I don’t always comment on news happening outside of the actual game titles I play. But this latest bit of news will be interesting to follow. Basically Logitech has acquired Saitek/Mad Catz. Personally, I think this is fantastic news. I’ve long been a fan of Logitech. Their quality is far superior to that of Saitek. I own/owned many Logitech products and have also purchased several Saitek items. The Logitech hardware is still running while some older Saitek pieces have long been thrown away.
It is uncertain what will happen with the Saitek Farming Simulator wheel, pedals and side panel controller which Saitek and Giants teamed up to develop. I’ve heard rumors of these controllers being in short supply and Amazon retailers telling customers they didn’t know when they would get new stock. For the record, I didn’t purchase the Farming Simulator Saitek controller. I really had no need for this as I already had the Logitech G27 and a Logitech joystick. But….But…I’ve thought more than once about purchasing the side panel.
I guess this could be classified as a mod review. But then again I’ve already reviewed this mod some time ago. While there are many outstanding mods available for both ATS and ETS2, it is my opinion that the Peterbilt 389 by Viper2 is the VERY BEST! Just to be clear, I’m not saying his Peterbilt 389 is the best truck mod. I’m actually saying this Peterbilt 389 is the BEST MOD PERIOD! At least it is my favorite.
I spent a long, long time playing ATS on the multiplayer servers where mods like this are not allowed. I really…really….I mean I really missed playing ATS with mods. As with other simulation based games I enjoy, the mods really make the experience.
The Peterbilt 389 by Viper2 not only looks fantastic…it performs very well.
Why haul for Walbert when you can haul for Snap-On Tools?
The sun may be setting on this game day, but the Peterbilt 389 by Viper2 will see many sunrises and sunsets.
If you are a fan of American Truck Simulator and you have not tried this Peterbilt 389 by Viper2, what are you waiting for? You’ll find it in the Steam Workshop.
The other morning I was farming along when one of the Steam users I follow messaged me. He was asking questions about Farming Simulator 15 and the level of realism it offers to the virtual farmer. During the back and forth exchange, he was asking if things like season, climate, weather and other regional challenges were factored into the game. Of course I had to regretfully explain that none of these elements are factored into default game play. I did elaborate slightly about how mods like the awesome SoilMod do go a long way in helping to achieve a slightly deeper level of immersion. However, I believe he was really seeking even more depth than what is available through the mods I’m aware of. He went on to throw out ideas such as seasons with the idea that during certain seasons the virtual farmer would be forced to do other tasks on the farm. Take certain aspects of the farming life indoors through the use of greenhouse facilities. In addition, many of us would love to see more realism with regards to ground physics, vehicle mechanics (maintenance, damage, dirt) and perhaps even player fatigue come into play. Of course, there are mods which try to simulate mechanical reliability (the damage mod comes to mind). But there really is no penalty if we choose to never wash our vehicles. Try that in the real world and see where that gets you.
While it would be safe to say the majority of individuals who will read this blog post either directly from GrizzlyBearSims.com, PC-SG Forums or anywhere else it’s being distributed do truly want a more “As Real As It Gets” level of realism from our favorite simulation based games (myself included). But unfortunately, our numbers are very small and for many reasons. First, cost! But more about these things in just a minute.
Of the simulation based games I enjoy (think Planes, Trains and Automobiles – and Farming Too!) Flight Sim (Prepar3D, FSX or X-Plane) is truly the best at delivering the most “As Real As It Gets” experience. Actually, the term “As Real As It Gets” has been the Microsoft motto for their flight sim franchise for as long as I can remember. But if you break it all down, flight sim (again via Prepar3D, FSX or X-Plane) offers the enthusiast a 100% global experience. Want to fly from Denver to London? Want to experience real world weather conditions both on the ground and in the air? Want to experience the effects of windshere or what happens when you mis-calculate the amount of fuel required to complete a flight? Yep….it can be done in flight sim. Take the level of immersion up a few notches with complex payware add-on aircraft which simulate how the real aircraft equivalent performs from a cold & dark flight deck experience all the way to engine shutdown. It can be done! Of course much of what I’ve described is only available through add-ons (or mods). But it is available and they do a really good job of full immersion. But the downside, it costs a lot of money to reach this level of immersion.
