25% Profit Margins

[Phirestar]

I just want to give my recommendation to try out the profit margins option under the game options tab when you start a new file.

I’ve been playing with profits set to 25% of their original values, and I’ve really loved the way it has changed the pacing of the game. Making money takes a lot more work, as a valuable item like the Battery pack goes from 500g down to just 125g, and that in turn makes upgrades feel much more impactful to acquire. You have to be quite thoughtful about what exactly you spend your gold on, because early on you can basically only save up for a single purchase: a tool upgrade, a building, a house expansion, or one of the Vault bundles. So far I’ve made 17K total profit, nearing the end of the first Summer, and I have spent 4K on upgrading my pickaxe and axe to Copper, and about 8K on seeds / Traveling Cart stuff.

I find that it also pushes you to gather products from as many sources as possible, and focus more on refining raw materials into more profitable items. For instance, turning crops into jams / pickles is a lot more beneficial due to the raw fruits and vegetables now selling for barely anything. For example: a gold quality Blueberry with the Tiller profession is worth 20g. In comparison, Blueberry jam is 37g, and that’s before the +40% bonus from Artisan. You’re basically making double profit by preserving it into jam, which goes a long way when you consider that you’re making less gold than a regular quality Blueberry on 100% profit margins (50g).

If you’ve not messed with this game setting before, give it a go. It’s a lot more satisfying to progress in the game, in my book.

[Phirestar]

Originally posted by Radiosity:

A mod to set limits on how much stock shops have would be great, I'll take a look for anything I can find. Being able to buy 200+ star fruit seeds and make unlimited wine that sells for a crazy amount does tend to remove a lot of potential challenge.

After 500+ hours in the game I'm generally always playing some sort of challenge now, but having a mod that actually limits shop stock would be something I'd likely add as one of my foundation mods I always use.

If by some chance you’ve not seen it by now, I recommend the Longevity mod for an increased challenge. It has a lot of features, but the only two that I actually use are the price variations and taxes.

Longevity combined with the 25% profit margins would probably make for a pretty good combination, I imagine. Maybe a little too difficult - perhaps bumping it up to 50%, at that point.

[Phirestar]

So, beginning of Fall on my new file now, and I’ve just hit my first 1K shipment. It actually took this long for me to get a thousand gold on a single day of selling items, with over half of it coming from battery packs.

I only need 5,000g more before I can finally have Demetrius come along and set up the farm cave. I never knew, until playing the game this way, that you need to have 25K total profit to trigger that event. I assumed it was just set to occur after a specific date, since it always happened early on in all my other saves. When I was approaching the end of Summer and he still wasn’t showing up, I was concerned that the game had glitched or something. But no, it’s a money condition, not a time condition.

I also know most people tend to go for the mushroom cave, as it’s the more profitable choice, but I’ve always found fruit bats to be a lot more desirable for completing the bundles soon. It’s especially true now, for the Artisan bundle, because getting access to animals to make cloth or truffle oil is very challenging. Barns and coops are going not going to be a viable option until at least Year 2, maybe even Year 3. Even a basic level barn costs a fourth of all the income I’ve generated up to this point, in two seasons of play.

[Nakos]

Originally posted by red255:

If you are responding to me, I was responding to Naklos, who was giving himself a further penalty of not shipping or selling anytihng and only earning money thru the trash can, which I assume he gets the 2000 for the first upgrade from Daily tasks on the board.

A: There is no "Naklos". However, I AM "Nakos".

B: The person who was doing the specific challenge you're talking about was FilthyGorilla

C: Fine, fair enough, I missed that he was only using his trash can for selling.

[red255]

strange how you can get your name wrong, and also strange how you didn't thank me for correcting you.

[Nakos]

Mm.. yes, it is strange isn't it? It's a strange and wonderful world we live in.

Sometimes terrifying of course, but what can one do?

[Snowy Sprout]

Originally posted by red255:

would think it would make truffle pigs more important. crystallariums, those sorts of things. maybe tappers on a field of maple trees.

Yes, anything that regrows/produces after only one purchase/investment would be much more practical than anything you had to keep buying seed for each harvest.

[FilthyGorilla]

Originally posted by Snowy Sprout:

Originally posted by red255:

would think it would make truffle pigs more important. crystallariums, those sorts of things. maybe tappers on a field of maple trees.

Yes, anything that regrows/produces after only one purchase/investment would be much more practical than anything you had to keep buying seed for each harvest.

definitely, thought these often have the most expensive and time consuming setup costs so it's all about the right balance and slowly shifting into the regrowing.

[Phirestar]

So, I’m currently in mid-Spring of Year 2, now. (I would’ve been further along, but I took a break from the game for about three weeks.)

I just reached level 10 farming and was able to unlock the Artisan perk, which, assuming the modifiers work the way I think they do, now boosts all of my artisan goods back up from 25% to 65% of their base value. That’s a pretty useful boost, and is probably going to turn artisan goods into my main method of making money, at this point.

