Important Quality of Life suggestions.

TruePurple

Cowpoke
I think "quality of life" what it's called when you improve the basic mechanics of the game making them easier to use. And this game has lots of need of these IMO, IMO should be a much higher priority than more content which it has plenty of.

1. Details character info accessible from clicking on a NPC.
Have it detail or at least outline all the things you've learned about a NPC (backstory, dreams, interests, schedule etc.) not just what they like and dislike, and have it accessible from clicking on the NPC instead of having to navigate through a separate menu. All the information you learn about a character you kind of have to memorize, so you got characters with in-depth flesh but you got to remember it all or take notes somewhere else, what a waste/pain that the only information the game only tracks what gifts they like and dislike.
. . . So you'd get notes added to a NPC's profile as you learn it.
1.b Being able to type in your own notes to a NPC's profile.

2. When you click on a space to water it, your character walks as close as is necessary, and waters it, rather than just watering the spot they are on or in front of wasting water and stamina. Similarly you could click on other things like you want to cut down a tree, and the character will walk to the tree and cut it down, rather than having to position your character then do the action. This could be a toggle-able option for those who prefer it the other way. Yes, this might not work on consoles, but give us PC users support too! But it could work with phones (how does it work with phones if not this way?) If nothing else, please make it so the characters don't keep watering the same watered spot because you misjudged whether a another spot was in reach.

3. Radius shown of things like scarecrows when you click on them.

4, The ability to make separate saves when ever we want and revert to earlier saves (no forced rogue-lite stuff please! It's our game, if we want to "save scum" we should be able to) Including being able to save in the middle of the day, the game saving your location etc.

5. Being able to put items on the ground from inventory. (is there a way already? I can't find a way but then I've accidentally had items I was holding end up on the ground) More valuable items could risk some theft but basic items such as wood and stone would not disappear. Maybe the bar for what and how much disappears over time could also be changes based on whether it's on your property.

6. Crafting from chest. If you have a chest open(or perhaps even just standing next to the chest while crafting), then use crafting menu, the crafting menu should count all items in the chest as ingredients available for crafting and pull from the chest. This could even apply to multiple chests.

7. Maybe one could click on a forge etc and it could let you select what you want to forge etc from your inventory/nearby chests. So one could fill a chest with ores next to a forge and a chest of fruits and vegetables next to a preserve jar and it would become so much easier to use these items then pulling items from chests to an available top slot and then using the items on the structure.

8. Being able to talk to NPC while having a item highlighted without giving them the item highlighted. A mouse has multiple buttons, why can't one of them give the item and the other be used for talking?

9. Map telling you where each character lives, right now it only tells you where a few people live. Tracking people down can be such a pain. Maybe you can see the place they live marked on map by going through their profile page.

10. Toggle-able minimap. Perhaps showing where characters are at the moment? This could be another option. If you feel this makes the game too easy, don't use it.

11. Being able to assign hotkeys to backpack slots. shuffling back pack items so you can use something is too much of a pain. Some system needs to make item management better anyway. Maybe shown/active slots can expand out with a click of a button?

12. Allow an option for cut scenes to go faster and when you skip a cutscene still allow the questions and events like healing from wizards forest brew. I've triggered a cut scene and I got to wait for characters to slllloooowwwlllyy walk around etc. Cut scenes are necessary exposition, but at the same time they take way too bloody long making it harder to care about the plot, it becomes this thing I got to suffer through when playing.

12b. Characters can start talking before they get into position and move while you're reading the text.

13. Please have a option where text appears at once and not like it's being typed out. Yes if you click on it, then it appears all at once, meaning you got to be on the ball with clicking to speed up text but not so eager that you accidentally click twice and skip text. Also if one does accidentally skip text, there is no way to go back and see what was said.... gah.
13.b An option to go back and see what was said earlier in a scene.

14. Showing selling price on item description.

15. Pass through gates without needing to open. Closed gates be something players can walk through with graphics of opening but it not allowing any other animals through, only choosing to open the gate would allow the other animals through.

16. More game information. (having to go to wiki for any of this is not a good substitution)
16a Being able to inspect a plant in the ground and have it tell you how long it has left to grow/next time it bears fruit, what seasons it grows in and what it is. Ditto with non-plant production.
16b Hovering your curser over a NPC gives a info window that tells you their name, and if it's their birthday and/or they have a quest for you

17. The ability to rearrange items when using chests or even just in the general item bar. The game currently only allows you to rearrange items on the one screen. Maybe holding down a key while clicking on the item will allow you to pick items up and move them about and/or middle clicking it.

https://forums.stardewvalley.net/threads/lock-items-like-rugs-to-the-ground.5731/ (going to reorganize latter)

Is it alright that I put all these suggestions in one thread or do I need to make a separate thread for all of them? It certainly will make for a more chaotic thread if we are discussing different topics all at once. Maybe I should make a thread for each idea with links to them in this thread?
 
