jdodson | Cheerful Ghost

First Person Mario: Endgame

"After over 50 days of rendering FPM Endgame is finally done. I've always said that if I'm going to do a sequel it has to be creatively worth doing.

Software used: 3dsMax 2012, After Effects, FumeFX, Vray, Krakatoa, and Premier."

Gratz to YouTuber @fredlew for making this really epic video. Hadn't considered id be able to see the World 8 level from this perspective. Nearly forgot that level was in the rain too. :D

http://www.youtube.com/user/freddiew?feature=watch

A 2D Open Ended Sandbox in Space

"Starbound begins with you fleeing your homeworld in a space shuttle, just as it’s destroyed by an unknown enemy. With nothing to guide it, the escape pod shoots into space without direction, becoming hopelessly lost in a sea of stars. As luck would have it, the space shuttle makes contact with an abandoned space station and an adventure begins that will take you hurtling across the universe. Starbound contains both quests and story driven missions, buried inside its vast sandbox universe.

So basically Starbound is a 2D sandbox in space with limitless procedurally generated planets to explore. They also mentioned you can "take over" certain planets if you want to, which I find really cool. I was pretty impressed to see spaceships and mechs as awesome vehicles to take you from place to place. Oh right and this 2D epicness comes with multiplayer and is slated to come out some time in 2013.

Recently they posted that you can try an online character creator to see what kinds of ways you can customize your character. Its not a final product, but shows off some of the features we can expect.

http://community.playstarbound.com/index.php?threads/online-character-creator-update-part-deux.15383/

Another interesting bit is that Starbound and Stardew Valley are both published by Chucklefish. Both games look amazing and it looks like Chucklefish is publishing a few others work looking into.

http://playstarbound.com/

eSports & Multiplayer Features Preview

"In the third of our three StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm preview videos, Community Manager Cloaken takes a look at how eSports looks to be evolving with the coming expansion, the look and feel of the multiplayer game, ladder play, and more."

Coupled with the majority of Indie Kickstarter and Greenlight games, I add SC2: Heart of the Swarm to my most anticipated games in 2013 list. Next month can't come fast enough!

Who else is going to pick this up at launch? Bueller, Bueller...

Playstation 4 Unveiling

Many outlets are covering the new PS4 unveiling including Twitter, but for the part of you not following all that, I have compiled some interesting bits about the PS4. Please add the things you find interesting to this thread.

The confirmed specs will be 8G RAM, X86 CPU, hard drive and new video card. Not much in the way of details, but a few confirmed facts that were speculation just a few months ago. They didn't say much about if it will come with BluRay, but I can't imagine it won't. The new DualShock 4 has a touch pad and seems a bit nicer of a design but largely the same. No huge need to change the controller much, in my opinion its already quite good.

Blizzard announced Diablo III will ship on the PS3 & PS4 confirming to me that this current generation of consoles will get way more life that the last ones.

Did you see any bits in the unveiling you found interesting?

http://games.slashdot.org/story/13/02/20/2353229/sony-announces-the-ps4
http://us.battle.net//d3/en/blog/8717945

Travis Admin wrote on 02/21/2013 at 02:23am

I would disagree with "way more life than the last ones." The PS2 lasted ten years, and it was pretty strong at the end.

But yeah, the D3 announcement is interesting. I could see that working well for controllers, and I hope that functionality gets ported to PC-- I'd love to try it.

SignalWarden wrote on 02/21/2013 at 02:26am

I'm curious about the Move software they were showing off. Watch Dogs makes me happy in my pants. Blizzard had a chance to do something amazing, but continued their new tradition of using D3 to disappoint everyone. No real specs. Oh, and for reasons I don't understand yet, their stock took a massive swan dive after the press conference.

scrypt Supporter wrote on 02/21/2013 at 08:20am

Funny that you posted a Slashdot link! I haven't been to that site in years, and almost forgot it existed. Trippy.

I'm disappointed in the singularity of Gaikai/PSN. Cloud gaming doesn't make any sense to me. Maybe if I were a more casual gamer, otherwise I don't get it as a serious option. I mean, I get it as a means of avoiding emulation or installing excess hardware, but latency and connectivity issues make it unappealing to me. Downloading and playing from a local library makes more sense.

