Return to Ginger Island

[Miretar]

Well I went back on another character and decided that the island is a wash out as far as I am concerned.

1. I paid iridium, hardwood and battery packs for the boat repair. In normal circumstances, I would own this boat, instead of having to pay a 1k to use it.
2. It takes too long to arrive. Yes you can by an obelisk but that’s down the road.
3. Hunting golden walnuts really bores me. I’ll be damned if I fork out to repair the beach club so that the villagers can loll in the sun drinking pina coladas while my character runs around like an idiot. Especially since this farming life Includes no leisUre for the hard working farmer. No lounging in bed with a book drinking hot chocolate or barbecuing ribs on a deck. ai have come to a conclusion about the beach club; either Willy is giving them the rides to the island for free, or there is so much money in this town that they can easily pay for the tools and materials to fix the boat.
4. I have a farm. I don’t need another one. The only thing that interests me is the enchantment to kill armor bugs andI can live without that.

No more favors, no more quests. When they stop asking the same question over and over without waiting for an answer, maybe we’ll talk.

 

[tulinya]

i have all walnuts collected every time i go there to look after my farm i go back almost right after because there's nothing to do unless it's to chop down some coconuts for exchange for golden ones to bring to clint

 

[Maher]

I’ll be damned if I fork out to repair the beach club so that the villagers can loll in the sun drinking pina coladas while my character runs around like an idiot.

No, no, no! You repair the beach club so you can catch stingrays and chill with the Pirates! You can leave the thing closed and ditch the villagers on the mainland!

 

[Benhimself]

You know.... you can spend a day lounging on the beach sipping pina coladas, too, right? Like by the point you've unlocked ginger island you can probably afford to take a day or two off here and there. Sit on a bench. Chat with your favorite NPCs in their swimsuits. Enjoy the cool tropical tunes and the sound of the ocean. Do some casual fishing or write your name in the sand with a hoe or bring a furniture catalog and decorate or whatever else strikes your fancy.

 

[FilthyGorilla]

1. I paid iridium, hardwood and battery packs for the boat repair. In normal circumstances, I would own this boat, instead of having to pay a 1k to use it.

Not your boat, you helped out of your own volition
And you're paying for Willy to drive you, just because you fixed his boat doesn't mean you should get free rides everywhere

Plus 1000g is not much, it buys you a couple beers and a salad at most in this game

2. It takes too long to arrive. Yes you can by an obelisk but that’s down the road.

How, the ride there outside of the first is skippable
You can buy the beach obelisk which is cheaper
You can use the minecarts to go to clints then walk down

It takes maybe 40 seconds

3. Hunting golden walnuts really bores me. I’ll be damned if I fork out to repair the beach club so that the villagers can loll in the sun drinking pina coladas while my character runs around like an idiot. Especially since this farming life Includes no leisUre for the hard working farmer. No lounging in bed with a book drinking hot chocolate or barbecuing ribs on a deck. ai have come to a conclusion about the beach club; either Willy is giving them the rides to the island for free, or there is so much money in this town that they can easily pay for the tools and materials to fix the boat.

That's more of a you thing than anything
You can also just pay money to get all the walnuts

Again, this is all optional, don't want to do it? just don't

If you're a real killjoy you could just have the resort permanently closed, that'll show those pixelated game characters!!

4. I have a farm. I don’t need another one. The only thing that interests me is the enchantment to kill armor bugs andI can live without that.

The farm is a giant greenhouse and is entirely optional to use, it's definitely the easiest way to get cash in this game though so consider using it

There's more to ginger island than one enchant and a farm, many useful items are locked behind it

No more favors, no more quests. When they stop asking the same question over and over without waiting for an answer, maybe we’ll talk.

You don't have to accept any of the quests, and you can cancel ones you don't want at any time

That's the thing about stardew, you can do whatever you want, doesn't mean something is objectively bad

 

[HaleyRocks]

1. All types of transportation have some kind of fee. Besides, Willy opens shop 1 hour earlier, to return the favor.

2. Before getting the obelisk from wizard, there is a "free" obelisk on Ginger Island, which you "purchase" with walnuts.