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troob floob

Greenhorn
While a lot of these are good suggestions, some already have solutions. For no. 1, you have the wiki, which isn't in game obviously but is still easy to pull up. For chest crafting, there's the workshop I think it's called, which lets you do exactly that and it purchasable from Robin. For npcs shown on the minimap/ map, I think I read somewhere that CA intentionally didn't put that in, so you'd have to actually look for them and in doing so maybe learn more about them. I'm sure there's a way to revert to previous saves by going into the game files, and for numbers 2 and 8 you get used to it pretty quick, and imo I don't think it's worth making a special feature for.
 

TruePurple

Cowpoke
,One problem is using wiki, aside from going out of the game (which can be a problem if the game is full screen, it doesn't always alt tab well) means you know EVERYTHING about a character. What I am talking about is their information listing in notes as you learn it in game, so it unfolds like a story, not a spoiler bit. Also it's hardly player friendly to be alt tabing in and out of a game and relooking up characters on a wiki over and over.

If we actually have to look for them thus learn more about them, all the more reason to include their details in NPC info page in game that one can access just by clicking on them.

You are saying two opposing thing. You are saying we don't need the game to help us keep track of the NPC story as we learn it, just look it up on wiki. But at the same time how could us players not be forced to wander around town hoping to find this or that character, we need to be forced to learn about these NPC we can just look up on wiki for our own good! Similar to the forced limited save thing, devs seem to think the game will be more fun if they just force us to play it in a certain way, but that doesn't work like that.

Another suggestion would be, being able to assign hotkeys to backpack (non-active item slots that are off screen, don't know the right terminology) slots. shuffling back pack items so you can use something is too much of a pain. Maybe shown/active slots can expand out with a click of a button?

And another, allow an option for cut scenes to go faster and even be skip-able. Yes, sometimes there is a skip cut scene option, but not for the full thing. I hate it when I've triggered a cut scene and I got to wait for characters to slllloooowwwlllyy walk around etc. Maybe they could start talking before moving into position as well as moving much faster. Cut scenes are necessary exposition, but at the same time they take way too bloody long making it harder to care about the plot, it becomes this thing I got to suffer through when playing.

A related note, please have a option where text appears at once and not like it's being typed out. Yes if you click on it, then it appears all at once, meaning you got to be on the ball with clicking to speed up text but not so eager that you accidentally click twice and skip text. Also if one does accidentally skip text, there is no way to go back and see what was said.... gah.

Added three more QoL improvements to OP.

You say, "get use to this stuff" but I don't want a bunch of my time wasted dealing with frustrating game mechanics that could have been implemented in a better way and still can be fixed. It absolutely detracts from fun as well as wasting time.
 
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troob floob

Greenhorn
If you don't like my answer, you don't have to rant about it. I'm simply making suggestions that you might want to follow. I'm not trying to say I speak for everyone when I say something, you don't have to do what I did and would recommend.
 

TruePurple

Cowpoke
I don't think that's fair, Troob. I was responding to the points you made. It's a back and forth conversation.
I don't believe I "ranted" at all, nor did I say you spoke for everyone. (though I have encountered plenty of people online who often speak as though they were speaking for everyone)
Any thoughts on #11- 13?
 

troob floob

Greenhorn
11 I've seen the idea before for, and agree with, but I don't really know how I'd want it to work. 12 and 13 I don't have a problem with this issue myself.
 

imnvs

Local Legend
What you're thinking of is the Workbench. It allows you to craft using ingredients from any and all chests adjacent to it (you can fit 7 while still being able to access the workbench). It is purchasable from Robin and costs 2k.
 

TruePurple

Cowpoke
I haven't gotten to the workbench yet, it does sound like one of my suggestions but maybe it could be accessible sooner and easier? Also ok but does the Workbench do things like refine or or use preserve jar with stuff next to it? What about cooking, can you cook using ingredients from a chest if you got a workbench? (I assume no to all these, it's half rheotrical making a point)

Troob, I'm glad you're mostly happy with how things are, but even you don't seem to be disagreeing with the statement these issues add non-fun game mechanic difficulties and/or waste player time, You're just worried if they deal with these QoL issues they won't add additional content perhaps? Anyway, these issues are big for me, making me want to play less and feeling this game was a wasted purchase. I will be giving this game a negative review for now.

