FS22 Precision Farming DLC needs an update!

[wedel]

FS22 Precision Farming seriously needs an update!

Rationale:
when I activate an additional DLC with gameplay features on a *simulation* game, I expect additional game mechanics that increase complexity, simulation depth and gameplay options, and not invalidate existing mechanics.

1. Vanilla FS22 things that Precision Farming invalidates:

• fertilization too simple: no more need for multiple fertilizations, no difference between fertilizer types (solid, liquid, slurry, manure. Suggestion: "wear off" of nitrogen levels over several months, so that multi-fertilization (and not within same month or right after another) is a thing to maintain optimal levels; different effects of different fertilization types; bonus if 2 different fertilizer types are used on the same field

• mulching unnecessary: there are basically no relevant positive effects from mulching anymore. The equipment is useless. Suggestion:
  as in base game mulching should provide reasonable additional nitrogen to the ground, and also increase environment score.

• grass rolling unnecessary: there are zero positive effects from grass rolling. The equipment is useless. Suggestion: as mulching above, additional nitrogen level plus decent environmental score (since you reduce need for artificial fert or slurry).

• oilseed radish useless: there zero positive effects from planting oilseed radish. It is useless. Suggestion: see grass rolling. Al this work should have sizable impact on the environment score.

2. Things that are missing from Precision Farming and should be added in an update:

• crop rotation missing: there should be some positive effects on the soil from crop rotation (or penalties for no rotation).

• too little effect of different tire types and tire width. Looking at REA22 Wheels mod (in addition to REA22 Implements) this is what is necessary for a more realistic game. Currently you slap on narrow tires on all tractors, and they will happily still plow your fields in the rain (or even snow), and dont destroy crops on harvest. There should be a reason to switch around standard, wide, double, tracks/crawlers and narrow tires. While REA22 is a bit too unbalanced currently, and costs too much performance as a LUA mod which constantly calculates stuff per frame/tick, the general idea is good and increases diversity and encourages to actively think about how you configure your equipment.

• animal breeding is too simple in the long run. Just buy & sell, and collect their byproducts. The following difficulty-increasing things should be an option: Lifespan (& thus death); reproduction only with male & female animals; additional production chains (meat for chicken, pigs & cows)

Pls comment and have your say! - what do you think a realistic farming sim would need?

[Rasping rabbit]

• fertilization too simple: no more need for multiple fertilizations, no difference between fertilizer types (solid, liquid, slurry, manure. Suggestion: "wear off" of nitrogen levels over several months, so that multi-fertilization (and not within same month or right after another) is a thing to maintain optimal levels; different effects of different fertilization types; bonus if 2 different fertilizer types are used on the same field

• mulching unnecessary: there are basically no relevant positive effects from mulching anymore. The equipment is useless. Suggestion:
  as in base game mulching should provide reasonable additional nitrogen to the ground, and also increase environment score.

• grass rolling unnecessary: there are zero positive effects from grass rolling. The equipment is useless. Suggestion: as mulching above, additional nitrogen level plus decent environmental score (since you reduce need for artificial fert or slurry).

• oilseed radish useless: there zero positive effects from planting oilseed radish. It is useless. Suggestion: see grass rolling. Al this work should have sizable impact on the environment score.

Just a couple of things you may have overlooked or been unaware of.

Fertilisation - there is a difference between manure/slurry & solid/liquid. Manure & slurry can only add a certain amount of nitrogen and generally does it as a blanket effect, whereas the solid & spray will add as much nitrogen as you need, where you need it. The benefit is that if you use natural fertilisers, you’re using waste products from your animals and saving money as you don’t need to use as much of the more expensive chemical fertilisers. There possibly should be an ES bonus for using 2 types as obviously there is a benefit to using natural to reduce your chemical use.

Mulching - still adds the same yield bonus as it has since the game launched.

Oil Seed Radish - this is a known bug that Giants plan to fix with the next update, along with Soybeans.


I don’t have a clue about the grass issue, personally I never understood why pulling a roller over grass would add a fertilising stage anyway.

[lawm]

I don’t have a clue about the grass issue, personally I never understood why pulling a roller over grass would add a fertilising stage anyway.

Grass rolling go away completely as far as I'm concerned. Never understood how that idea ever came to fruition

[Dezza69]

... rolling “grass” has benefits, possibly far beyond playing a simulation ...



Anyways, most things get updated and quirks fixed.

