I debated whether or not to reply to this. I don't want to start a fight, but I don't think you do either.muzickmage wrote:First, let me point out that i'm not trying to attack the game, or the developers, (especially when FS is one of my favorite simulator games)....... but....
I think they made the choices they made for logical reasons. Consider that they have to make choices that appeal to a larger audience, not just you or me. We might not agree with their choices, but there is a logical reason for them.muzickmage wrote:I'd like to point out that...... it doesn't take 900 employees, or billions in cash to make good/logical decisions. For example:
I think both of these come down to simplification. Many players already have some difficulty playing this game (just take a glance at some of the questions which are posted by new players). I thinks Giants tries to make decisions which make the game approachable for most players.muzickmage wrote:.... Coding into the game multiple fertilizer options that do exactly the same thing. NOT very logical.
.... Having your tractor (maxed at 32mph) pass cars on a double lane public road. NOT very logical.
Fortunately, there are many mod maps from which to choose. As for the default maps, I believe the idea is to be able to join existing fields into larger fields. The other thing to consider is that if the map has too much clear, even surface, some players find the map boring.muzickmage wrote:.... Providing tools that allow for create/delete fields, but designing maps with no even surfaces to clear and make new fields.... NOT very logical.
I think a lot of this goes way beyond farming. Having grown up on a farm myself, I don't remember my father or any of the local farmers building a hospital or school. Maybe I was too busy around the farm to notice.muzickmage wrote:.... Providing place-able buildings that are prefect if we were wanting to build or expand a lumber yard... but absolutely nothing for anywhere else in the community. Not a single house, store/shop, hospital, school, or anything to do with building up a community, (houses to place beside some of those fields would have been great to setup up sub-farms) and....... where are we to place the ones we did get? NOT very logical.
Was that ever a feature? It might be a handy feature. I think there's a mod on PC which allows you to sell fields. I usually manage to find a use for all my fields, but I have occasionally felt the need to give up a field.muzickmage wrote:.... Being able to buy fields is great. I love being able to expand. But .... what happened to the "sell" feature? Why can't we sell a no longer wanted field? NOT very logical.
You can't get around the default maps that fast. I'll admit, I wouldn't mind larger maps, but this is all about creating a game that can be played by more people (including those with less powerful hardware). Fortunately, you can get yourself a good gaming PC and a 4X map.muzickmage wrote:(and one of my favorites) The map is so small that we can game-walk around the perimeter of the game world in maybe about 3 minutes.... drive it with the slowest tractor in about 40 or so seconds, but yet Giants decided to toss in 2 trains for transporting stuff. NOT very logical.
The folks at Giants are excellent developers and they've made smart decisions which appeal to a broad base of users. Are they perfect: no. Have they made the best decisions: maybe not always. FS seems to me to be an evolving thing. With each release they try to improve. The saying that you can't please everyone is very true in this case, so they aim to please as many as they can.muzickmage wrote:Basically, my argument is... if you're being accused of "not being good game developers", it may have very little-to-nothing to do with how many employees Giants has, or the annual budget, and more to do with some of the decisions made that may not be the best ideas.
BTW, I'm not saying that I think every decision they make is great, or that I wouldn't like to see some changes.