They were already present for several revisions, here they are even more effective with version 0.1.3.0 of the game. The workers are back, with a significantly improved task manager. We can now assign them actions to perform in a much more intuitive way. Here is the journey in a few captures and in video.
Before you can assign a job to an employee, no miracle, you need equipment and a plot. In order to keep things simple, we are going to buy here the seed drill combination already used in one of the game's missions, and a plot large enough to fully appreciate the work of the worker. To make it simple, the purchase menu has already been in place for a long time and in a few clicks we are owner and in debt.
Buying gear is one thing, but when you start a game in Cattle and Crops you are on your own. Also you must consult the tab of the classifieds "Employment" to find what you are looking for and hire your workforce. We will come back in more detail to the worker system but know that it is possible, on the personnel file, to modify salaries, to see the aptitudes and preferences of work, the mood, or to lay off. In short, it is very comprehensive but far from being so complex.
No need to leave the menu, you just have to juggle the tabs to realize that the task menu is present and easy to use. 5 steps are enough to send "Vadim" to do his hard work:
1 / Choose the type of a task : Is it a field job? in the barn? a recolt ?
2 / Choose theworker who will accomplish the task
3 / Choose the equipment : Most often, the main tool (here a tractor) is placed and its auxiliary tools and attachment points are chosen.
4 / Choose the parcel working
5/ When perform the task: And this is undoubtedly the strong point of this manager. Each task can be noted in the planning and be executed later. An agenda is available to the player to see, at a glance, who is working where and when.
Flawless AI
Remember to this video where in the middle of silage, the AI "went crazy", to see showed a form of aggressiveness. It was the good time when Michel, a worker nearing retirement, came to work completely drunk. All kidding aside, the game's artificial intelligence has been greatly improved. If at the time of silage, the workers already knew how to position their tractor correctly when trimming a field, today the AI goes further, especially during sowing, by working first inside the field before to end with the exteriors (see end of the video).
With each new material, the development team shows us its proximity to the agricultural world in the way of working, and today, although in the development phase, Cattle and Crops has the most advanced artificial intelligence in an agricultural simulation game.
Stay tuned!