A company like Giants is in business to make money and it is my opinion that at the present date and time, they are the best at what they do. Yes, competition is certainly on the horizon. The fourth quarter of 2016 and early 2017 is shaping up to be the year of all things Farming Simulation. Some titles are already here with others to come. While it’s true all appear to offer a little more realism, much of what we may want may never come. Especially at the price point of $19 – 29 USD. But just as important, the audience numbers are also relatively small. Most are just not interested in the full immersion. In the example of farm sim, most just want to plant, fertilize, harvest then rinse and repeat. Factoring in the need to make important decisions such as do I have enough hay, straw, silage to last the winter months…is it too early (or too late) to plant X crop or another number of any of the many other factors which go into running a real world farming empire.
Of course, these are just my opinions. What do you think?
It’s been a while since I’ve released a mod review for Farming Simulator 15. I had just about decided not to release any additional FS15 mod reviews as we are less than two months from the release of FS17. But I also believe many will continue to use FS15 for some time and may benefit from these reviews. As a general rule, I really only write mod reviews for mods which I use. But this works towards your advantage as you can be certain the mod truly works. As I’ve started farming another large 4x map, I have several new pieces of equipment queued up to test and review in the coming weeks. I think you’ll like what I have planned. Finally….YES, I will be reviewing FS17 mods as they become available and as I need them in my farming efforts. As with all my mods, you can find my complete list here.
There are many reasons why we choose to use mods in our games. While Giants has done an outstanding job in providing a variety of default equipment in Farming Simulator 15, a lot of this equipment has more of a European look/feel to it. If you are striving for an “As Real As It Gets” experience and you are also farming on a map set in the USA then this newly discovered 48’ Dakota Spread Axle trailer might just be the thing you are looking for.
I’ve started farming on a brand new (new to me) 4x map called Oklahoma. I know….I know….for anyone who knows me, you know I’m a native Texan living in Colorado. As most native Texans will agree…Oklahoma and Texas have a rivalry that goes back many, many years. Anyway, I was looking for a new map….I wanted a larger map and one that was set in the USA. While the Oklahoma map is situated in the state of Oklahoma, it could also be just about anywhere else (including eastern Colorado). I will release an in-depth review of the Oklahoma map for FS15 in the next few days.
As you can see from the screenshot below, the 48’ Dakota sells for $45,750 (rental price of $152 per hour) and carries a maintenance charge of $75 per day. The capacity of the trailer is 47,572 liters.
These trailers are CoursePlay friendly and work well when using the auger wagon or hauling grain to market. They might be a tad long when using to empty a combine directly as the turning radius is quite large.
They attach well to the default MAN truck. However, I noticed an issue when testing with the default Tatra Phoenix. I’ve tested with other trucks including the International Transtar II (shown below) which I use in my farming operations on the Oklahoma map..
The trailer has a few interesting pieces of eye-candy including a folding ladder, top cover and even Oklahoma license plate.
How can I get this mod?
The 48’ Dakota Spread Axle Trailer mod is available here. I have personally downloaded, installed and tested this mod. The mod works and I use it on all my maps.
Over the past 72+ hours, the forum thread on the official Giants Farming Simulator 17 forum thread lit up with rumors of rumors of even more rumors regarding console mod support for the upcoming (and highly anticipated) release of Farming Simulator 17. For the record, I’m not a console platform gamer and I haven’t been a console platform gamer since the mid 1980’s when I replaced my Atari 2600 with a PC. I realize there are some advantages to console game play with certain game titles. But for a game application like Farming Simulator, in recent releases the PC has been truly the best option and this has been down to the availability of mods.
A game like Farming Simulator is certainly an awesome game in its “vanilla” format. But just like vanilla ice cream can be made so much better with some chocolate syrup, whipped cream and even a cherry on top, games like Farming Simulator become truly AMAZING with mods. Perhaps one of the best use for mods in Farming Simulator is the variety of add-on maps available. As someone who has enjoyed FS15 since soon after it released almost two years ago, I’m really not sure I would still be playing it today if I only had access to the maps released by Giants.
When Giants announced the release date for Farming Simulator 17, one of the really big news items was the availability of mods for the console platform. This included mod support for Sony PlayStation and Microsoft XBOX console platforms. Again, this was really BIG News and rightfully so.
However, late last week the discussion on the Giants FS17 Discussion Forum began to turn a bit sour with news about how Sony has blocked mod support for Fallout 4 and Skyrim. Both had been previously advertised to have mod support and both were denied mod support. A little more reading and it appears Sony blocked mod support for these titles because they do not allow mods which alter the game in such a way the player has total freedom over the game. For those of us who play Farming Simulator, the mass majority of our mods don’t alter the game in this fashion.
