Hey everyone! We thought it’d be good to give you a quick status update ahead of the holidays.

 
So, multiplayer is coming along nicely! Tom is working on implementing marriage between players, and recently finished up working on festivals. Now you’ll have someone to dance with at the Flower Dance, even if you’ve yet to win over any of the residents of Pelican Town.

We had been planning to launch a multiplayer beta before the end of this year, but we’re pushing that beta back to Q1 2018 in order to make room for polish and QA.

ConcernedApe is working on a new content to be released along with the multiplayer update! We can’t say much about it yet, so I’ll just leave this screenshot here.

A number of people have been curious about the PS Vita port we mentioned way back in January, and I’m happy to announce that a PS Vita port is actually happening! It’ll be available next year, and it’ll have cross-buy too, so if you’ve got Stardew Valley on Playstation 4 you won’t need to buy it again to play it on your PS Vita! However, it’s worth noting that we can’t port the multiplayer update to PS Vita.

ALSO! Stardew Valley is getting more language support! Support for French, Italian, Korean and Turkish will be added in 2018.

Phew, I think that’s just about everything we can talk about for now. 🙂
Thanks for all the support this year! I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday break and a happy start to 2018.

P.S – Oh hey, new site design! It was long overdue for some sprucing up. Let us know what you think!

Stardew Valley 1.1 is now available!

The 1.1 update adds many new features to the game:

Changelog

• Shane and Emily are now available to marry. They each have new events, music, and more!
• Spouses now have a unique outdoor area and behavior on the farm.
• You can now choose from 5 different farm maps at character creation. Each map is focused on a different skill area.
  • Standard Farm – The original Stardew Valley farm.
  • Riverland Farm – Lots of water, good for fishing.
  • Forest Farm – Foraging opportunities and a unique weed that always drops mixed seeds.
  • Hill-top Farm – Has a small mineral deposit from which ores spawn, including a unique geode-bearing ore.
  • Wilderness Farm – Monsters spawn at night.
• “Shed” building… An empty room that can be decorated, filled with kegs, etc.
• “Mill” building… Can be used to turn wheat into flour and beets into sugar overnight.
• A new quest that can be started after the Community Center or JojaMart quest arc is complete. The new quest results in a new “magical construction” feature available from the Wizard’s Tower. The new quest is triggered when you enter the Railroad area.
• Added several new locations that are related to the above quest. “Junimo Hut” building (Magical Construction). Junimos will harvest crops within a certain distance of the hut, instantly transporting the harvest back to the hut for you to gather at your convenience.
• “Earth Obelisk” building (Magical Construction). A permanent warp totem to the mountains.
• “Water Obelisk” building (Magical Construction). A permanent warp totem to the beach.
• “Gold Clock” building (Magical Construction). Prevents weeds from spawning and fences from decaying on your farm.
• You can now move your buildings via Robin’s construction menu.
• New house upgrade from Robin that adds a cellar to your house and teaches you the “cask” crafting recipe. In the cellar, you can use Casks to age cheese and alcohol, increasing their quality.
• “Iridium-star” level quality is now attainable for aged goods, fruit, forage items (if you have the botanist perk), and animal products. Iridium-star level items have twice the value of normal items.
• NPC’s now appreciate quality level in gifts, but it only has an effect on gifts they “like” or “love”.
• Added Coffee, a spring/summer crop, and Coffee Bean. The bean acts as the produce and the seed, similar to sunflowers.
• 5 Coffee beans can be added to a Keg to make coffee.
• Honey can be placed in a keg to make mead.
• Void eggs can be placed in mayonnaise machines to make void mayonnaise.
• 2 new fish, “Void Salmon” and “Slimejack”
• You can now choose to color your chests with one of 20 color options.
• Evil Shrines, where you can make offerings in exchange for dark magic.
• Divorce. You can file from a little book in mayor’s house.
• You can now wallpaper the little hallways in your upgraded house.
• When you beat Journey Of The Prairie King, you can now start over in a harder mode, keeping your upgrades and coins.
• 2 new “Lost Books”
• Krobus now sells a “Return Scepter”… a tool which acts as a permanent warp totem to the farm.
• Giving someone a gift on their birthday will never make your spouse jealous.
• Pierre now sells a “Catalogue” furniture item that can be used for unlimited free access to all wallpapers and floors.
• Robin now sells a “Furniture Catalogue” furniture item that can be used for unlimited free access to nearly all furnitures.
• If you’ve found the Galaxy Sword, you can now buy another from Marlon. You can also buy the Galaxy Dagger and Galaxy Hammer.
• Slime balls have a chance to drop petrified slime
• Added a graphics option to display “sharper” stack number digits.
• You can once again plant fruit trees around the edge of the Greenhouse interior.
• Fences take twice as long to decay.
• Balance changes:
  • All animal products are increased in value by 25%
  • The Rancher profession now increases the value of animal products by 20%, up from 10%
  • The Artisan profession now increases the value of Artisan goods by 40%, down from 50%
  • The Blacksmith profession now increases the value of metal bars by 50%, up from 25%
  • The value of Blueberry is now 50g, down from 80g
  • The value of Starfruit is now 750g, down from 800g
  • The value of Cranberry is now 75g, down from 130g
  • The value of Ancient Fruit is now 550g, down from 750g
  • Cranberry Seeds now sell for 60g, down from 120g (The price to buy them from the store is the same)
  • Sunflower can now be grown in summer as well as fall

