Working on our new log cabin hideaway.
Hello Spunky fans!
Welcome back for a Memorial Day weekend update. This is kind of going to be a two-part post consisting of an update on the farm and also a bit of a philosophical discussion on Farming Simulator and Gold Rush: The Game, which just had its console release on Friday after being out on PC for nearly four years.
First, the farm. As you can see by the screenshot below, we've been working on adding a little lob cabin hideaway in the woods across the pond from the farm and generally clearing out some of the smaller trees on the property.
All three fields have been plowed and limed and are prepped for winter, with snow on its way according to the long-term forecast. We've also been mowing the shoulders of both sides of U.S. Route 83 as another pre-winter chore.
We have purchased our first animals, two horses named Charlie and Khan. Charlie is a horse we renamed, while Khan is the computer's randomly-generated name and when the computer comes up with something like that on its own...yeah, I'm not changing that, lol.
Other than that, we're about as ready as we can be for winter. I think we may have actually carved out enough time to start work on the Fort Donaldson State Recreation Area, which is our next major project on the list.
And now on to the philosophical discussion.
I purchased the console version of Gold Rush: The Game on Friday for PS4. I've been a fan of the Discovery series since Season 1 and have watched every season since then.
The video game is developed by Code Horizon, a small, independent Poland-based company whose largest claim to fame is...you guessed it...Gold Rush: The Game.
The game was actually a Kickstarter project and by the time the dust settled, more than 5,000 backers had agreed to contribute more than $120,000 to get the game made.
It officially released on Steam for PC on June 20, 2017. Let's be honest, video games based on TV series - especially one with a very focused audience - are spotty at best and the game's initial release had its problems with bugs, as you can imagine.
But, Code Horizon learned and it got better as any good video game company should do. It released some DLCs along the way and the console release includes all the DLCs that got released for the PC version.
MrSealyp is currently doing an episodic "Let's Play" series on this over on his YouTube channel, so I would advise you to check it out.
Now, there's some things I think that Code Horizon could learn from GIANTS Software and Farming Simulator in general and if these two developers could partner together, we could have a hell of a simulation game.
Both games feature seasons (although it is a mod now for Farming Simulator, but will be part of the base game for this fall's Farming Simulator 22 release), day/night cycles, camera controls and the control mapping (at least on console) is similar to the two games.
• WHAT FARMING SIMULATOR COULD LEARN FROM GOLD RUSH: THE GAME:
GRTG is a realistic mining simulator, pure and simple. It's not shy about what it is and who it's aimed at. You start out having to acquire a bank loan to lease a plot of ground and some basic mining equipment and as you extract gold, you take it to the blacksmith to get paid so that you can purchase larger and more complicated equipment.
You can purchase excavators, wash plants, wave tables, etc. All the stuff you see on the Discovery series.
1. Hardcore Realism
This is the area where GRTG shines. To make these large machines work, you'll end up purchasing water hoses, generators, electrical boxes, etc. to make these things run. You will also have to contend with equipment breakdowns and random weather events (you can turn these things off in the options menu).
I could see equipment breakdowns as something that Farming Simulator could add to kind of include that extra kernel of realism (and maybe an added challenge?) into the game. Stuff like this, of course, is always part of that gray area for a game in that you want to appeal to those who want a realistic simulation, but not alienate the casual players.
Real-life farmers will tell you that equipment breakdowns are a part of life. It happens.
2. Everything costs $1
This is a setting GRTG has that can be turned on or off and is intended for those who have never seen the TV series or just want to play around with the equipment and figure things out.
Farming equipment can be expensive in-game for Farming Simulator and this option could, like GRTG, help the newbies figure things out while also appealing to the casual players.
3. Mining
This is the biggest - and most obvious - area where GRTG could aid GIANTS. There are already some PC maps out there that offer mining as an option and it seems only a matter of time before this becomes a base-game option, giving Farming Simulator players three "career paths" to choose from (farming, forestry and mining) in deciding their destiny.
Code Horizon has the knowledge and experience to make this work and, for the most part, do it the right way.
• WHAT GOLD RUSH: THE GAME COULD LEARN FROM FARMING SIMULATOR:
1. Licensed brands
Farming Simulator has done well in acquiring licensed brands to include their equipment into the game. Currently, GRTG has no licensed brands (it has "Minatore" on its excavator). Farming Simulator has John Deere, Case and Komat'su, all of which have excavation equipment in their lineups.
2. Map load times
Farming Simulator's load times are actually pretty impressive. The whole map loads at once, which makes loading times between sections unnecessary. This is an issue with GRTG, which requires a few seconds of loading to get from one section of the map to another and this can get annoying and take the player out of the experience.
3. Modding community
Woo boy, is this a big one. Currently, GRTG offers four maps and seven different pieces of heavy equipment to work with and I can see that getting old quickly. In comparison, the modding community has expanded Farming Simulator's base library by hundreds - if not thousands - of vehicles and equipment, with new mods being released five days a week most of the time.
If GRTG would/could incorporate modding, that would take the game to the next level and keep it fresh far beyond its initial release date.
4. Multiplayer
This is one of the biggest knocks I've seen on GRTG in that it is mainly a single-player experience. You can compete against other players for the most gold in a leaderboard-style competition, but you can't have other people working with you on your claim. You can hire workers - like Farming Simulator - but these are NPCs.
My apologies for the long post, but I wanted to share my thoughts here. What do you all think? Feel free to share your opinions below.