Let’s get one thing straight. I am a city kid that has never worked on a farm nor spent more than a couple hours on a field in my entire life. Farming Simulator 2013 finally lets me live my dream of experiencing 21st century agricultural life. You will dabble in every aspect of a farm from animal husbandry to crop harvesting and you have to peddle your goods on the market to keep the finances in check. This is a simulator, so the fate of your acreage is in your hands as you manage and develop your farm.
Mood: excited naivety
I tried to get into the spirit of the game by waking up at 5 am and start the day as a virtual farmer, but my body made this impossible. After going through the 12 step tutorial I was ready to start my very own farm. I was given a loan some basic machinery, and a field to sow. The world was my oyster. A basic day in Farming Simulator 2013 breaks down into smaller mini games of plowing, planting, spraying, and harvesting. All of these actions involve pulling a piece of equipment behind a tractor and driving up and down the field at a very slow speed. Staying true to farming nature, there is no nitro boost on the tractor and if you go over 10 MPH you are going to have a bad time.
This is what 360 no-scope crop spray looks like
Once the crops are growing and I got a harvest going, then the cash starts flowing. All of the money I made from the harvest went into purchasing new equipment, workers, and eventually another field. I didn’t have enough cash to get that chicken coop I have always wanted so that had to wait another season. The business management side of farming is notably present in Farm Sim 2013. Surprisingly the money side of the game was what interested me the most, and drove me to seed another crop. I guess you could call it ‘The Hook’. This was starting to feel like actual work.
Mood: tired but optimistic
If there is one thing that Farming Simulator has, it is more authentic farm equipment than a John Deere factory. The sheer number of vehicles, all licensed brand names, is outstanding. The upgrades available for your farm is overwhelming, and I didn’t know if I should be putting in a biogas plant, or looking to expand my pasture. Since it is deemed an ‘open world game’ there is never a ‘wrong decision’, I just wish there was a little more direction pointing me towards success.