Realism (missing key elements) ...

[W1der]

So, I have just discovered Euro Truck Simulator 2 and been playing it for around 40 hours or so.
Just got back to playing this game, as the abstinence started getting to me.

ETS2 is no way near as complex as FS17 but it has a few elements that gives you that "realism experience".

The first thing I noticed when returning to my farm (after driving trucks for 40 hours).
No gears, no clutch, no damage when crashing in to things.

I now totally understand why so many players ar perfectly fine with taking corners without letting go of the gas and crashing in to things / having their vehicle and equipment roll over sideways etc ...
There is no "punishment" for it / you are not getting "rewarded" for being careful (read playing realistically).

After experiencing this feature with ETS2 I am feeling a bit "bummed" about playing FS17.

Modders to the rescue (I guess) !?

Damage
I am trying to find out if there is a "damage mod" for FS17?
If anyone can point me in the right direction I would appreciate it!
Also, if you used it - what is your thoughts of it?

Gearbox AddOn
I previously used this mod, but with some tractors I never really understood how to set it up.
Playing ETS2 gave me some new insight on "gear boxes" ...
Maybe I need to give this mod another try.
There is always "DC" ... but no clutch.
To those of you that use this mod ... what do you think about it?

MoreRealistic Game Engine
In my opinion it adds about as much realism as it takes away.
Not really decided if I like it or not.
What I do like is that there is quite good documentation of it.

Forestry
I use "Manual Cutting for Wood Harvester" and "Wood Harvester Automation".
But having the possibility to tilt the head of the harvester (to be able to pick up trees from the ground), rotate it while there is a tree in the grip and also being able to feed the log back/forward in the head would be awesome.

What other mods are you guys using for "realism"? ...

[Smith Modding]

Personally I play with DC, Seasons, and MR.

[W1der]

Yea ... I forgot to mention Seasons (but it is quite obvious) ...
Also ... Manual attaching is a nice one that adds to the realism.

[jenna_q]

You said it yourself, complexity. ETS and only have to do 1 thing right and that is driving a truck, if they get it wrong the game fails. FS has so many more aspects it has to look at so some things are bound to stay a little lower. You also have to consider the targeted demographic of the game being kids. Then it all comes down to man power and budget, Giants is a really, really small dev studio. Plus I would rather have more crops and a larger variety of equipment than the ability to switch gears because A) not every tractor has to do that and B) it isn't like you have to cycle through 15 gears when seeding a field anyways.

[W1der]

jenna_q

It seems as if you think that I am "bashing" GIANTS with this topic.
That was not the idea.

I think this game is the best I have ever played and it has potential of getting even better in the future!

My aim is to share my own and get others opinion on how to make the game as realistic as possible, based on available mods.
Also if someone suggests a missing "key element" there might be a modder out there that picks up on this.

If GIANTS is listening and wants to implement these features in to the game in the future ... the information we provide them with here is totally free ...

As to how you want to play your game ... that is perfectly fine and totally up to you!
For me this game is about a lot more than just "seeding fields" and "making money".

I get that any one that only played this game using "keyboard + mouse" will never understand what I am talking about.
The "driving experience" that you get from using a steering wheel (with a gear stick), pedals, joystick(s) etc brings this game to a completely different level!

And thank you for teaching me something I did not know already.
I never could imagine that real tractors actually automatically switched to reverse and started going backwards if the break pedal was pressed long enough ...

[fenixguy]

I thought I would be the same after playing Spintires a lot. The whole risk/reward of driving like an *$#%§* and realistic physics and so forth. But no, it hasn't bothered me. I still drive my tractors and trucks like I'm hauling eggs most of the time. Sometimes when time is short, I may take the occasional short cut through a neighbor's field, but it's rare.

The physics need a major rework for FS19. Maybe some kind of damage system (nothing too complex) would be nice. I hope that FS19 will have an arcade and simulation mode. Arcade would be the game now on normal (with the option to change settings like we have now). Simulation would be with full on seasons, vehicle damage/maintenance/repair, no reset (maybe reset with a "towing fee"), manual attaching, and some more goodies that are escaping me at the moment. I'll think of them later.

As for the manual gear box: I'd be satisfied with a high/low/reverse option (kind of like Spintires). I hate using my break to reverse. At least put some shift points in the trucks so they're not all a CVT sound.

Eh, I still love the game even with it's flaws and I guess I always will.

[Smith Modding]

Also forgot to mention I use manual attaching