botany_bro

fair enough, maybe complicated isnt the right word. blooming seasons would totally work, there is even a mod that ive seen that changes textures of flowers to resemble that. but for harvest times: i was thinking about all of the different plant parts (roots, leaves, flowers, seeds, etc) and their different harvest times. usually harvest times are all different for different plants and many plants (like yarrow) have multiple parts that can be used. it could be integrated, but maybe not a top priority with a status effect/herbalism addition.

mugwort being added in 1.22 sparked my herbalism hopes and dreams. would be super cool to see more IRL medicinal plants to the game. yarrow (Achillea millefolium) is one i would really like to see. its known to be an effective anti-coagulant and teas can be made to combat various aches and pains, not to mention every part of the plant is medicinal. herbalism and more status effects would add so much to the game and im excited to see how they go about interpreting it. on another flower related note: i love the idea of blooming seasons/best harvet times. that is probably waaaay too complicated for vanilla, but would be so cool as a way to learn foraging techniques for medicinal plants. also having flavored honey like stardew valley would make my little heart flutter.

i second this- but with consideration to the time/material cost of building roads, it would be cool to have some system of automated tilling (a stock-drawn plough comes to mind), and other road building tools to make things go a little faster. TOBG has a handy way of path building, which i think is a little too easy for VS, but the way it is now is soooo tedious. but anyways i am a big big nerd on trail building and travel infrastructure and will welcome any and all new road-building tech.

new player here so this is totally anecdotal and speculative, BUT! i have noticed throughout my time playing often raccoons will be munching on berries, perhaps the devs are wanting to discourage players from fully transplanting bushes for ecological reasons. To me, a draw of the game (and from what Ive read, a goal of the game) is its eye for ecological systems. the requirement to take cuttings would, i imagine, try to teach a lesson for the real world; to only take what you need and leave the rest for others. now this is totally hippy dippy stuff but as a person who thinks a lot about ecology i really like the berry updates so far, nerfing natural foraging makes sense for realism, but i would be surprised if it has a crazy effect on berries as an early food source. and the requirements for certain soils and fertilizer while maybe not actually necessary IRL are a good way to incentivize players who want to farm to have to actively do it. ill get off my soapbox now but i have enjoyed reading through the berry discourse here, everyone has been thoughtful in their responses and its nice :).