3. Yes! Fully agrees! Walnuts are so very un-fun... In my 2 latest saves, i pay the Joja parrot to unlock the rest; but they cost 10.000g each! (to make that money, i first unlock the island farm, plant lots of starfruit and turn into wine, inside a big shed full of kegs, back at home; 3 batches are more than enough, of 137 bottles each)

4. The Island farm is amazing, really. You can plant all crops, without season restrictions. It has a big plot of land, enough for more than 15x iridium sprinklers and leftover room for Beehouses... Speaking of which, you can plant the most profitable flower for honeymaking near them, without fear of it being destroyed, next season come! There is also that long river, in the shoreline of which, you can plant the plants that do not need water and grow faster, when planted near water (like rice, taro tubers etc)! Last but not least, you do not need to worry about any crows at all, or Lightning Storms, eating away at your expensive crops... No need to lay down scarecrows and lightningrods, either. This is a great reward, in and by itself; you have clearly misjudged it!

 

[LRangerR]

Well I went back on another character and decided that the island is a wash out as far as I am concerned.

1. I paid iridium, hardwood and battery packs for the boat repair. In normal circumstances, I would own this boat, instead of having to pay a 1k to use it.
2. It takes too long to arrive. Yes you can by an obelisk but that’s down the road.
3. Hunting golden walnuts really bores me. I’ll be damned if I fork out to repair the beach club so that the villagers can loll in the sun drinking pina coladas while my character runs around like an idiot. Especially since this farming life Includes no leisUre for the hard working farmer. No lounging in bed with a book drinking hot chocolate or barbecuing ribs on a deck. ai have come to a conclusion about the beach club; either Willy is giving them the rides to the island for free, or there is so much money in this town that they can easily pay for the tools and materials to fix the boat.
4. I have a farm. I don’t need another one. The only thing that interests me is the enchantment to kill armor bugs andI can live without that.

No more favors, no more quests. When they stop asking the same question over and over without waiting for an answer, maybe we’ll talk.

Preach!

I have always said them damn parrots are evil. I mean, one of the first things they do is beat up an innocent turtle.

1. All types of transportation have some kind of fee. Besides, Willy opens shop 1 hour earlier, to return the favor.

2. Before getting the obelisk from wizard, there is a "free" obelisk on Ginger Island, which you "purchase" with walnuts.

3. Yes! Fully agrees! Walnuts are so very un-fun... In my 2 latest saves, i pay the Joja parrot to unlock the rest; but they cost 10.000g each! (to make that money, i first unlock the island farm, plant lots of starfruit and turn into wine, inside a big shed full of kegs, back at home; 3 batches are more than enough, of 137 bottles each)

4. The Island farm is amazing, really. You can plant all crops, without season restrictions. It has a big plot of land, enough for more than 15x iridium sprinklers and leftover room for Beehouses... Speaking of which, you can plant the most profitable flower for honeymaking near them, without fear of it being destroyed, next season come! There is also that long river, in the shoreline of which, you can plant the plants that do not need water and grow faster, when planted near water (like rice, taro tubers etc)! Last but not least, you do not need to worry about any crows at all, or Lightning Storms, eating away at your expensive crops... No need to lay down scarecrows and lightningrods, either. This is a great reward, in and by itself; you have clearly misjudged it!

Honestly, that sounds cool and all, but I think it just feels too gamey, and overall I feel that the island, as a whole, takes more away from the game than it gives back.

 

[Miretar]

You know.... you can spend a day lounging on the beach sipping pina coladas, too, right? Like by the point you've unlocked ginger island you can probably afford to take a day or two off here and there. Sit on a bench. Chat with your favorite NPCs in their swimsuits. Enjoy the cool tropical tunes and the sound of the ocean. Do some casual fishing or write your name in the sand with a hoe or bring a furniture catalog and decorate or whatever else strikes your fancy.

No you can’t. You can drink but you can’t lounge.

 

[Lew Zealand]

Preach!

I have always said them damn parrots are evil. I mean, one of the first things they do is beat up an innocent turtle.

I haven't thought about it that way but good point. I'd rather have the turtle back and maybe wandering the island like the Gem Bird.

Honestly, that sounds cool and all, but I think it just feels too gamey, and overall I feel that the island, as a whole, takes more away from the game than it gives back.

The Fetch Quest. 130 times over.