The only thing that I really liked was the "share" feature. The games were cool enough, but they were cool before this announcement (Destiny, Watch Dogs, the idea of Blizzard possibly revisiting Starcraft: Ghost, and The Witness).

The emphasis of "immediacy" as an expectation was totally lost on me. Efficiency and ease of access, yes, but immediacy? Brian Regan has a joke about the microwave instructions on Pop-tart boxes, as if toasting it took way too long, "Listen, if you need to zap-fry your Pop-tart before you head out of the door, you might want to loosen up your schedule." Sony created the problem with installing games, installing trophies, updating, etc, all before you could even see the game. Just fix those problems, and we're good!

Don't get me wrong, I'll buy one, and it will be for the exclusives (cursed exclusives). I don't know when, but I'll buy one. Sony will drip more information in the coming months, and all will solidify. One thing about Sony, though, is that they are fond of promising, and not delivering. At least they are focusing on games. That's a nice change from the last system launch. I really want to be excited, but I'm not there yet. I'm just that much more excited about the Steam box and Ouya.

Travis Admin wrote on 02/21/2013 at 01:47pm

"I'm just that much more excited about the Steam box and Ouya."

You hit it right on the head, scrypt. That's where my hope lies.

Blue_Element wrote on 02/21/2013 at 04:16pm

If I had the money I would SO buy that the day it comes out.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 02/21/2013 at 05:52pm

@panickedthumb True, the PS2 had games come out for it long after it wasn't the hot new thing, but it wasn't a majority of new titles and we all moved on for the most part. But yeah, the PS2 hung in there but my statement was more about the longevity of the entire console cycle of that generation. The orig. XBox and Gamecube fizzled out at about the normal time. What I am try to say, :D is that this current generation of PS3 in Xbox 360 will see a pretty long life and my guess is more quality games possibly longer than the PS2. Again, a guess, but we shall see. I think d3 porting to the ps3 is proof of this and other thoughts, but we shall see.

Oh and I agree, Steambox, Ouya and Apple TV are the more interesting things to my eye.

Though I am wondering, will the ps4 ship with bluray?

Oh right, this.

http://www.destructoid.com/psn-purchases-will-not-carry-over-to-playstation-4-246229.phtml

Travis Admin wrote on 02/21/2013 at 09:34pm

@jdodson: Devils advocate: I'm not saying PS3 won't last for a ton of time, but a big game releasing on both the 3 and 4 doesn't necessarily say much about that. New, big-budget games will continue to come out for the PS3 for some time, until it makes sense to stop supporting it, same with the PS2. I think the GameCube and original Xbox faded much faster because the PS2 was the clear winner last gen. This gen, it's much more balanced between PS3 and Xbox, and the Wii has their own corner.

Basically, if people just switched gears right now, they'd lose SO much money. It doesn't make sense from a business perspective to stop supporting this generation when the next one first surfaces.

Travis Admin wrote on 02/21/2013 at 10:03pm

But really we're saying the same things. This generation *will* last a while. I just don't think you're giving last gen enough credit :)

scrypt Supporter wrote on 02/21/2013 at 10:09pm

No PSN content transferable from PS3 to PS4? This will hurt Sony, badly. Even less of a reason to jump over sooner rather than later. I was watching the IGN post show on Twitch, and one of the guys was talking about how developers and hardware makers are the only ones anxious to get this next gen started, while the consumers, namely gamers, are fairly content with what we have.

Travis Admin wrote on 02/21/2013 at 10:15pm

" No PSN content transferable from PS3 to PS4? This will hurt Sony, badly."

Yeah. I'm not biting until there's some killer game I need, and it's $200 cheaper, just for that.

And I can pick from any of my current gen games, fire up the console, and be absolutely blown away by how beautiful it is. I'm still getting that sense of amazement. I'm pretty content to keep it that way.