Over the course of several days, many who had pre-ordered one of the console versions of FS17 had threatened to cancel as their stated sole purpose of purchasing was based on mod support. I certainly don’t blame them. However, Giants did finally respond in the forum thread with the following comment “You can relax, we’ve worked with Sony to find a solution that works for both sides and nothing has changed since then. Mod support for both platforms, Xbox One and PS4, will be available at Farming Simulator 17’s launch”.
While Giants response is certainly good news. In my opinion it somewhat strengthens the idea in my mind that nothing in life is certain. At some point in time Sony (or even Microsoft) could block mods from FS17 and there is nothing Giants or you as the consumer can do about it. Of course, I’m hopeful this does not happen. In addition, will the process of submitting mods for the console version of FS17 become too difficult? Will some modders refuse to make available their mods to these platforms? So while FS17 will have mod support available to console gamers AND Sony and Microsoft will allow mods to their console platform, will the variety of mods be the same between PC and console? If not, what then?
Any console gamer making the assumption that all mods for the PC version will be available to the console (and they function correctly) may be in for a really big surprise. For example, I’m not a mod developer. But if I were, would I make the personal investment of purchasing console hardware and FS17 just to test?
But this does bring my thoughts around to a somewhat related subject of how mod distribution is handled for PC users. In short….It’s an outright mess! But I think I’ll save these comments for a future blog article which I’ll write and release very soon.
I spent some time in my lazy-boy recliner on Monday evening doing a little reading on the highly anticipated release of Farming Simulator 17. As I recently pointed out, the summer of 2016 (like most summer months) has been really busy for me. I’ve just not had time to spend gaming and when I don’t game….well I also don’t have much time to blog either. Of the simulation based games I frequently play (when I have time) I must admit it is Farming Simulator which is one I really enjoy and I think the reason for this is because it is not just one dimensional. Meaning, with American Truck Simulator and Euro Truck Simulator 2…the task at hand is driving a truck. With Train Simulator the task is driving a train and with Flight Simulator….Ok…you get my point. Now…please understand that I do enjoy each and every one of those sims. I also realize each of those do offer a great deal of variety in the types of trucks, trains and aircraft which can be operated. But the general premise is still one dimensional.
While Farming Simulator can certainly be one dimensional if that is how one desires to play it. Of course, in the early stages of a new map the game play is often devoted to just farming (planting, harvesting, sell, rinse/repeat). But as your farm/map gets rolling there’s plenty of other things to do including animal husbandry and even logging. Yes…yes…I know. The element of logging might be a short stretch with regards to connecting it to farming. I’ll also be honest and say that until I purchased my Logitech joystick and figured out how to get both the wheel/pedal AND joystick all working together, I absolutely hated logging. By the way, I recorded a YouTube video documenting how I managed to get it all working in Farming Simulator 15. Even without a joystick, a chainsaw and this modded woodchipper can help earn some good money and help remove some of those trees which always seem to get in your way. But hey….this blog post isn’t supposed to be about any of this.
The countdown to the release of Farming Simulator 17 is on everyone’s mind (including mine). If you are a Farming Simulator fan, then you know FS17 is expected to release on 25 October 2016. In early March of this year, I typed up a Top 10 wish-list of sorts for what I had hoped FS17 would include. Once FS17 has been released and I have a few hours with the game, I’ll certainly compare notes between my wish-list and FS17. But….from what I’ve been reading several of the items I called out may have been addressed. We already know FS17 will include more crop and animal types to the base game. Of course, with mods the sky is the limit and our friends who play Farming Simulator on a console platform will finally (with the release of FS17) have mod support.
As I mentioned at the top of this article, I spent some time relaxing in my Lazy-Boy recliner on Monday evening. With laptop in my lap, I began reading the over 40 pages in the FS17 Feedback thread on the official Farming Simulator Forums. Through the 40+ pages, the topic of conversation which began on 28 July 2016 is for the purpose of comments and feedback related to the screenshots, videos and other information officially released by Giants. While representatives of Giants have occasionally posted answers to questions and feedback to opinions, I only found a few examples of this. By the way, the links to the feedback thread are for the English language section. I’m told Giants may be a little more responsive in the German language section. As I don’t speak German…that does me no good. However, there is still a lot of good information in the English language section.
Some details I learned pointed me to the Giants Farming Simulator Facebook page. On the Notes page, I found information regarding the “New Environment” including the new North American themed map which is set in the Pacific Northwest of the US (Washington State). While I’m not that excited about finding and collecting the gold coins (I know some of you are), I am really interested in what Giants has described as interacting with local businesses, farmers and residents. While the missions in FS15 were fun in the beginning…I always felt more could be done other than just moving a pallet around or mowing. From the sounds of things, the new Mission System in FS17 will certainly be more interesting as we’ll have the opportunity to earn money by performing tasks on fields we currently don’t own. That’s pretty cool!