I forget which item it was, but one of my keg products sold for 150g. I feel like it was the Pale Ale, but the way the math works out seems to suggest otherwise. Either way, that’s very good for this type of playthrough. Anything that can net you >=100 gold each is a high value item. So far I think the most profitable item I’ve made on the farm was Pumpkin Juice, which sold for 180g each. (And that was prior to getting the +40% bonus from Artisan.)

I’ve also started using the Seed Maker, to refill my now repaired greenhouse, and honestly… I feel like it’s a pretty garbage unlock. You have to invest the majority of your harvest in order to replant every space, and thus you end up making only a small profit from each harvest. It might be pure profit after the first batch of purchased seeds, but frankly I think it’s much more worthwhile to just buy the seeds from Pierre, because you’ll be making more gold overall. I don’t really see what the value of using it is; maybe if you received a greater yield of seeds per crop, like 3-4 instead of 1-2, then it would actually fulfill its function of an endgame replacement from buying seeds.

Regardless, I’m now onto the next stage of building up the farm, which is animals. I could’ve probably bought a barn and a coop earlier on, in the first year, but I focused on spending my money elsewhere for other upgrades.

[Nakos]

Originally posted by Phirestar:

I just reached level 10 farming and was able to unlock the Artisan perk, which, assuming the modifiers work the way I think they do, now boosts all of my artisan goods back up from 25% to 65% of their base value. That’s a pretty useful boost, and is probably going to turn artisan goods into my main method of making money, at this point.

Pretty sure that's NOT the way they work.

If an Artisan good was worth 100 gold (in a 100% profit margin game) then it would be worth 140 with the Artisan perk.

The same good would be worth 25 gold in a 25% run, and 35 gold with the Artisan perk.

Originally posted by Phirestar:

I forget which item it was, but one of my keg products sold for 150g. I feel like it was the Pale Ale, but the way the math works out seems to suggest otherwise. Either way, that’s very good for this type of playthrough. Anything that can net you >=100 gold each is a high value item. So far I think the most profitable item I’ve made on the farm was Pumpkin Juice, which sold for 180g each. (And that was prior to getting the +40% bonus from Artisan.)

Pretty sure the price for Pale Ale should be 105 in a 25% run (with Artisan). Regardless, it's a valuable product, regardless of the profit margin. That said, few things beat the ROI on Wheat->Beer.

Mind you, you need a lot of kegs to make that pay off.

Originally posted by Phirestar:

I’ve also started using the Seed Maker, to refill my now repaired greenhouse, and honestly… I feel like it’s a pretty garbage unlock. You have to invest the majority of your harvest in order to replant every space, and thus you end up making only a small profit from each harvest. It might be pure profit after the first batch of purchased seeds, but frankly I think it’s much more worthwhile to just buy the seeds from Pierre, because you’ll be making more gold overall. I don’t really see what the value of using it is; maybe if you received a greater yield of seeds per crop, like 3-4 instead of 1-2, then it would actually fulfill its function of an endgame replacement from buying seeds.

Well, that's bad luck really, technically, the hit/miss rate on the Seed Maker should work out to be two seeds for every item you put into the Seed Maker. So really you shouldn't need more than half your crop to replenish your seed supply. But, I believe the luck of the day can impact it so... try to seed stuff on lucky days.

Further still, seeding and planting crops that regrow is a better use of the Greenhouse. Many people use the Greenhouse for Ancient Seeds (which they then turn into Wine).

You can also plant Fruit Trees along the sides (check the wiki for the exact placement).

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2651093921

That's a hugely profitable Greenhouse, and I'm hardly using it at maximum efficiency in that shot.

Originally posted by Phirestar:

Regardless, I’m now onto the next stage of building up the farm, which is animals. I could’ve probably bought a barn and a coop earlier on, in the first year, but I focused on spending my money elsewhere for other upgrades.

I suggest building at least one Silo before starting on animals.
I also suggest that you build Cheese makers and Mayonnaise machines before you start buying animals.

[Snowy Sprout]

I've decided to join this 25% challenge to see how I can do. The only rule I'm aware of is to set the original game setting at 25% profit margin, so that's what I've done. Other than that, I'm playing it as straight vanilla as it gets.

First of all it throws my whole "backpack by day 2" strategy out the window. I have no idea how fast I can earn a backpack, or if I even dare make it a priority when I know it'll be killer to find $2000. So my first move is to plant my 13 parsnips, along with one cauliflower and one green bean that I bought to guarantee that I can turn in those crops to get speed gro after the egg festival.

Other than that, just foraging and chopping trees.
I made two chests, one for the house and one for the fishing spot.
My strategy will be to fish as hard as possible, because fish are always good early moneymakers at any profit margin. I won't sell any fish until I hit level 5, for greater profits. I usually get there by day 5, but without the early fiberglass rod it might take longer. I have no idea how long it will take to get there with the bamboo rod but I'm guessing day 7 maybe.

