Palia’s fan base is split, and it makes the cozy farming sim complicated

polygon.com:

Developer Singularity Six has worked very hard to establish Palia as a cozy refuge away from real-world stressors. The loading screens welcome me home, and the game’s environments are vibrant, beautiful, and well-lit. There is no combat; I have to opt in to interpersonal conflict by talking to villagers every day and accepting their personal quests. You likely wouldn’t realize that there’s a conflict in the fan base that occasionally flares up on social media or even in the game itself.

Many players have jumped on-board for Palia’s soft, sweet, and comfortable vibe, and they’re largely content with the systems as they stand. Another faction of the fan base craves active endgame content that requires hands-on cooperation and coordination with other players.

This desire manifested recently in an activity called “cake parties.” Players used wikis, Discord, and considerable trial and effort to figure out the best endgame money-maker. Cake parties were determined to be the best way to get gold. Here’s how it works: Four players gather in a kitchen, each bringing jam, fruit, sweet leaves, and baking supplies. They then run around, like a little game of Overcooked, and bake dozens or hundreds of cakes to sell for gold. It’s an activity that isn’t signposted in any way, nor even deliberately planned by the developer. Singularity Six recently stepped in to nerf the activity’s gold gains, while promising that the studio wanted to keep cultivating opportunities for group cooking in future updates.

Players who organized cake parties aren’t doing anything wrong; they’re simply pursuing the modern MMO endgame content they want. Palia is in early access, and the game is constantly being iterated upon as it approaches its eventual full