[STA-145] Bundles in stardew.app

[jacc]

You may be asking yourself, where are bundles in stardew.app? This issue will serve as an explanation (and tracker) for bundles to be added back into the site.

Why?

Initially, bundles were added as a feature in stardew.app 1.0 as a manually tracked feature. Meaning while everything else automatically imported from your save, you had to manually note which items you contributed to a bundle & how far along you were with each. Along with this issue, creating a design that was easy to use on both desktop and mobile proved seemingly impossible.

So when Clem and I decided to rewrite the website, we decided that we were going to leave it off. Clem initially had an idea of scanning the bundles from the save file, as well as all inventories, chests, etc. for items so the site could note which items had been donated and what items could be potentially donated. Among other priorities we had for the site (such as preparing for the influx of users with the 1.6 update), it was dropped off the roadmap. While it was something we had made in the first iteration, it didn't seem widely used, so other priorities took over.

Where are we today?

We've heard you and your need for a better bundle tracker. The main issue is that stardew.app 2.0 (and subsequent updates) have matured past a point where a major database change would need to happen in order to even begin working on bundles. And while this is plausible, it adds a mountain of headache and new code to the entire site when there are other things that need to be fixed and added.

We also don't want to half-ass the feature, so an incredibly advanced parser would need to be written and tested end-to end across versions.

The remix issue

The other issue with bundles is that Stardew Valley has the wonderful feature of Remixed Bundles, which allow users a bit of a challenge with their bundles. As far as we know, this data isn't added into the save file, and would pose yet another issue for the parser.

Where do we go from now?

We'd eventually like to add bundles back, potentially in stardew.app 3.0.0 (which would have a major architectural rewrite and where bundles could be feasibly added without too much potential of breaking shit).

What if I want to take this on?

Absolutely go for it! Clem knows this issue better than I, so I'd recommend joining our developer contributions Discord channel to chat with us more about it.

_{From SyncLinear.com | STA-145}