A new Stardew Valley mod aims to make life on the farm a bit easier and more productive. The Solid Foundations mod is less of a traditional mod and more of a framework that other creators can add to, tweaking the life game’s buildings and production in subtle, but significant ways. The basic idea is simple. Solid Foundation adds the option for custom interiors, item production based on rules you make, building skins, and more, and it integrates these functions smoothly into Stardew itself as items and services you can purchase at Robin’s or from the Wizard.
The framework debuted on NexusMods in early June, but latest addition to Solid Foundation lives up to both the subtle and significant descriptors. It’s called Bulk Processing, and while the screenshots may seem like something out of an industrial dystopian version of Stardew Valley, they’re among the most interesting conveniences to pop up in on the modding scene.
Bulk Processing does what it says on the package, adding two new processors as upgrades to the Keg and Oil Maker, with more on the way. First is the Large Keg, which Ham and NukaColaPrime, the mod creators, said is equivalent to eight regular Kegs. It lets you initiate eight Keg processes simultaneously and can even store up to 10 more in reserve, so you don’t have to worry about losing time if you were away when the previous process finished.
Right now, it only works with items of the same type – so, eight corn stacks, for example – though that may change in the future.
The second feature is the Oil Still, which, as you can probably guess by now, bumps up the amount of oil you can process compared to the basic Oil Maker. It works with Sunflower Oil, Corn Oil, and Truffle Oil, and it even lets you make vinegar using certain fruits.
NukaColaPrime said the plan is adding a preserves tub at some unspecified point in the future, which would let you mass produce items that normally require the Jar, such as jellies.
Aside from the obvious benefits of saving time and clearing out space in your fields more quickly, these bulk production makers seem like they’d save so much space as well. Gone are the days of dedicating an entire quarter of your farm to Kegs and Jars, and you won’t even have to spend that much gold, copper, and wood to get them, thanks to the modders’ reasonable prices.
Bulk Processing is just the latest in a series of Stardew Valley mods expanding what you can do on the farm and beyond, from expanding to valley to sending you to space and even giving you Pokemon to tend because why not.