2017 – The Year of Farming
2017 is certainly shaping up to be the year of farming. In addition to the Giants release of Farming Simulator 17, we also have other “Farming” themed titles slated for release this fall. Of course, Cattle and Crops is the one at the top of my watch list. Of the “17 or 2017” branded titles, Professional Farmer 2017 was the first to release earlier this year. I sampled it by watching a few YouTube videos and quickly realized I would just keep my pennies in my pocket. Professional Farmer 2017 is available from Steam for $19.99
Next on the list is Farm Expert 2017. It’s been available as a pre-release beta but now has been officially released as of 1 September. I watched several videos and while I think it shows some promise I personally don’t plan to purchase at this time. Many of the reviews seem to point to issues which were present in the pre-release and didn’t get fixed in the full version. From what I have read (and seen), Farm Expert 2017 is more about the actual “Farm Management” versus farm equipment driving simulation. But having said that, I’m certainly going to keep my eye on this title and see how it progresses over time. Farm Expert 2017 is available via Steam for $19.99.
Pure Farming 17 is one I just recently learned about. They have a website and Facebook page with a few published videos. But unless I’m mistaken, the videos appear to be CGI and not actual recorded game play. The release is slated for early 2017.
Finally, Cattle and Crops. Some speculated Cattle and Crops was nothing more than a hoax. I suppose that could still be the case, but other than being excited about FS17, I’m also holding out some excitement for Cattle and Crops. It could still prove to be vaporware….but from all that I’ve read and seen about this new entry, it has all that we love about FS15 and all that we want FS17 to be rolled into one. Like Farm Expert 2017, Cattle and Crops is also supposed to be more than just a farm equipment driving simulation. But really who knows? Cattle and Crops, if you are reading this…why are you not pushing more videos, screenshots and general information out?
Final Thoughts
I’m just speaking for myself here. While I’m already committed to purchase Farming Simulator 17 (pre-order via Steam), I plan to just carefully and cautiously watch the other titles. I really don’t have an interest in owning and playing multiple farm sim games. Meaning, if I felt confident Cattle and Crops, Pure Farming 17 or Farm Expert 2017 had what it takes to beat Farming Simulator 17, then most likely one of those two titles would replace FS17 for me. But as it certainly stands today….I feel pretty confident in saying that FS17 will be enough of an improvement over FS15 to justify the cost and FS17 will become my “Farm Simulator” title once it is released.
However, if anyone from Cattle and Crops, Pure Farming 17, Professional Farmer 2017 or Farm Expert 2017 is reading this. This blog site averages around 4,500 – 5,000 page views per month. I’d be more than happy to write an honest review based on game play if you care to contact me.
As I’m traveling the next few days this will be the last blog post until mid-September.
On Monday, 5 September SCS Software released brand new screenshots for the much anticipated ATS map rescale project. While the screenshots are certainly welcome, the better news from SCS is they are “finishing work faster than initially anticipated”. The info went on to state that they believe internal testing could begin in several weeks and after (only after) will the open beta be made available.
I truly must say that SCS Software is perhaps the best at keeping its users informed of changes and projects for the simulation based games I enjoy. You can read more about the ATS rescale project and view the screenshots here.
As I’ve previously mentioned in an earlier blog posting, my summer has been extremely busy. What little time I’ve had for game play I’ve spent farming. ATS and ETS2 are certainly sim based games I still enjoy and I’ll return to them when time permits.
I suppose I should never underestimate just how busy the summer months can be for me. The summer of 2016 has been no exception. While the US Labor Day holiday is officially behind us, and Labor Day is somewhat the official end of summer. I’m not 100% sure when things will slow down for me.
Since returning from our European vacation, I’ve been busy with business related travels and other projects. I did find some time over this past long weekend to enjoy some Farm Sim 15. I’m still farming on the Sosnovka map which was part of the FS15 Gold expansion pack. I figure I’ll continue with this map until Farming Simulator 17 is released. Speaking of FS17, I did pre-order a few months ago. I received an email from Steam which enticed me to pre-order to receive the Challenger MT700E Field Viper and the Valtra T-Series Cow Edition. (see below). I figured I would give FS17 a shot and didn’t want to miss out on these two free tractors.