Hopefully (it'll never happen but...) we'll get PS3/PS4 combo packs so you can build a PS4 library while you play your PS3. There was a rumor about the NeXtBox having some kind of cross-compatibility,so you get the game and you can play it on 360, it just won't look as nice. But since the architecture for PS3 and PS4 is so different, that's basically impossible.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 02/22/2013 at 03:32am

Its not impossible, its just a matter of priority. I wish we didn't have to throw all our stuff out when a new console came out, but it seems that's what we have to do. I would really love to get a PS4, but right now my excitement is purely on the technical not the user facing part of it.

scrypt Supporter wrote on 02/22/2013 at 08:27am

When we were kids (I'm assuming most of us here are around a certain age) and the idea of home consoles were being birthed, we didn't have issues like legacy content, or backwards compatibility. When the Super Nintendo came out, I certainly don't remember thinking "God, I wish I could play NES games on this system." Our beginnings were not buried in the past at that point. Nostalgia was in the present. Now, on the other hand, one of the things we want the most is to revisit the adventures and challenges of our youth, and it's the one thing that keeps getting pushed further away, more and more difficult to grasp. The cloud could very well be the answer, as much as I hate the idea. It's one answer, at least. I suppose my fear of "losing control of my content" is a false fear. I don't seem to have much control over my content as it is.

I'm not trying to be a downer, or rain on the parade of new technology. I'm just expressing concerns and the types of things I fantasize about as a gamer. In the 90's, I always thought they would release some sort of CD changer attachment to store games in, allowing you to shuffle through your library and play your title of choice without having to leave the couch. If the Ps4 allows you to rip games to the hard drive and allow you to play them without a disc inserted, that's a day one purchase for me, cloud be damned. Probably won't happen, but it is possible...

I like hearing the different perspectives here. Seems a good group with open minds and the want to discuss!

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 02/23/2013 at 01:33am

@scrypt:

Kids expectations: I totally remember that :D I use to think there would be some kind of adapter I could plug into my NES to run SNES games. I swore up and down I was waiting for that and it never came. God the SNES anyway and it was awesome. But I think its a reasonable new expectation to say that companies can allow you to keep your content as you move to new systems. Pragmatically it adds value to the whole mix which is good for everyone.

I would also say, NES, SNES, Gameboy, etc will be forever saved in emulation. I can plug in a usb controller and play FFIV now with no troubles. Or in some cases, buy it on my phone. So some old content I own, like The Legend of Zelda, will never leave me even if the horrible day comes where my NES fails to work.

I think now with Steam and emulation the days of having a ton of content at your fingertips is now. Its just now with consoles... yet. I mean, unless you just keep around your old PS3 then you still have it and all. Which, right now, sounds like a simpler prospect that getting the PS4 and getting all new content or somehow making room for another boat under my TV which I don't really have.

hardeyez wrote on 02/23/2013 at 02:43am

https://us.playstation.com/ps4/

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 02/23/2013 at 03:48pm

PS4 will not block used games;

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-02-21-sony-tells-eurogamer-playstation-4-will-not-block-used-games

Travis Admin wrote on 02/24/2013 at 05:38am

Maybe, maybe not.

http://www.geeky-gadgets.com/ps4-may-not-allow-used-games-after-all-02-23-2013/

http://penny-arcade.com/report/editorial-article/think-the-ps4-wil-be-best-friends-with-used-games-not-so-fast

It's unlikely that they'll block used games, but it's still not a closed case.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 02/26/2013 at 11:50pm

http://www.fmvmagazine.com/?p=15772

scrypt Supporter wrote on 02/27/2013 at 06:30am

A typical "launch window" is, what, up to 4-5 months following the system launch? We won't know what the Ps4 launch games will be until maybe December/January of this coming holiday season. I mean, we'll know most of them by around October at the latest, but the few that they've announced so far are mostly current-gen games that will see next-gen versions. They really don't need to do much to improve on the Playstation family of launch games. To be fair, though, most launch games tend to be pretty weak sauce; developers familiarizing with their new playground. Not all, but most.

I'm certainly curious.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 02/27/2013 at 04:40pm

Fair enough and I typically only pickup titles that are cross platform anyway. Killzone and the Uncharted games never really appealed to me.

scrypt Supporter wrote on 02/27/2013 at 05:05pm

I found the Killzone's to be boring as hell. I'm a big Halo fan, in the FPS respect, so I tend to be picky. Resistance is a nice series, though I haven't played enough of the third one. I loved the Uncharted games (except for the Vita title). That Indiana Jones vibe really comes through, and the characters are really engaging. Looking forward to The Last of Us for that reason.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 02/27/2013 at 05:33pm

Last of Us looks interesting. I have Killzone 2(used) and some Resistance game. They seem kind of the same to me. The games I loved on the PS3 were: Civilization Revolution, Wolfenstein, Portal 2, Fallout 3, Rage, The Orange Box, NBA 2k(guilty pleasure for certain), Borderlands, Borderlands 2 & Street Fighter IV. Nothing really "Playstationy" in that mix and all told I it gets more use on Netflix and as a BluRay/DVD player than a game console now.

