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.
Stack those bales to stack that paper
The tedious driving tasks are quickly eliminated once some hired help makes it on the farm, so I highly encourage this to be a priority in the early game. Yep, that’s a free pro-tip for Farming Simulator 2013 from me to you. I battled with time management, as there are always more than enough activities to do on a farm, just none of them are very exciting. Rotating crops does not change any of the methods used to reach an end goal of making money, so I grew bored with my farm once I had tried my hand at everything.
Mood: apathetic
A big feature that is heavily promoted in Farming Simulator 2013 is modding, it’s even listed right on the main menu. In addition to all of the content that comes with the game there is a dedicated community out there that makes some awesome stuff to download from the Focus Interactive website. Want a new style of greenhouse? It’s on there. Need a tractor that looks like a tank? That’s there too. Hell, I wouldn’t be surprised if you were able to download a mod that lets you turn the game into a drug war. There are a couple ‘side missions’ that are none too impressive. One requires a golf course to be mowed and the other is a front end loader joyride, both had me questioning why they were included in the game, but maybe the modding community can build on these to make some interesting objective based missions within the game.
Assemble your fleet. Divide and conquer with up to 10 players
The co-op in Farming Simulator 2013 allows for up to 10 players to play on a single farm. When I was able to get into a game, I felt like I was contributing to the greater good and after an honest days work of tending the fields it was cool to see everyone’s hard work come together. This means a highly efficient farm, if you can keep everyone on task. There is nothing stopping a player from riding a tractor into the sunset, while the others work extra to make sure that the harvest comes in on time. Hire your workers carefully. I didn’t make it into a full 10 man game, but I can see the merit in splitting up the jobs and getting things done faster. What’s unfortunate is that a ton of time can be invested into someone else’s farm, but you do not reap anything you sow into your own game. It sucks, and kind of smells like communism.
Mood: cautiously weary
I can’t fault Farming Simulator 2013 for setting out and accomplishing its goal of being a very good simulator. The problem, however, is that farming is not that fun. I don’t expect there to be firefights or an elaborate story, although that would be pretty awesome. I understand that there is an audience out there that enjoy this sort of thing but that just isn’t me. The lack of direction or at least some objectives to build towards causes interest to wain. The modding aspect is promising, and the business side of the game has an interesting progression to it but I won’t be putting the overalls on anytime soon. Everything on a farm is faithfully reproduced in this year’s Farming Simulator and I have a new appreciation for those that actually do this trade. I just can’t be bothered to sit in a tractor and slowly working towards the next pile of virtual money.