Stardew Valley Multiplayer Etiquette

This is not a list of rules for joining my hosted games.

The only 'rule' I extend is that I prefer it if you please do not spawn items.

These are just a few suggestions and issues to consider. Food for thought.

Between hosting games and being a farmhand in others' games, I have enjoyed maybe two dozen multiplayer sessions so far, and I would say that I am beginning to get the feel for the usual dynamics of multiplayer games and what works and what doesn't toward the enjoyment of the game by all players.

That's what it's about, right? Enjoying the game? Because there's really no 'winning' Stardew Valley, as I see it, and it's not a competition. That's why it baffles me when people call using mods cheating. Cheating against whom? ConcernedApe? Oneself?

Okay, issue to consider number one... do you really need to chop down every tree on the map? Many players do this. I don't get it. It seems to me that it's nice to have some trees around. Both visually/aesthetically, and just in case you need a little wood for something. Wood is a resource, and to hog up all of this resource on the farm, especially right away as the game begins, seems greedy to me. If you need a lot of wood for some reason, you can always go play lumberjack in Cindersnap south of the farm. What are you gonna do with all that wood anyway? Sell it? I never sell wood...

Issue to consider number two is... contributing to in-game chat. You don't have to say a word, of course, in in-game chat, but why not contribute a bit here and there just to enhance the gameplay of the other players? Saying hello when you arrive and goodbye before you leave aren't such odious chores. Maybe you just can't think of much to say while playing. If that is the case, maybe try just announcing once in a while whatever you are doing. A simple 'going mining' or 'heading to the saloon' is enough. I find that players who contribute to chat now and then are more fun than those who never do.

Number three: harvesting crops that you didn't plant and/or haven't watered. In some multiplayer games, I find that I have to rush out first thing in the morning to harvest crops lest another player get them before I do. Even if the crops are in a little plot just outside my front door and I am the only one to ever have watered them, still sometimes someone else will pick them. Having to rush out every morning in a panic to secure the fruits (and vegetables) of one's labors is no way to live, in my opinion. Moreover, it's always surprising to me when somebody picks every vegetable on the farm, effectively monopolizing all the farming experience so that they level up swiftly while others languish at low levels even though they, too, planted seeds and watered. I am surprised because I just wouldn't do that. I'd feel horrible if I did. Be kind, I say. Share. Play fair.

There are other issues which arise in multiplayer games, just as they do at school or in the workplace, such as inappropriate comments and behavior (remember, people of all ages play this game!), and bullying (It's always best, in my humble opinion, not to tell other people what to do or not do.) And then there's obvious money stuff, like trying not to spend more than you earn, and how it's best to consult with the group before spending a big chunk of the shared funds.

One of the things which makes Stardew Valley great is that you don't have to do things any certain way. There are no winners and no losers in this game, and the main goal, at least as I see it, is just to enjoy yourself while helping others to enjoy themselves too.

That will be all. Thanks for reading. Hope to see you in Stardew Valley!

Ben

ps. see also - https://telegra.ph/Welcome-to-Serendipity-12-25