That said, they haven't ruled out Disc based PS4 compat and if they had that I might be down. I didn't really dig in much for downloadable stuff so my loss in that arena isn't huge. I never trusted consoles to keep the DLC bits going forward so I didn't buy much of it, save Zuma for my wife :D

scrypt Supporter wrote on 02/28/2013 at 12:05am

Good foresight on your part about the downloadable games, at least regarding moving forward onto the new systems (as far as we've heard)!

The only PSN title that I'm eternally grateful for, is Journey, which is a moot point now, because it's on disc. In fact, the two games that impacted me the most in this current generation are Portal and Journey. Brilliant, brilliant games. Journey even brought me to tears. Both relatively short, but I'd bypass a number of titles to have those types of experiences again, no matter which platform they are on, and that's the rub, right? You never know where that next moment will occur, and so you prepare for it (at least I do) by investing in the real estate, the many consoles and platforms that give us access to these things, these creative visions. It's the blessing and the curse of being a gamer.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 02/28/2013 at 02:17am

Well, I think at the start of this current generation of consoles and getting a new PC in the last few years I really didn't trust any form of digital store, Steam included. So I stuck to console stales because, generally speaking, you had a physical thing you could loan or resell. Over time Steam sold me on the prospect that when I got something it could have a longer life beyond the span of PC I bought it on. I got my feet wet with a few bundles and then jumped into getting a few games and a bit more and now my collection is pretty awesome :D

But even at the launch of CG I wasn't certain of the future of digital. So, at the end of the day now I sort of think it was good to not go digital on a console, and I still won't because they can't get that right and jumping into Steam was a really good idea.

Travis Admin wrote on 02/28/2013 at 03:02am

I'm with you on Journey, scrypt. Two of the best moments in gaming came from that game.

I had been playing with a stranger (obviously) for about two hours. Then my internet died or theirs did. Suddenly I was alone again and felt real loss. It was something I don't think has ever happened to me in a game before.

And the ending, which I won't spoil.

scrypt Supporter wrote on 02/28/2013 at 04:30am

The experience I had with Journey, the first time through, was with one other player joining in sometime around the second area, and we stuck together the entire rest of the game. Each moment was a discovery for both of us, and developing our own "morse code" for communication... the whole experience felt so satisfying. I actually felt for that individual as we struggled through the drama, and felt uplifted at their/our mutual accomplishments. So much so, that when the game ended, I messaged him/her on PSN, proclaiming how that was one of the definitive moments in gaming for me. Not more than a few seconds went by, and I had received the same message from them. They must have been typing just as I was typing. I don't know if that kind of experience could ever be recreated in any other game. I treasure it deeply.

Travis Admin wrote on 02/28/2013 at 04:43am

I think it's time to go back to that game. I didn't want to just jump right back into it because it couldn't be the same. Maybe I'll see you there :)

scrypt Supporter wrote on 02/28/2013 at 05:41am

Maybe :)

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 02/28/2013 at 05:02pm

Sony drop details on the new UI for PS4: http://www.joystiq.com/screenshots/playstation-4-interface/

scrypt Supporter wrote on 02/28/2013 at 05:11pm

As long as they can keep advertisements off of the pages outside of the store, I'll be happy. Oh, and allow us to sort downloaded games and content alphabetically. Seriously.

Travis Admin wrote on 02/28/2013 at 05:12pm

I'm pretty OK with that interface.

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Ancient Claw & Tundra Solitude for The Wind Stone

Over the last few weeks I have heard a fair amount of praise about the Skyrim score but only just recently picked up the 4CD set. Over the last week or so I have been listening to Jeremy Soule's score and needed to say a few words about it.

If you love ambient, earthy scores weaved with the right amount of classical you need to pick this up. The song featured in the video above "Masser" showcases how elegantly Soule weaves various elements to immerse you in Skyrim's Nordic ascetic.