Bug Fixes

• Wild plums are now labeled as fruit.
• Grandpa’s Shrine should now always properly give the reward for reaching 4 candles (works retroactively if you never received your reward)
• Fixed issue where gathering an item with the “botanist” profession would fail if the inventory was full, even though the gold-level item was present in the inventory.
• Slime charmer ring should now protect against giant slimes
• You can no longer tap a stump
• Fixed Joja Warehouse graphic issue in winter
• “Check action”-mapped keys should now work to attach bait to a rod.
• Rain ambient sound should no longer play in Sandy’s Oasis under any conditions.
• Your baby should now be properly born, even if you pass out in the mines on the eve of the birth.
• Moonlight Jellies engagement crash
• Galaxy sword should now be truly unloseable
• You can no longer lose hay to a hopper because you have no silo.
• You can no longer plant fruit trees off the farm.
• “Attack” foods now properly give an attack buff.
• Clay can no longer always be found one tile above a previously discovered clay spot.
• Blue Jazz flowers in the refrigerator are now properly consumed in cooking recipes.
• Fruit that drops when you chop a tree now properly stacks with fruit that drops when you shake a tree
• Worm bins no longer continue to produce worms every 10 minutes after midnight
• Jack-o-lanterns properly glow
• Torches and other light sources held by player are now properly lit after saving/reloading
• You will now see the final Joja cutscene if you switched to Joja after starting with the community center.
• When retrieving the cave carrot for Marnie, she will only take one from you.
• Fixed strange behaviors when picking up certain items with a full inventory.
• Having no silo no longer causes your hay to disappear when placed in a hopper.
• When a bomb is placed and then the player leaves the area, the resulting debris will no longer erroneously appear in the new area.
• Watering a trough in a slime hutch will now have no effect on the troughs in other slime hutches.
• Using the rain totem and then quickly entering your house no longer causes you to become stuck in the wall.
• The stone floor now look correct in any configuration.
• Numerous minor bug fixes.
• Typo fixes

Note: The new balancing changes correct the values of a few outlier crops that were far more valuable than all others by a huge margin. I don’t want Stardew Valley to make players feel “forced” into one particular way of making money. I think it’s a lot more fun to feel like there are many different options for success. However, I do understand that growing blueberries and making ancient fruit wine is part of the Stardew culture at this point, so I’ve made sure that they are still very lucrative options. But these changes should help players feel like they have a few more options.

I hope you enjoy the new update!

