Realism through Simulation
In part three, we once again review our overall soil conditions on the second day after planting our wheat crop on field #2 of the Graceland map for Farming Simulator 15.
Please return again tomorrow for Practical Soilmod Workflow Part 4.
Until next time…
Happy Farming!!!
Jerry
If you are a Steam user of either (or both) American Truck Simulator or Euro Truck Simulator 2, you probably are aware a software update was automatically pushed out in recent days. The official update versions are as follows: ATS 1.2 and ETS2 1.23.
I don’t know about you, but I had a bear (a Grizzly Bear) of a time with ATS after the update. For about 12 hours I believed I had lost much of my overall progress with my career save profile (the one I started the game with). I assumed most of the mods I had installed prior to the update would cause ATS to blow up, so I deactivated them from the ATS Mod Manager. Upon doing this, it caused ATS to crash when loading into my saved profile. After several swear words, and a not so restful nights sleep…I approached it again this morning and managed to get it working. Look for a soon-to-be-released blog post on how I resolved this issue.
Anyway, speaking about the ATS update (because I haven’t even dared to launch ETS2), it really is more than just custom lug nuts. I know even I’ve been critical of SCS Software for bringing us custom lug nuts before delivering Arizona and before fixing some of the most talked about issues. But Hey-Ho, you gotta start somewhere….and as I said, the update for ATS is more than just custom lug nuts.
This is perhaps what I’m most excited about with this update. I can’t tell you how frustrating it can be when dealing with all these mod download sites and their ads and high risk of malware. From what I understand, the Steam Workshop will be a much safer alternative (and much easier to use) form of finding awesom mods to enhance ATS and ETS2. Here’s the offical explanation of the Steam Workshop. “Steam Workshop is a hub which allows simply distribution of game modifications created by community. Thanks to Steam Workshop, you can download and install mods effortlessly from a safe and trusted place.” You complete have me at SAFE and TRUSTED!I’ve already downloaded/installed a few really awesom mods from the Steam Workshop and suggest you take a look for yourself.
Yea, yea….I know. I’m sure someone, somewhere is/was really exited to know that SCS Software was working so hard on custom lug nuts. This is not high on my list of priorities. After all, I can’t really see my lugnuts as I’m motoring down the interstate. But perhaps this is clearing the way for better things. So it is what it is!
There are a number of nice changes made to the user interface in this update. They include:
Navigation path (red line) can be disabled (option)
Disable of hidden Route Advisor popups (option)
Autopark feature can be disabled (option)
Speeding highlight on Route Advisor
The last two are perhaps my picks from this list. I don’t need autopark and while most times the speed will be highlighted in red (I almost always drive slightly over the speed limit as I do in real life), it is still good to know.
The following enhancements relating to vehicles are part of this update:
Fixed cruise control locked on by retarder
Multiple position of engine brake
Improved truck stability during retarder usage
Keyboard steering improved
Speed limits polished
Speed limits signed enlarged
Stop signs removed from traffic light controlled crossroads
Turn left traffic added to some crossroads
Certified scaled are now working
Traffic light on interstates removed (where possible)
OK…so while there were some nice changes to the map dept. There still so much work that needs to be done to fix really bad issues which truly break with reality. The intersection in Tonopah still needs to be fixed and while they removed the traffic light/stop signs on I-80 in Reno, they still have the speed limit set at 30 mph. I really doubt I-80 slows to 30 mph.
AI improvments
Steam Achievements for Nevada
I’m not sure exactly what sort of AI improvements were made. But hopefully SCS Software sent all the AI to drivers training and as a result we can anticipate the level of respect truckers deserve on the highway. But the jury is still out on this one…As for Nevada achivements, looks like I earned both of those (Silver State – Discovery of every city in Nevada and Gold Fever – Deliver cargo to both quarries in Nevada). Not sure why these achivements were part of the game from day one. Hopefully any Steam achivements for Arizona will be available when that DLC is released. Perhaps that is the cause of the delay? ha ha ha
In closing, yea…I know I’ve mentioned lugnuts several times in this blog posting. As you can see for yourself, this software update was much more and I’m truly excited for Arizona. I think we must be close now…. Are we there yet? Are we???