The RPG staple and while the Help Wanted board and Community Center are similar, their purpose is to introduce you to parts of the game. To nudge the player into exploring and understanding how the game mechanics work. I think the Community Center quests are particularly well thought out for this which is why in 5 longer playthroughs I haven't felt the need to go Joja.

Having magic talking apples doing the fixup work is an odd choice but then we got talking bears with telephone service, witches and incompetent wizards and all sorts of magic piled on top so you might think the nonsensicalness of parrots having set this Walmart-size scavenger hunt fits right in.

But it doesn't.

The Good:
Slowly open up the island
Leo
Birdie
Golden Coconuts (I have 133 now!)
Field office (this is quest done right!)
Seasonless Farm
Gem bird
The Volcano
Pirate Cave

The Bad:
Find 130 of the same things, "hidden" in different ways
Terrapin abuse
2 new captive currencies
Parrot mobsters

The good outweighs the bad but doesn't excuse it. I feel Ginger would be more compelling as a story (it's more compelling as a tool right now) if each part of the island was instead opened by doing things for a different island spirit or similar. The Gem bird puzzle could be well integrated into this. I find having a regular non-magical animal already introduced into the game manage the gatekeeping to be jarring. Parrots don't need to be doing this, they're fine just being Leo's friends and talking in parrot with him.

Island spirits is almost too obvious as to be cliché but they would fit the rest of the game so well! They would be having their ego-driven and event-misinterpreting quarrels and that's why they've closed themselves and their island locations off from each other. You need to collect things (not ditching the fetch quest, just integrating it better) to prove to them that maybe there were misunderstandings and cooperation works better for everyone. It's a freakin' (almost) deserted island, the options are endless!

But of course it's easy to criticize after the fact, and lazy of me to spitball ideas when implementation in-game is fiendishly difficult, especially when the rest of the game is so good. It's never going to be perfect as that's unattainable, if you're waiting for that it'll never happen. Perfect is the enemy of good.

 

[LRangerR]

Perfect is the enemy of good.

I have never achieved perfection, and cannot foresee myself ever doing it, u less I am doing some kinda completionist run, which I am wan to do except for on my favorite games... So it's not completely out of the question for this game I suppose

 

[Maher]

Parrot Mobsters

Puts a whole new spin on Leo talking about his "family."

 

[REtroGeekery]

I don't care much for the island either and rarely do anything with the island farm because my main farm is always going strong by the time I've completed the community center. I just have a short to-do list I accomplish on it and then never return. I leave the resort open so I can see some NPCs while I'm getting things done there and to change up their schedules a bit in the main game afterwards. It keeps things interesting.

 

[stardew_luv]

No, no, no! You repair the beach club so you can catch stingrays and chill with the Pirates! You can leave the thing closed and ditch the villagers on the mainland!

I’ve done this. Closed the resort down. Otherwise everyone you need or are looking for is there, or your spouse abandons the children home alone to go party while you’re stuck somewhere providing for the family that they should be watching unless they are at their places of work for the couple of them who actually have jobs. Plus I hate ruining every single tropical paradise for yet another tourist destination that often deeply impacts the native peoples living their before you arrived.

 

[Maher]

Otherwise everyone you need or are looking for is there, or your spouse abandons the children home alone.

Trixie is gentle with Elliot in this regard. After all, she gave birth to his kid after passing out in the caldera, so she was on the Island, enchanting a fishing rod and **BOOP** an infant materializes in the farmhouse for him to care for. And he's eagerly anticipating teaching Sebastian's kid to read.

 

[Salty1]

I have never achieved perfection, and cannot foresee myself ever doing it, u less I am doing some kinda completionist run, which I am wan to do except for on my favorite games... So it's not completely out of the question for this game I suppose

It's worth doing once at some point, but going for perfection in every run is utter tedium. The biggest flaw with perfection is it requires a jack-of-all trades style farm to reasonably do, otherwise you're overly reliant on getting so many things from the traveling cart or just by chance. Themed farms are just more interesting and fun, imo.

Rushing perfection is also what makes Ginger Island super stressful. I feel like there's -too- much good stuff locked behind it, which is why I appreciate 1.6 letting you get a mini-forge without ever visiting. It's much easier to enjoy the island when you're not there on an agenda and just taking a day off.

 

[stardew_luv]

No you can’t. You can drink but you can’t lounge.

