What's your opinion on a farming game?

So, I’ve been kicking around the idea of maybe writing a farm game with ChoiceScript ever since I bought and played Wild Season on Steam(look it up, but don’t buy it!) and then the devs seemingly gave up on it after telling someone they we’re getting a new team for it’s development. No news has really been heard from them for a long time(and they won’t answer questions about it on their Twitter and I only asked if they were going to continue it).

Even though it’s not a completed game and you only get to play until the end of Spring, it captured my attention as it was very different from other games in it’s category. The locals were mainly friendly, but distant, some wanted you gone(I had an argument with someone trying to get me to sell the farm and leave town), while others asked you to hang out or gave encouragement.

It’s so obvious this small town has a secret… You either team up with the doctor or not(he isn’t a local) to find out if they’re hiding anything… And then that’s it. It probably won’t be finished.

So, I was curious about what people’s opinions about it would be and if anyone would even be interested in a game similar to that.

  • We don’t have one of those yet. Sure. :+1:
  • No way, doesn’t sound interesting. :-1:
  • The farming part sounds boring. :sleepy:
  • Yeah, sounds okay, but I’d like a different profession instead of being a farmer. :thinking:
  • I’ve been waiting my whole life for this! Someone do it if this person doesn’t! :heart_eyes_cat:
  • I’d rather it be more like the other games in it’s category. :blush:
  • I’d like to fight stuff. :muscle:
  • As long as the management of farm, animals, and other stuff isn’t tedious. :sweat:

0 voters

6 Likes

Stardew valley the text adventure

14 Likes

One of my favorite games to play with my friend is farming simulator. There’s just something relaxing about driving a tractor and making a field ready for sowing. Or watching the crop grow and making profit to but bigger and better tools and bigger fields and then specializing.

I think a game about farming and possibly the farming life would be fun

1 Like

I’ve always loved the Harvest Moon games so my interest is piqued!

Will there be ROs?

7 Likes

Have you ever played Harvest Moon/Story of Seasons or Rune Factory?
Anyway I loved the (older) HM series the farm works wasn’t boring at all. Not sure if it could be fun in text form but go for it.

3 Likes

@Mewsly Well, I’m not sure how well I’ll be at writing romance, but yes, there will be RO/LI.

@Morphine Yeah. Many years ago I played the first Harvest Moon game and got hooked. I’m not sure how well it’ll go with ChoiceScript, but I’ve been having ideas float around in my head for it. It’ll probably be darker then any of those games, though, if you decide to unveil the town’s secret and past.

1 Like

Urgh Harvest Moon and the like are games that never end! NEVER!

I mean on the surface , you see some land and you go 'Ohhh! I could grow carrot (or whatever) ’ . Then see chicken ! and cows! and a small dog! (why always a dog huh?) and it look fun! Then you start playing and it’s alot of grinding . And I admit , the game had ALOT to do . from talking to peoples every day , giving specefique gift to certains peoples every day , to events (cose you have a calendar) , and can cook and the game has secrets and …

And it did have romance . well hetero one at least…gay didn’t get any love alas lol

But yeah very very grindy .

In Harvest Moon , the goal was running a farm succefuly and getting married .

What goal are you aiming for ? would your farm have stats like ?

P.S: The only mini-game I liked was fishing…yes boring…fishing…but relaxing somehow :smiley:

When you’re waiting for the multiplayer update on Stardew Valley to come out so you just- furiously gestures to topic.

4 Likes

cannibalist? Ohhhh tell us more! :grin:

As long as it’s in the Wild West and has interesting ro’s

I’m always willing to give a game a try, especially if it is something different from what I normally play, and a farm game definitely would fit in this (and yeah, I love the original Harvest Moon games/Stardew Valley)

Of course, you couldn’t go as in depth as non-text farm games, but stuff can still be done…and if you make it dark, then the farming is actually a good bit for the backdrop/include a bit of normality.

For that matter, I actually would love to see more games where the MC tries to balance the ‘weird stuff’ they might do as well as say making a living. Yeah, if you explore the old well you might not have time to fertilize the fields.

Raising cattle? What is mutilating the local cows.