The release date of FS17 is still over a month away (releases 25 October 2016) and while I’ve watched a few YouTube trailer videos, I’m still not 100% sure if we’re going to see anything that different between FS17 and the current FS15. Sure, FS17 will feature two new crops (sunflowers and soybeans) and one new animal type (pigs). But those of us who play FS15 on the PC platform have had those and more through the wonderful world of mods. Of course, the really big news with FS17 is now console players will get access to mods.
Here are a couple of YouTube videos showcasing FS17. But the big question I have regarding these videos. Are these actual game play or still CGI teasers?
While I didn’t own FS13, the move from FS15 to FS17 will be a new experience for me. Things like how long it takes for the mod developers to catch up will be a topic I’m keen on following. For example, Courseplay is one of my must-have listed mods. FS17 won’t be complete until Courseplay has been made available. Will the FS15 version (4.01) work in FS17? At one point I heard the Courseplay developers were on hiatus. Does anyone know if they are once again active?
Finally, I’m somewhat surprised the YouTube channel for Cattle and Crops has not been very active in recent weeks. With Giants releasing videos every few weeks (and less than two months to release) I would think Cattle and Crops would also be keeping us excited. But looks like the last video from Cattle and Crops was over 3 months ago.
I’m slowly starting to explore more and more of the new Arizona expansion map for American Truck Simulator. While Arizona has been available for several weeks, between my work schedule and a much needed long vacation, and even spending a little more time in Euro Truck Simulator 2, Farming Simulator 15 and Flight Sim….I’ve only recently discovered something that I really enjoyed.
This past Sunday, I delivered a load of Yoghurt from Bushnell Farms in Holbrook to Tidbit in Kayenta. The drop point is shown below in the captured screenshot.
SCS Software, Please, Please, Please….more like this! This delivery point was a slight challenge (not super hard, but also not super easy). But the important element I’m wanting to make here is this delivery point really pushes the Realism through Simulation element that I strive for. I’d really love to see more delivery points just like this as SCS Software expands ATS into future states.
Finally, I realize my blogging efforts have slowed to a mere trickle in recent weeks. Again, this is mostly due to my work schedule and a recent European family vacation. As I get caught up at work, as I get over both a cold and jetlag…and as I spend more time with all my favorite simulation games….THERE WILL BE more blog postings. So please stay tuned…
I’ve been busy. Actually…that is a lie! I’ve been extremely busy. But this is just how the summer months are for me. Plus my wife and I are just a few weeks away from our European vacation. She and I both have jobs where we are the only individuals who do what we do. Meaning….we have no backup. We work extremely hard before a break or vacation and then work extremely hard once we return. Anyway…
Yesterday, Giants released a video preview (well they call it a trailer) for the upcoming Farming Simulator 17. When I first watched it, I had just come back from a two hour long meeting (that translates into two hours of wasted time which I’ll never get back) and I thought WOW….but then I realized it was all CGI or computer generated imagery. Sigh….
Like you, I’m excited about the release of FS17. I really am. While FS15 was my introduction to this franchise, I’ve read forum posts and blogs from frustrated fans who expected a lot more with FS15 than Giants delivered. So….I’m somewhat skeptical in exactly what FS17 will be when it releases towards the end of October.
FS15 is a great game. But it has issues. Will these issues be addressed in FS17? What is really new with FS17? These are valid questions but you won’t find the answers in the below preview. BUT….Giants is certainly willing to take your money now. Of course, we can speculate right?
From what I’ve seen, it looks like there could be a few new things with FS17 that wasn’t included in FS15 (at least without mods). It appears we will see a few new equipment brands in FS17. We may also see some new animals (perhaps pigs) and it looks like a few new crops may also be added. But these are all things that we had in FS15 through the modding community. But wait….I know folks who play on the console platforms don’t have access to mods. However, it appears this may be changing with FS17. “Among the many new features to be announced in the coming months for Farming Simulator 17, we are happy to unveil that modding support – which is exceptionally popular on PC – is making its grand debut on consoles!” WOW….this is great news for console gamers.
OK…I realize the end of October is still over four months away. But I’d really rather see video of actual game play instead of the CGI preview they released. Yes, the CGI stuff looks amazing. But I really, really, really doubt FS17 is going to look anything like this CGI preview. What will it look like? I think it will look like FS15, but hopefully slightly better.
Bottom line. I think console players will be over the moon with FS17. I think those of us on PC will be less impressed only because we’ve had access to mods all this time and we all know that mods are really what makes Farming Simulator beyond awesome.
Enjoy the preview. I’ve got to get back to work now.
