Saw your post in the game idea thread:
notthetoilet I want Stardew Valley, but the setting is a no/low conflict post-apocalypse.
There’s probably dozens of survival games kind of like this, but danger is such a big part of those. This game would be chill, resources are somewhat abundant and there is little to no competition. But there’s no services or government or whatever, so your days are filled mostly by chores.
It’s a long time since I watched The Walking Dead, but I remember when one season started, they were living in an old prison, growing crops, being relatively chill. I want that vibe, but there’s no zombies or bad guys to ruin it.
Just some roads to explore if you’re interested:
Not post apocalyptic but low tech wilderness survival that can develop into a DIY semi Stardew Valley: UnReal World. Highly recommended. If you wanna try it out you can download the second-latest version for free directly from the devs webpage. Very low fi, but the literal loop I am in with my most advanced save: daily wake up, start a fire and get water from the lake to start boiling turnip stew for breakfast, go check my fields for anything ready to harvest, go check my net in the lake for fish, start smoking any fish found, then maybe go forage around for the afternoon. Check traps, etc. A nice mini-chores space that’s completely self-defined (had to till all that soil over time, build each fence segment, build my small cabin). Anyways, writing about it has been entertainment for me so I hope you’ll excuse my random message.
Second is that project zomboid’s custom difficulties let you totally cut out any zombies. No non-player npcs at this point, but it has a very robust character stat system and crafting/construction/farming all is pretty thoroughly there. I haven’t played that way yet, but might give it a shot now that I think about it. Could definitely get by just going and raiding grocery stores for canned food, but other self-imposed RP options are definitely in the possibility space.
Curious if you’ve already got either of these on your radar or if you check them out. They’re both games that make me feel optimistic about the possibility of thorough and realistic sims. (Tho now that I think of your post, the ‘hardcore’ sim aspect of both these suggestions may stray too far from the stardewness you may be wanting)
Anyways, just tryin to spread the good word. Peace.