Also you should not describe your feedback to my suggestions as "answers". This isn't a help request thread. if you give "answers" to things that aren't even questions, you risk giving people the impression that you think you have all of the answers, you know. Just some friendly advice.
 
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imnvs

Local Legend
Workbenches are available from Robin from the very beginning, like if you had enough money you could buy a workbench Spring 1 Year 1.

You can cook with ingredients in refrigerators. Your house comes with one and you can buy more mini-fridges from Robin as well. (Most of my kitchens end up with 7.) Mini-fridges become available for purchase from Robin as soon as you upgrade your house to have a kitchen and cost 3k gold.
 

TruePurple

Cowpoke
It shows item sell price in the collections tab lol
*mock laughs back*
So fricken what? It takes time to find a item on the collection page, which this is true, is in a completely different screen that one has to navigate to. Also not all items are listed there or some are super hard to find. Also it won't tell you there how the price adjusts for quality.

I think you are missing the bigger picture here that I spelled out. My issue is the game wasting player time and making things mechanically difficult for no fun, because devs cut corners or wanted to force their idea of how to play etc. Having to navigate through several pages to then locate a item in some collection page when the item could just show their price when you right click or hover above items in inventory along with the rest of the description (I mean there is a description screen already, just add the bloody price there!) is a good example of this!

I'm actually a little surprised you didn't say "look it up on wiki", it does take less time to do so then finding the item on the collection page, but neither are "solutions", both add time and mechanical difficulty to what could be solved with a better game. In this example, the solution seems like it should be really easy to code into the game in at least one form (item showing base and quality boosted prices would be preferred, but even just showing base or just showing quality boosted, either of these would be a improvement to no pricing info in inventory screen)
 

troob floob

Greenhorn
Chill. It's just a few button clicks, and adding how much the item sells for when hovering over it wouldn't look particularly nice imo. Btw, silver quality items sell for 1.25 base price, gold is 1.5, and iridium is double.
 

TruePurple

Cowpoke
Looking up item price through collections takes significantly longer with more hassle, and like I said not all show there. "wouldn't look particularly nice" :hmph: *rolls eyes* There is lots of empty brown space in that item description field, I don't think your esthetics will suffer that much from having a price shown somewhere there. I'm fine with them letting you choose the font, size and placement. (also then does the collections field asthetic hurt your eyes?)

Please stop trying to dismiss me! You said at the beginning I had good ideas, yet at the same time you seem determined to tell me off, this latest "wouldn't look particularly nice" comment being the most egregious and silly though the "LOL" reply was bad too. How about you chill. Change isn't always bad, you know?!? I imagine if SDV had these features (my suggestions) and someone was requesting they remove them, you'd probably be here dismissing them too.

Developers, do you read these suggestions and consider them for implementation? (or players, do they generally do so?) Is it at all likely we might see any of these suggestions in the future? Could I please get some comment from a Dev?
 

imnvs

Local Legend
Yes, the developers read this section. No, they're probably not going to post to say so or to say how likely any of these suggestions are to be implemented as they rarely post at all.

And just because some people have criticism of your idea doesn't mean they are dismissing you. They are engaging in discussion, just from a different POV than you could hope.
 

TruePurple

Cowpoke
Another issue, not sure if this goes into suggestions or bugs or what, but it seems at least some scene skips also skip boosts. Not sure if the dialogue options matter, like what you say to the homeless guy after he's caught going through garbage, and whether skipping that matters. But I do know that if you skip the wizard introduction scene, you don't get the bonus energy from drinking the forest stuff.

Also talking in a cut scene or when buying stuff does not count towards talking to a character for the day. It should.
 
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lmizutani

Tiller
I'm thinking maybe the OP should be subdivided into sections with a common theme. NPC related in its own section (it seems that those are scattered through your list), crafting related in another section - I think those two cover the majority of the list.

As for buying stuff as counting as talking to a NPC - I can only see that applicable to Pierre, Clint, Robin, Marnie - it's not increasing friendship points. It's a simple business transaction - they provide a service/product, you provide payment. Those should not be counted as "talking" to a character, IMO. Now having said that, fulfilling a bulletin board request also should not count as "talking" to a character (I'm not sure if it is or not - it simply increases friendship points) if I were to keep it consistent.

Talking to a character during an event scene (whether you include cut scenes of individual NPCs or not) should count - so on that one I could agree.
 
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