-Ape

The Steam build should update right away with Mac and Linux compatibility, with a direct download through GOG to follow in a couple of days!

Multiplayer, version 1.1, console ports and localization are all still in the works and I’ll update everyone as soon as more info is available.

Big thank you to everyone who helped test these builds before launch!

Hi everyone!

In one of my previous posts, I mentioned that console ports were in the works, but I couldn’t give you any more details at the time.

So today, I’m pleased to officially announce that Stardew Valley is coming to the Xbox One, Playstation 4 and Wii U!

With the help of Chucklefish and Sickhead Games, I’m expecting to have these versions ready in time for the winter holidays!

It’s very important to me that playing Stardew Valley with console controllers is intuitive and effortless. I’ll be the first to admit that the current, rudimentary controller support in the PC version is far from ideal, and it will need to be adjusted prior to the launch.

I’m also excited about the possibility of utilizing special console features like the Wii U’s second screen!

The Mac and Linux version of the game are still in the works, and should be ready very soon! Still working on the multiplayer and version 1.1 updates, too, and will keep you updated. Thanks for all of your patience and support!

I’ve had a whole lot of requests for official merchandise since the game’s launch, so now you can wear Stardew Valley stuff on your walls, bodies and various household objects! Available now on The Yetee!

There’s a big map of Pelican Town, stickers of in-game sprites, and three t-shirts – including this Cave Dwellers shirt that I designed myself!

Marriage/Family life is nearly finished!

When you marry, your spouse will move in with you, say new things, and help you out on the farm. Each marriage candidate has some unique dialogue, so your experience will be slightly different depending on who you marry. Also, some spouses who have important jobs will continue to go into town and work after marriage.

Sometimes, your spouse will help out by watering a significant area of crops (if they can find any, that is).Other times, they’ll feed your livestock or make breakfast.

Just remember to treat your spouse well. If they become unhappy they won’t help you anymore. They might even spend their day laying in bed or saying irritating things to you.

However, if you maintain a happy relationship with your spouse and have a nursery in your home, you could soon find yourself with a baby on your hands:

(People who can’t have biological children of their own can call the Zuzu City adoption agency).

Babies start out confined to the crib, but with time they’ll learn to crawl and eventually walk.

With the completion of Marriage/Family life, I’ll have finished with the vast majority of game content in Stardew Valley. From here on out, I’ll be tying loose threads, adding special touches, ensuring everything is cohesive, polishing, etc.

Stardew will definitely be released this year.

Thanks for reading!

-ConcernedApe

Hi everyone!

The past few weeks I’ve been working on house-related stuff: upgrades, furniture, wallpaper, etc.

It’s been lots and lots of drawing… considering that many furniture types can be rotated and need to be drawn from front, side, and back.

So far, I’ve added 112 unique wallpapers, 40 floor styles, and about 150 pieces of furniture.

You can upgrade your house twice, with each upgrade granting you a new ability. For example, the first upgrade adds a kitchen to your house and allows you to cook. Each upgrade also adds more space for you to use however you see fit.

You can buy furniture, wallpaper, and flooring from the local shops. They’ll carry different styles each day, so you won’t have much trouble making your home look unique!

Next up: Marriage/Domestic Life.

Thanks for reading!

-Ape

Hi everyone!

The community center is complete… I described it a bit in the last update, but here’s a quick rundown (this post contains minor spoilers):

• No time limit to complete the community center.
• Community center is divided into 6 “rooms”.
• Each room requires the completion of a certain number of “bundles” to be restored.
• Each bundle you complete earns you a small (but useful!) reward.

Here’s the menu for a single bundle, the “Artisan Bundle”… on the left is the player inventory, on the right the list of ingredients accepted in this bundle and the bundle slots that need to be filled.

• When you complete all bundles in a room, that room is restored. As a reward, a positive change happens in the game world (more info below).

What are these “positive changes to the world”?

Well, for example, the repair of this bridge:

And the steam power required to get this minecart transportation system back up and running:

Just to name a couple.

