What kinds of people play Farm Sim?

[Mad_House]

I know there is a strong following behind Farm Sim, but I also know that a lot of people outside of this world- or those barely in it, myself included- have a hard time understanding why people play this game.

So really, what makes you pour hundreds of hours into this game? Do you work with farm equipment in real life, is it your personality, do you just like driving a tractor while playing electronica trance in the background, what?

[Thumper]

Because we want to enough said

[Mad_House]

Originally posted by texashold1996:

Because we want to enough said

Not really. I'm honestly looking to learn more about what drives the interest behind this game, and games like this. Really, do you have a story?

[Kogajebe]

- mods = endless playability
- open end game
- you dont often see such vehicle in RL
- or even come in contact with them

[Bunyan]

For me:
--I enjoy strategy games (which, at its core, this could be said to be...how to make money, imporove your farm, improve your equipment, be the most productive...etc.)
--I enjoy using different equipment than I have or have used
--With courseplay, I enjoy getting everything up and running to be a smooth running machine to the point that every field is active with multiple fields being worked on simultaneously.

For my kids:
-Hugely educational from different farm implements to figuring out financial profit/loss strategies, etc.
--They LOVE the ability to use money in an "adult" game for "adult" things that they could not in real life (want to drive a car even though you're only 10 years old? No problem...get out there and farm some fields, earn some money, and buy one you like...)
--Great at pushing problem solving and critical thinking. How do you hook an implement up to a tractor that has a different hitch height? How do you work your vehicles to get the crop to market before the price plunges at the start of the next hour?

[Billy Idle]

Originally posted by jpdoulos:

For me:
--I enjoy strategy games (which, at its core, this could be said to be...how to make money, imporove your farm, improve your equipment, be the most productive...etc.)
--I enjoy using different equipment than I have or have used
--With courseplay, I enjoy getting everything up and running to be a smooth running machine to the point that every field is active with multiple fields being worked on simultaneously.

For my kids:
-Hugely educational from different farm implements to figuring out financial profit/loss strategies, etc.
--They LOVE the ability to use money in an "adult" game for "adult" things that they could not in real life (want to drive a car even though you're only 10 years old? No problem...get out there and farm some fields, earn some money, and buy one you like...)
--Great at pushing problem solving and critical thinking. How do you hook an implement up to a tractor that has a different hitch height? How do you work your vehicles to get the crop to market before the price plunges at the start of the next hour?

Well said! Also it gives me a chance to connect with a friend of over 50 years as we farm together on my Dedicated Server. (He lives in Ohio USA and I now live in the Philippines.) At the same time that we are harvesting a field of wheat we are relaying stories of our youth and growing up on a farm together. Great stories and a great game to help us connect.

[Cmdo.Delta]

I like driving.. Just driving.. So driving all kind of super machinery sounds just awesome to me. Im having a blast on truck sim, farm sim, construction sim.. Name it.. Problem is lack of reliable and not to buggy driving sim. Im enjoying the Farming Simulator franchise but they could use a serious concurrent to force them to do real improvements every game (so my hope is for cattles and crops game). Other than Giant's games, the truck sim of SCSoftware are awesome (ETS2 and ATS). Need nothing else. But I wish we could get a bus sim as good as SCSoftware truck games.

[Ceedub2]

It's just really relaxing to play. I grew up messing around in and around the barn where my grandma had a milk cow and grandpa had cows he was breeding for steers to eat.H Heifers to sell. We grew up in 4h and FFA where we showed sheep, cows and pigs.

I guess its just my roots that's why I have played over 1000 hours on PS4 and now PC.

[hollanddl]

I worked on farms most of my life. Now I can farm myself without all of the headaches of a real farm.

[Somesz]

I played tons of RPGs, FPSs and many mainstream games. I'm fed up with them. Nothing new there. Then I picked up simulation, from Rally to Touring Cars, from Locomotives to Lorries. And now farming machines. To be honest, I've never thought I'll play FS but see mí review. It's like a 2nd childhood, collecting equipment, simulate them, achieve something you set for yourself etc. And, it's very relaxing.

