I have played FS19 (or, rather, had the game running just looking around and trying it out) for maybe only 2 hours. Here are a few observations.
Graphics
Obviously a different look and feel of the environment. Yes, it is beautiful - probably even more with the highest graphics settings which I probably can't use on my 4 year old iMac despite it being the best you could by back then. But I'm yet to getting used to it despite seeing it in game trailers for a while. The lightning and distance blur will probably be nice and more realistic, but the terrain/nature almost feels more "cartoonish" to me than in FS17. Can't put my finger on exactly why... It could just be that the two standard maps are more about being "a little something for everyone" kind of a style. They are more like a model railroad setup to me. Right now I'm playing Lone Oak Farm by BulletBill in FS17, and that map is not only stunningly beautiful with the sky and ground textures and seamless map borders, but also very well laid out. Everything seems so realistic. Everything has its place. So it's hard to compare that kind of "focused" map with an incredible attention to details and a realistic setting, to a more generic map as Felsbrunn or Ravenport.
The look and feel of the graphics reminds me of DiRT 3 (racing game) that I have played on this very same iMac. Despite being a few years old, I think that games graphics quality is as good as FS19. To make it worse, I could run that (fast-pace) game at almost highest graphics settings on my iMac. Not so with FS19. I'm down to a medium-to-high setting, and still performance is not good. The trees and grass moves smooth and fine like in FS17, but the shadows updates like every 2 seconds. It looks really bad. And that's when I'm standing still watching. And that leads me to the graphics setting in the game...
Still no tutorial from the game developers on all the settings? Stuff like "Mesh Tessellation Volume" is probably not common knowledge in the population. I have worked with computers for 30 years. I have programmed a lot. I'm no novice. But "Mesh Tessellation Volume"? English is not my native language, but that phrase doesn't do anything for me. Not everyone has the latest and greatest graphics card. Of course users would be interested in trying to get the best experience. Other developers have guides explaining what settings do for the graphics and giving general advices on how to maximize performance. But still no help in a commercial product like FS?
Settings
And still no "manual" just going through all the built-in commands? There are quite a few of them, you know. Yes, most people will probably understand "Hazard lights" or "Toggle radio" or "Lift front loader arm". But "Close flap 3" as compared to "Close flap" or "Close flap 2"? Is this for just for a certain built-in vehicle/tool? "Work mode right" - what does it mean? Something very common in the gameplay so that it may need its own button on a programmable device? Is a certain command used only in multi-play so that I can ignore it? Could you just give some basic info, instead of me having to play to game and constantly running into a "oh oh, that command is used a lot in that scenario - now I have to reprogram my gaming devices again"? I was also disappointed that the game settings still just show a veeeryyy looong list of all the commands without any attempt to group them in some sort of logical way. It's annoying trying to find commands and program my devices using this chaotic list that covers like 10-15 screens. Is this the best you could do?
Menu System
The menus in game play are changed. I guess the aim was to make them less distracting, but it is for me often hard to read the white text against light backgrounds. I would still prefer an unobstructed gameplay area that is free from everything except the map (when visible). All the other info would the be shown in "menubars" at the top and bottom of the screen. The top one containing all general game info (money, time, weather, help button, notifications, etc.), and the bottom one reflects what you are doing (speed, cruise control, fuel, tools, etc.) with icons and numbers. Don't fancy these gauges mimicking a dashboard.
Now to the really bad stuff...
All control buttons shown on the screen flickers all the time I move the mouse. As an example: the white rings with a "5" and "11" above the mini map change to a white square with a "9" as soon as I move the mouse moves, and then goes back to the first 5+11 when mouse movements stop. ¿Que? It's the same when I'm in the main menu system. All "buttons" flicker all the time the mouse moves, shifting between two different thing (like "3" and "ESC" for back button). The help menu top left change the number of items in it as soon as I move the mouse. Constant flickering with expanding and contracting that help menu. Back and forth, back and forth, despite me standing still and there not being something new I can do. What is this? A beta release? That alone makes it unplayable. Could be a graphics setting, but how should I know with a about a Million different combinations to try out?
I took a train ride on Ravenport. Jumped in and out a few times along the way. Sometime there was engine sound, sometimes not. Sometimes the horn worked, sometimes not.
The placement of buttons is inconsistent. In the main menu system, the back-button down to the left is sometimes the leftmost, sometime the rightmost button despite having the same function. Bad, bad...
My setup from FS17 doesn't work. With my Logitech joystick connected the game won't even start, and crashes if I try to connect it. FS19 gave me zero clue to why. Another thread here mention a limitation to 4 (!) input devices in FS19. With keyboard, mouse, farming wheel/pedals and farming side panel, there are no room for more devices (except ordinary programmable keyboards like a ShuttlePRO)?
So what now?
I remember when FS17 arrived. Bought it on the Mac App Store, started it, looked around, everything was better, no visible bugs at all, nothing broken or not working. Spent some hours the next few days going through all the commands, programming my devices, tweaking graphics settings - and then I started playing. Never played FS15 again, because FS17 was just better and everything worked. As I had the right to expect having paid premium price for the game.
Will I play FS19 anytime soon? No, it doesn't look like it. My input devices clearly doesn't work. The little I have seen of the game makes me feel it is still in beta. I was very excited about the new equipments and especially the new game play modes that seemed more challenging. But it is just unplayable for me right now. Honestly, I can't see me doing an attempt any time soon. I'm very much enjoying the beautiful Lone Oak Farm right now with seasons and working joystick and everything. Oh, what if they just brought the John Deere's and the new game play modes to FS17 instead... I would gladly pay for that!
