Maintain on to your parsnips, as a result of an apocalypse has struck the pastoral lands of Stardew Valley.
No, it wasn’t a game-breaking bug or new content material. Quite, the extremely anticipated Stardew Valley 1.6 replace launched modifications that overhauled the again finish and rendered a number of of its hottest mods utterly ineffective. Whereas mod compatibility won’t be on the high of thoughts for each fan, it’s paramount within the bigger Stardew Valley group, the place a single mod might need greater than 10 million downloads. Now, the 1.6 replace has kicked off a frenzied scramble amongst its fanatic creators to repair their content material and mitigate the consequences of what folks locally are calling the “modpocalypse.”
However it’s not all dangerous information. Replace 1.6 could be one of many largest turning factors for modding within the sport’s historical past and can make it simpler so as to add new content material, like characters and music. Beforehand, sure modifications required technical programming information, however because of enhancements made in 1.6, it’s simpler than ever to create mods. Polygon spoke with creators behind a number of the largest mods, and whereas they talked about the challenges that got here with all the present dysfunctional mods, within the opinion of Stardew Valley Expanded creator turned Stardew Valley developer Devin Hedegaard, the modifications will “make the modding group stronger than ever earlier than.”
In keeping with Hedegaard, higher referred to as FlashShifter, the sport was developed in a method the place you “would should be a programmer“ to edit and add issues behind the scenes. Content material Patcher, a well-liked program for modders, made it a lot simpler so as to add content material, however there have been limitations on what you might use it for. Now, modders can use it to edit and add much more parts to the sport, like animals and music, that you just couldn’t earlier than. “With Content material Patcher, you don’t should be a programmer, you simply want to have the ability to learn information and suppose logically. And you’ll add issues very simply now. […] It was simple earlier than, however now it’s even simpler,” Hedegaard stated through Discord voice chat.
Developer Eric “ConcernedApe” Barone first launched Stardew Valley in 2016, and it’s offered over 30 million copies to this point. That lasting reputation can, largely, be defined by Barone’s continuous updates, but in addition by the passionate group of modders who proceed to create new content material and increase the world of the sport. Gamers can discover new areas, meet fan-made characters, or alter the artwork course thanks to those mods. In keeping with a consultant from Nexus Mods, there have been over 336 million downloads throughout roughly 15,300 Stardew Valley mods over the previous eight years, making it the fifth-largest sport group on the positioning.
Quite than policing modders with the likes of DMCA takedowns, Barone has labored tirelessly to foster collaboration. Previous to launch, he described the 1.6 patch as a “modding-focused” replace and even launched an alpha model that confirmed off the code earlier than its official launch. Moreover, Barone employed the creator of SMAPI, the preferred software program used to load Stardew Valley mods, to work on replace 1.6 and make the sport extra modder-friendly.
The creator of SMAPI and Content material Patcher goes by Pathoschild, and each particular person Polygon spoke to talked about the important thing function he performed and the way he served as a constant line of communication between Barone and Stardew’s group. LemurKat, a creator behind the favored East Scarp mod, instructed Polygon through Discord that Pathoschild “stored up wonderful documentation on the elements that had been being opened for us to work with.”
DestyNova, one other energetic modder within the East Scarp group, echoed these sentiments. “[Pathoschild and Barone] collaborated to ensure that modders like myself had each software that you might presumably consider up till the final second,” DestyNova stated through Discord voice chat. “And Pathoschild just about accommodated modifications as finest he may, like up till [two nights prior to release].”
Along with structural modifications within the code, the brand new replace additionally introduced new property for modders to work with. DestyNova beforehand created a mod that added a nonbinary NPC to Stardew Valley, and now they’ll have extra issues to work with.
“It’s like having your artwork palette expanded. Not each modder goes to even be an artist, so each time there’s an replace from the sport, there’s extra property folks can use. There’s extra content material folks can work with,” DestyNova stated.
Nonetheless, with huge modifications come main rising pains. Pathoschild maintains a database the place gamers can verify to see if mods work with 1.6, and only a fast look reveals dozens of now-defunct mods, which has led to a ton of labor for modders. Hedegaard described a grueling schedule within the days after the replace’s launch. “I sleep as a lot as I can, after which I type of simply rise up and simply work all day. Like, undoubtedly over 12 hours a day minimal,” he stated.
“There are loads of regressions in some locations. However there are elements of my mod the place it’s been wonderful for like two years, and now with this replace, it’s damaged, and I’ve needed to repair it,” Hedegaard continued. “However that’s simply the brief run of it. The long term with these modifications, it’ll make the modding group stronger than ever earlier than, for my part, and it’s an excellent change. And it’s one thing that the modding group actually wanted.”
Though the patch has launched loads of new issues, like bugs and model compatibility points, these modders no less than aren’t in it alone. The identical communities that helped carry earlier content material to life can now supply help throughout all of the troubleshooting. The one round East Scarp, specifically, has gained a popularity for being a welcoming place for folks to study and a haven for LGBTQ-friendly Stardew Valley content material.
“That’s what’s necessary to me as a queer author. I believe folks see [the East Scarp] NPCs and other people see themselves, and it turns into necessary for them. […] ‘Oh, hey! It is a nonbinary NPC. I like them a lot. Right here you go, good friend who can also be nonbinary.’ Then we by chance grew a group of people that wish to make queer NPCs, and I like that,” DestyNova stated.
And on the finish of the day, the communities round these mods might be simply as significant because the content material they add. Guides and energetic Discord servers all function pillars of help.
“Will probably be simpler, ultimately, however many people extra veteran mod makers are having to relearn the method as properly, and adapt to the brand new mechanics [in the game],” LemurKat stated. “This has led to much less of a educating surroundings and extra of a sharing, ‘Hey, take a look at this cool characteristic I’ve simply found out.’ Which is fairly cool since I’ve been mod-making for nearly 5 years now and nonetheless have so much to study.”
In the event you’re a fan of those mods and wish to help the creators, typically a easy “thanks” can do wonders.
“For almost all of us, it is a part-time interest, and we wish to expertise the brand new content material as a lot as you do,” LemurKat stated. “In the event you discover your sport is bugging out, I’d urge you to discover ways to parse and skim your SMAPI logs, as there are some issues you possibly can repair your self. In the event you can’t discover the answer there, let the mod writer find out about it by posting a transparent description of the problem, and the hyperlink to the SMAPI go browsing the Nexus Mods web page. […] And please, supply supportive feedback too! I like discovering a ‘Thanks in your exhausting work’ publish buried amongst the display of ‘That is damaged, please repair’ feedback.”