So, this post is entirely for this post asking for peoples thoughts on farm sim gameplay loops.
Anyway.
Farming: I think the big thing is just always doing…more. That feeling of progression from what you can handle early on to late game automation. However, I do tend to play these games more for being cozy/relaxing, so a big part of automation is just removing the chore-like feel from some of these games. One of the big chores is watering plants daily, something that’d be overwatering most plants if it was the real world. While I don’t need realism, I do appreciate games that have some sort of soil dryness system instead.
A good variety of crops is nice, but, too many tend to get overwhelming. They also will get ignored by system mastery min/maxers beyond what they need for completion/achievements. I will say that I tend to get annoyed by the hard season limits of SDV and the like when it comes to most crops, but I’m not sure I’d want an overly complicated system relying on temperatures or more specific days/weeks of the year (Rimworld does this, though that is more colony sim).
Ranching: I don’t have strong opinions beyond not being a big fan of SDV’s “pet your animals every day to help them grow and get better milk/eggs”. I think I would prefer almost any other form of animal maintenance to that. I think there is also room to just smooth things over entirely beyond making sure they’re fed, depending on the amount of friction one wants. I don’t have any good examples to draw from here given they’re usually a later game addition, so I’ve only hit that point in a handful of games. I will say that in a game with my wife, naming animals was a lot of fun in our MP game together, and I’m sure I’m not the only one that enjoys that (and the random option for when I can’t be bothered).
Cooking: A natural system that gets added given all the raw food you create. I’ve seen it be required in a game like Echoes of Plum Grove, which has a hunger system to it, be mainly for buffs in SDV, and be largely for energy recovery in most other games. Usually additionally used as gifts for the relationship system/increasing the value of raw goods to sell. Generally none of the systems FEEL good, and in a lot of cases, there are usually a lot of fiddly ingredients you have to manage, sometimes with limited lifespans before something goes bad. I think it’s a system that fits the games, I just don’t know what the best approach is.
Disney Dreamlight Valley has a minigame that makes the cooking experience fun, but, minigames usually run counter to mass-production required for late game. Genshin Impact does tackle this with “do the minigame X times for this dish and you unlock mass-producing it” as a potential solution. Overall, I think the least amount of friction when it comes to ingredients and maybe a clear purpose about what it’s for is the best way to make it feel as good as it can. Maybe if you were actively running a farm stand instead of shoving everything in a magical money generating box and having a stock of pickles, sausage, and other goods would make it feel like it had a bigger place.
Relationships: The most important bit is going to be the writing of the characters, the events with them, etc. Having a diverse cast to best find a way to have someone for everyone, and having them written well is important. Regardless of friendship or romance routes. I’ve seen people think that the “insert gifts until bar is full” is a bad system, but, it’s not one I mind personally. I am wholly open to more interesting ways of progressing a relationship however.
Combat: Most games in the genre don’t really do anything fun with this, SDV especially. I think it’s a completely skippable system, not every town needs a haunted mine or three. Most games do not build to have a good combat system in the game, and, most only really include it for gathering resources. Though I haven’t hit it yet in SunnySide, they do have a card-based system which at least sounds like an improvement over the typical “swing your farming tool or sword and don’t get hit” system so many go for. I have seen some people get entirely turned off by combat in this genre as well, treating it as a necessary evil for progression rather than something they want to do.
Homes/buildings/upgrades: Big goals and big payoff typically, usually a feel good moment to get something you’ve been saving for, usually unlocking more game features or space. I think the default starter approach of being given an old run-down place is a bit cliche, but, the alternative that SunnySide went with seems to have caused some pushback. They start you off on an empty plot with a small shed with a hose and water pump, give you a tent as a courtesy to sleep in, and tell you good luck. It’ll be days before you get far enough to get the story progressed to even have plans to build a home and even longer before you could get the raw materials to complete it. In an update since the last I’ve played, it sounds like they’ve made it easier to get a starter house built earlier. I will say that when it comes to decorating such spaces, a 3d game like SunnySide, DDV, or My Time at Portia has personally motivated me more to liven up my space than the isometric counterparts. Though, that sort of personalization has always been a big draw for others I find.
Energy/Time Systems: I’m not big on energy systems as a constraint in these games. Early game it feels like you’re always running out and wasting time going to bed early to regenerate. Late game it’s a non-issue. Between automating activities that took energy away previously, improved tools/skills that reduce energy costs, or just being able to replenish energy with consumables you can more easily afford. It goes from a high annoyance to something I don’t think about, but, feeling relief is not the same as feeling good.
Additionally, a lot of the games also have a limited amount of time per day, forcing you to sleep by a certain hour. People don’t like both systems, but if I had to pick my poison, it’d be time. Working with time means it’s also going to be somewhat consistent through most of the game, though you do free up time from what you automate and allow you to pour it into the activities you’d rather be doing. Also, some games allow you to adjust the timescale a bit so you don’t always have to feel so rushed, which is a nice setting to have. While not always obvious, getting more time back in a day does tend to feel better, just like in the real world. There are normally no shortage of things you could be doing if you had enough time, or, just not needing to rush some things because you have it…is so freeing.
Anyway, sorry Brian for dumping all this out there. Hopefully some of it is useful, and best of luck with the pitch. At least in the video game space, there is a lot that’s come up after the success of SDV and only a handful really feel like they’re any good or fun. If it’s for more tabletop, that’d be cool, as we’ve got the SDV boardgame, but I’m not sure what else in our library fits the bill.