Until next time…
You’ll find me waiting for AZ DLC!
J
In part two, we take a look at the over all soil conditions on the day after planting for our wheat crop on field #2 of the Graceland map for Farming Simulator 15.
Please return again tomorrow for Practical Soilmod Workflow Part 3
Until next time…
Happy Farming!!!
J
Thanks for the lug nuts and the wheel caps, but why did you not address the bloody intersection outside of Tonopah, NV where highways 6 and 95 meet? While I’m anxious for Arizona, I also understand these things take time and I would rather have a beautiful (and fully working Arizona DLC) than some half-thrown together version. But I know the intersection in Tonopah has been talked about on all the various forums. When heading north through Tonopah to Elko, you must really break with reality to navigate this intersection. The traffic just keeps coming and coming and coming.
Please help all of us by correcting this nightmare of an intersection in Tonopah. Also, I still don’t think the cluster of an intersection in Reno is correct. I also understand there are limitations between what can be done in the virtual software world versus what we experience in the real world. But I really doubt traffic on I-80 is slowed to 30 MPH in the real world.
But hey…thanks for the custom lug nuts. 
Please, please, pleast fix these issues.
Jerry
Oh My Gosh….I received the below screenshot in an email today. I subscribed to the Cattle and Crops development newsletter. The below is being referred to as user interface concept art for livestock.
I don’ t know any more than this and yes…I’ve also read the comments on forums where some speculate that Cattle and Crops is only vaporware or just a big tease. I hope not. But only time will tell…
Until next time…
WOW…this really looks great.
Jerry
I recently blogged about and provided some general information on the wonderful soilmod mod for Farming Simulator 15. That blog post provides a general overview of how soilmod works and most importantly how it changes the entire game play. I’ve spent many hours reading as much information as I can and watching a few hours of YouTube content. While I started to gain a simple understanding of soilmod, I had to actually commit to using it to fully understand how to develop my own process and overall workflow.
Of the several hours of YouTube videos I watched, one thing I really couldn’t find was a simple and practical step-by-step process. Most of my favorite FS15 YouTubers have awesome videos demostrating the soilmod, but they are also doing many other things in the video and don’t really take the time to explain their workflow.
If you are new to soilmod, understand that my process and workflow may not work for you. But I wanted to take the time to document it and provide it to anyone wanting to get more from the farming simulator experience. The soilmod is awesome and if you truly want to take FS15 to the next level (and you play on PC) then give it a try. I think you’ll enjoy it!
Now for my video. This first video will be the longest of the series and includes a general overview of the differences between game play without and with the soilmod. I then discuss my own personal workflow for how I plan, prepare and plant my crops when using soilmod.
During the video, I reference a spreadsheet tool and my own process workflow document to help me keep track of each fields lifecycle from field prep, planting, fertilizer, herbicide and water application through the final harvest. Links to these documents are listed below the video window.
Calculation Tool for Soilmod (version 2.0.2) This is the spreadsheet tool I demonstrated during the video. This spreadsheet will function in Microsoft Excel and Apache Open Office. Apache Open Office is open-source and free for personal use.
I’ve developed my own workflow checklist which I also demonstrated during the video. As this document is my work, you are free to download and customize how ever you see fit.
While I think it is safe to say the soilmod is not for everyone. However, if you are looking to take your farm simulation to the next level…I I hope you’ll try the soilmod. Give it a solid go, have fun and learn from the experience. You may not experience high crop yield immediately, but keep at it. I truly believe you’ll appreciate Farming Simulator 15 much, much more with Soilmod.
Please return again tomorrow for part 2 where I review the soil conditions and action plan after the harvest.
Until next time…
Go Use the Soilmod and have fun!
