Highlights
- A Stardew Valley player learns the hard way that miscalculating crop growth can result in devastating losses, as their 288 starfruit crops were destroyed at the end of Spring.
- Fellow players share their own farming hardships, with one mentioning a similar loss of melons due to the same miscalculation.
- Despite the challenges and occasional heartbreak, Stardew Valley remains one of the best life-sim games, offering rewarding gameplay.
Many Stardew Valley fans are familiar with the game's seasonal crops and related time management gameplay, but one player recently learned the hard way that planting starfruit at the wrong time can end in disaster. While some fans prefer relaxed gameplay in Stardew Valley, others follow a variety of guides to maximize productivity and ensure they do not make any crucial mistakes.
First released in 2016, Stardew Valley is a farming life-simulator game that offers a variety of gameplay mechanics including mining, fishing, crafting, and more. Farming remains the central focus of the game and can often be a challenge for both new and seasoned players.
Stardew Valley player AnnoyingGrape64 recently shared the devastating loss of their starfruit crops. They had planted 288 starfruits at the end of spring, not realizing that the time they estimated to grow and harvest the crops had been miscalculated. Their math was off by only a single day, but it resulted in them losing all 288 starfruits, as Spring ended and it became Summer. When seasons end in Stardew Valley, any and all crops still remaining outside the greenhouse are automatically destroyed. Starfruit is one of the most valuable crops in Stardew Valley, so the sheer financial loss of this simple mistake was devastating. Usually, starfruit takes 13 days to grow, but this does not include the day that the seeds are planted. This single day in AnnoyingGrape64's miscalculations is what cost them dearly and is a lesson they will not soon forget.
One of the biggest challenges when playing Stardew Valley is learning tough lessons about the game's mechanics, and fellow players have responded to the starfruit crop disaster with their own farming hardships. One commenter mentioned a similar loss of a number of melons, noting that they made the same miscalculation of including the planting day as a growing day when it should instead have been counted separately.
Others have encouraged AnnoyingGrape64 to look on the bright side with another useful lesson. Namely, when crops are destroyed at the end of the season, the plots they occupy remain tilled and even watered if sprinklers are being used. This means a player only needs to scythe away the dead crops and plant seeds, rather than having to use the hoe to re-till all the earth and then plant the seeds. Either way, farming in Stardew Valley remains a core focus and occasional challenge that players are continually learning from.
Even though the game may be challenging and even heartbreaking at times, Stardew Valley remains one of the best life-sim games. The gameplay has its learning curves but is also exceptionally rewarding. As players continue to enjoy multiple playthroughs of the game, lessons will always be learned and no doubt shared with the supportive community.
Stardew Valley is available now on Android, iOS, PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.
