Seasons difficulty

[TobiHH]

Thanks for your information, sounds great.
I was always able to download the beta-builds from the Gitlab, but never got the develop version to run. But for sure this was just a user error, i`m not so experienced with all this computer stuff.

[dan1109]

I must admit that I have about 0 interest in the animals these days and did not participate much in the design or implementation of animals in Seasons 19, so will have to pass these questions along.

As for "visualing crops.xml"... how would you see that we do this? Do you have a basic mockup in your head that you could share? Maybe draw something and share it, because I have no idea how it could be done in a way that is understandable.

Yes, I'll design one. It would basically be a chart, showing a "+" symbol for example in that sub-season, for each growth stage. No growth, no "+". Soybeans, which grow crazy fast in the summer, often having "2 growths" in one sub-season, would show "++" a few times. Potatatos would have a lot of sub-seasons with no growth, but as long as they have a total of 6 "+"s, then that would show the user when to expect growth. I am assuming that every crop would need 6 "+"s, to represent the 17,33, 50,66, 83, 100% growth stages. Grass shows a + on every growth sub-season, so a user can easily figure out how many cuts they get per year. Of course the user needs to know, that its imperative that the last sub-seasonal growth is SAVED for a harvested -> growing transition, so the cycle would be properly "reset" by early spring.

I know what you mean about "groundhog" year, I personally I would like to see more variance in seasons harvest yields. Bigger yields one year, and bigger losses the next. I'm not a farmer, but I don't think real farming is this consistent. It would be nice to see that losses are so big, you have to put off that land or large tractor you were going to buy. On the fat years, whoa, you start spending money like you are stupid...or perhaps you make wise long term investments. Of course IRL, on the bad years, farmers have to go to the bank to get loans to help with the finances. Hopefully the normal/good yield the following year helps them easily pay off that loan. Thus the roller coaster financial life of a farmer continues. I know some people would hate the variance, but its severity could be selected in your menu.

And finally, you want to make seasons easier for the novice user, you need to update your in game documentation. Animals needs more info. Crop growth could certainly use much more explanation. Lots of little things. There is a saying, a product is only as good as its documentation...haha.

[dan1109]

Ah...and one final suggestion. In the calendar, WTH do the days of the week mean? Lol, its irrelevant, just for some flavor I guess for people who don't want to work weekends, or the sabbath or watch football on Sunday? Lol. Anyways, I HIGHLY suggest the DAY NUMBER of the SubSeason along with the day column. Color Codes can be used for the season, or perhaps 2 Colors can be used to mark sub-season transition. As well, in the upper left of the Calendar, tell us what day it is now. I hate having to count days, every time I go into that menu. Snow coming! How many days and what sub-season will it hit in (harvestable late autumn or early winter, or useless midwinter)? Well, first, I need to figure out WHAT DAY NUMBER it is currently. Then I need to figure out the next day number as the daily transition time if shown can show an extra day. Then of course count the days after that. Ok, that's X days from now. What subseason is X days from now? Will it affect me then. What a PITA!

[theSeb]

I think you are talking about the forecast? That's the only place where we show days of the week and I guess it makes little sense thinking about it now. It's a legacy thing that for some reason we stuck with. It's how the base game used to show the forecast before it was removed in FS 17 and for some reason we stuck with that convention.

Of course IRL, on the bad years, farmers have to go to the bank to get loans to help with the finances.

Not really. In the US USDA offers 60+ different "aid" packages to farmers, such as crop insurance, market price insurance and so forth. Savvy farmers don't go to the bank first. The trouble with more variance in yields is that we would need to implement something that we have very cleverly called "weather dependent growth". It's a crazy and top secret project that sadly is basically impossible to implement in the game at this point in time. We could also cheat and do some silly things to make the weather appear to have more impact on growth. Lots of stuff to think about if there will be a new version of the mod.

Writing documentation *censored*.

[Illinois Farmer]

Not really. In the US USDA offers 60+ different "aid" packages to farmers, such as crop insurance, market price insurance and so forth. Savvy farmers don't go to the bank first.

Writing documentation *censored*.

Where are you from? Have your experienced any other those payments first hand? All farmers have loans and take them out whenever needed. If you get a payment then you pay down your operating loan. Those payments don't cover anything make a few thousand dollars. Market price insurance is stuff too. Weather insurance gives you little only if you have loss over 50 percent of your crop abs they will give you a could thousand. Doesn't cover enough.

[theSeb]

Your views are obviously different since you seem to be in livestock and not in crops.

[Illinois Farmer]

Well we have about 1300 acres in crops too. We do both. I think what you read is different than experiences, at least for this area.

[ctb123]

I agree with Illinois Farmer. Despite all the farm programs available to crop farmers in the US, farming in at least the last few years hasn't exactly been profitable for many. Even the various crop insurances typically end up recovering the input costs and not much more. There are some "Revenue Assurance" insurance programs available that provide coverage for both a loss in market value or crop production, but again it only pays out at a percentage of what the farmer would have received with a reasonable market and reasonable crop yield. Borrowing even for purchasing inputs such as seed and fertilizer is very much a thing around here in Iowa.