Jerry
Ok, so this really isn’t my first impression of the Soilmod. I did mess around with it several months ago and failed miserably to grasp the concept. I really had a lot of things going on and just couldn’t take the necessary time to research how this mod changes Farming Simulator 15. But I’ve got to admit that I’m actually enjoying the challenge of using the soilmod and while I’m not sure if I could say I would never farm without it, I’d have to say I’m very close. Yes, I did just recently mention I was starting to use it again. But this post comes about a week into my endeavour and I’ve planted and harvested my first field. I’m pleased with the results.
Before we really dive into my understanding of this wonderful mod, allow me to briefly state how the vanilla (default) game reacts to our process of field preparation, planting, fertilizing and harvesting of our crops. This won’t take very long as we all know the vanilla version of FS15 really only cares about if we seed a field and we earn a bonus for fertilizing. That’s really it. We don’t need to worry about the condition of the soil as it relates to anything at all. It’s dirt and it will grow crops. We don’t need to worry about moisture, we don’t need to worry about pH levels and it doesn’t matter if we spread or spray fertilizer. Speaking of fertilizer, there is no set timeframe for when to apply the fertilizer. It can be done before planting or after planting. Just as long as the fertilizer is applied BEFORE the crop heads into the final growth stage you’ll enjoy the bonus of a higher crop yield. Because of this, I’ve never messed with using liquid sprayers.
My old workflow (before soilmod) typically would be to plow or cultivate the field after the last harvest, While not required and no added benefit, I just did this because I really had nothing better to do. I would then mostly likely spread fertilizer and soon after seed the field. Even on a large map like States or Graceland, I could manage as many fields as I could afford. I typically didn’t have plant withering turned on.
Soilmod changes everything and I do mean EVERYTHING about FS15. All the things I previously mentioned that we didn’t need to worry about in the vanilla game are now areas we MUST think about. When you install the Soilmod mod into FS15, it radically transforms Farming Simulator 15 from just a game into a real life farming simulator.
Before I go further, I would suggest you take the time to watch two YouTube videos on the subject of the soilmod. The first video is about 18 minutes in length and if you are like me, I had to watch it several times before I really grasped all it was telling me.
The second video is just over 5 minutes and provides a high level overview of the soilmod.
As I’ve spent several days and many hours reading about the soilmod and attempting to put into practice what I’ve learned on my virtual farm, I’ve also been trying to accumulate additional information to assist me as I go about re-developing my workflow.
Here are a few helpful (at least I find them helpful) reference materials:
Soilmod Reference Sheet (2.0.22)
Soilmod Reference Sheet and Field Planner
Soilmod Calculation Tool (2.02)
For me, I find the Soilmod Calculation Tool to be the most useful. I typically use that to plot and plan how I will initially start the planting process. I’ve developed my own workflow checklist which is sort of a mishmash of all these tools into something I can comprehend. I print these and have them on my clipboard in the virtual farm office. I can quickly at a glance see what needs to be done and I can record the daily numbers for each field to make sure I’m on track to a good harvest.
I struggled in the first few days of keeping all my tasks sorted. As I pointed out, Soilmod really does change things. No longer can you just plant, fertilize and then sit back and watch the wheat grow. The soilmod really forces you to be a lot more attentive to details. In addition, you can’t rely on creating the plan based on soil conditions and weather forecast on day 1. Just like in real life, wait 5 minutes and the weather forecast will change. Unfortunately, each time you start up FS15 the weather forecast is recalculated. So on the first day, the weather forecast might show one or more days with temperatures above 22 degrees celcius. Temps above 22 c will have a negative impact on soil moisture. However, if you shutdown FS15 and restart, you may see a completely different weather forecast. From my understanding, the only thing that won’t change is the frequency of rain. If rain is shown in the forecast, then each time you restart FS15 the opportunity for rain will remain.
Over the next few days I will provide more information regarding my use of the soilmod in FS15. I plan to record and release several YouTube videos documenting the planning and workflow I use. This video series will step you through each of the multi-day processes including field planning, preparation, planting all the way up through harvest.
