STACK #241 November 2024

GAMING FEATURE

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CROP TIPS! Martin gave us these tips for aspiring farmers… “Play the introduction, talk to the NPCs, and check-out our Academy on the Farming Simulator website. And look out for friends – in multiplayer mode you can help and get help alike.”

• Farming Simulator 25 is out Nov 12

Virtual farmers rejoice, for this month sees the arrival of Farming Simulator 25 .We caught up with GIANTS Software’s head of marketing, Martin Rabl, to get an idea of just what’s in store in this latest edition of the fab farming franchise. Words Amy Flower

a completely new element. Similar to almost all features it’s optional – you can turn it down completely or reduce it to a visual effect without any destruction. The other most exciting features are the newly introduced baby animals, which add a visual appeal to your farm, and the different types of rice, as they demand new fields and, honestly speaking, I learnt a lot about this crop, which I will remember next time I’m cooking it! This year there’s an entirely new engine running the game.What does the Giants Engine 10 enable you to deliver that you previously couldn’t? The GIANTS Engine 10 allows many technical uplifts for Farming Simulator 25 - we introduce distance fog, which is dynamic and adds to the atmosphere in the morning hours. The new shadows are also very important, coming with several levels and adding to the visual impression, for example now the cloud in the sky create shadows on the ground.

How do you go about deciding upon new features to add to a main release such as Farming Simulator 25 ? It’s a long process. There are plenty of factors, we listen to user wishes, check machinery, and combine it with our own ideas. Overall, we want to expand the universe and add new possibilities for the players, and we achieve it through new crops, the related machines, additional animals like the long requested goats, and other gameplay ideas.

products in-game is quite astonishing. Have you found the real-life farming machine industry welcoming to Farming Simulator? Absolutely! This was different in the beginning, though. When we started in 2008, on one hand we had to explain video games, and on the other hand, how the agricultural

industry could participate via our game. Nowadays, the manufacturers come to us and propose collaborations. There are also proven stories of young adults who started their working career in the agricultural industry after their first touch points to farming in our game! What surprises you more, that actual farmers are really into your game when it’s what they’re living day-to-day, or that “city folk” find it a super-engaging way to take time out and relax? Honestly, today it’s no longer any surprise. I think the reasons are different, why these people play our game. The farmers enjoy a game which simulates their daily passion, and they can try out new machines, crops, or animal husbandry which they could never experience in real life. And the opposite, there are people who’ve never sat on a real tractor but enjoy nature, the relaxed atmosphere, and the almost endless gameplay possibilities. Either way, for all of them, Farming Simulator is an exciting hobby.

We have the debut of an Asian map this year. What new features does this bring to the table? Thinking about Asia, we introduced, for example, water buffalos, and rice being planted in watered fields – both would come as a surprise in Central Europe, but in our game the players can sow any crop on all maps. The game features are not limited to a specific map, they can be used in all areas. Of course, you’ll see Asian-style buildings and environments on Hutan Pantai, therefore we’re confident that players will enjoy this new setting. What would you say are the other most exciting new features being introduced this year? For me it’s the surprising stuff – we added in weather events, which can even destroy your fields or bales which are not secured in sheds yet. Farming Simulator is such a calm, relaxed game that this new feature will bring

Watching all the reflections on the vehicles and the waves on the water are other highlights, which would not be possible without the improved engine. But the most important feature is probably the ground deformation, which is influenced by physics and gameplay parameters such as machine specs, type of ground, weather conditions – you’ll leave remarkable tracks on the field.

The number of licensed real-world farming

NOVEMBER 2024

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