Often times with other game scores I come to a song that is thematically out of place or more pomp and show than substance. The Skyrim score contains songs that are woven elegantly together in a way that start to finish there are no out of beat moments. Soule's score earns its high moments by taking the listener a journey. In fact, Soule's score might stand alone in terms of thematic elements that fit together, in my opinion. In the age of the iPod, where composers write each song to stand alone, often times this makes a score a tough thing to listen to start to finish. Soule's Skyrim score doesn't institute this philosophy and is a refreshing take on what a video game score can be.

Clocking in at 3 hours and 38 minutes the score doesn't feel its length and find that the end comes faster than I want. Soule's Skyrim score made me an instant fan and I am going to actively seek out more of his body of work.

RetroLiberty: Top 10 NES Games

RetroLiberty is a cool YouTube channel dedicated to retro games. I appreciate both guys on the channel because the production value is much better than the average retro video faire. In this video they are discussing their top 10 NES games. I track with them on the list for the most part, but personally would have handed the top spot to The Legend of Zelda. Mario 2 would have been my number 2.

I also slightly disagree with them in that Super Mario 3 was not a perfect game. I argue it would be perfect if it had a save feature so its close but not entirely perfect. The version that ships on Super Mario All Stars shipped with a save feature and the graphics were a bit nicer too. But I digress, check out RetroLiberty and their top 10 NES games video, its quite a bit of fun.

Oh and happy Retro Tuesday!

http://www.youtube.com/user/RetroLiberty

Gary_Butterfield wrote on 02/20/2013 at 07:03pm

Yeah, Mario 3 is not quite perfect and that's exactly why. SMW, man, SMW. I'll check this out though. I like video game youtube content a whole lot. It's probably my favorite thing before bed.

Gary_Butterfield wrote on 02/20/2013 at 07:03pm

Haircuts!

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 02/20/2013 at 08:24pm

Yeah these guys really up the quality for retro videos. They seem to have a nice backlog too so you might have enough content for many evenings.

SignalWarden wrote on 02/20/2013 at 10:37pm

I can see the contention between Mario 2 and 3 but in my opinion 3 gets it because while 2 was great and different, 3 actually changed the way games were made. I was clenching my jaw waiting to pounce when I didn't see Megaman 2. Bullet dodged.

Gary_Butterfield wrote on 02/20/2013 at 10:39pm

I'm not sure I like SM2 more than 3, I just like SMW much more than both of them. Yoshi's Island is better than SM2 and 3 too, I think.

Gary_Butterfield wrote on 02/22/2013 at 05:25pm

I watched a couple of these and I actually think I hate it! I'm sure they're nice guys but the cut aways and visual gags are way too much like Jim and Derrick. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2UhgSad0rM

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 02/22/2013 at 06:02pm

Interesting. The only one I have seen is the above video, do they verge too much from that style?

Gary_Butterfield wrote on 02/22/2013 at 06:17pm

The rest are a game chasers style thing with them striking out at flea markets. The top ten thing was nice, music wise, but I think the writing was a little off (you know, never say "tight controls"). Over all it was OK. The game chasers things just don't have much to them. Lots of forced attempts at humor, no big cool finds. The guy on the right has a nice smile though.

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The March To Perfection

Typically the new games I am the most excited about launching are Triple A studio titles. For many years, to me, they have been the pinnacle of rad. But starting this year that has changed. My most anticipated games coming out this year contain only one large studio title and the rest are from Indie companies.

Since I reject the hipster lifestyle I can attribute this to a shift in gaming at large and my gaming tastes evolving. For the last few years, Triple A titles primarily released on consoles have ruled the roost but this is changing significantly as more great Indie companies release awesome stuff. This stuff isn't just on consoles, its primary release is PC and often tablets and phones. Its a pretty awesome evolution too as the average Indie company can, for the most part, release a game a year while some Triple A titles can be in development for 5 or more.

Plus many of the games just look like fun. And I wanted to share with you what games I am looking forward to being released in 2013. The list I would have written in December is now, much, much larger but if you read the site as much as I do, most of these games won't come off as too much of a surprise. But its fun to collect them all for posterity sake.

bit Dungeon II: KintoGames sequel to the horribly addicting browser & iOS Dungeon crawler. From the occasional post on the Kinto blog it looks like BD2 will include co-op, which is a pretty awesome trend in many of the games on my list. Apparently I love playing games with friends or something.

