(Mods) A major change in demand

[muzickmage]

With the 1.2 patch/update, the game has taken a major leap forward. The idea of searching online for that perfect map to use seems somewhat gone. The new landscaping tool allows for the player to create any map to his/her preference. What may start out as a map of distaste, can become a work of art tailor-made to the player. The best part.... no need for GE, or modding experience. (more so than not) with the simple use of ingame tools, we can turn any map into our favorite map.

So, what does the game need now? IMO, this would be a great time, not only for Giants, but also for modders, to focus on the placeable system. Having the pefect map is only half of the equation. Now.... we need stuff to put on those perfect maps. We need..... more placeables.

In addition to ideas such as houses, barns, silos, etc, i've been looking/waiting for factories. As we have noticed, Giants maps still don't have a "production" system. (Outside of working with the animals) We grow crops just to sell them. Plant, grow, sell, ..... rinse and repeat.

Having the option to bring your wheat to the flour mill to create flour, then bring that flour to the bakery to help create bread, would be another turning point for FS19.

Regardless of your preference, whether it be more houses, or perhaps, more parking sheds, I think it's fairly agreed that the placeable system is, at best... bare boned, and greatly lacking. The new landscaping tool highlights this further.

Personally, i'm hoping modders turn their attention to creating more placeables, rather than maps. Though having more map options is still great, at the same time, it's no longer as important. The new landscaping tool pretty much allows us to create our own maps.

(just my opinion)

[DirectCedar]

I agree mostly.

I would dispute though that adding factories a al Transport Tycoon to the game would be in the vein of simulating farming.

Transport Tycoon is a fantastic game if you like managing logistics. Likewise I hear the truck simulator games are great if you want to pretend to be the person actually performing the logistics.

Real farmers actually do just grow primary commodities and sell them. The next year they do it again. They have little or nothing to do with them after they've been delivered to a sell point. They don't transport flour from the mill to the bakery, and they don't transport pork chops from the abattoir to the grocery store.

Someone will likely come up with a mod involving these factories you are asking for, and that's fine. There were such things in 17. But to add such to the base game, in my opinion, would be straying a lot from the game's title.

[theSeb]

You'll not be able to create the highly detailed maps that top makers can make without GE. Instead we will end up with loads of copies of the in-game maps with the same road network. That's ok I guess. But I hope that no good map maker takes threads like this to heart.

[cr41g_1965]

you can't beat a highly talented modder's map, with all the lustrous attention to detail they provide.............. period

[SirLANsalot]

its still better to find a map where you have to do AS LITTLE as possible with the in game terrain editor, not the other way around. So its still important to find that "perfect" map, just the criteria has changed somewhat is all.

[fenixguy]

We grow crops just to sell them. Plant, grow, sell, ..... rinse and repeat

That's the game.

I bought this game to simulate farming. Not build maps and run factories. I'll take a nice Frontier Designs map with a well thought out landscape and a realistic farm yard and get hundreds of hours of fun.

I'm happy to see more freedom in making my farm look the way I want it for sure, but I don't want to imagine re-doing a whole map with the terrain tool.

I do agree that placeables will be a hotter mod item though.

[Vinolik123]

The in-game editor will never beat the map makers

[muzickmage]

I already pointed out in my initial post that modded maps will still be great to have. And, I will still download a few. But, the overall need for them has been greatly diminished. A few days ago I was still discouraged with the game because of not having a map I was happy with. I kept searching the online sites a dozen times a day looking for a better option. Now, I don't need to spend as much time looking for my favorite map, as much as I can just create it myself from pretty much any map. Just download anything, and go from there.

The difference (for the most part) from one map to another will be the road system and water terrain. Find a map with a road system you're ok with, and everything else is almost based on mere preference.

I agree that there are some great map modders out there who do great work. But they are few and far between. I'm waiting for a map from Stevie. Landscaping tool or not... i'll definately be downloading Stevie's Ringwoods.

I've downloaded some maps over the last week or so that changed nothing on the map except the starting yard. And still, despite the fact that I liked that new yard they offered, for some reason they stuck that building right in a crazy spot... and I can't delete/sell that building. Love the new yard .... hate that building. Why did they have to put that there? So I go into GE and delete it. Well now, I can create that yard myself in just a few minutes or so, and not put that darn building there in the first place.

The asset now is... we can focus on skilled modders for advanced maps. And no longer download countless maps just to get a better starting yard. Or a few flat areas around the farm for growth.