With a mod called Stardew extra areas they give you a whole side of the island that is out of access and out of view of anyone else. Second useable farm house and little bit smaller year round farm and a little area with lounging by the sea. You access it above the layer of hill/mountain above the walnut room. Plus many more coconut trees and caves and things to explore. Whoever imagined it made GI that much cooler!

 

[stardew_luv]

It's worth doing once at some point, but going for perfection in every run is utter tedium. The biggest flaw with perfection is it requires a jack-of-all trades style farm to reasonably do, otherwise you're overly reliant on getting so many things from the traveling cart or just by chance. Themed farms are just more interesting and fun, imo.

Rushing perfection is also what makes Ginger Island super stressful. I feel like there's -too- much good stuff locked behind it, which is why I appreciate 1.6 letting you get a mini-forge without ever visiting. It's much easier to enjoy the island when you're not there on an agenda and just taking a day off.

Mr Fizz makes perfection a breeze! Plop Plop Fizz Fizz oh what a relief he is!

 

[Lew Zealand]

It's worth doing once at some point, but going for perfection in every run is utter tedium. The biggest flaw with perfection is it requires a jack-of-all trades style farm to reasonably do, otherwise you're overly reliant on getting so many things from the traveling cart or just by chance. Themed farms are just more interesting and fun, imo.

Rushing perfection is also what makes Ginger Island super stressful. I feel like there's -too- much good stuff locked behind it, which is why I appreciate 1.6 letting you get a mini-forge without ever visiting. It's much easier to enjoy the island when you're not there on an agenda and just taking a day off.

I recently did Perfection, and this will likely be my only time as you suggest. One and done, the rest of my Farms are themed and I'm working on my current Farm's theme.

For me the way to achieve Perfection with no rush while minimizing fuss was:

• Ginger Island Farm open (no restrictions on growing anything)
• Pierre's Missing Stocklist (no seasonal restrictions on buying seeds)
• 2 empty spots in the Barn and Coop for any animal products you may have skipped
• Buy 20 each of the cooking ingredients from Pierre (Sugar, Flour, etc.). With a Mill, etc I can make these but just buying from Pierre is one and done in a single trip. The Mill is for decoration, not function.
• Check every shopkeeper once and buy every recipe
----- And most importantly -----
• Hoard and put things off til later

The best thing about hoarding is you don't need to waste effort on decisions of what to sell. Just keep it as the g you'll get from whatever the thing is will be dwarfed by the g you get from processing high value seasonal crops in Jars and Kegs. This is the easy way to do it. And putting things off goes hand in hand with hoarding as you're putting off selling as well. You're also putting off making all the things for Perfection so by the time you decide to do it, you already have 95% of what you need.

I started considering Perfection in Year 4 and was done by the end of the year because I had to plan for only about a dozen things and really the last month was just having fun on the Farm and in Skull Cavern, etc. while waiting for my Jars and Kegs to finish up to get the 10M g for that huge ugly Clock. I think the biggest roadblock was getting all the Recipes as I forgot the Dwarf in the Volcano has a couple and I didn't know why I was at 98% Crafting yet I had 2 Big Chests full of everything I'd made as documentation.

 

[Benhimself]

Honestly my issue with perfection has never been the one-of-everything, it's grinding those millions and millions of gold for the clock and to a slightly lesser extent obelisks. Like, when I've shipped and cooked and crafted and befriended everything and everyone, there's at least a little bit of variety in doing all that, but after that all that's left is "wait for ancient fruit to grow, harvest ancient fruit, put ancient fruit in keg, wait for keg to process, ship" repeated over and over until Numbers Go Up happens enough.

 

[chemster]

It's worth doing once at some point, but going for perfection in every run is utter tedium. The biggest flaw with perfection is it requires a jack-of-all trades style farm to reasonably do, otherwise you're overly reliant on getting so many things from the traveling cart or just by chance. Themed farms are just more interesting and fun, imo.

Rushing perfection is also what makes Ginger Island super stressful. I feel like there's -too- much good stuff locked behind it, which is why I appreciate 1.6 letting you get a mini-forge without ever visiting. It's much easier to enjoy the island when you're not there on an agenda and just taking a day off.

Yes, but you still need to get a bunch of dragon's teeth to make the mini-forge, and those things never drop for me. :-)