Little Timmy down the lane would swear (cross his heart hope to die) that the scarecrow twitches, is alive.

There is always the cult angle (though avoiding Youth of the Maize is recommended)

And just who is making those designs (and costing thousands of dollars in crop damage) in the fields?

8 Likes

I always love playing the Bokumono series (aka pre separation Harvest Moon now Story of Seasons). I don’t know if I play a text version of the game though since simulation tend to lean to graphic plus gameplay part.

I wouldn’t might trying it but if I have to kill cows and chickens that I named and raised, I dunno. I admit that when I accidentally hit them with my hammer/sickle I feel very bad.

1 Like

they are making a cow game sooooo I say go for it.

@E_RedMark Well, that’s the part I’m worried about. I don’t want the farming aspect to be grindy and tedious that it takes away from the story, so you can be sure I’d strive to blend it in with the story. There will also be other ways to make money besides farming, like fishing, foraging, odd jobs from the townsfolk, etc. I’ve also considered adding more then just a farm among the properties you can choose to buy that you end up moving to that town for, but I’m not sure how well that will work as it might add a massive amount of coding and writing.

As for the plot, I’m not sure how much I should reveal… The town and area(county) around it has a long and very bloody past since it was first discovered by settlers a little over 250 years ago before MC moves there. It’s a past that really isn’t known by many outside the town. It’s prime land for farming, fishing, mining(and so on), but was declared a nature reserve around 100 years ago allowing only residents who own land within the reserve or non-residents that have the permits(they are near impossible to get) to collect resources from it.

MC, one day by way of bad luck/decisions(or both), has lost all their possessions except their old, beat up car(good bye new one) and their rainy day money they had hidden away. MC happens to be buying a few meager things to eat at a grocery store and heads to the park to eat and think about what to do…

At this point, I don’t know if I want a stranger, semi-stranger, or piece of paper in the wind that just so happens to smack into and stick to MC’s face, to inform MC of a farm for sell at a cheap price. :thinking:

Anyway, somehow, MC learns about it and heads over to the office and talks to the real estate agent. MC figures they can at least give it a try since they have nothing much to lose, buys the farm, gets the house key, and drives their way there with their few belongings.

It’s raining heavily and suddenly an animal(or was it human?) darts across the road, causing you to swerve off the road and crash into a tree.
You wake up in the town’s clinic, seemingly no worse for wear besides a few bruises, a bump on your head, and a spotty memory of the accident. :face_with_head_bandage:

@resuri08 No cow or chicken killing, I promise.

2 Likes

Omg a kindred spirit. I also feel awful when I make my virtual chickens and cattle upset… or the virtual town people.

@Outrageous I do like it when games like Harvest Moon blend a story with the simulation so I’m very excited! I do think it might be a challenge to balance the farming part to make it engaging but not tedious.

Yay!

2 Likes

Thank goodness. XD

In regards to your expanded explanation of your concept, now this intrigues me. Like others have said, I just hope the farming aspects is not too tedious and I look forward on how you will implement the farming gameplay in text form.

@Mewsly highfive Let us protect our virtual livestocks together. XD

1 Like

This is a great idea. i play a regular farming simulator on google play and its ok. but a choice based way of farming would be cool to see. and if you there was a way to add purchasing equipment in some way perhaps.

I’d rather not have farming be the end of my occupation. An upcoming chef or restaurant manager that uses as many personally harvested ingredients as possible I might be down for.

I should reccommend Silverworld , Zombie Exodus: Safe Haven and any other games that have you able to do multiple things over and over maybe the legends of Daria final book when you’re spreading your assets or life of a wizard when you’re trying to manage the kingdom recyclable menus for what you do on your far in between plot segments. That isn’t tedious assuming you either limit how many times you can do something

Each section takes an hour and you have six hours until plot

Or you have energy units and you spend them on actions until you run out like skill points.

As for romance don’t worry too much about it focus on the characters and then it you feel unsure get a helper to flesh out romantic scenes with you also play stardew valley and look at the relationship events so you can get some ideas without copying them completely.

Sounds interesting. I’d be totally down to try it out.