Farm, Fight, and, er, Fish: The Life Sims Megathread

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Video Games > Farm, Fight, and, er, Fish: The Life Sims Megathread

HopperUK: Apr 29, 2007; Why would an ambulance be leaving the hospital?

I keep buying all of these that come out and then just playing Stardew Valley again. I am making a rule that I'm not allowed to touch my modlist now until at least winter of year 1 so that I don't add yet another 'played for 14 days, discovered new mod, started over' save to the pile.

Currently eyeballing Cozy Grove. But I still play Animal Crossing at least an hour every day, I don't know if I need another commitment like that in my life. On the other hand, perhaps it plays on the Deck.

# ¿ Aug 30, 2022 00:08

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# ¿ May 21, 2024 12:12

HopperUK: Apr 29, 2007; Why would an ambulance be leaving the hospital?

Megazver posted:

I would recommend Potion Craft and Strange Horticulture as lovely genre-adjacent games.

I loved Strange Horticulture. Gave me a similar vibe to the solo tabletop game Apothecaria. It was lovely just to arrange my little plant shelf with the rain outside. Cosy.

# ¿ Aug 31, 2022 03:12

HopperUK: Apr 29, 2007; Why would an ambulance be leaving the hospital?

Galick posted:

does My Summer Car count because oh boy I got words about that one

tell us the words

# ¿ Aug 31, 2022 03:42

HopperUK: Apr 29, 2007; Why would an ambulance be leaving the hospital?

I've tried to get into Portia a few times and meh. I just end up stopping. Sandrock had a spectacular crash bug when I tried it so I've shelved it for now.

# ¿ Aug 31, 2022 10:58

HopperUK: Apr 29, 2007; Why would an ambulance be leaving the hospital?

Arsenic Lupin posted:

It interests me to hear people saying Portia is ugly. I don't much care for the character design, but the landscapes take my breath away.

The character designs are what get to me. I really hate them.

# ¿ Aug 31, 2022 15:36

HopperUK: Apr 29, 2007; Why would an ambulance be leaving the hospital?

Megazver posted:

(Most of them) are pretty cute, sorry!

Oh it's totally a matter of taste! I'm going to give Sandrock another try when it's closer to 1.0. I can usually get around aesthetic stuff and like you guys are saying, the landscapes are gorgeous.

Anyway back to modded Stardew. I dunno whether to go for a coop first or upgrade my house so I can start cooking. Taking it very easy because if I start to fret about deadlines and playing perfectly I stop enjoying myself. Also I accidentally pickaxed a blueberry plant.

# ¿ Aug 31, 2022 15:53

HopperUK: Apr 29, 2007; Why would an ambulance be leaving the hospital?

I hit an artifact spot and the thing fell in the water and I'm almost sure it was an ancient seed. This farm is cursed! ...I'm not restarting. I don't care what you take from me, RIVER.

# ¿ Aug 31, 2022 18:54

HopperUK: Apr 29, 2007; Why would an ambulance be leaving the hospital?

yegods posted:

Yeah, often I wish someone would mod in an "undo" button. I'm currently playing with the Wabbajack Stardew Valley modpack... it's pretty great, but a bit overwhelming with all the people and stuff to do.

Yeah, I tried a big pack like that and got overwhelmed, so now I've just put in Expanded and added a few little bits and pieces. I mean... I have 102 mods enabled but it honestly isn't *that* much.

My favourite is probably Visible Fish.

# ¿ Aug 31, 2022 18:58

HopperUK: Apr 29, 2007; Why would an ambulance be leaving the hospital?

I've avoided Spiritfarer because my dad died a couple of years ago from Alzheimer's and I was advised it might completely destroy me. Maybe in another year or two.

# ¿ Sep 4, 2022 11:03

HopperUK: Apr 29, 2007; Why would an ambulance be leaving the hospital?

sexpig by night posted:

hey as someone in a similar position when I played it, smart move, absolutely loving ruined me long before I could get to the bad grindy bits.

thanks! I shall continue to avoid

# ¿ Sep 4, 2022 23:37

HopperUK: Apr 29, 2007; Why would an ambulance be leaving the hospital?

They'll probably not allow me to invite Tamatoa to be my roommate so who cares!

# ¿ Sep 8, 2022 04:19

HopperUK: Apr 29, 2007; Why would an ambulance be leaving the hospital?

CK07 posted:

Ah, my favorite genre. I'm surprised not to see Kynseed pop up in the discussion yet. It's solidly EA, and I haven't checked in on its build state in quite a while. But I think there are some good and interesting bones there, including a legacy effect where your character ages and dies; you then play as your character's descendant, things change in the village, etc.

There's a pretty big map to explore, plenty of your standard farm/fish/friend activities, and I found the art to be quite pretty and distinctive. They definitely lean into the discovery pillar of play, and I like that.