After I harvest my first parsnips I'll wait a day for the level up to happen, then make a scarecrow and some fertilizer, and buy one potato and as many green beans as possible. I want to level up my farming skill, but I think the best bet is to invest only in regrowing crops, not seeds I would need to rebuy. I'll lose one bean harvest by the delay, but i'll get better profits by not losing any plants to crows and having fertilizer under most of them.

[Phirestar]

Originally posted by Snowy Sprout:

I've decided to join this 25% challenge to see how I can do. The only rule I'm aware of is to set the original game setting at 25% profit margin, so that's what I've done. Other than that, I'm playing it as straight vanilla as it gets.

Other than the reduce profit margins, the only other way that I make the game more “challenging” for myself, at least when it comes to vanilla game changes, is restricting sprinklers to be exclusively used in the greenhouse and for flowers planted by bee houses.

I’m personally not a fan of the implementation of sprinklers in this game. I feel the advantages they provide to you are too strong, especially for a complete lack of any limitation and the fact that even the most basic version can be acquired relatively quickly and easily. Stardew Valley is balanced around managing your energy and time efficiently, and the sprinklers bypass both of those factors and turn one of the primary elements of gameplay and money-making, crops, into a passive gold generator.

And on top of that, it also renders the regular method of watering crops with the watering can - an item which does require you to invest energy / time into - practically obsolete. What is the need for having an iridium watering can if you’re able to auto-water everything long before you have the resources to reach that stage?

So I don’t use them, apart from in those specific scenarios. The idea being to use them as more of a tool for specific situations or as a late-game extension of the greenhouse. (At least in the vanilla game; if I were playing on PC and with mods installed, like I normally play SV, I’d prefer using the Longevity mod’s taxes system that makes sprinklers have a running cost.)

You can do that if you want, or not. It’s just how I’m currently playing it.

[Snowy Sprout]

I expect I will make lots of money by taking advantage of the tree sapling thing. At $125 each they will be among the most profitable sources of income available to me. I like growing forage crops in general anyway, and raising pigs is an important long-term goal for me, so getting my forage skill up to 10 is a priority.

I never considered restricting sprinkler usage before to only the greenhouse. I don't know if I want to take on that restriction. I really hate watering by hand, and the faster I can get away from that chore the better. Needing to wait even longer to upgrade a watering can in a reduced profit game will feel torturous.

[red255]

If you've ever done the ocean farm thing they give you sprinklers don't work except for 150 or so tiles covered by stumps.

but you get the greenhouse and ginger island and fertilzer for garden pots.

what I ended up doing was making 2 big sheds and filling them with pineapple plants and fertilizer that meant once watered once they would never need watering again, and a second shed with kegs.

once money no longer mattered as I wasn't playing on 25%, this quickly became tedious and not worth the effort. but you don't actually NEED sprinklers or even a greenhouse, you can use a shed and garden pots and the ultimate retaining soil.

[Snowy Sprout]

Remembering successful strategies from the run where I never sold anything, I will try as hard as I can to complete jobs and quests for people, as the rewards they give are significantly better than prices for regular stuff I can sell.

It's an interesting mechanic of a lower profit margin. Normally a $90 reward for bringing a carp to Clint would be ignorable. But when Largemouth Bass only sell for 25 instead of 100 for the base price, 90 is equivalent of the time and energy to catch nearly four of them! Plus I can't afford a fiberglass rod yet, so I'm catching only two or three fish per hour. It's so sad.

Another mechanic I'll exploit as hard as I'm able is to make friends with everyone. All villagers except most marriage candidates will send you gifts in the mail as you become friends. These gifts seem insignificant in a regular game, but in a run with limits like this it could turn out that a vegetable from Jodi or a few stones from George could really matter. Obviously I'll prioritize befriending Pierre and Lewis, as they will actually send huge cash gifts sometimes. Those gifts are not part of the 25% reduction, and generally it's around $500 or more. So that could be a big help.

To make friends with everyone is always one of my favorite challenges. I've learned most people's favorite items and know something about where to find them, so that's cool. I will try to greet everyone on screen every time I see them, and try to gift as many people as I can afford twice every week.

[Phirestar]

Oh yeah, the notice board requests. I forgot that I also don’t take those, anymore. That’s another self-imposed restriction of mine.

I will do the one-off quest related tasks, where each person sends you a piece of mail asking for a specific item, like Pierre asking you for Sashimi and Emily wanting an apricot. I’m okay with those, because they feel more like doing a favor for a friend (which I think they’re based on friendship level, as well). And sometimes they can also be somewhat challenging to accomplish, especially if you don’t memorize the items and plan ahead to fulfill them. There’s one where Gus asks for a specific type of fish that’s only available in Fall, and you get the letter like a day or two before the end of the season.

But as far as the notice board quests, I think they’re too easy and often offer too great of a reward for the work. Some of those tasks can give like 700g, and they’re repeatable on top of that. I feel that taking them would sort of undo the purposes of reducing profit margins, since the monetary rewards aren’t affected by that change.

Can you tell I find the base game experience too easy? Yeah…