Info about My Time at Sandrock:

Official game description:
Players' reviews
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**Sandrock's 400+ Hours Maestro**: It has it all- quests, crafting, building, relationships, skill progression, farming, fishing, holidays, weather system, mounts, dungeons, combat, and a rich and detailed world/story.  
**My Time Devotee**: I have almost 80 hours in the game and I'm around 2/3 of the way through the main story, it's massive. It really immerses you in the interesting world they've created.  
**Expert Sim Sorcerer**: My opinion is there is nothing quite like the My Time games on the market. I like them even better than SDV (and that's supposed to be the cozy gaming gold standard) but I wasn't really invested in the story or cared about the characters that much.
EXTENSIVE STORIES FOR NPCs
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About the Game
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**My Time at Sandrock**\-Just like My Time at Portia, My Time at Sandrock takes place in a wholesome post-apocalyptic world 330 years after the Day of Calamity destroyed most modern technologies.
After accepting a job offer to become Sandrock’s newest Builder, you’ll arrive in the wild and rugged city-state, where it’s up to you and your trusty tools to restore the community to its former glory. Gather resources to build machines, befriend locals, and defend Sandrock from monsters — all while saving the town from economic ruin!
Key Features
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Transform a run-down workshop into a well-oiled production facility! Use an intricate set of machines to process materials and produce parts of huge structures before assembling them piece by piece to help Sandrock flourish.
Create hundreds of unique items at the worktable to decorate your homestead, give gifts to Sandrock’s residents, or assist with community requests.
Explore vast deserts surrounding the city-state of Sandrock. Dive into ruins to dig for Old World relics, seek our materials in hard-to-reach locations, or spend time relaxing in Sandrock with your neighbors.
Experience a detailed story complete with hundreds of sidequests and over 30 all-new characters. Spend time getting to know Sandrock’s residents, uncovering backstories, and making meaningful connections along the way.
Quickly shift between melee combat and third-person shooting mechanics in dynamic action battles.Use the new weapons and defense break mechanic to your tactical advantage, or boost your stats to simply smash through battles!
A diversity of mini-games allow you and local Sandrock residents to stay entertained in the desert town.
Explore, build, and battle with up to 4 players. Together, shape the dynamic town, construct towering structures, engage in battles, share romantic moments, and dive into mini-games. Every move counts, earning points and unlocking new dimensions for your evolving character.
*   Use your workshop’s profits to turn the empty prairie into farmable land;
*   Grow crops for extra cash or transform them into delicious dishes;
*   Attend festivals with Sandrock’s residents;
*   Find secrets and much more!
Both **Portians** and **brand-new Builders** who have never set foot in Portia will find a fun new world with lots to explore at their own pace, along with divergent NPC stories to enhance replayability. Experienced Builders will find everything you enjoyed about My Time at Portia and more, and you will feel right at home in the delightful life-sim RPG that is My Time at Sandrock.

Release date: 2 Nov, 2023

Categories: Life Simulation, Crafting, Base Building, Resource Management, Single-player Story, Cooperative Multiplayer, Open-World Exploration, Real-time Combat, NPC Relationships & Romance, Character Customization, Cozy Farming Simulation


- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price: No data
- Playtime Metrics: No data
- Time-to-fun: No data
- Player Archetypes: No data


Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category.
Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews.
What players like:
- Engaging & Content-Rich Gameplay (weight 0.99): The game offers hundreds of hours of immersive and addictive gameplay, filled with a vast array of activities and quests that prevent boredom and provide significant replay value. Both single-player and multiplayer modes contribute to the extensive content.
- Compelling Characters & Narrative (weight 0.7): The game features a rich, evolving storyline with unexpected twists and turns, complemented by a diverse cast of deeply developed, fully voiced characters. Players develop strong attachments to the distinct townsfolk and their individual stories, feeling a genuine impact on the community's transformation.
- Significant Improvements Over Portia (weight 0.4): The game is widely praised as a substantial upgrade from its predecessor, My Time at Portia, with notable enhancements in graphics, combat, quality-of-life features, and overall gameplay mechanics. It builds upon the original's strengths while addressing its weaknesses.
- Unique Genre Blend (weight 0.21): The game successfully blends elements of life simulation, crafting, farming, RPG, and adventure genres, offering a distinct experience that stands out from typical farm sims like Stardew Valley or Harvest Moon. This unique combination provides diverse gameplay.
- Beloved My Time Series & Setting (weight 0.19): Players express deep affection for the My Time franchise and the Sandrock setting, appreciating the consistent quality, unique world-building, and the sense of community it fosters. The game is seen as a worthy and beloved continuation of the series.
- Immersive World & Aesthetics (weight 0.11): The game features a captivating open world with a warm, colorful art style and pleasant soundtrack, drawing players into its unique atmosphere. Exploration is rewarding, with stunning locations and a strong sense of place.
- Enjoyable Combat & Mechanics (weight 0.1): The combat system is simple, fun, and well-balanced, offering a refreshing diversion without being overly challenging. General gameplay mechanics and controls are convenient and contribute to an overall smooth experience.
- Deep Relationships & Romance (weight 0.1): The game features an engaging relationship system, allowing players to befriend and romance a wide cast of characters. These interactions are well-written, lead to unique quests and cutscenes, and provide a strong driver for continued play.
- Relaxed Pacing & Accessibility (weight 0.09): The game offers a chill, no-pressure play style, allowing players to progress at their own pace without feeling rushed. It is easy for beginners to pick up, and adjustable in-game time settings enhance the casual and relaxing experience.
- Player Choice & Replayability (weight 0.09): The game encourages multiple playthroughs through meaningful player choices that can lead to different outcomes and character interactions. Dynamic questlines and diverse romance options add to its high replay value.
- Satisfying Building Mechanics (weight 0.08): The game's building mechanics are a core and enjoyable aspect, offering satisfying progression and a refreshing focus compared to traditional farming. The system is intuitive, allowing players to customize their workshop and contribute to town transformation.
- Balanced Activities, Less Grind (weight 0.08): The game successfully balances various activities like farming, crafting, combat, and exploration, ensuring that no single activity feels overly grindy. Resources are accessible, and the overall grind is manageable, allowing for diverse engagement.
- Refined Crafting System (weight 0.08): The crafting and workshop systems are highly refined, offering intuitive interfaces, greater customization, and satisfying progression. The ability to automate parts of the crafting process enhances the overall experience.
- Unique Desert Setting & Lore (weight 0.07): The game's post-apocalyptic desert town setting is highly unique and well-integrated into the lore and gameplay mechanics. Its distinct aesthetic and the theme of revitalizing a struggling community contribute significantly to the immersive experience.

