As its release becomes clearer and the first screenshots begin to unveil, we wanted to know a little more than Pro Farm Manager, a simulation a little against the current of "Farming Simulator Like", and it is Christophe Lemaire of the team of the studio Expone who answers us.
BG: Christophe Lemaire hello. You are part of the development team of Pro Farm Manager, a new title coming to the agricultural simulation market. Can you tell us about the team and the studio more generally?
Christophe Lemaire: Two studios are involved in the Pro Farm Manager project, Expone and Aslak Studio. The first, of which I am part with Baptiste and Quentin (it's a small structure), brings its expertise and know-how in terms of content / data and player experience. We have been developing browser games for a dozen years. SimAgri, and therefore we know well this sector that is video game agriculture.
Aslak Studio brings its know-how in integrating the game engine, as well as its skills for modeling and animations related to the content (agricultural equipment, buildings, animals, vegetation, etc.). About ten people in all are working on the project.
BG: Given the studio's past, with SimAgri being the first serious farming simulation, what do you expect from Pro Farm Manager? A little more fun?
CL: That's exactly it, SimAgri is extremely complete and constantly evolving, but does not integrate any graphics or visual rendering (given the positioning of the title it seems logical). Conversely, Pro Farm Manager will offer a 3D game world, while integrating part of the content of SimAgri.
BG: We now know that the developers of Farming Simulator are trying to keep a balance in the pleasure of the game and the simulation, where those of Cattle and Crops focus everything on the simulation aspect. How do you want to position the title against the competition?
CL: First and foremost, Pro Farm Manager does not allow players to drive agricultural machinery as is the case in Farming Simulator or Cattle & Crops. Our title focuses on overall management of a farm. There is obviously the agricultural equipment, but the actions and travel are managed directly by the program. For example to plow a plot, the player chooses a tractor, a plow, as well as the plot, the action is then carried out automatically with an animation of movement, plowing, U-turn at the end of the plot ... The game is therefore management / strategy oriented.
BG: How does a typical game go when you launch the game for the first time?
CL: The first thing to do is to choose the country (France, Germany, United States, Poland…) and the region where to set up a farm. This will influence the relief, the climate, the weather ... which makes the game more or less easy. Then we start our game with a dwelling house (this is the farmhouse), 24 Action Points (each action requires AP) and a vast territory of approximately 600 hectares. There is also a sum of money available to start buying equipment or animals, constructing buildings, creating and buying plots. A tutorial is also available to familiarize yourself with the operation and use of the interface. Finally, the game begins at the end of winter, which makes it possible to sow fairly quickly and therefore to harvest from the summer.
BG: Can you tell us about the breeding part, which is a bit the weak point of the other simulations?
CL: Pro Farm Manager offers the possibility of raising cows, pigs, sheep, goats and poultry, all spread over several breeds (20 in all). Each animal has of course its own characteristics (reproduction cycle, growth, milk / egg production, birth prolificacy, etc.), some of which can be improved with the reproduction and genetic.
Each species requires a specific building, and several rations are available to feed the animals. It is also necessary to water them, to put litter (except for the pigs), to remove the manure or slurry… The breeding allows to sell the animals to the slaughterhouse as well as the various productions (milk, eggs). The player who turns to breeding has plenty to take care of.
BG: Ditto for the machinery, since the large communities of current players are rather fans of large machines. Which firms will be present? Do you have any partnerships?
CL: Regarding agricultural equipment, we were inspired by real models, but no firm is represented. There is therefore no official mark, but it is a voluntary choice which allows us to keep complete freedom on the game and its orientation.
Concretely, the player has at his disposal a complete range of equipment in order to be able to carry out all the agricultural work. This ranges from the cover crop to the round baler, including the beet harvester or the telescopic. More than 100 models are offered. The player must take into account the powers to use agricultural equipment, fuel consumption is also integrated, as well as wear, maintenance and breakdowns.
On the other hand, an evolving Mastery Level system (for each type of material) which goes from 0 to 10 allows the best use of such and such material. Thus, a player who is starting out with a Mastery Level of 0 for the tractor will be better off buying a low power tractor that requires a Mastery of 0 rather than a 500 horsepower tractor which requires a Mastery Level of 10. It will thus save time during actions, as well as fuel since it has a better command of this type of model.
The management of the equipment park is important since it allows the player who wishes to optimize the various charges linked to this position.
BG: Will there be the possibility to play in multi? Up to how many players?
CL: Pro Farm Manager offers 2 game modes. Solo mode, which as its name suggests, allows you to play alone, and Multi mode, which allows you to play with other players.
This Multi mode is playable in a persistent universe, in each available country. The number of players is therefore unlimited. In this game mode, each player has their own farm, but multi-player actions are possible. Joint purchase of equipment, possibility of calling another player to work a plot, purchase / sale of animals or equipment… Groups of players can also participate in quests and earn rewards.
BG: Will the game be "modular" like Farming Simulator and its openness to many mods?
CL: There are plans to offer players additional content. It could be accessories for equipment, elements of scenery, additional textures for buildings… so that each player can personalize his or her part (s). However, additional content must be validated by our studio before being integrated into the game if they are offered and produced by players.
BG: The game will not be available only on PC, what will be the necessary configuration? Are you using a homemade graphics engine?
CL: That's right, available on PC via Steam. For configuration, the game is optimized so that it can run on most machines. At the moment we are on the following basis:
- Operating System: Windows 7/8/10
- Processor: 2.0 GHz Intel or dual-core AMD equivalent
- RAM: 2 GB of memory
- Graphics: Nvidia Geforce GTS 450 / AMD Radeon HD 6770 or better
- DirectX: Version 11
- Network: Broadband internet connection
- Disk space: 40 GB available disk space
For the graphics engine, the studio uses Unity. [Editor's note: for those who do not know, the engine is capable of doing wonders graphically: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qa0S9JS3XVk]
BG: An official release date?
CL: Currently not. However, an “Early Access” version via Steam will be available before the launch of the official version.
Thank you Christophe, and see you soon on SimulAgri Paysan Breton to follow this very promising title.