Farm Manager 2018 is a simulation which celebrates its 5th month of existence, at least in its final version. The game is developed by Polish Cleversan Software and edited by playway. We had already spoken on Simulagri since I published the file for you Title Steam. Today the game displays several corrective updates. It is time to take stock.
For starters, and for those like me who are under 18, the game will remind you the first episode of The Sims, released in February 2000. It is rather positive, because it is a sure value from the point of view of the interface, with a proven ergonomics.
In Farm Manager, you are not directly in the shoes of a farmer. Here, we give the orders and it is the workers who execute. We therefore find a simple and uncluttered interface that allows you to adjust the scrolling speed of time, and a menu at the bottom left that allows creation and purchases. And that's all.
To interact with the different elements - fields, buildings, animals - just click on it, a menu will open. Example to plow a plot, clicking on it gives you the status and the functions you can perform. One click on plowing, and all you have to do is choose "who" and "with what" you want to do the hard work. The worker takes care of it, and returns to “lie down” when finished. Simple, intuitive, and devilishly effective.
And even if you are not used to the Sims, the game has a "Campaign" mode to start a game and learn everything from A to Z. Please note, this mode is not a simplified tutorial mode. Far from it, I can assure you that there is increasing difficulty and hours of play on the horizon! A series of missions will guide you in the use of all the available functions.
You will also find a scenario mode which gives you "goals" which, when achieved, will end the game. Finally there is the free mode, where you start a game on a randomly generated terrain (vegetation and river) with a sum of money that you define. Don't look for a multiplayer mode, there isn't one.
Manager = Management
This title is indeed a management game. No need to hope to drive the latest tractors or other state-of-the-art overpowered harvester. Moreover, in Farm Manager, the materials do not have a mark. You buy "a tractor", "a swather", "a plow", to perform tasks. Nothing more.
On the other hand, the strong point of the game is that everything is there. And luckily because the list of possible crops and breeding is long…. very long… arguably the longest of all farm simulation games to date. An extract from the list? No problem. Apple tree, lupine, buckwheat, cabbage, morello cherry, rapeseed, corn, cucumber, grass, pepper, pear, potato, squash, raspberry, sorghum, sunflower, tomato, wheat, rye, ...
Food
But what can all these cultures be used for? You have the choice: sell them directly on the market, feed your animals… or transform them. Because Farm Manager goes a long way in management and directly sets foot in the agri-food sector. You can transform your fruit into juice or frozen, your animals into trays of meat, your cereals into flour or farm seeds, your milk into yogurt or cheese. In short, it is very complete and it leaves the player the possibility of orienting his exploitation as he sees fit.
A titanic job
So inevitably with all these activities, after a while, and like the sims or even a Sim City, we do not know where to turn. And to help us in our task, the game perfectly integrates a season and weather system. So the rain will help you irrigate your plots, while winter will set the scene and direct you to work in greenhouses or in different factories. The tillage is finished and most of the outdoor plants die.
The off-peak periods also allow you to put certain workers in training so that they increase their skills on certain criteria, such as harvesting or driving machinery.
Outside of winter, if you want to relieve your work, the game allows certain automatisms. For example, you can choose to have the inseminator come automatically for your cows so that reproduction is continuous. Ditto for the sale of crops, you can choose a periodicity and a quantity, for example 500 kg of wheat, 2 times a month. This system avoids losing your tomato crop by letting it rot in the shed ... And yes, everything is thought of!
White nights on the horizon!
Have fun!
Farm Manager 2018 is a very intuitive and complete game. It benefits from a simple but effective implementation. If the graphics are totally overwhelmed by the other simulations, know that the fun is elsewhere. Starting with its price: € 19,99 full price. And in view of the hours of play it provides, it would be a shame not to take advantage of it.