Realism through Simulation
Would you like to see Cattle and Crops available to purchase on Steam. CnC has created a Steam Greenlight program and needs your help. Please take a few minutes and vote YES.
By voting YES, you’ll help convince Steam to allow Cattle and Crops to be added to the Steam gaming library.
Thank you,
Jerry
I’m really having fun recording my Farming Simulator 15 game play and making it available to whomever would like to watch. Likewise, I’m also learning a lot as well. First, I realize my voice audio is low. I will correct this, but unfortunately because I’ve recorded several episodes the adjustment won’t be noticed until around episode five. I’ve made an additional adjustment for episode seven which should make a more noticeable difference. This is really the first time I’ve committed to record my game sessions in this fashion. In doing so, I’ve also realized this isn’t easy.
If you watch other gamers who either stream or record their game play, you might think “How hard can this be”? While the setup and the actual process of capturing the video game play isn’t rocket science, remembering you are actually recording a video and keeping the conversation lively is altogether different. But then again, sometimes keeping our mouth shut for a short period of time is also a good thing. Anyway….
In episode two, I harvest the corn crop which is on field 2 into chaff to transport to the BGA. At this stage we are still playing without soilmod. Just taking our time getting the three different fields which were pre-planted harvested and then soilmod will start in episode four.
Thanks for watching and until next time…
Happy Farming!!!
Jerry
As I’ve mentioned on my most recently blog updates, I’ve been playing the Oklahoma map and absolutely loving it. Oklahoma is a 4x map and it’s HUGE. I’m playing it with a heavy influence to raising cattle and horses and as a result farming the few fields I’ve managed to purchase to both support my efforts as well as area local farmers. I’m still very much in the process of getting my equipment the way I want it. I’m saving some cash, purchasing and renting equipment as necessary. As this map does not feature built in auger systems for storage of grass, straw and silage the occasional gathering of these items will need to be done manually. While I’ll eventually purchase a wheel loader, tele-handler and probably a skid steer to assist on the farm, these items are somewhat lower on my priority list at this time.
My goal as I began playing the Oklahoma map was to begin generating some cash through the sell of the wheat crop, but also begin the process of making total mixed rations (TMR) for the small amount of livestock I already owned. I rented a tractor and loading wagon to pickup the straw from the wheat crop. I then mowed enough grass to accumulate approx. 250,000 liters of grass and then finally I chaffed most of the corn crop for silage. Again without built-in augers….I needed an efficient and fast way of loading these materials when the time arrived to start feeding and supplying the mixing station.
I had recently read comments on various Farming Simulator forums discussing a portable auger from the Sakudiak Equipment company. In real life, these are known as Meridian Augers and are sold and used all over. The mod is slightly un-realistic as it can be driven around under its own power. For my efforts in “Realism through Simulation”, I move the auger around via tractor and make fine adjustments using the augers own power. The auger would be small enough for one man to move and fine tune it so that is what I’m simulating.
Anyway….the Sakundiak auger sells for $15,000 (rental price of $50 per hour) and carries a daily maintenance charge of $10. A hitch is available (separate purchase) for $50.00. The hitch needs to be connected first to the towing vehicle and then connect the auger.
The Sakundiak Auger is available here. I have personally downloaded, installed and tested this mod. The mod works and I use it on all my maps.
Please see my blog post “How to Install Mods in Farming Simulator 15” for complete instructions.
Until next time…
Happy Farming!!!