Now, about Joja Corporation… I’ve decided not to impose a time limit on players. Here’s my new Joja concept:

JojaMart already exists when you arrive in town. In fact, Joja’s presence is the reason the community center has fallen into disrepair, and why the local mom and pop businesses are suffering. Some townspeople long for the old days, when local businesses were thriving and the town had a strong sense of unity. Others welcome the convenience and affordability of the JojaMart.

The player can proceed in multiple ways:

1. Do nothing. Joja mart will stay in business, and the community center will stay dilapidated and unusable.

2. Restore the community center by completing bundles. Make positive changes to the game world along the way. When this is complete, the local JojaMart will go out of business, and the community center will be restored to its former glory.

3. Ignore the community center and instead help expand JojaMart by spending money. Joja Co. will make positive changes to the game world for a fee. The community center will be demolished forever. The player will receive discounts on Joja products.

This allows players to proceed at their own pace and choose a pathway that suits their own gameplay style and philosophical preference. For players who want more of a challenge,  there may be achievements and/or rewards for completing these paths within a set time limit.

What’s left?

Joja Mart Building

Domestic/Family life

Finalizing  multiplayer

Lots and lots of polishing, fiddling with gameplay, and tying up any loose threads

Fun little touches and secrets

More Testing

Release

Summer is drawing to a close, which is good. It’s a lot easier to be productive when the day is cool and dim.

Thanks for reading!

-Ape

Hi everyone!

So, as I said in the last update, I’m working on the main story-line for Stardew Valley.  My aim is to create an overarching narrative/goal that will give players a stronger sense of purpose in the game world.

The main story-line in Stardew Valley centers around an old, overgrown community center:

Some say it’s an eyesore… others say it’s haunted.

This building was once the heart and soul of Pelican Town… a place for citizens to gather, socialize, and collaborate. But that was long ago, In a bygone age when the valley was more isolated from the outside world. Now, the community center is in shambles, a forgotten relic of the past…

Maybe this newcomer can restore these old ruins to their former glory?

The community center is divided into six areas… the Pantry, the Art Studio, the Fish Tank, the Vault, the Bulletin Board, and the Boiler Room. To repair each area, you’ll need to complete a number of “bundles”:

Each bundle consists of a selection of items and corresponds to a unique aspect of the game. They are designed not to be “grindy”, but rather to encourage players to explore the various facets of Stardew Valley. When you’ve completed all the bundles for an area, that area will be restored and a permanent, positive change will happen in the valley (a new area might become available, for example).

If I do decide to include Joja Corporation in Stardew Valley, here’s how it will work: If you don’t fully restore the community center within 2 years, Joja Co. demolishes it and builds a mega market in its place.

I am still fiddling with this, and ultimately I will base any final decisions on whatever is the most fun. Even though I’m referring to it as the “main story-line”, there’s still tons of goals and things to do that don’t involve the community center.

On a side note, I also expanded the forest area by a lot… added a lake and some other features:

Thanks for reading!

-ConcernedApe

Done with festivals, now I have to think long and hard about how I want to proceed with the Joja Corporation storyline. I do think that having overarching goals to work towards is important for creating a sense of purpose. And I want to make sure that every step along the way is fun, with satisfying milestones to reach and exciting rewards to discover. This is the sort of thing where proper planning is essential.

Here’s a few more screens from the festivals:

Haunted Maze (The strange hermit who lives in the forest set up the maze alone. He wouldn’t let anyone near it until nightfall. What kind of uncanny power is at work here?)

Stardew Valley Fair (Play carnival games! Set up your own grange display and try to win the judging competition! Have your fortune told! Win Star Tokens and trade them in for rare prizes!)

Slingshot game from the Stardew Valley Fair:

I also expanded the town map by nearly 400%! The buildings have some more room to breathe, and I added some new touches to make Pelican Town more interesting and alive.

Things are coming together. I am really excited! Hope you are all enjoying your summer.

Thanks for reading!

-Ape