we can find out about in the present, then going back to find it out.
With that added, the devs could sometimes make a few new quests to do with that time travel system.
We wouldn't change the future, as it's 2 different timelines(thanks for that one, DBZ), but sometimes a few extras to have fun with, and maybe around each anniversary of SDV, we get those new quests and a few new items.
The timer would need to go very slow, or no timer at all, so we can do more without collapsing, which would need some kind of way to cpounter it,a dn then we'd have 2 SDVs, which may be insane to code, and for players to remember.
Maybe the farm would be just a small place, and Grandpa not being there, not sure if it's a good idea to meet him in person in the past.
Or the wizard holding us back, as we could screw up something in that timeline, so the farm is unreachable.
When going back to the present, and then going back to the past in another season, that could be fun, and let's us have other seeds from Young Pierre.
The mines could be the same, or if this'd be late game, there could be dwarves and shadow people fighting on many floors, and some other enemies to get loot from, which we could also use for new items.
Heck, maybe some items from there for Demetrius, for research on stuff that isn't in the present.
Including new... old fish :P
Lots of work, but wouldn't be as crazy as making a whole new timeline as mode, i think.
I guess no friendship points, as then we'd have almost twice as many to befriend, but they could be more peaceful, so the farmer would always get a nice treatment from the villagers.
This alone, even just a first step being added, could have so much more potential to have the devs slowly give us parts of that past, that we'd be busy for a long time.
Maybe (yes,sorry, i just LOVE to see this happen eventually) a few small hints about a hidden lore of The Haunted Chocolatier, that we'd need to find, and then could find that IF playing both SDV and THC... just hints that we could put together, but wouldn't change the games in any way... maybe finding a few secrets with extra items, but no big stories, cuz that may be a bit too much, and would the devs require to change a lot in present SDV anyway.
And finding some small fun facts we wouldn't know from the villagers in the present times, in the past could be funny to find.
Sorry for the long comment, i just thought of something, and at the spot i come up with ideas for that, each time XD
Side story, and lots of fun to discover and complete.