[pavig]

I like both old school vehicle simulators (racing, flight sims etc) as well as strategy style simulation games (city sims etc). I tried out Euro Truck Sim for a laugh, and found I really enjoyed it. The slower paced gameplay meant I could listen to the radio and relax while playing, and the light business management aspects create an ongoing collection of achievable goals to keep you playing. I found farming sim (another title I had previously dismissed) pushes the same buttons.

Most games these days include "farming" mechanics - repeated collection of resources for upgrades, which act as a dopamine pump providing small continuous rewards and extending gameplay. An honest to goodness farming sim does "farming" in an authentic way, which oddly feels like a fresh take on a tired gameplay mechanic.

I wasn't sold on farming sim until I'd played a bit and found that as your farm grows logistics become more complex and interesting. Just driving around and cultivating fields gets boring pretty quick, but hiring workers and juggling multiple tasks at once for optimal production ends up actually pretty complicated and rewarding.

[maj.solo]

Like civ and different tychoon games. Looking at the map, looking at what is in store, looking at the performance and cost of various implements, thinking, thinking, deciding on strategy, having a chainsaw in my hand, looking at trees, thinking of my implements, hating some trees, cutting them down, looking at map, looking at fields, checking how much they cost to purchase, thinking, looking, with a chansaw in my hand, looking at the forest, going there, cutting down some trees, selling them, looking at how much money I got for them, looking at the map, thinking, what comes first, what is next, how many cows, maybe more fields is next, looking at the sun, looking at the prices of crops, thinking, it started to rain, oh crap , it is chansaw time again then, oh it stopped raining, there is the sun, looking at map, thinking, buying a plow, going to join fields, cultivating, sowing, thinking, looking at map, looking at what is in store. Shaping MY farm, damn there is lots of trees in the way. I need to work hard to cut them down. Starting the chansaw with a grim face, etc etc etc etc etc

There are many farms,
but this farm is mine.

[EngineerKenny 123]

Nicely said maj.solo. For me, it is pretty much exactly what you said so well.

[Ceedub2]

Originally posted by Somi:

I played tons of RPGs, FPSs and many mainstream games. I'm fed up with them. Nothing new there. Then I picked up simulation, from Rally to Touring Cars, from Locomotives to Lorries. And now farming machines. To be honest, I've never thought I'll play FS but see mí review. It's like a 2nd childhood, collecting equipment, simulate them, achieve something you set for yourself etc. And, it's very relaxing.

I played many fps and rpg games just the same old thing over and over. So I know rust you mean

[wim1234]

Originally posted by <.GP}Cmdo.Delta:

I like driving.. Just driving.. So driving all kind of super machinery sounds just awesome to me. Im having a blast on truck sim, farm sim, construction sim.. Name it.. Problem is lack of reliable and not to buggy driving sim. Im enjoying the Farming Simulator franchise but they could use a serious concurrent to force them to do real improvements every game (so my hope is for cattles and crops game). Other than Giant's games, the truck sim of SCSoftware are awesome (ETS2 and ATS). Need nothing else. But I wish we could get a bus sim as good as SCSoftware truck games.

did you try spintires, awesome offraod truckdriving, or with a buggy rockcrawling, also lotsa mods available, looks very very good and plays well.

[Cmdo.Delta]

Originally posted by wim1234:

Originally posted by <.GP}Cmdo.Delta:

I like driving.. Just driving.. So driving all kind of super machinery sounds just awesome to me. Im having a blast on truck sim, farm sim, construction sim.. Name it.. Problem is lack of reliable and not to buggy driving sim. Im enjoying the Farming Simulator franchise but they could use a serious concurrent to force them to do real improvements every game (so my hope is for cattles and crops game). Other than Giant's games, the truck sim of SCSoftware are awesome (ETS2 and ATS). Need nothing else. But I wish we could get a bus sim as good as SCSoftware truck games.

did you try spintires, awesome offraod truckdriving, or with a buggy rockcrawling, also lotsa mods available, looks very very good and plays well.

Yup indeed. Good game :)