Common complaints:
- Weak & Padded Story (weight 0.45): The main story is criticized for being overly long, childish, and unengaging, often relying on "hurry up and wait" mechanics and repetitive dialogue to artificially extend playtime. This results in a narrative that feels shallow, predictable, and ultimately unsatisfying, especially towards the end.
- Tedious & Repetitive Gameplay (weight 0.41): Players frequently report the game becomes a monotonous grind, characterized by repetitive fetch quests, excessive material gathering, and a lack of engaging activities. This leads to burnout and a feeling of the game being a chore rather than enjoyable.
- Limited Multiplayer Content (weight 0.13): The multiplayer mode is widely criticized for being a separate, story-less sandbox experience, lacking the narrative depth, quests, and features (like romance) found in single-player. Many players feel it was falsely advertised and is an unfinished, unengaging grind.
- Poor Performance & Stability (weight 0.12): Players report significant performance issues including frequent crashes, freezes, lag, and low frame rates, even on high-end PCs. Additionally, excessively long and frequent loading screens severely disrupt the gameplay flow and overall stability.
- Numerous Persistent Bugs (weight 0.12): The game is plagued by a high volume of bugs and glitches, ranging from minor annoyances to game-breaking issues that persist even long after release. These technical problems frequently disrupt gameplay, requiring restarts and leading to lost progress.
- Inferior to Predecessor (weight 0.11): Many players find the game to be a regression or less enjoyable compared to its predecessor, My Time at Portia. Criticisms include less appealing aesthetics, reduced charm, poorer optimization, and less engaging character interactions and overall gameplay experience.
- Overwhelming Early Game (weight 0.08): New players often find the game overwhelming and unintuitive at the start due to complex mechanics, a steep learning curve, and insufficient in-game tutorials. This can make the initial hours frustrating and difficult to navigate.
- Critical Save Data Loss (weight 0.08): A significant and recurring issue is the loss or corruption of save files, often due to unreliable auto-save features or cloud sync problems. This critical flaw leads to substantial lost progress and a frustrating player experience, with some reporting over 100 hours lost.
- Glitchy NPC Behavior (weight 0.05): Non-player characters frequently exhibit buggy behavior, such as getting stuck, teleporting erratically, or disappearing, which disrupts immersion and can hinder quest progression. This makes interactions frustrating and the world feel less alive.
- Frequent Long Loading Screens (weight 0.05): The game is plagued by an excessive number of long loading screens, occurring for almost every interaction, including entering buildings, opening inventory, or interacting with machines. This severely breaks immersion and disrupts the gameplay flow.
- Questionable DLC Practices (weight 0.05): Players criticize the game's DLC policy, citing concerns about content that feels split from the base game, overpriced cosmetic-only packs, and the controversial practice of selling romance plots separately. This leads to a perception of predatory monetization.
- Insufficient Customization Options (weight 0.04): The game offers limited options for player and home customization, with a lack of diverse clothing, furniture, and color choices. Players also report frustrating storage limitations within furniture, hindering creative expression and home decoration.
- Poor Translation Quality (weight 0.04): The game's translation is frequently criticized for being awkward, inaccurate, and inconsistent, often resembling machine translation. This includes issues like sudden shifts in character politeness levels and numerous typos, detracting from narrative immersion.

Gameplay feedback:
- Diverse Core Gameplay (weight 0.25): The game offers a rich blend of activities including building, crafting, farming, mining, combat, social interactions, and exploration, forming a comprehensive life simulation experience. Players engage in daily tasks to develop their workshop and the town.
- Flexible Pacing & QoL (weight 0.15): Players can progress at their own pace, with options for difficulty and a sandbox approach. The game includes quality-of-life features like anytime saving, auto-saving, and adjustable in-game day speed, enhancing player convenience.
- Rich Relationship System (weight 0.14): The game features an extensive social system with numerous NPCs, allowing players to build friendships, engage in romance, marry, and even have children. Relationships are detailed with unique storylines and dialogue.
- Distinct Multiplayer Mode (weight 0.1): The game offers a separate multiplayer mode that functions as a storyless sandbox experience, distinct from the single-player campaign. It features different maps and quests, allowing for cooperative building and exploration.
- Basic Combat System (weight 0.09): Combat is present and required for story progression, featuring simple dodge and attack mechanics. It includes a 'Break' system and a variety of weapons, but is often described as basic, redundant, and level-dependent.
- Extensive Content & Grind (weight 0.08): The game provides a substantial amount of content, with the main story alone taking over 100 hours to complete. Players note varying levels of grind required for progression, but also significant post-story activities.
- Successor to Portia (weight 0.07): The game is largely seen as a direct continuation and improvement of My Time at Portia, inheriting many core mechanics and gameplay systems. It offers quality-of-life changes and a distinct setting while maintaining the series' style.
- Diverse Resource Gathering (weight 0.05): Players acquire materials through various methods, including mining in ruins, sifting through junk yards for scrap, collecting from wild animals, and utilizing cooperative mines for efficiency.
- Primary Builder Role (weight 0.04): The player character is primarily a 'Builder' tasked with fulfilling commissions and developing their workshop and the town. This role emphasizes construction and crafting over traditional farming.
- Extensive Quest Content (weight 0.04): The game features a compelling main storyline complemented by numerous secondary quests, often scripted and tied to NPC relationships. These quests provide rich dialogue and contribute to character development.
- Character & Home Customization (weight 0.03): Players can extensively customize their character's appearance, including face, hairstyles, and outfits, through a wardrobe system. The game also allows for redecorating and expanding the player's home.
- Unique Desert Setting (weight 0.03): The game is set in a distinctive post-apocalyptic, Wild West-themed desert environment. This setting influences gameplay mechanics, such as water conservation, and features elements like bandits, robots, and specific mounts.
- Farming Not Primary Focus (weight 0.03): While farming is an available activity, it is not the central gameplay element, distinguishing it from traditional farming simulators. The desert setting introduces unique mechanics like water conservation for crops.

