Seasons Arrive in Thornfeld

The valley now experiences four seasons that cycle through the year. Each season lasts 24 real hours and ticks over with the daily server save. Four seasons = one in-game year. The minimap clock label shows the current state: Mon 14:30 Spring, Y1.

The cycle is anchored to the save event, not the wall clock. A delayed save delays the season. A mid-day restart preserves the season. The world keeps its own time, day by day.

Spring

• Wildflower carpets bloom near every deciduous and fruit tree.
• Scattered wildflowers (45 varieties) dot the open grass across the valley.
• Crops grow 1.5x faster. A wheat stage that normally takes 60 minutes finishes in 40.
• Your character may sneeze in the pollen with a small puff effect.

Summer

• Dry grass tufts appear in open spaces, weighted to match the natural RME brush distribution.
• A subtle bloom haze covers the world during the day.
• Crop growth runs at the normal baseline.
• Your character may sigh in the heat.

Fall

• Green and yellow leaf carpets paint the ground near deciduous trees.
• Mature fruit trees revert to their no-fruit stage and drop their fruit on adjacent tiles.
• Pine cones scatter from conifers; mushrooms cluster near deciduous trees.
• A warm autumn tint and two-layer animated falling leaves cover the world.
• Your character may cough in the cool air.

Winter

• Snow blankets the valley. Grass tiles transform into snow variants, deciduous trees go dormant, and conifers become snow-covered.
• Plants enter stasis. They do not grow, but they also do not die of drought. You can still water, plant, and harvest mature crops; only the growth scheduler is frozen.
• A cold-blue tint and falling snow particles cover the world.
• Your character may shiver with a small icicle effect.

Crop Strategy

Water a near-mature crop right before Winter. When Spring arrives, the elapsed time accumulated during the cold applies in one shot, advancing the crop by a stage immediately. Plan your Fall plantings to leap forward through the winter freeze.

Talk to the Town

Every major NPC in Thornfeld comments on the current season. Say season (or weather, or today) after greeting any of the 25 covered NPCs and they share what the season means to them. Hank gripes about dirt blunting his tools. Marta gossips about the new lambs. Ivy raves about germination rates. Cedric complains about mud tracked into the post office. Each NPC has a unique voice per season - try them all.

Welcome Message

The first time you log in within a new season, you will see a Welcome message with the season name, the current year, and a one-line atmospheric description. One per player per season - relog all you want, you will not see it again until the next season turns.

Watch & Rain Polish

• The watch (item 2906) now shows the season and year alongside the weekday and time: Wednesday, 14:30 - Spring, Year 1.
• Rain now fills water troughs. +300 units per rain event, clamped to capacity. Normal troughs (max 100) top off; metal troughs (max 500) gain 300. Empty and feed troughs are left alone - rain respects your intent.

Bug Fixes

• Walking onto snow no longer crashes the player due to a legacy achievement lookup that no longer exists in Thornfeld.

Documentation

Full Seasons coverage in both places:

• In-game: Cyclopedia → Ranch → Seasons
• Online: Wiki → Seasons (cross-referenced from the Farming section)