Tools become damaged over time

[1FlyCat]

Hello residents of Stardew Valley.

I got to thinking, not unlike fences that suffer wear and tear, what if tools in the game slowly became damaged and broken through repeated use and could be repaired or replaced at Clint's? This could extend to crab pots, sprinklers and so on.

Alternatively, instead of degrading over time there could be an extremely random chance an item can break during usage.

This option could be toggled or a maybe a hardmode setting.

I think that it would add an extra challenge to the game. What do you think?

 

[Oblivion_Walker]

If it was added togglable would be the best option cause personally speaking I would hate it

 

[lilan castel]

No no no! I played animal crossing guys! I don't wont this mechanic here too!

 

[LRangerR]

Why are people suddenly recommending all sorts of Animal Crossing mechanics for Stardew?

 

[1FlyCat]

I've not played Animal Crossing, but this seems like a deeply unpopular suggestion.

Stardew Valley employs this mechanic to some extent since fishing tackle, fences, crops and tilled land eventually expire. Therefore, logically would this not extend to other facets of the game?

 

[TheFireNight]

I was a real pain in Breath of the Wild. Please dont.

 

[Akemisora]

If I somehow have spare tools, I don't mind.

(I want to have tool collections with every type of enchantment mwahaha)

 

[LRangerR]

Stardew Valley employs this mechanic to some extent since fishing tackle, fences, crops and tilled land eventually expire. Therefore, logically would this not extend to other facets of the game?

3 out of 4 of the things you just listed were part of the spiritual predecessor to Stardew, Harvest Moon. Fishing wasn't in that game, if you've never played it, but I think there's a big difference between having to replace your tackle and bait, and having to replace/repair your entire fishing rod. (Although, unlike other tools you can purchase more fishing rods, so that one isn't as big of a deal.)

 

[1FlyCat]

I have not played Harvest Moon, but I am aware that it was the inspiration behind Stardew Valley.

Taking this into account, I've adjusted my original suggestion. Perhaps instead of constant degradation there could be an extremely random chance the tool could become broken during use.

 

[rippytrippy]

i would utterly detest that. idk if any of you have ever played ACNH on the switch but a tools breaking feature is so insanely annoying and just a waste of time.

i guess i'd be ok with it if there were a way to turn it off, though

 

[LRangerR]

I have not played Harvest Moon, but I am aware that it was the inspiration behind Stardew Valley.

Taking this into account, I've adjusted my original suggestion. Perhaps instead of constant degradation there could be an extremely random chance the tool could become broken during use.

Imagine your frustration if you have insanely ridiculously bad luck.

 

[1FlyCat]

I merely thought it would add a little degree of challenge to the game, since you can buy replacement tools at Clint's. And further to that, it would be an extremely remote occurrence at that.

Point taken, why add one more game mechanic to worry about?

 

[LRangerR]

You're right, we worry about Sebastian being locked up in his room enough as it is.

 

[Drullo321]

I don't want this option in Stardew Valley. Heck, that is the only question I do not go back to Morrowind (RPG) as there is no way, no mod and no script extender to cancel weapon and armor degradiation. In Witcher I installed mod to prevent it happen. Yes, sure, it would be more realistic, but believe me, alot more tedious and reduce the fun significantly for alot of players.

 

[imnvs]

If you could have multiple sets of tools so that you have one to use when the other breaks? Sure. As it stands... this would just serve to annoy.

 

[Cthulhu]

If you could have multiple sets of tools so that you have one to use when the other breaks? Sure. As it stands... this would just serve to annoy.

Hit the nail on the head. Planning is already hard enough; throwing in random took-breakage is a recipe for frustration.

 

[Hani]

I merely thought it would add a little degree of challenge to the game, since you can buy replacement tools at Clint's. And further to that, it would be an extremely remote occurrence at that.

Point taken, why add one more game mechanic to worry about?

I'm sure there would be an interested niche for it as a mod, but I would hate it as well. Breaking weapons was the last straw for me and my love for Zelda games. I hated BotW and I was a fan since OoT. It was the most useless, frustrating, time wasting mechanic I've faced in a game in a long time. In game design theory, a feature shouldn't exist only because it makes the life harder for the player but because it provides value to the gameplay mechanics.
If you want to make a case for it I would imagine it would be more popular if you focus on a reward for having less worn tools rather a punishment "break" of running out of uses. It wouldn't have to become unusable to become worse with wear for instance you could just make the stats better if it's been freshly sharpened or something.

 

[1FlyCat]

Not a bad idea, @Hani. A degraded tool could become less efficacious overall.

To your point, I would argue there are mechanics in the game that exist only to make life harder for the player, such as crows, lightning strikes, wild animals attacks, fishing tackle breaking, monsters and so on.

But I get it, this seems to be unpopular with most players.

 

[Ereo]

Well yeah, but lightning or crows take out a couple of crops at worst, reducing my profit a bit.

A watering can randomly breaking and needing two days for repair could be either kills all my crops if it happens in the last week of the season.

I can keep fishing without the tackle, or fashion a new one in a couple of seconds, but I can't keep harvesting wood without my axe.


It's just a much bigger annoyance to lose a tool that has no replacement.

 

[imnvs]

But I get it, this seems to be unpopular with most players.

It's unpopular because of how the mechanics already work in game. See...

since you can buy replacement tools at Clint's.

You can't buy replacement tools. That's not how the game works. People are actually upset that the dresser for cabins was removed in 1.5 because it gave them spare sets of tools. (Because it generated an inventory for a farmhand whether anyone logged into that farmhand or not. Folks would build a cabin JUST to have a spare set of tools.) You USED to be able to have spares... but not now. This mechanic wouldn't be so bad... if you could buy spares.

As it stands? It wouldn't add much to gameplay besides frustration.