This first day of farmcon will have allowed future FS 22 players to learn more about Elmcreek, the new map of the US midwest. Even if the version presented was not final, it nevertheless raises some questions, to which Giants Software tries to respond with a ticket on his blog.
At FarmCon, you got to see a more in-depth look at Elmcreek, the all-new map inspired by the North American Midwestern landscape. Lead designer Florian Busse explained how the Elmcreek map came about: inspiration, layout of the farm and fields… the video below clearly shows what lies ahead as a player.
Much different from Ravenport
The most obvious difference from Ravenport, the US FS 19 card: the landscape is flat and has no coastline. The presentation flew over the scenery very quickly, and we learn that the map will have a hidden canyon with a cave. In places, you can pass under the railway line which crosses the country and sometimes flies over rivers and streams.
Elmcreek focuses on large tracts of farmland. It's basically a large industrial area with a few residential areas, and, you had seen it before, a gas station, a baseball stadium, and a bowling alley. The mapper used the seasons mode to show / hide many decor elements.
The farm in the center of Elmcreek
Giants Software decided to place the farm in the middle of the map, so that players can spread out on all sides and make maximum use of the space. The developers also explain having reduced the number of decorative buildings around the farm and decided to make the buildings open and accessible. Players will therefore be able to more easily use the placeable mods for their arrangements.
The interiors of the garage and the barn have several levels. You will be able to enter the buildings and store your vehicles there. The barn can also be used as storage for pallets, bigbags, etc. Forklifts and other small vehicles, such as our Emily AM317, will go through most doors.
No more rectangular fields?
Elmcreek has 81 predefined fields, more than we've had before on basic maps, with plots from small to large that you can patch together with the plow and the 'create fields' feature. So far, this mechanic has not changed. If you look at the map in the video, you will notice that there are many different field shapes. Some have rounded edges.
For the moment, we have no information on the new workers (except for a new menu to manage them, seen during the Farmcon). And long-time players know how complicated it is, with the workers, to manage non-rectangular plots. Giants Software offers to cut trees and combine fields to adjust the shape. Is this a joke? The community is already crying scandal. At Univers-Simu, we prefer to wait and see what is behind this famous “Ai Worker” menu. Will we have a semblance of CoursePlay ? Case to follow!