I'm waiting for this one to get further along but I'm really hoping it loves up to its promise! I love the idea of the legacy thing but I'm not sure how well it'll work; seems like an awful lot of content for them to create, depending how long a character can be expected to last.

Dreamlight Valley-- I just don't know how I feel about it. I'm waiting to see how viciously predatory the microtransactions end up being at full release. If it's not too godawful then I'll probably play it but goddamn the release of Temtem with its MTX poison has really put me off that sort of thing at the moment.

# ¿ Sep 11, 2022 16:14

HopperUK: Apr 29, 2007; Why would an ambulance be leaving the hospital?

I was gonna buy Potion Permit but honestly 'no mouse support' and 'a dozen pieces of day 1 cosmetic DLC' have put me off for now.

# ¿ Sep 22, 2022 20:48

HopperUK: Apr 29, 2007; Why would an ambulance be leaving the hospital?

Anyone who likes the idea of Potion Permit and also is enough of a nerd to like solo tabletop RPG experiences should check out Apothecaria by Anna Blackwell. A game where you slowly improve your apothecary's workshop while gathering mysterious ingredients and treating various ailments. There's also a very cute 'travelling animal merchant' game called Apawthecaria.

# ¿ Sep 29, 2022 02:01

HopperUK: Apr 29, 2007; Why would an ambulance be leaving the hospital?

CK07 posted:

Was just about to post about this very thing. Rules-light and flexible around how much creative energy and time you want to spend on it. I liked it so much that I went as far as to buy all the expansions as pdfs (since they don't all exist in print form) and have been printing them at home and hand-binding them with thread and needle. It's been a really soothing little project.

I also really enjoy her solo mapping games, DELVE (dwarf-fortress-alike and the original instance of this rules engine), RISE (more of a dungeon-keeper idea) and UMBRA (in the vein of Alien and similar). All her stuff is very indie and could benefit from an editor, but the value for the price is great IMO.

I was just looking around the other day to see if TG had a solo/journaling RPG thread, but I didn't spot one. It should exist but I'm not the guy to do it.

There is one! Phone posting, cannot get link, but I promise it's there

# ¿ Sep 29, 2022 03:42

HopperUK: Apr 29, 2007; Why would an ambulance be leaving the hospital?

LLSix posted:

Do you mean an actual physical game?

Yep! All her stuff is on itch.io as pdfs.

# ¿ Oct 8, 2022 11:09

HopperUK: Apr 29, 2007; Why would an ambulance be leaving the hospital?

Snooze Cruise posted:

i am playing touhou mystia's izakaya

days you walk around an overworld map, do some sidequests and gather ingredients, nights you play a diner dash game. sometimes rare customers in who are actually characters and unlike the generics they don't tell you what dish they want from your menu but you have to figure out what traits they like in their food and drink and serve it to them. make rare customers happy and they start giving you sidequests that lead to new recipes and helpers.

seems it has a surprisingly amount of content. im still in the early game but eventually you can get like 3 workers to do everything for you in the kitchen and you just focus on the rare customers.

I bought this ages ago because it was dirt cheap and have yet to play it so thanks for this! I'm going to give it a shot soon.

# ¿ Oct 9, 2022 14:19

HopperUK: Apr 29, 2007; Why would an ambulance be leaving the hospital?

I've mentioned it a time or two here but just in case - folk who like these games might be interested in a current bundle of tabletop, PDF games that includes Apothecaria.

https://bundleofholding.com/presents/NovelTools

Eight bucks for the lower level containing several very good games. Just a headsup!

# ¿ Oct 9, 2022 20:28

HopperUK: Apr 29, 2007; Why would an ambulance be leaving the hospital?

YES bread posted:

gonna toss a Dave the Diver mention in here, it's got a great gameplay loop, (fish and explore by day, manage and run a sushi joint by night) and a pretty good chunk of content despite being early access. definitely worth keeping an eye on.

Ooh that looks really nice, thanks for the tip.

# ¿ Nov 4, 2022 01:21

HopperUK: Apr 29, 2007; Why would an ambulance be leaving the hospital?

TheWorldsaStage posted:

Disney Dreamlight Valley has been scratching that Animal Crosisng itch but even better, because the closer camera angle means you're house feels proportional and it's fun to walk through and see everything you've put together and the stuff you've bought form Scrooge.

Plus I really dig the fishing. Really relaxing! Haven't delved into the farming too much but its standard so far, which I don't mind at all.

E: Oh yeah a negative, most of the friendship rewards are girl character oriented, so if you play a guy character you don't get the character based clothing, but it is early access.

Also you can be peacefully going about your business and hear Donald Duck going insane with rage in the distance, which is good value

# ¿ Nov 6, 2022 23:27

HopperUK: Apr 29, 2007; Why would an ambulance be leaving the hospital?