Performance notes:
- Various Minor Bugs Present (weight 0.05): Players encounter a range of bugs, from minor visual glitches like characters stepping on air or getting stuck, to more specific issues such as texture problems after updates, small text errors, and Steam Deck keyboard malfunctions. While some users report minimal issues, others note bugs appearing or worsening with game updates, impacting immersion.
- PC Optimization Issues (weight 0.05): Despite good performance on handhelds, many PC users report general optimization problems, leading to unexplained FPS drops and lag, especially on laptops or during specific scenarios. Performance significantly degrades in late-game village expansions, during large events with many characters, in multiplayer, or when receiving rewards.
- Strong Handheld Performance (weight 0.04): The game is highly optimized and runs exceptionally well on Steam Deck and other PC handhelds like the Rog Ally, often achieving high frame rates (60-120 FPS) even on higher settings. This performance is noted to be superior to console versions, providing a smooth and stable experience with minimal crashes or dips.
- Excessive Loading Screens (weight 0.02): The game features numerous and often slow loading screens, which frequently interrupt gameplay. This is particularly noticeable when entering or exiting buildings, opening the inventory, or as the save file size increases over time. UI elements also display persistent loading indicators.
- Frequent Game Crashes (weight 0.02): Many players report experiencing frequent game crashes, sometimes occurring multiple times within a short period. These issues can often be mitigated or resolved by updating graphics drivers or lowering the game's frame rate.
- Moderate PC Requirements (weight 0.02): The game requires a decent PC to run well, with an SSD highly recommended for optimal performance. While it can run on laptops, users should expect varying performance depending on their hardware specifications.
- Improved Visuals (weight 0.02): The game's graphics are generally well-received, considered a notable improvement over its predecessor, My Time at Portia. Reviewers highlight upgraded textures and lighting, contributing to an overall appealing visual experience.
- Average Audio Quality (weight 0.02): The game's audio aspects are considered acceptable but are noted to have significant room for improvement.
- Controller Input Issues (weight 0): Players have reported encountering bugs specifically related to controller input, leading to frustration during gameplay.
- Occasional Connection Errors (weight 0): Some players have experienced connection errors, which can disrupt gameplay, sometimes occurring frequently after initial play.
- Active Developer Support (weight 0): The developers are actively rolling out updates and fixes, indicating ongoing commitment to improving the game's stability and addressing reported issues.

Recommendations:
- Highly Recommended Life-Sim (weight 0.42): The game is widely praised as a charming, engaging, and top-tier life simulation, crafting, and farming game. Players highly recommend it for its satisfying gameplay loop, captivating story, and relaxing, cozy atmosphere, making it suitable for both casual and dedicated players.
- Superior Life-Sim Sequel (weight 0.21): The game is highly recommended for fans of life-sims like Stardew Valley, Harvest Moon, and Rune Factory, often considered superior to its predecessor, My Time at Portia. Reviewers suggest playing Portia first for story context, but Sandrock is seen as a significant improvement.
- Multiplayer & Technical Issues (weight 0.05): Some players express significant disappointment, particularly regarding the game's multiplayer experience, which is described as buggy and not worth the purchase. There are also mentions of technical issues like game corruption and general regret over full-price purchases.
- Significant Time Commitment (weight 0.03): The game is noted for its extensive content and addictive nature, with players easily sinking hundreds of hours into it. Reviewers advise potential players to be prepared for a substantial time investment to experience the full story.
- Recommended on Sale (weight 0.03): Many reviewers suggest purchasing the game during a sale, especially if unsure about the full price or when buying DLC. This indicates that while the game is generally recommended, its full price might be a barrier for some.