[dan1109]

And I guess another problem with subsidies, atleast what I saw MF Farmer say, and it sounds absolutely right - even if you don't NEED the subsidies, but you qualify, you HAVE to take it, else you are at a competitive disadvantage with your neighbors that really did need it. I guess the government can't spend the time to tell the difference between unlucky and unwise farmers.

[dan1109]

I think you are talking about the forecast?

Yes

The trouble with more variance in yields is that we would need to implement something that we have very cleverly called "weather dependent growth". It's a crazy and top secret project that sadly is basically impossible to implement in the game at this point in time. We could also cheat and do some silly things to make the weather appear to have more impact on growth.

A mod "cheating" is fine, as long as its fair in the long term. I guess on the hardest level of difficulty of such a feature, it should even be possible to go bankrupt and "lose", which of course is impossible in FS.

Writing documentation *censored*.

Its the foundation of a top notch product. It says what it does, and it does what it says.

[Mwal]

Where are you from? Have your experienced any other those payments first hand? All farmers have loans and take them out whenever needed. If you get a payment then you pay down your operating loan. Those payments don't cover anything make a few thousand dollars. Market price insurance is stuff too. Weather insurance gives you little only if you have loss over 50 percent of your crop abs they will give you a could thousand. Doesn't cover enough.

Plus people tend to forget or just don’t know things like what seed actually costs. Last year we payed around 300 bucks a bag for seed corn and that covers about 2 1/2 acres. Imagine planting 5-10,000 acres and then you can start to realize why it’s so expensive and the payouts seem so high.

[Illinois Farmer]

Haha yea it is ridiculous. Even like pumpkin seed is 3000 for 5 gallon pale.

[theSeb]

I think you are talking about the forecast?

Yes

The trouble with more variance in yields is that we would need to implement something that we have very cleverly called "weather dependent growth". It's a crazy and top secret project that sadly is basically impossible to implement in the game at this point in time. We could also cheat and do some silly things to make the weather appear to have more impact on growth.

A mod "cheating" is fine, as long as its fair in the long term. I guess on the hardest level of difficulty of such a feature, it should even be possible to go bankrupt and "lose", which of course is impossible in FS.

Writing documentation *censored*.

Its the foundation of a top notch product. It says what it does, and it does what it says.

Sure. The problem is that 97% of people don’t bother to read the documentation and this is a free product, so take it, or leave it. And then you end up with people moaning at you because they have something for free

[dan1109]

I think you are talking about the forecast?

Yes

The trouble with more variance in yields is that we would need to implement something that we have very cleverly called "weather dependent growth". It's a crazy and top secret project that sadly is basically impossible to implement in the game at this point in time. We could also cheat and do some silly things to make the weather appear to have more impact on growth.

A mod "cheating" is fine, as long as its fair in the long term. I guess on the hardest level of difficulty of such a feature, it should even be possible to go bankrupt and "lose", which of course is impossible in FS.

Writing documentation *censored*.

Its the foundation of a top notch product. It says what it does, and it does what it says.

Sure. The problem is that 97% of people don’t bother to read the documentation and this is a free product, so take it, or leave it. And then you end up with people moaning at you because they have something for free

Well, that may be the case, but my FAVORITE response to customer questions, back in the day, was "read the documentation, the answer is in there".....saves lots of time as well, as repeating yourself can get quite old.

[CowsGoMoo]

I must admit that I have about 0 interest in the animals these days and did not participate much in the design or implementation of animals in Seasons 19, so will have to pass these questions along.

As for "visualing crops.xml"... how would you see that we do this? Do you have a basic mockup in your head that you could share? Maybe draw something and share it, because I have no idea how it could be done in a way that is understandable.

Yes, I'll design one. It would basically be a chart, showing a "+" symbol for example in that sub-season, for each growth stage. No growth, no "+". Soybeans, which grow crazy fast in the summer, often having "2 growths" in one sub-season, would show "++" a few times. Potatatos would have a lot of sub-seasons with no growth, but as long as they have a total of 6 "+"s, then that would show the user when to expect growth. I am assuming that every crop would need 6 "+"s, to represent the 17,33, 50,66, 83, 100% growth stages. Grass shows a + on every growth sub-season, so a user can easily figure out how many cuts they get per year. Of course the user needs to know, that its imperative that the last sub-seasonal growth is SAVED for a harvested -> growing transition, so the cycle would be properly "reset" by early spring.

I know what you mean about "groundhog" year, I personally I would like to see more variance in seasons harvest yields. Bigger yields one year, and bigger losses the next. I'm not a farmer, but I don't think real farming is this consistent. It would be nice to see that losses are so big, you have to put off that land or large tractor you were going to buy. On the fat years, whoa, you start spending money like you are stupid...or perhaps you make wise long term investments. Of course IRL, on the bad years, farmers have to go to the bank to get loans to help with the finances. Hopefully the normal/good yield the following year helps them easily pay off that loan. Thus the roller coaster financial life of a farmer continues. I know some people would hate the variance, but its severity could be selected in your menu.

And finally, you want to make seasons easier for the novice user, you need to update your in game documentation. Animals needs more info. Crop growth could certainly use much more explanation. Lots of little things. There is a saying, a product is only as good as its documentation...haha.

Dude you're asking for a game you're to be a real life farmer. You want all that go pick up a pitch fork, not a controller.