BIG FLUFFY DOG posted:

Dinkum Update: Just had a crocodile waiting for me to leave the general store to ambush me who I then killed with a spear. 10/10 GOTY

Yeah Dinkum is really nice.

# ¿ Nov 26, 2022 17:10

HopperUK: Apr 29, 2007; Why would an ambulance be leaving the hospital?

One thing I like about how Dinkum handles the days; the time advances as you play, Stardew style. At the end of the night, it becomes 'late'. Your stamina bar shrinks to a tiny size, so you can't carry on doing anything energetic like mining. But anything that doesn't take energy, like decorating or putting things in furnaces or whatever, is fine to keep doing as long as you like, and the day will turn over when you sleep. I like that.

# ¿ Nov 27, 2022 13:15

HopperUK: Apr 29, 2007; Why would an ambulance be leaving the hospital?

Forager was like crack to me for a while but then the developer turned out to be a piece of poo poo and that helped me quit playing it. It has enough going on at all times that I get into a mode where it's really hard to stop.

# ¿ Nov 28, 2022 01:41

HopperUK: Apr 29, 2007; Why would an ambulance be leaving the hospital?

The best thing about Dreamlight Valley is that sometimes you're just doing something else and you hear Donald losing his goddamn mind in the background. WAK WAK WAK WAK WAK

I love Donald so much.

# ¿ Dec 28, 2022 22:48

HopperUK: Apr 29, 2007; Why would an ambulance be leaving the hospital?

Disappointing Pie posted:

I need some cozy games for Steam Deck if anyone has suggestions!

I�ve played Stardew but I get in a weird loop of putting 10 hours or so into it getting to fall and giving up the game for some reason. Done that like half a dozen times now lol.

I have my time at Sandrock after loving Portia but it seems to not be running too great yet on the Deck.

Dinkum is a rather lovely little thing - it plays on Deck, but I'm not sure how well. What else is cosy - Traveller's Rest, Bear and Breakfast. Outside the genre there's Wilmot's Warehouse, Powerwash Simulator, Chicory, Dragon Quest XI for really comfy, lovely games.

# ¿ Jan 21, 2023 02:30

HopperUK: Apr 29, 2007; Why would an ambulance be leaving the hospital?

I also feel that Sun Haven is - fine. It's fine. I love the world but dislike the character designs. For every one thing I really like there's one thing I really don't.

# ¿ Mar 23, 2023 21:40

HopperUK: Apr 29, 2007; Why would an ambulance be leaving the hospital?

Megazver posted:

cough also try Dragon Quest Builders 2 cough

It is really cute.

# ¿ Mar 25, 2023 17:29

HopperUK: Apr 29, 2007; Why would an ambulance be leaving the hospital?

Megazver posted:

Has anyone played Fishing Paradiso? Or Luna's Fishing Garden?

Yeah Luna's Fishing Garden is a 'smaller' game but it's very cute and relaxing, I liked it.

# ¿ Mar 30, 2023 12:37

HopperUK: Apr 29, 2007; Why would an ambulance be leaving the hospital?

A GIANT PARSNIP posted:

Is Dinkum worth playing now or should I wait for it to exit early access? I can deal with a bit of jank or a couple of villagers or resources that still need to be added, but I�d rather wait if large portions of the game are missing.

I bought it on sale while drunk so it�s not a question of buy/don�t buy.

It's totally worth playing now.

# ¿ Apr 17, 2023 21:10

HopperUK: Apr 29, 2007; Why would an ambulance be leaving the hospital?

Ciaphas posted:

i've been kinda side-eyeing dreamlight valley for a while but $30 for EA is making me hesitate

how EA is it, and more importantly, does it have James Woods doing Hades in it? love that used car salesman of a satan

Dreamlight Valley is on gamepass too if you have access to that.

# ¿ Apr 21, 2023 16:12

HopperUK: Apr 29, 2007; Why would an ambulance be leaving the hospital?

LLSix posted:

Wait, what? Premium currency in a paid for game? Much less a relaxing farming game?

It's made by Disney you see

# ¿ Apr 21, 2023 21:37

HopperUK: Apr 29, 2007; Why would an ambulance be leaving the hospital?

Jossar posted:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1245560/Roots_of_Pacha/

This looks generic as all get out to me, but I suppose Dawn of Man already has the "going for realism" angle on prehistoric city builders, so they went for cutesy life/farming sim. Anybody have more well defined opinions on it?

I got it because it looks like 'Stardew Valley but set in the Stone Age' and I'm up for that right now. I don't think it looks generic though.

# ¿ Apr 25, 2023 23:38

HopperUK: Apr 29, 2007; Why would an ambulance be leaving the hospital?

Megazver posted:

oh god what to choose

The flower!!!

