1313e
Sodbuster
Hello everyone,
I have been playing this game for about 350-400 hours now, and absolutely love it.
So, I am starting this post by thanking everyone (especially CA) that has contributed to the game.
Having said that, I have been thinking lately about a few things that I feel like are missing from the game, or could be added.
One of those things, is that I feel that the Prismatic Shard has very little use in the game.
It is an exceptionally rare gem, that is not only very hard to get just once, but because it is the only gem that cannot be duplicated in a Crystalarium, getting a few of them is going to take a while.
I have therefore always been slightly disappointed about the lack of use that the gem has, given how challenging it is to get them and therefore it should feel (in my opinion) rewarding when you find one.
Currently, (unless anything is planned for v1.5), the Prismatic Shard has the following uses, if I remember correctly:
The latter four were added in v1.4, giving the gem a fair bit more use.
Before v1.4, the Prismatic Shard was actually really only used once, to get the Galaxy Sword.
Given that the shard itself isn't extremely valuable (2,000G isn't that much for a gem that cannot be duplicated) and its rarity makes it not that great for gifting either (a Rabbit's Foot is so much easier to get and Diamonds are arguably better even if they give less friendship points), getting a Prismatic Shard does not feel that rewarding, even with the Magic Rock Candy existing now.
Therefore, I was thinking of a way to give them some use in the end-game: As a material required for giving all your tools a final upgrade to Prismatic quality.
Proposal
All tools (including the trash can) can get a fifth upgrade that requires Prismatic Shards.
Upgrading a tool to Prismatic quality requires it to have all 4 preceding upgrades, like usual.
Optionally, a Prismatic tool can only be used by a player that is Level 10 in the associated skill (this would change a detail for the proposed Prismatic Pickaxe below).
The Prismatic upgrade adds extra power to a tool, plus an additional effect using the magical properties of the gem, unique to that tool (this may also require some interaction with the Wizard, as only he would be able to draw out the magical power of the gem correctly).
Proposed details are as follows:
Upgrade cost:
Prismatic Watering Can:
Prismatic Hoe:
Prismatic Axe:
Prismatic Pickaxe:
Prismatic Trash Can (as with all trash can upgrades, this costs half of the gold the upgrades for other tools cost):
Prismatic Rod (fishing rods are purchased, not upgraded, so they don't really fall in the same list as the other tools, but I had an idea for them nonetheless):
Above are just ideas I have had for a while now for a fifth tool upgrade.
Let me know what you guys think.
I have been playing this game for about 350-400 hours now, and absolutely love it.
So, I am starting this post by thanking everyone (especially CA) that has contributed to the game.
Having said that, I have been thinking lately about a few things that I feel like are missing from the game, or could be added.
One of those things, is that I feel that the Prismatic Shard has very little use in the game.
It is an exceptionally rare gem, that is not only very hard to get just once, but because it is the only gem that cannot be duplicated in a Crystalarium, getting a few of them is going to take a while.
I have therefore always been slightly disappointed about the lack of use that the gem has, given how challenging it is to get them and therefore it should feel (in my opinion) rewarding when you find one.
Currently, (unless anything is planned for v1.5), the Prismatic Shard has the following uses, if I remember correctly:
- Used to get a Galaxy Sword in Calico Desert (can be done only once);
- Used as a universal loved gift (with the exception of Haley);
- Used to get rid of children permanently (probably something you aren't doing in most playthroughs);
- Used in the Wedding Ring recipe (multiplayer-only);
- Used in the Missing Bundle;
- Traded in for a Magic Rock Candy from the Desert Trader (which requires 3, and can be done once every Thursday);
- Used in the Junimo Hut to make rainbow junimos;
- Used in tailoring to make prismatic clothing.
The latter four were added in v1.4, giving the gem a fair bit more use.
Before v1.4, the Prismatic Shard was actually really only used once, to get the Galaxy Sword.
Given that the shard itself isn't extremely valuable (2,000G isn't that much for a gem that cannot be duplicated) and its rarity makes it not that great for gifting either (a Rabbit's Foot is so much easier to get and Diamonds are arguably better even if they give less friendship points), getting a Prismatic Shard does not feel that rewarding, even with the Magic Rock Candy existing now.
Therefore, I was thinking of a way to give them some use in the end-game: As a material required for giving all your tools a final upgrade to Prismatic quality.
Proposal
All tools (including the trash can) can get a fifth upgrade that requires Prismatic Shards.
Upgrading a tool to Prismatic quality requires it to have all 4 preceding upgrades, like usual.
Optionally, a Prismatic tool can only be used by a player that is Level 10 in the associated skill (this would change a detail for the proposed Prismatic Pickaxe below).
The Prismatic upgrade adds extra power to a tool, plus an additional effect using the magical properties of the gem, unique to that tool (this may also require some interaction with the Wizard, as only he would be able to draw out the magical power of the gem correctly).
