'Stardew Valley' Gameplay News: Multiplayer Beta Will Go Live Later This Year
The multiplayer game mode for "Stardew Valley" is expected to go on its beta stage by the end of 2017.
In latest news from "Stardew Valley" developers, they have confirmed that the multiplayer mode for the game is very much underway.
In the same statement, developers said: "We currently expect to be able to start a beta test at the end of the year for Steam users to help us test the game."
Get Our Latest News for FREE
Chucklefish also expects that they will be able to release the final version of the multiplayer mode by early 2018. It will arrive in the game along with game update 1.3 for Windows, Mac and Linux. The developers are also calling on all mod creators to update their mods during the beta stage.
Apart from the time frame of the beta testing stage, Chucklefish also confirmed that they have "pinned down the main technical issues" on the multiplayer mode which then gave them the confidence to announce several gameplay details.
"Shortly after you begin the game, Robin will offer to build up to 3 cabins on your farm. Each cabin will house a farmhand, controlled by one of your friends," Chucklefish explained. The main player can invite friends playing "Stardew Valley" through Steam.
Farmhands, which will be controlled by other players, practically have the same abilities and skills as the main player assuming the character of Robin. The developers said: "They can farm, mine, fight, fish, forage, marry NPCs and take part in festivals. Each player has their own inventory."
Since it is a multiplayer mode, the spirit of cooperation is alive. Whenever one of the players controlling one of the farmhands is not playing, others can manage his or her cabin.
While farmhands and the main player have most of the same abilities, the main player still reserves the right to decide on more important aspects of the game, such as the time for sleep, festivals, and more.
Meanwhile, many have been requesting for the developers to add a game element that will allow marriage between players. With this, the developers commented: "It's an idea we like a lot, and want to make available as a feature. Player-to-player marriage won't use the mermaid pendant, but rather an alternative method that requires a similar amount of effort to wooing an NPC."
Ultimately, the player-to-player marriage feature is still in the works. On the other hand, Chucklefish has also confirmed that other requested features such as local multiplayer, split-screen and more are not in the pipeline just yet.
