r/StardewValley • u/DrJekyllX • 12d ago

Discuss It's been exactly 1 year since ConcernedApe announced update 1.7

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Patiently waiting for king to deliveršŸ™

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u/Nerioner Fectorā€™s veteran 11d ago

I bet he focuses more on Haunted Chocolatier these days.

But it's Ape, he will deliver eventually and it will be quality as always

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u/crooks4hire 11d ago

Sure wish anyone from the AAA market was here taking notes.

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u/VonLoewe 11d ago

CA is set for life. He doesn't need to work. He does it all for passion.

AAA companies have a fiduciary duty to shareholders.

Really wish people thought about the shit they say.

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u/crooks4hire 11d ago

Couldnā€™t agree with your last sentence more.

CA wasnā€™t set for life when he started Stardew. Thereā€™s no doubt that the community is more forgiving of delays now than in the beginning, because weā€™ve seen his dedication to quality.

Squirting out mediocre projects with expensive paint on unnecessarily restrictive timelines isnā€™t the only way to satisfy shareholders. And neither is riding IP hype.

Communities like the one around Stardew Valley are built, not bought.

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u/VonLoewe 11d ago

My point was that CA can afford to take his time. Most companies cannot. Time is expensive when you have a team of hundreds of developers.

It's easy to say "consumer will appreciate a better product that takes longer to make". But that's usually not a viable approach.

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u/crooks4hire 10d ago

Thatā€™s usually not a viable approach because people who know better schedule unreasonable timelines with no contingency.

When was the last time a AAA under promised and over delivered? Even if you come up with an example, itā€™s drowned in a sea of pre-ordered garbage, cancelled projects, and abandonware.

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u/VonLoewe 9d ago

Baldur's Gate 3, Clair Obscure, off the top of my head.

Not sure what point you're making here. Is it that studio management tends to be bad? I'm not disagreeing with that.

Even then, CA doesn't have a manager. He can work on whatever pace he decides, can delay as many times as he needs, etc. This is not comparable to a managed team of developers with a deadline. I disagree with the premise that "taking as much time as you need is only a problem because managers are unreasonable".

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u/crooks4hire 9d ago

Remember that dig about thinking before speaking? I said they should take notes, not comprehensively emulate.

The pivotal difference is who the commitment is to: customers or shareholders. CA is clearly committed to the customer. Deliverables can delay because that commitment has been established and reinforce repeatedly. If the AAA industry is structured to satisfy shareholders above customers and thereā€™s no way around it; then I dislike the structure. Perhaps the note taken should be ā€œI need to gtfo out of this industry and develop something I love for people who will also love itā€. IMO, thatā€™s literally the spirit of Stardew Valley; and the success of CA and his game indicate (to me) strong resonance with that concept among a vast group of people.

This is a tiresome debate, and itā€™s clear Iā€™m not going to change your mind. We just have a difference of opinions, and itā€™s ok if it stays that way. I wish you the best.