Proposed details are as follows:
Upgrade cost:
- 5 Prismatic Shards (this could be lowered to 1-3 to make it more accessible earlier on in the game, as proposed by Person090);
- 75,000G - 250,000G (somewhere in that range).
Prismatic Watering Can:
- Capacity increases to 135 charges;
- AoE increases to 6x5;
- Additional effect: Crops that are watered with a Prismatic Watering Can for at least half their growth time (and regrowth time for crops that keep producing), are one quality stage higher than usual.
So, when harvested, a regular quality crop would become silver; silver would become gold; and gold would become a new iridium crop quality.
In order to keep in line with getting perfect catches on fishing, regular quality could stay regular quality (although I admit I find it somewhat strange that perfect fish catches do not increase regular quality to silver quality).
As sprinklers are often used to water crops later on, this may need some adjustments (or a Prismatic Sprinkler can be introduced that has the same effect with a 7x7 AoE, unlocked when reaching 10 hearts with the Wizard).
Prismatic Hoe:
- AoE increases to 6x5;
- Additional effect: Crops planted on a tile tilled with a Prismatic Hoe grow 10% faster (stacks with Speed-Gro and Agriculturist profession).
Prismatic Axe:
- All trees (regardless of stage) can be chopped down with a single hit;
- Additional effect: Chopping a fully-grown tree with a Prismatic Axe has a 25% chance of dropping the tapper product of the same type as the tree.
I am having a bit of trouble coming up with a good effect here.
I personally feel like the Forester or Lumberjack professions would have worked really well here, but because they exist already on the same profession branch, it would make that branch basically obsolete (even when the bonuses stack).
Prismatic Pickaxe:
- All rocks (regardless of size or type) can be broken with a single hit;
- Additional effect: Players that have chosen a Level 5 Mining profession receive the effects of the other profession while mining with a Prismatic Pickaxe.
Players that do not have a Level 5 Mining profession receive the effects of the Miner profession. - Alternative additional effect: Rocks broken with a Prismatic Pickaxe will also break open all orthogonally adjacent rocks (if there are any).
This effect is not triggered by any rock that was not directly broken by the Prismatic Pickaxe (e.g., using bombs or rocks broken through this effect).
Only one of those would be implemented then. I simply had 2 ideas for an additional effect.
Prismatic Trash Can (as with all trash can upgrades, this costs half of the gold the upgrades for other tools cost):
- Reclaim 75% of the monetary value of an item when trashing it (could increase this to 85% with no additional effect, as the effect I propose here requires quite a bit of extra work. Alternatively, could keep this at 60%, as the effect can be rather powerful);
- Additional effect: Items trashed using a Prismatic Trash Can have a small chance (~15% or so, can be lower for certain item types) of giving the player a recycled by-product.
The recycled product depends on what type of item is trashed (I focused mostly on items that a player might want to trash, feel free to add more ideas):- Fish: Bait or Wild Bait;
- Fishing trash: Same as Recycling Machine;
- Crop: Same as Seed Maker (although I doubt a bit someone would ever trash a crop, so maybe this should be something unique);
- Fruit tree fruit: Fruit tree sapling of the same type (extremely small chance probably. Also has same problems as with crops);
- Wood: Same as Charcoal Kiln;
- Hardwood: Same as Wood Chipper;
- Artifact: A random other artifact (maybe with a very small chance for an artifact that has not been obtained before);
- Mineral: Same as with artifacts, but for minerals (could also do something like having a small chance of upgrading a low-value mineral to a high-value one);
- Furniture: Same as with artifacts;
- Crafted: The original recipe components;
- Cooking: Same as with crafted items;
- Miscellaneous (could apply to every item not in any of the other categories, or have a chance of being applied to all): A random other item with a very small chance.
- Alternative additional effect: Items trashed using a Prismatic Trash Can can be reclaimed before the end of the day (limited to 5 reclaims, or limited to the last 5 items that were trashed).
Items that are not reclaimed are lost forever, and grant the X% of their monetary value on the shipping overview at the end of the day.
Prismatic Rod (fishing rods are purchased, not upgraded, so they don't really fall in the same list as the other tools, but I had an idea for them nonetheless):
- Available for purchase from Willy at Fishing Level 10 and 4+ hearts for 5 Prismatic Shards and 75,000G;
- Able to use bait & 2 tackles (effects of tackles stack);
- Tackles last 4 times longer when attached to a Prismatic Rod;
- Chance of catching trash is reduced by 75%;
- Additional effect: The Prismatic Rod permanently has the effects of the "Magnet" bait (+100% chance of finding treasure chests). This effect stacks with any bait manually attached to the rod (including "Magnet").
Above are just ideas I have had for a while now for a fifth tool upgrade.
Let me know what you guys think.
Last edited:
