Relaxed agricultural business simulator with licensed machinery, open-world farming, and deep management-focused gameplay
Relaxed agricultural business simulator with licensed machinery, open-world farming, and deep management-focused gameplay
Pros
- Huge variety of real life machinery to simulate
- Realistic business simulator
Cons
- Music is irritating
- AI auto pilot of machinery is weak
- May be for farming nerds only, very specialized interest
All the fun of the farm simulated in agricultural detail.
Farming Simulator allows players to test their agricultural business skills in an open world environment using real life licensed machinery and tools.
The object of the game is to make as much money as possible from the farm business. It is a change of scenery for gamers who are sick of battling zombies, or speeding around sandbox world racing games set in gangster infested urban sprawl. Instead of drifting in high speed racing cars, the player can leisurely and methodically plough a lonely furrow "behind the wheel" of a John Deere, Case, Deutz-Fahr or Horsch tractor or combine harvester. These machines, like their real life counterparts are lumbering and slow, so players expecting high speed, full throttle spills and thrills had better off look elsewhere. Disappointingly, the realism stops with the lack of crashes. If the player carelessly crashes their John Deere or Fordson tractor into a shed, there is no damage dome to the tractor.
The game offers the player a variety of settings for their farm, and after a brief introduction, throws the prospective virtual farmer in at the deep end. It seems that developers and publishers Focus Home Interactive presuppose that players already have a knowledge of farming practices and techniques in real life. However, in real life, full time farmers have very little time to play games and are unlikely to want to play a game that mirrors their daily chores on the real farm! No guidance is given regarding strategies, which may be needed when deciding what mix of crops and tillage to farm or how to handle livestock.
Various machines and tools are available for purchase, with added realism of a bank loan being used to finance the initial purchase of three tractors, a trailer, a plough, a crop sower and a combine harvester. This loan has to be repaid (like real life) as the farm (hopefully) grows as a result of prudent investments in equipment that will improve the farmer's yield.
All the machinery can be placed on automatic to till the fields themselves. While this may take away the fun of directly simulating the driving process, it frees up time to concentrate on the vital strategic elements of running a farm business. However, the AI function which pilots the tractors is rather basic, and does not inform the player when the vehicle is stuck in an obstruction.
Pros
- Huge variety of real life machinery to simulate
- Realistic business simulator
Cons
- Music is irritating
- AI auto pilot of machinery is weak
- May be for farming nerds only, very specialized interest
Pros
- Graphics are realistic
- Sounds are ideal for a farm
- Various challenges available
Cons
- Rather boring
- No action
See how well you can manage a tractor in Farming Simulator.
This isn't the typical farming game where you have to plant crops and harvest them before selling them at the market. There are various challenges that you face while driving one of many tractors, such as baling hay and driving around obstacles. There are two missions in the game. One is a time trial where you see how long it takes you to get through the obstacles or how long it takes you to bale hay. Another mission is just hay baling. This can get old very quickly as it's all you do on the farm, but it passes the time.
The graphics are realistic as well as the sounds. It makes you feel like you're really on a farm, but it would help if it were a first-person game instead of viewing the tractor on the screen and driving with controls. This takes away from the simulation. However, the realistic look of the driver and the details on the tractors tends to take away from these faults.
If you're looking for action and adventure, this isn't the game for you. The tractors move slowly on the farm. There aren't any drastic movements, and you can spend a few hours simply trying to drive across the field. At times, the game can make you feel like you're in your own world of being inside a tractor cabin. There aren't any other vehicles around, and there aren't really any animals that you have to dodge. The excitement comes from cutting the wheat in the field and trying to get as much baled as you can before time runs out.
Pros
- Graphics are realistic
- Sounds are ideal for a farm
- Various challenges available
Cons
- Rather boring
- No action