To me this means, from the skilled modders, we will need ..... a map with better placeables, not just a map with a better farmyard. And preferably... placeables we can sell, and not be stuck with if we don't fancy them as much as the modder.

[fenixguy]

But, the overall need for them has been greatly diminished. A few days ago I was still discouraged with the game because of not having a map I was happy with.

I wholeheartedly disagree with that first sentence. And I'm still discouraged with the game because of not having a map I'm happy with.

[muzickmage]

Ok, fair enough. What kind of map are you looking for?

For me.... i'll continue to look for mining. Some people don't like such addons... but I prefer it. I also prefer the factories as well despite others not liking them either lol. To each their own.


EDit: ..... oh, and the mulit-fruit thing. I like that too. lol.

[fenixguy]

Lone Oak would do nicely. Sorry, I thought we were talking about a farming game. I'll see myself out now.

[muzickmage]

To "farm": to "Collect", to "gather", to "extract".

Ore is, in that sense .... farmed.


However, and regardless.... It's what I like. I enjoy mining added to the game of options.

[throsbi]

I think mining would be a great new feature to add to the game. I remember FS13 and the marhu construction/mining equipement. Some of those mods made it to FS15 and FS17. They are going to be in FS19 without question.

As far as the new features and modded maps. I do not see or hope it does not remove anything from the amazing maps some come up with.

I am wondering how this will affect the various crops like grapes/fruit trees that modders have added along with the equipment. Or crops like lavendar that take specialty equipment to harvest. To soon to say but I think we are in for some amazing new things.

The biggest concern I have is it would appear that everyone has forgot the limitations to the placeable system and how in previous versions of the game if you had to many placeables the game would start to have issues. That is why I always built in my placeables to the maps. On top of that if you had placeables that used fabrikscript each placeable would run a separate script. So when you had 20 placeables you would see that many scripts running and on slower machines it was very noticeable.

Seems next step in scripting would be to come up with something built into base maps for a plug and play type system. Something similar to the seasons approach with the geo dictating how the system worked.

I could be way off just rambling as I ponder how this version will develop with the modding community.

And lets not forget the rules for the mod contest if they apply again is that the mods can not be used prior to contest or something to that affect. So some of the truely amazing mods may not show up until after that.

[muzickmage]

I've been wondering about this as well. The strain on the game the placeable system will have. For me, I have to be careful when grabbing modded silos. The more grain I stock, the longer it takes for my game to load up and shut down.

I've seen modded silos that are 5 million, while some are 50 million, etc. I prefer to stay around the 1 million mark.

The factory idea, as well as the multi-fruit addons, (as you mentioned) are often scripted. This has caused me some problems in the past. Game lagging, freezes, longer load up times, etc.

An issue with some modded maps is, they often come with ideas you don't want. Some may come with the multi-fruit addon many are looking for, but discourage people away from it because of the factories the map also includes..... or vice versa. Creating a map for the general public is not an easy task. They'll likely be something about each map that at least someone doesn't like.

As much as I prefer maps being modded to our preference, I also wonder how much of that preference a modder can resolve, not only for me, but for the masses as a whole.

If they (not just, but as well) focused on the placeable system, we could worry a bit less about maps being bogged down with stuff we don't want.... ie; trash on the starting farm Ravenport. We could focus instead on just grabbing those particular addons (mod placeables) that we "do" want, and end up with a similar map with just the stuff we want.

Give us the map, with the stuff separate.

However, this idea isn't really a good resolve for console players who have to worry about slot count. That too is a major issue. Because of this reason, it would be better if the map came with the stuff added, rather then offered separately.

It's going to be interesting to see how modders use this new landscaping tool to their advantage, and where they may turn their focus.

[PrincessJessi84]

I don't plan on using the new tools to remake any maps.. if I wanna do that I will fire up GE and make another map from scratch like I did for fs17.. its just more detailed.. but I do like the idea of being able to use these tools in game to change things.. creating flat spots for certain things.. im probably the odd one out but I don't like having all my farms close to each other.. I might have one farm for sheep.. another for arable cereal types.. maybe another farm for root crops.. so on and so forth.. and I like the idea of being able to build proper farms of my own design and intent on just about any map available.. not only will I be able to appreciate a modders brilliant work but ill be able to "add to it" and make it my own as I would irl.. im super excited for 1.2