Other player notes:
- Anticipation for Next Installment (weight 0.13): There is significant excitement and anticipation for the next game in the 'My Time' series, specifically 'My Time at Evershine' or 'My Time 3'. Players hope for improvements like more mature storytelling, better graphics, and refined character designs in the upcoming title.
- High Player Engagement (weight 0.13): Players report investing hundreds of hours into the game, often replaying or returning to it, indicating high engagement and addictive qualities. Many express anticipation for future installments, highlighting the game's strong retention.
- Unaddressed Issues & Polish (weight 0.06): Some reviewers note that the game is not fully polished and contains minor bugs, expressing concern that these issues may not be addressed. There's a general sentiment against releasing unfinished games.
- Romance System Feedback (weight 0.05): Players express interest in the romance options, with some regretting missing events by focusing on one character. There are hopes for more mature romance stories, proactive NPC proposals, and multiplayer marriage options in future games.
- DLC Content & Monetization (weight 0.04): Players have mixed feelings about DLCs; some appreciate them for funding future games, while others criticize aesthetic-only DLCs or content that they feel should have been free updates. There's a desire for more story or environmental DLCs.
- Stardew Valley Comparison (weight 0.03): The game is frequently compared to 'Stardew Valley,' often described as a 3D version, appealing to fans of cozy simulation games. However, it's clarified that it's not strictly a farming simulator.