As you may soon learn and especially after you watch the 5 part YouTube series I have recorded documenting my workflow for the preparation, planting, daily maintenance and eventual harvest that the Soilmod is not for everyone. I really couldn’t agree more with that statement. So I’ll say it again, the Soilmod is not for everyone. However, if you are wanting to take your virtual farming to the next level…then at the very least, you should give Soilmod a solid try. Find a map which is Soilmod ready, install the soilmod mod and get to work. Will you be successful? Will you fail? Perhaps the answer to both of those questions will be YES! But you’ll learn….and you’ll improve…and you’ll feel a level of satisfaction from your game play. YES…you will also work hard at it.
Please return tomorrow for the first part of a five part YouTube series showcasing my process and workflow as I plant a field of wheat on Graceland with the soilmod installed.
Until next time…
Happy Farming!!!
J
Note: This article was written and scheduled for release approx. 10 days ago. Since writing this and the present time, I’ve learned a lot about this wonderful mod. This week will be dedicated to the Soilmod, specifically the Practical Used of the Soilmod modification for Farming Simulator 15. Each day I will release a written blog article and YouTube video covering how I use the Soilmod in my FS15 game play and my typical workflow. I’ll provide some tools and tips and document the process as I prepare a field to plant and harvest wheat.
It’s been several months since I was first introduced to the Soilmod for Farming Simulator 15. During this time life was hectic and I struggled to truly grasp the concept. Out of frustration I removed the mod from my mod folders list and haven’t looked back.
Over the past few weeks I’ve really enjoyed playing Farming Simulator 15 and in really thinking about it, FS15 is has become my favorite simulation based game. I say this because unlike flight sim, truck sim, bus sim etc. you are somewhat limited in what you can do. But with Farming Simulator, you can work crops one day, the next day you can tend to your animals and the next day you can do a little forestry. Not to mention that each of those activities have a wide variety of different equipment to choose from. You can also mix it completely up by playing a different map. Bottom line is there is just so much variety with FS15.
Just a few weeks ago I somewhat re-branded my blog site to better match my simulation game play. Realism through Simulation has been something that I’ve really always considered important and I figured if I really wanted to take my farm sim game play to the next level I needed to master the soilmod. So that is just what I’m doing.
I’ve installed the Soilmod on my Graceland map. The Graceland map is soilmod ready so I spent a few days and harvested all my crops, backed up the game save and then installed the soilmod. But of course, before doing all that I watched a few hours of YouTube videos and read as much as I could online about how soilmod changes the FS15 game play.
I’ll be honest, I’m currently somewhere between lost and confused…but I’m learning. There are some great soilmod reference sheets available and just through my own trial and error, I’m attempting to figure my own way through this. Because at the end of the day, I can read about or what how others do it…but you really must adapt a process which works for you and that is what I’m attempting to accomplish.
Of course, I plan to write future blog articles on my experiences (both postive and negative) about the soilmod and how it is changing my FS15 game play. But for now that will need to wait because I have far more questions that I have answers. So stay tuned…
Until next time…
Happy Farming!!!
Jerry
Until next time….I’ll just keep waiting for AZ. We know it will be worth the wait.
Happy Trucking!!!
J
Would you like to drive your American Truck Simulator or Euro Truck Simulator 2 trucks with a real Eaton Fuller shifter? Soon you’ll be able to do just that thanks to the wonderful and very talented individuals at CSIO Technologies. These guys have figured out how to take a real 18 Speed Eaton Fuller shifter knob, incorportate a little technology and lots of ingenunity and provide to all the truck driving fans of ETS2 and ATS this wonderful product.
But wait!!! It’s not available just yet. However if you act fast, and sign up for their KickStarter project, you may have your fancy shifter knob in May (pre-orders will begin shipping in June).
I’ve joined over 140 other ATS/ETS2 fans by pledging my support of this project. You can do the same, but time is running out. Head over to the CSIO’s SKRS 18 Speed Eaton Fuller Style USB Shift Knob KickStarter page and sign your pledge of support and join me and over 140 other ATS/ETS2 fans.
Upon receipt of my shifter knob, I’ll do a full review of the product here on GrizzlyBearSims Blog page. So stay tuned…
Until then….
Happy Trucking!!!
Jerry
P.S. What are you waiting for? Go pledge your support for this awesome piece of kit.
