Stardew Valley

So, I started playing Stardew Valley about six months after it released, and played it fairly heavily for a long while. I've done all sorts of challenges (no tool upgrades! no backpacks! no dealing with Pierre or Jojo!). I still come back to the game like 2 or 3 times a year, but I no longer feel obligated to play a "pure" game. I mean, sometimes I do play from absolute scratch; and yet there are other times when I have less time to spend, or less patience, or I just want to try to tweak a "better" min/max. And in those cases, I'll name my character

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Which means that every time someone in the game says my name, I get a prismatic shard, a treasure chest and an iridium bar.

If I'm min/maxing this way, then my first day - okay, this is from memory, but I think it goes like this: I quick-clear some space at the farm, but head into town around 8.30am. I forget who I start with (maybe Lewis or Robin?), but there's one character who, if you speak to them on the first day, they'll call you by name, so you get your prizes. Then you go sell the iridium bar and prismatic shard to Clint. Take the money and buy a telephone from Robin. [I forget, you may need to stop by and greet Gus here.] Head back to the blacksmith shop, drop the telephone somewhere, and start spam-calling the Saloon. Gus will answer by name and you'll get lots of loot. Stop accumulating at a convenient point before 3.50pm and sell the iridium bars to Clint (keep the prismatic shards to give as presents). Stop by the Saloon and pick up some coffee and salads. Then head to the store and buy backpack upgrades and fruit trees and all the seeds you need from Pierre. If you have enough time (depends on when you stopped calling Gus), you can also stop by Robin's and buy wood and stone and have her start on the barn (not the coop!). Head back to the farm, throw the treasure chests into the shipping bin, and quick-plant the trees and some veggies.

If you really want to speed-run, you can buy all the bundles from Jojo and be done with them by end of Spring Year 1, and then out to the Island by late summer/early fall of Year 1.