Mew-Genics!: Team Meat's next game. They had me at the soundtrack and I have heard through the grapevine they will drop some more meaty news soon. Regardless, I am really excited for Edward McMillens next game.

Monster’s Ate My Birthday Cake: This is the first game I ever Kickstarted and I can't wait for this to drop. The visuals, play control and goal of this game really floored me. I like fun puzzle games and I can't wait to play this on my phone and PC. Visuals featured above.

Hammerwatch: A retro themed Gauntlet styled hack-n-slash featuring co-op? I can't help but think this game is an answer to my geek prayers. This games pixel art ascetic, concept and dungeon crawling really look quite cool. Can't wait to feed this to my Wizard...

Delver’s Drop: Fluid gameplay, built for replayability & awesome graphics mean Kickstarter <3. I hope they blow the door out on their goals so we can get more stuff added to this one.

Stardew Valley: Don't judge me for wanting to chop grass and wheat all day. So I like tending livestock and getting all sustainable crops with my farm.. its all good! Add in 4 player co-op... I don't know if ill sleep.

Starcraft 2: Heart of the Swarm: I can't tell a lie. I love Starcraft. Zerg is my most beloved race. I pre-ordered the Collectors Edition. How could I not, its like a game about... Zerg.

http://kintogames.com/
http://www.mewgenics.com/
http://sleepninjagames.com/
http://www.hammerwatch.com/
http://delversdrop.com/
http://stardewvalley.net/
http://us.battle.net/sc2/en/game/heart-of-the-swarm-preview/

StarCrafts Episode 24: The Uneggspected

Just when you get to the base... Its all over.

Time Lapse Video Recreating a Scene in Doom

An interesting time lapse video of TJ Townsend recreating a scene in doom in high res. You can download the scene as well.

http://elemental79.deviantart.com/art/Doom-Pinky-Demon-Blocks-the-Exit-353835625

Interview w Eric Barone Creator of Stardew Valley

Eric Barone is the creator of Stardew Valley the new open-ended country-life RPG with co-op. After posting information of the game to Cheerful Ghost I realized that most of you were as excited about seeing this game and needed to know more about it. In the original thread I asked people to submit questions for the interview and @WhiteboySlim & @scrypt stepped up the the challenge. I wish Eric well and a speedy launch of Stardew Valley!

jdodson: The first time I saw the Stardew Valley video my mind exploded in excitement. The game seems to focus on a community & co-op and I noticed an in game conversation about crop sustainability. As you were coming up with the concept for Stardew Valley what were some of your goals with it?

Eric Barone: I've always been a huge fan of the Harvest Moon games... but missed the feel of the first couple of titles in that series. I always craved another game in that style, but with "even more stuff". That's what got me started on Stardew Valley. In writing dialogues and stories for the game, some of my own personal interests and concerns inevitably get injected into the game. That's why you'll see some things about sustainability, the environment, existential angst, fear of failure... these are things I actually care about myself. So I guess my goal is not only to make the game I always hoped for, but also to connect with people out there through a shared understanding and experience.

WhiteboySlim: I am curious what game inspired you while making Stardew Valley?

Eric Barone: Well, there's an obvious harvest moon influence, as well as all the other old SNES RPGs I played when I was younger... but I also played a lot of minecraft, terraria and sim city during development so far, and definitely drew some ideas from those games.

jdodson: Since you have been showcasing Stardew Valley on Steam Greenlight and the web I wonder what you reaction to the response has been? Has anyone demanded you add guns, loot and hats?

Eric Barone: People haven't made too many demands, but there's definitely been a lot of requests for different things, including guns, loots and hats hehe. I like to hear everyone's ideas... if something seems really popular and not too insane to add in then I'll probably do it.

jdodson: There haven’t been a lot of games focusing on a thriving farm. I think the last one I played was Farmville and it was WAY too simple to be awesome. I wonder how you have approached adding a deeper element to Stardew Valley than just plant, harvest, plant.

Eric Barone: I want players to always have multiple ways to accomplish the different goals they strive for. So, if you didn't want to farm, you could just spend all day in the mines instead. Or you could become an all-star fisherman and cook the finest seafood platters. I am still working on the game, but I really want to add in more open-ended farming features, like crop or animal breeding, as well as plenty of end-game content to keep the game interesting for a long time. The possible area you can farm is actually pretty massive, so you'll need a lot of special equipment to be able to reach your full potential as a farmer.