I reckon crop rotation and rotting bales/piles of stuff would be great additions.

I’m enjoying PF overall, also all those REA22 mods are awesome, loving how the tractors and implements slip around.

Happy Farning!!!

[ace54858]

I don’t have a clue about the grass issue, personally I never understood why pulling a roller over grass would add a fertilising stage anyway.

Grass rolling go away completely as far as I'm concerned. Never understood how that idea ever came to fruition

lol same with rolling a field or at the very least an option to turn it off like with plowing and stones.

[lawm]

... rolling “grass” has benefits, possibly far beyond playing a simulation ...

So they say, but I wouldn't know and likely wont as a CDL holder lol

[lawm]

lol same with rolling a field or at the very least an option to turn it off like with plowing and stones.

Exactly. I skip rolling for planting. Idbrather take the yield hit and pretend I've done everything 100%.

I guess it's done in places?

I've yet to see anyone roll anything where I live so it should definitely be an option

[Rasping rabbit]

lol same with rolling a field or at the very least an option to turn it off like with plowing and stones.

Exactly. I skip rolling for planting. Idbrather take the yield hit and pretend I've done everything 100%.

I guess it's done in places?

I've yet to see anyone roll anything where I live so it should definitely be an option

I recently watched a Welker video when they explained why they did it. Also was amazed at the size and weight of their roller.

[lawm]

lol same with rolling a field or at the very least an option to turn it off like with plowing and stones.

Exactly. I skip rolling for planting. Idbrather take the yield hit and pretend I've done everything 100%.

I guess it's done in places?

I've yet to see anyone roll anything where I live so it should definitely be an option

I recently watched a Welker video when they explained why they did it. Also was amazed at the size and weight of their roller.

I'll have to check it out. Havent watched them in awhile.

[Rasping rabbit]

It was one of their recent ones, I was trying to figure out in real terms how big their new roller was in comparison to something in ‘real life’.

I started trying to compare it to the size of my apartment, then realised it was actually about as wide as by apartment block. So my apartment, and the 3 apartments connected to it. And the hallways in between.

[Mwal]

The fertilization is much more similar to real life in precision farming than it is in the base game, it’s not very common to just blindly throw fertilizer on anymore especially now that it’s extremely expensive, even small farms often times have a co-op apply it in a similar way. The price to have it applied where you need it far outweighs the cost of just putting it everywhere. With grass rolling as far as I know the only big benefits I’ve ever heard are smoothing out the field it definitely doesn’t magically and completely take the place of fertilizer otherwise I would be rolling everything I own haha. Cover crops are weird as well, as the way I’ve understood (don’t really have the time in a year for cover crops in my climate) they’re more of a nitrogen retainer rather than a big increaser so without some sort of system to make you lose nitrogen yes, precision farming is broken in that case. As far as rolling crops go we roll soybeans to push in rocks because most custom combiners won’t combine without that step in our area. I would guess the yield bonus is the willingness to combine closer to the ground. I know theres a lot of reasons floating around for why but personally I’ve never noticed some huge difference from when we started rolling beans to when we didn’t and combined our own that couldn’t be attributed to the combine being a POS.

[raran]

Mulching still gives 2.5% yield bonus. Rolling 0.8-1%.

[Steel_Horse]

Not sure I can comment on the realism dimension, however completely agree it needs a major update. You have to wonder whether anyone actually played the game with this DLC before releasing it.

Some extra items for your list.
- Grapes and Olives seem be completely at odds with the Precision Farming concepts, at best they were simply not considered. Fertilisation appears to not be required at all now. There is no information on the yield potential. Lime can be applied but it is not clear what effect it has. weeds dont appear so you cant mechanically weed. Therefore max environment score appears to be in the 50s. If you have a number of small vineyards across your farm the overall environment score is substantially reduced.

- the whole score concept needs more work. Joining fields seems to create multiple scores for the same area can easily screw up the overall averages. If you make the mistake of planting a couple of vines down the edge of fields you end up with very poor score results.

- Why is water use completely ignored.

- On a much more minor level, mechanical weeding is a real chore now as the AI is completely unable to deal with the spot weeding pattern.

I had high hopes for Precision Farming. Guess we now know why it was free

[ScotsDude73]

Because its broken???

[wedel]

....aaaaaand it is updated!
Good stuff, top concerns are addressed now!


Still suggesting grapes& olives fixes, better tire choice impact, crop rotation, better animal husbandry.