Is nobody concerned about day/night cycle lenght?

[Fishpickles]

It seems like the game day passes VERY quickly.
Watching the folks at Chucklefish play, it seems like there was a rush to go talk to people or do what you had to do before nightfall.

I realize this is highly influenced by Harvest Moon, which i loved, but harvest moon (that i recall anyway) didn't have big cave systems and other far places to explore.

It seems like any non town or non farm related activities are going to be VERY short.

Would be nice if day cycle was longer IMO.

[oakwooden]

The developer actually responded to this. Here's the copypasta:

"Just want to give you a little update on some of the changes I've made since the live-stream took place.
In the stream, 10 in-game minutes = 5 seconds of real time. I've since changed this to 10 minutes = 7 seconds. I've also stopped time from passing when you have a menu open in single player.
To me, it feels "right" so far. There's definitely enough time to do a reasonable amount of things in a day.
There's a few reasons I'm apprehensive about making the days even longer. For one, my favorite Harvest Moon game, Back To Nature, had a brisk pace of 5 seconds real time = 10 minutes game time. Time went by quickly enough that it actually mattered what you decided to do on a certain day. That created a need for some strategy that made the game fun. In BTN, time did freeze when you were indoors, and the game world was fairly small. But I'm hoping that the 7-second pace of Stardew accounts for those differences to achieve a similar gameplay pace.
Secondly, with the new 7-second pace, there's around 50 hours of gameplay to complete 2 years in Stardew Valley *. That's already a lot of time, and every second I add to the 10-minute-game-time span increases that number by 10-15 hours (depending on how late you stay up each day). I'd rather err on the side of things going by too fast than too slow. If the game goes by too fast, you can always play through multiple times and explore different strategies, date different people, etc.. If a game is too slow you might get bored and stop playing.
Anyway, I don't want it to be too slow or too fast. I want it to be just right. I might still tweak things further but so far I'm liking the 7-second pace.
Other things I've fixed/changed:
-It's easier to click on NPC's now. Also, the cursors changes to a chat bubble when hovering over an NPC that you can talk to.
-Other adjustments to make the controls "smarter".
-Fixed the problem where seeds weren't consumed when planted.
-Redrew the map to reflect the current game world. Also, it shows where your character is on the map (roughly).
-You can shift-click to craft 5 things at a time.
-Fixed the problems with fishing (getting no fish after successfully fishing, no animation during fishing)
-Fixed the problem with the inventory slot that wasn't supposed to be available.
There's tons more that I've done but it would take too long to list it all. Some examples: nicer looking torches, visual details in town, campfires and other lighting possibilities, ambient sounds that fade/get louder depending on your proximity.
*Just to be clear, you can keep playing after 2 years in-game. I just figure 2 years is about how long it would take to fully experience the different aspects of the game if you were being reasonably productive on the farm."


Personally, I like a brisk pace. Being required to plan out your time and cramming as much stuff into one day as you can is part of what made the series appeal to me in the SNES and N64 days. The newer harvest moons feel like they have nothing to do in them and there's no consequences for derping around.

[Fishpickles]

Oh, thanks for pasting that for me. I completely understand the reason for a fast paced day, but my concerns are more for going out and adventuring. Or going into the underground/caves. But i guess i'll see how it goes. Can't wait for release!

[katzenkorb]

Some Harvest Moon games had big mines with 200+ levels in just the same fashion like the stardew valley mine - it's the same system like Island of happiness for example. And it's pretty much the same pacing. It Is really challenging to reach the buttom of the mine but it's supposed to be challenging. ^-^ It's not an open world RPG with a big a** map. I don't think you'll need hours to go "adventuring". There's the mine for minerals and metals (and yello monster bashing) and the forst for foarging I guess but not much else - maybe there's more we haven't seen yet but I think that's about it.

[Retrogon]

I would have prefered 10 real-time seconds = 10 in-game minutes but that's just me.

[Makoto Naegi]

I was fine with the quick pace of Back to Nature because time froze when you were indoors, giving you a chance to take it easy for a bit. It sounds like Stardew Valley won't freeze time indoors though, so I'm glad for the shift to make days a little longer.

[Sirithre]

Time does not freeze indoors, but does freeze when you're in a menu or in dialgoue. Regardless, the current pace seems like a good compromise and feels akin to BTN.

I'm the kind of person that tries to do a little of everything and binge plays, so it could be real time like animal crossing and I'd still feel like I'm short on time to get everything done. So take that that with a grain of salt.

[Bongo]

The one thing I was worried about is time not freezing in doors like BTN. Chickens were never really that time consuming but cows and sheep would've been if time kept going.

[Momizi]

the changed it awhile ago

check out this stream that came out 3 days ago

http://www.twitch.tv/sirithre/v/30226117

time move MUCH slower now

[Sirithre]

I feel like if I'd have known that stream would be watched 500+ times after the fact, I would've been less of a goofball while wandering about aimlessly. Though I was still trying to not show off 'too much' 'cause spoilers.

But. Y'know. Hindsight.

[Leezeebub]

Ursprünglich geschrieben von Momizi Inubashiri:

the changed it awhile ago

check out this stream that came out 3 days ago

http://www.twitch.tv/sirithre/v/30226117

time move MUCH slower now

Oh the temptation to click that link >_<
One little stream couldn't hurt, could it?

[Sirithre]

Ursprünglich geschrieben von Leezeebub:

Oh the temptation to click that link >_<
One little stream couldn't hurt, could it?

I only got a week into the game, and I mainly bumbled about as it was my first time playing. I recommend waiting or you're just gonna get frustrated at my idiocy. xD Unless you're just really starving for more info on the game.

Also I have the resolution way down for windowed mode. So.. meh.

[Randys950]

I'm still gonna get this game regardless...but I'm hoping there will be an option for day/night cycle length for players who are a little bit slower when it comes to determing what to do and using strategies.

[Sammy da Penguin]

i love the day/night cycle for this game. I watched them play it and it seems like the cycle will make the game more challenging. Games with a challenge give you more time to actually enjoy the game and get less bored with it. I mean if you want to complete everything you wanted to do all in one day and then wait forever for the next thing that's cool but I find it more enjoyable to explore get lost and find your way in the dark regardless. either way this game will be a good time!

[Dirk Diggler]

IMO a slider in the options menu wouldn't be bad idea (maybe only available after the first playthrough?), that way players will get to choose for themselves what they like when replaying the game; an even bigger challenge, or just derping around.. I guess it could make achievements unbalanced but you could set *no achievements* when the default time isn't being used.

[Timid]

Yea.. I think a few people would be really happy about a slider, or just a slow or fast paced option.