Emotions:
- Satisfaction (weight 0.3): Players express satisfaction due to the game's high overall quality, significant improvements over its predecessor, and its excellent value for money. The rich, engaging story, well-developed characters, and abundant content across various gameplay systems like crafting, farming, and town development contribute to a rewarding and immersive experience.
- Frustration (weight 0.11): Frustration primarily stems from numerous bugs, technical issues, and performance problems that lead to crashes, lost progress, and unplayable experiences. Players also express annoyance with excessive grinding, repetitive tasks, and various poor design choices in mechanics, UI, and quest progression. Additionally, perceived unfair monetization practices, particularly regarding DLC, and significant issues within the multiplayer mode contribute to negative sentiment.
- Joy (weight 0.1): Joy is frequently reported due to the game's engaging and humorous characters, coupled with a fun and often emotionally impactful storyline. Players find overall enjoyment in the addictive gameplay loop, the variety of activities available, and the positive experience of playing with friends in multiplayer. The game's general quality and improvements over its predecessor also contribute to this positive emotion.
- Disappointment (weight 0.09): Disappointment often arises from the game's underdeveloped or buggy multiplayer experience and a perceived lack of depth or quality in the story and character writing. Players are also disappointed by DLC practices, including perceived cut content and high pricing, as well as persistent bugs and an overall unfinished feel. Unfavorable comparisons to its predecessor further contribute to this sentiment.
- Excitement (weight 0.08): Excitement is primarily driven by strong anticipation for future game releases and upcoming content, indicating a positive outlook on the franchise's future. Players also express excitement due to the game's highly addictive and engaging gameplay, which keeps them hooked for many hours. The overall high quality of the game, its improvements over previous titles, and compelling story elements further contribute to this positive emotion.
- Love (weight 0.05): Players express love for the game due to an overwhelmingly positive overall experience and a deep emotional connection to its rich world, compelling story, and well-developed characters. The game's quality, significant improvements over its predecessor, and its unique blend of genre elements, including engaging activities like building, mining, and romance, solidify its status as a favorite.
- Enjoyment (weight 0.04): Enjoyment stems from the game's engaging story and well-developed characters, which provide interesting quests and rich interactions. Players also find the overall gameplay experience enjoyable, particularly the addictive crafting, varied daily activities, and the sense of accomplishment from progression. The immersive atmosphere, appealing visuals, and quality-of-life improvements further enhance the positive experience.
- Appreciation (weight 0.02): Players express appreciation primarily for the developers' consistent effort, responsiveness to feedback, and ongoing commitment to improving the game. This extends to the high quality of the story, detailed world, and well-developed characters, often highlighted by excellent voice acting and appealing aesthetics. The game's unique approach to gameplay, such as the builder role and quests with lasting world impact, also garners significant appreciation.
- Anticipation (weight 0.01): Anticipation is almost exclusively driven by players eagerly looking forward to future game releases within the series, indicating strong loyalty and interest in the franchise's continuation. This also includes a desire for upcoming content and updates within the current game, such as new story elements or features like marriage.
- Surprise (weight 0.01): Players express surprise primarily when the game exceeds their initial expectations, often due to its unexpected depth, high quality of writing, or engaging content. This also includes pleasant surprise from enjoying the game despite typically disliking its genre, or finding it superior to a disliked predecessor. The volume of content and compelling story twists further contribute to this positive surprise.
- Engagement (weight 0.01): Engagement is driven by the game's compelling and immersive storyline, coupled with well-developed and interesting characters. The addictive gameplay loop, which offers a variety of activities and a clear sense of progression, further draws players into the game world, making it a significant time sink.
- Admiration (weight 0.01): Admiration is primarily directed towards the developers' commitment, responsiveness, and overall high quality of game design. This includes appreciation for the fantastic narrative, well-written characters, and deep story, as well as the balanced gameplay mechanics and immersive world-building that contribute to a polished experience.
- Anger (weight 0.01): Anger is largely fueled by persistent and game-breaking bugs, along with severe technical issues that hinder gameplay and lead to lost progress. Players also express anger over perceived poor game design choices, restrictive mechanics, and illogical plot points. Additionally, strong negative sentiment arises from perceived unfair monetization practices, particularly regarding DLC, and a sense of developer incompetence or abandonment.
- Relaxation (weight 0.01): Relaxation is consistently reported due to the game's inherently relaxing and peaceful nature, characterized by a cozy atmosphere and low-pressure gameplay. Players appreciate the game's ability to provide a stress-free and immersive experience, allowing them to unwind and enjoy its laid-back activities.
- Annoyance (weight 0.01): Annoyance often stems from minor bugs and glitches, as well as repetitive or grindy tasks that hinder progression. Players also find certain design choices annoying, including cluttered UI, limited customization, and specific character behaviors or dialogue that feel poorly written or overly cutesy.
- Addiction (weight 0.01): Addiction is primarily caused by the game's highly engaging and compelling gameplay loop, which keeps players hooked for extended periods. The desire for 100% completion further contributes to this addictive quality, driving continuous play.
- Boredom (weight 0.01): Boredom frequently arises from repetitive tasks and excessive grinding, particularly in the late game, which leads to a lack of engagement and content. Players also experience boredom due to monotonous activities, a stretched or redundant story, and an overall lack of depth or lively events, especially in the online mode.
- Immersion (weight 0.01): Immersion is fostered by the game's captivating and well-developed story, complemented by deep and engaging characters. The vibrant and responsive game world, where player actions have a visible impact, combined with an addictive gameplay loop and a variety of activities, further draws players into the experience.
- Sadness (weight 0.01): Sadness primarily arises from the emotional impact of completing the game's main story and parting with beloved characters, indicating a strong narrative connection. Minor causes include external factors like the lack of co-op partners or issues with localization.
- Desire (weight 0.01): Players express desire for additional features and content, such as a larger map, more character customization options, and specific quality-of-life improvements. A significant desire also exists for expanded romance and relationship mechanics, including polyamory options or the ability to romance specific NPCs. Additionally, players wish for better localization support and more mature story content.}