Even fans who have been playing Stardew Valley since its initial release in 2016 are still discovering new hidden secrets and gameplay elements to this day. Creator Eric "ConcernedApe" Barone, who was inspired by Harvest Moon and other similar life simulation titles, deliberately filled Stardew Valley with secrets for players to discover as they explored their farm and the surrounding valley. These discoveries have allowed players to turn the farm and its surroundings into a true virtual home and expression of their boundless creativity.
Stardew Valley tells the tale of the player character who inherits their grandfather's run-down farm in the titular valley. Desperate to escape the corporate rat race, the player moves to the valley and works to restore the farm, befriend the local residents, and breathe new life into the neglected Pelican Town Community Center. Although planting and harvesting crops remains the central mechanic, farmers in the valley can also explore mines, catch fish, fight monsters, cook delicious recipes, and even find love. As of the Version 1.5 content update, players can even challenge themselves to achieve Perfection by mastering all elements of gameplay at once.
The r/StardewValley community on Reddit is a place where players can come to share their unique farm designs and other creative in-game endeavors. Recently, a user going by u/DreamCaru announced to Reddit that, thanks to a misclick while holding a flooring tile, they learned that floors and furniture can be placed in outdoor areas, not just inside their farmhouse. Inspired by this new discovery, u/DreamCaru redesigned the bus stop, adding lamps, winding pathways, potted plants and even an adorable sitting area complete with a miniature jukebox. As the bus stop is a location players will visit frequently due to needing to access the Calico Desert area, it is a prime choice to receive a cute redesign.
One small misclick while holding a floor item made me realize that I'm a massive idiot for not noticing that you can place furniture in the town. With that said, I redesigned the bus stop. from StardewValley
Commenters on Reddit complimented u/DreamCaru's design, but did point out the unfortunate truth that non-player characters can destroy these furniture and decoration items if they walk through them on their pre-determined path. In particular, commenters were concerned that the character Pam, who works as a bus driver and thus walks to the stop almost every day, would mess up the decorations while going about her routine. Commenters went on to jokingly portray Pam as a vehicle of destruction similar to Godzilla or King Kong, adamant on ruining the player's town beautification efforts.
Creator ConcernedApe has recently confirmed that he does not intend to add any more updates to Stardew Valley, although he is open to doing so if he finds areas in which he feels the game could use improvement. ConcernedApe is currently working on a new title, entitled Haunted Chocolatier, in which a new player character runs a chocolate shop alongside a crew of helpful ghosts. While fans wait eagerly for Haunted Chocolatier, which does not yet have a confirmed release date, they can continue to enjoy Stardew Valley in creative ways such as decorating the bus stop like u/DreamCaru did.
Stardew Valley is currently available for Android, iOS, Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, and Xbox One.