Key Takeaways
- In A Story of Seasons, players must strategically invest in farm expansions to make money and ensure a fair return.
- By befriending the sentient plant named Vinnie, players can create hybrid crops that are more valuable and sell for higher prices.
- To maximize profits, players should choose their crops wisely and consider factors such as growth rates and selling prices, as well as bond with animals for higher-quality outputs.
In A Story of Seasons, the main goal is running a farm, which takes a lot of time and money. Without the latter, the place will go under. Players must use the tools at their disposal to keep the place afloat. It's standard for a business management sim, but the method here may not be what they expect.
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Making money In A Story of Seasons largely involves spending it. Would-be farmers and entrepreneurs invest their capital in various expansions for their property. They then hope these gambles pay off with the right amount of maintenance. Of course, it helps to know which ones likely draw the most profit. Through strategic spending, players ensure a fair return. Whatever effort they put into their farm, the crops will pay them back with interest.
6 Befriend The Plant
That statement may sound strange, but that doesn't make it any less valid. In Takehura's house lies a sentient plant named Vinnie. If players talk to him, he requests two different kinds of crops. He hints that something special might happen if he receives these crops. Thankfully, he's not exaggerating.
This is how players attain hybrid crops. After handing the plants over to Vinnie, he fuses them together to create combo plants. These are exponentially more valuable than regular plants, and buyers are more willing to pay that increased price for such rare crops. In short, Vinnie takes coal and turns it to diamonds.
5 Choose The Right Crops
Each farming item has pluses and minuses. For instance, fruits have faster growth rates, so players can harvest and sell them sooner. On the other hand, vegetables tend to fetch a greater price, but they take longer to grow. Both have drawbacks.
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In that sense, players must pick their poison. The game never treats either option as the "right" answer. It's just a question of which approach players are more comfortable with. Are they confident enough to play the long game with their products, or do they want instant results?
4 Unlock The Second Field
Befriending Vinnie has another benefit. After players use him to create their first hybrid crop, they should speak to Takehura on the following day. He offers a brand new field to house the hybrids. Granted, this costs 60,000g, but the perks make it well worth the investment.
The field in question is the best in the game. It has the most fertile soil, meaning that any crop can successfully grow. This complements the hybrid seeds that Vinnie provides. In addition, the field is the largest. Basically, it produces the highest-quality crops in the greatest quantities. With these advantages, it won't take players long to make their money back.
3 Go For Brown, Marbel, & Star Cows
The other major source of income for a farm is livestock. The game offers many options in this regard, but money-hungry managers should focus on cows, namely special cows. The target is a herd of star cows. These obviously cost the most, so farmers can also subsist on marble and brown cows. They all produce dairy products.
All it takes is the knowledge of how to mold those dairy products and the right equipment to do so. Milk from all three types can help recoup the cost, with star milk obviously selling for the most. However, players can also build a processing room to fashion that milk into cheese and butter. Lo and behold, they get a more expensive deal for the same product. It's simply in a different form.
2 Bond With Animals
It's surprising how much of the game relies on making friends with the right people (or creatures). The quality of animal products depends on morale. If the animals have a good bond with the farmer, then they yield higher-quality milk and other outputs. These, in turn, sell for more on the market. As such, it's in players' best interests to love their livestock.
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They can do many activities to show that love. Easy examples are brushing and petting the animals. However, players may also talk to them to gauge how they like their living situations. Special treats and barn upgrades can improve those conditions. Don't keep them cooped up in the barn, though, as they enjoy being outside. The only exception is during storms or other bad weather. Such treatment can be a lot of work, but the critters will eventually return the favor.
1 Open A Store
A Story of Seasons has several ways to sell products. Players can ship them out in a bin or speak to Van--a salesman who visits a couple of times per season. For instant results, however, they should go for the direct approach.
Farmers can cut out the middleman and open their own stores. As long as they don't mind the maintenance and down payment, they can peddle their products in person. This lets them see an immediate return on their investment. A store can also be a chance to increase one's friendship status with the townspeople. This has its own benefits in the form of rare items and even more ways to make money. Sometimes, it's better to do things yourself.
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