With a release announced for March 2018, Pure Farming 2018 is a game that is starting to make people talk about it, especially for its high-end graphics that we were able to discover via a first demo of the game. However, the expectations do not end. to that and many players would like to know more about the gameplay. It is time to take stock 6 months from the release of the title. Interview with Szymon Wawruch, Level Designer of the studio Iceflames in charge of development
Can you present the development team in a few words? How many people are working on the project?
Szymon Wawruch: Iceflames is a new studio created by a very experienced team of game developers who have a long history of working on simulation games. Pure Farming 2018 will be the first title under the IceFlames flag. The core team consists of around 20 people, but around 40 people work on the game. That number keeps changing to reflect our needs, and we believe the quality of the game will be affected.
You might expect gamers will be looking to compare Pure Farming 2018 to the mainstay of farming simulation, Farming Simulator. Also can you tell us about the comparable points and what you think you have improved compared to the competing game?
SW: Pure Farming 2018 has unique and never seen before regions with their unique crops and crop specific machines. The game also features many other activities such asgreen energy, monitoring crop growth through agricultural drone, management farming business with the use of a tablet, and much more. Another feature that sets us apart is three game modes very different : free agriculture, the challenges of agriculture, et my first farm.
As far as the Giants title goes, it is undoubtedly a major player in the farm simulation scene, and has been for years. We're aware of that, and while there will certainly be some similarities, as it would be hard to avoid them, we feel like we've managed to make a game that stands out.
Can you tell us which major brands will be present in Pure Farming?
SW: We have some top brands from all over the world including Zetor, Landini, McCormick, Gregory, Great Plains and DAF, Mitsubishi and many others. We have unique and new machines like the coffee machine Skybury or the tractor Agromash Ruslan. In addition, players who pre-order the game at certain points of sale will also be able to enjoy the machines. Lindner, Gomselmash et JCB.
We are constantly adding new machines and working on obtaining new licenses to achieve a good level of variety. Visit purefarminggame.com, we update the information about the brands available on a regular basis.
We have discovered the mission system, will it always be present or will the player have complete freedom of action?
SW: To appeal to a wide range of players, Pure Farming 2018 offers three different modes: free-farming - a sandbox for more hardcore players with perfectly integrated missions, Farming Challenges - a mode that challenges players with specific tasks to accomplish, and My First Farm - a quest-based campaign mode which we believe will introduce more players to the world of farming simulation.
Even though today's gamers are mostly machinery enthusiasts, there is a growing demand to improve animal husbandry in farming simulations. Can you tell us about the breeding in Pure Farming? Which animals will be present? What will be the possibilities in terms of livestock management?
SW: Pure Farming will have a wide range of different animals including cows, pigs, rabbits, chickens and sheep (available in the Germany DLC map). The animals grow up and get dirty, which adds to the level of realism.
The complexity of animal care varies depending on the species. We present players with a never-before-seen life stage system for each species, which will influence their price, productivity, and more.
Will Pure Farming be modular? If so, who will be able to create mods?
SW: This is something we often discuss internally. We are well aware of the importance of mods for the community, but at the same time we are focusing on launching the game on time with all the features perfectly finalized. We will come back to this topic at a later date, after release.
We couldn't see any artificial intelligence helping us in our work (worker). Will it be possible to delegate actions?
SW: Yes, an AI system will be present in the game. Since our game involves global agriculture on different continents, on multiple fields of different sizes, as well as orchards and greenhouses, this feature will allow the player to operate on several fields simultaneously. Hiring workers also adds authenticity to the game, since this is exactly how farmers operate in real life.
Let's talk about multiplayer. Will the game allow multiple players to play? Up to how much? Can the games be hosted by the players?
SW: We can not yet communicate on the subject. We will have more news as the development progresses.
Thank you Szymon Wawruch, and the Iceflames team for granting us this interview.
Come and ask your questions directly on the forum, section Pure Farming and join our Simulagri Facebook group.