Friendship is the real treasure. I learned that from Pokemon.

# ¿ Apr 28, 2023 19:48

HopperUK: Apr 29, 2007; Why would an ambulance be leaving the hospital?

Demiurge4 posted:

I�m basically at the end of Roots of Pacha and it�s a very good game, but past the first year it falls off a cliff as there isn�t anything to do except max out plants and animals. The reward for breeding animals is higher quality products at more frequent rates, so annoying the reward is more work because you still have to manually pick it all up and milk/shear them. The fully upgraded barns will automatically pick up eggs/horns but those are the least valuable animal products. My main advice to someone getting into it is to just get pick one of each type of crop per year, grain, fruit, root, legume etc. Grow lots of wheat in spring as it�s useful all year.

Overall I enjoyed it and if I wasn�t a groggy power gamer I bet I would enjoy it a lot more. There�s tons of great details as the tribe settles into their new home and build communal areas. On that note I�ve been told Sunhaven is probably more my style so I�m going to check that out.

I like Sunhaven but I find something about the character designs really off-putting and unattractive. I think I just need to put some real time in so I stop noticing.

# ¿ Apr 30, 2023 13:44

HopperUK: Apr 29, 2007; Why would an ambulance be leaving the hospital?

Yeah I played a little bit of Everdream and I think it's very cute and worth fifteen bucks but it's not going to be the 3D Stardew everyone really kinda wants. It's adorable.

# ¿ Jun 23, 2023 19:49

HopperUK: Apr 29, 2007; Why would an ambulance be leaving the hospital?

LLSix posted:

Littlewood is fun and cute. It's probably too easy for some people.

***

I really, really, really strongly anti-recommend Graveyard Keeper. It actively hates the player and goes well out of its way to make you miserable. One of the major story beats is just, "ha, ha, you died doing what I, the game, told you to do, isn't that funny? Also, you just wasted a bunch of money."

The patches, and especially the introduction of zombies to automate most repetitive tasks, smoothed some of the rough edges off it, but that was just putting a band-aid over the deep and abiding hatred the game and it's solo developer seem to have for the people that play it.

It's not a fun sort of hatred like Rimworld or DF either, where anything can happen and losing is both entertaining and educational. Just deliberately slow and anti-fun mechanics.

I did eventually grind through the whole game, but in retrospect, I enjoyed very little of it.

I think grinding through a hugely long game you were actively disliking might have made you decide it's spiteful rather than just not your thing.

# ¿ Jun 29, 2023 00:19

HopperUK: Apr 29, 2007; Why would an ambulance be leaving the hospital?

Megazver posted:

Dave the Diver seems to be genre-adjacent. Have any you tried it?

It's genre-adjacent! The art is beautiful, the fish-spearing is fun, the little restaurant minigame is all right, a bit too stressful maybe to be really relaxing but you don't have to think very hard.

I wish the NPCs were not so rude to Dave. Maybe that improves later but so far everyone is being kind of a dick to him.

# ¿ Jun 29, 2023 16:00

HopperUK: Apr 29, 2007; Why would an ambulance be leaving the hospital?

Inadequately posted:

Happened upon this game the other day when it was brought up in Discord.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1681600/Cornucopia/

Early-access Stardew-like, has a 2.5D perspective that I don't think works super well for it (hard to see what you're aiming at when farming), but the main notable thing about it is the fact that they felt the need to showcase all 32 marriageable NPCs in the Steam description.

Wow, unavailable in my region. Haven't seen that error before.

# ¿ Sep 17, 2023 16:18

HopperUK: Apr 29, 2007; Why would an ambulance be leaving the hospital?

Talorat posted:

Moonstone island just released. Anyone have a chance to play it yet and have an initial review?

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1658150/Moonstone_Island/

So far this seems pretty fun. There's no character customisation, at least not to start, you're always this little white-haired person. The pixel graphics are rather lovely and the atmosphere is very chill. I like the card-based battling you do with your little pokemon friend on meeting monsters. Hard to say how much the game will open up but so far I think it's worth the price.

# ¿ Sep 22, 2023 02:54

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# ¿ May 21, 2024 12:12

HopperUK: Apr 29, 2007; Why would an ambulance be leaving the hospital?

skeleton warrior posted:

I've been enjoying Wildmender. There's a bit of jank and clearly-done-by-a-small-studioness to it, but it is overall really nice and the first farming game I've ever played that allowed full world deformation.

I have maybe eight hours in and I'm only about a quarter through the plot, but I've been meandering while building a beautiful home garden. Really, my only complaint is that materials are hard to get, especially given how clearly you need walls everywhere.

I'm thinking I might get this too, it's very cute-looking and I want to build a nice garden.

# ¿ Sep 30, 2023 14:56

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Video Games > Farm, Fight, and, er, Fish: The Life Sims Megathread

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