Jerry
We are finally less than one month away from the much anticipated release of Farming Simulator 17. Can you believe it? Unless you’ve been living under a hay bale, you probably have the date of 25 October circled on your calendar. Actually, you probably have 24 October and perhaps even 23 October circled as well just to serve as a reminder. While we all anxiously await the release of FS17, we also must certainly be prepared to enjoy only the vanilla aspects of the game for possibly several weeks and perhaps even several months before our favorite mods have been made available. For those of you who only know Farming Simulator via the console, then this won’t be an issue. But for those like myself, the first few weeks of FS17 will remind us of the early days of FS15. Said another way, for those of us playing FS15 via PC (with mods)….we better practice driving a tractor, combine etc. in a straight line without the GPS mod. ha ha
A few weeks ago I started playing on the Oklahoma map and reviewed it here on my blog. I also stated that I felt the Oklahoma map would see me through until the release of FS17. While I absolutely love the Oklahoma map, I’ve come to realize that the map is just too large for me at this time. Unfortunately, the amount of time it takes to harvest even the smaller fields (even with multiple combines) is just more than I have time for in a single sitting. Perhaps my OCD is a bigger deal, but I really like to be able to complete the task during a game play session. I’ve also found that in order for a single player to accomplish anything on a map this large that you must heavily depend on Courseplay. Anyway…
My blog site turned 6 years old just a few weeks ago. I don’t spend my time blogging in an effort to make money. I do it as an extension of the hobby and in an effort to give something back by helping others. This blog site is fairly popular. The site receives over 5,000 hits per month and all things considered, I think that’s pretty good for mostly written content in this day of vlogging and podcasting.
More than once I’ve considered doing more than just written text. In other words, more than once I’ve thought about using video to help showcase the game titles I play and also use this medium to help others. Other than having a really busy life, I’m also very much aware that there are many, many fine YouTube presenters who spend countless hours showcasing games like Farming Simulator as an example. I’ve created a few “how to” videos regarding Practical Soilmod Workflow and my most popular video with over 2,400 views on how to configure BOTH the Logitech G27 and Joystick.
While my time is still somewhat limited, I plan to record and produce YouTube videos which I’ll showcase here in this blog. I’m not 100% certain what the video release frequency will be. But at the moment I’m spending a few days building up a small queue of videos so I can try to keep a consistent flow of content coming out. For now I’m going to shoot for 1-2 new videos per week. Again this is just an extension of my hobby and not in any way to attempt to become a YouTube Partner. 
I’ve decided for this first video project to play the Paradise Hills map by Stevie. I’ve been a huge fan of Stevie’s maps since the days of his Ringwoods version of Westbridge Hills. Paradise Hills offers a nice mixture of small and large fields and most will fit exactly into my schedule and game play style. At the present time I’m harvesting all the pre-planted crops. Once this is done, I’ll install the wonderful Soilmod.
I will say this much. I’ve recorded six videos which will publish over the next few weeks. For those guys who create YouTube content on a regular basis…it may look easy from the outside. But once you get started and make the decision to start producing content, you soon realize it’s not easy. It’s not easy to keep conversation going and having something different and interesting to talk about while you are farming along. SO, with this in mind…please be patient with me as I grow and learn along the way. Together we’ll see where this thing goes.
If you are interested in following this series, please visit my YouTube channel. Thanks for watching. Here’s episode #1, Paradise Hills…
Until next time…
Happy Simming
Jerry
It didn’t really take long. By Friday evening I had pretty much decided that I would sign up and support the Cattle and Crops Kickstarter campaign. I guess it was a combination of several things. First, as I stated earlier in the week….Cattle and Crops caught my attention from the very first minute I learned about them. Second, the gameplay trailer they released on Friday convinced me this was more than vaporware and third…I guess I didn’t want to be the “odd-man” out come Spring 2017 when they plan to release an early access version. Anyway, I pledged the $49 dollar level which includes the Season Pass for 1 year. After more research (and some viewer feedback) I determined the season pass wasn’t a “Pay for play” scheme, but just another way of marketing and packaging DLC. Bottom line is I’m excited.
The Kickstarter campaign (as of Saturday, 1 October) has 1,340 backers and has raised $68,178 towards their goal of $84,298. With just over $16,000 to go, I have no doubt this Kickstarter campaign will be funded. While I’ve backed other projects via Kickstarter campaigns, this will be the first software project I’ve participated in. I’ll be sure to post updates as more news is made available and of course I’ll provide a full review of the early access version once it has been made available sometime in the Spring of 2017.
If you want more information on the Cattle and Crops Kickstarter campaign, please visit their Kickstarter website. Additionally, I also invite you to join the PC-SG Simulation Gaming Community. We’ve already started conversations regarding Cattle and Crops and invite you to join in.
Until next time…
Happy Farming!!!
Jerry