WhiteboySlim: The video showed off quite a bit of combat. (Is that an orc at 1:24?) But I noticed the list of skills they mentioned don't seem to relate at all to combat. Will combat be a major part of the game, and if so, how will your character improve their fighting ability?

Eric Barone: Combat can be a substantial part of the game if you want it to. There's always other ways of getting the items you need than exploring deep into dangerous areas, though. Your character will improve fighting ability mainly through finding better weapons and accessories. You can also eat cooked meals and drink beverages to give yourself temporary boosts to combat skills and to heal yourself in dangerous situations.

jdodson: Lets say I have an awesome run in Stardew Valley but I want to start over from scratch. Is the game setup for multiple runs or is it fairly linear?

Eric Barone: There is a story in Stardew Valley, which includes little scripted cutscenes. So if you start another game you might have to watch some of those again, unless I include an option to turn it off. However, there are plenty of things that are less linear and will be worthwhile to try in different ways... for example, you can try to marry another person or make choices that affect the community in one way or another.

jdodson: What is your favorite riddle?

Eric Barone: What has it got in its pocketses?

WhiteboySlim: As far as the co-op goes, can you provide some more details about how that will be handled? Will co-op work over a LAN or will it be internet only? Will the other players just be dropped into your town as visitors or will you all exist within the same town?

Eric Barone: Co-op will work on both internet and LAN. What I'm planning is that any farm you create could work as a potential "server"... so there will be some way of setting your farm as "open", and then your friends can stop in and play with you. Friends could even set up a permanent home in your valley. So it's kind of up to the you and the people you play with as to how closely you want to play together--as a full co-op, or as separate valleys with visits to each other.

jdodson: Will the game allow you to change your appearance, house, clothing or allow any other kind of customization?

Eric Barone: Yes, there will be many ways to customize your game, including but not limited to furniture, flooring, wallpapers, accessories, haircuts, and houseplants.

jdodson: In the trailer it says you can “uncover the secrets of the caves.” I wonder if you can give us a bit a spoiler? What's so secret about the caves?

Eric Barone: The caves are deep and very old... There are rumors of strange, intelligent creatures living down there, in the darkness. Some say they snatch things from people's houses at night.

Scypt: I'm wondering if there are any story elements, or adventure objectives.

Eric Barone: There are story elements that will give you goals to strive for... and there will probably be smaller quest-like objectives as well, with satisfying rewards to make them worthwhile. All of these will be optional.

jdodson: In SimCity you could select things that would destroy your city. Like an earthquake, fire or in the Super NES version Bowser would rampage through your City like Godzilla. Will there be any events that could wipe out your crop, livestock or house? Sorry, I love things that have post apocalyptic elements. Speaking of, I have an idea for Stardew Valley 2. Or rather, Stardew Valley 2232. A few survivors are still on the earth and have formed a small society. Plants are growing again, some animals survived. Same game as Stardew Valley BUT its for the survival of the human race and the advancement of plants and animals on the earth. Throw in some mutants and an evolved Squirrel race that want to wipe out humans and I think we are talking a million units shipped. Throw in a Steam sale and its early retirement!

Eric Barone: haha interesting idea! I don't want to punish players randomly with terrible storms or hurricanes... but then again, in real life farming can be a challenge! I think that most disastrous things in Stardew Valley will be avoidable somehow, so you never feel like the game is trying to make you irritated and depressed and without hope...

jdodson: I am wondering what the coolest feature in the game is for you and the people that have played it so far?

Eric Barone: So far, I've really enjoyed giving myself tons of resources and just designing a really cool looking farm. But that's just me. Another one who's played Stardew Valley says she likes exploring and discovering new areas and monsters in the mines!

jdodson: Thanks for taking the time to answer our questions before we go are there anything you want to say about Stardew Valley or its post apocalyptic survival sequel?

Eric Barone: I'd like to invite everyone reading this to come visit http://www.stardewvalley.net and help shape the future of this game with your comments, ideas, and encouragement! :)

(Maybe your apocalypse sequel idea will really take off ;)

Thanks for having me on the site!

jdodson1

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