December 5, 2023

Farming Simulator 22: Bountiful Harvest

Bountiful Harvest is a fun farming game for those who have yet to play the series. This game has all the great features that you would expect from a simulator, but with plenty of extras and new mechanics thrown in as well!

Farming Simulator 20 is a game that has been out for a while. The game was released in 2016 and has since received positive reviews from critics.

It’s a crisp autumn morning. I just finished loading all of my chicken eggs onto a trailer tied to my old pickup truck, and there’s still enough space for a couple pallets of fresh tomatoes from the greenhouse. In preparation for harvest, some hired employees stage trucks and equipment near the fields. The fields will be left fallow for the winter, ready to be planted with oats and soybeans in the spring.

Elm Creek, one of three base areas in the current version of agricultural game Farming Simulator 22, is my own little piece of small-town midwestern America.

If you’ve played any of the other games in the series, you’ll recognize the game loop: harvest, field prep, plant, field care, and harvest once more. Farming Simulator 22 has made several advancements over earlier incarnations in the game, including the inclusion of seasonal crop planning, additional equipment choices, manufacturing chains, and other modifications to old features.

Despite the fact that this is a simulation game, farming, forestry, and animal husbandry are nevertheless simplified enough to be less time-consuming than previously, while being somewhat accurate to real-world practice.

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Farming Simulator 22: A Prosperous Harvest

The improvement in the vibrancy and realism of everything in Farming Simulator 22 is immediately obvious. It’s due to improvements to lighting, shaders, volumetric shadows, and particle effects systems in the latest engine, the latter of which makes plowing a field of soil or watching hay load onto a forage cart a dazzling experience. The landscapes and crops are stunning, with a more strong 3D look than previously.

I stumbled found a cornfield while playing on the Haut-Bayleron map that reminded me of a summer night around the campfire with a cornfield only a stone’s throw away. The corn even “waved” when a wind passed by, and it’s moments like this that stick out.

The textures have been updated from earlier Farming Simulator versions and are now considerably more detailed; it’s tough not to wander around each of the 100+ vehicles and pieces of equipment to examine all of their bells and whistles. There’s been a lot of effort put into making things appear as real as possible.

The sound design has also been improved, which is particularly obvious if you’re using headphones. The strong diesel engine of the Claas Axion 960 tractor has a wonderful bassy thrum the first time you start it up, and vehicle noises vary depending on where you are.

Tractors parked in a garage emit echoes that are not heard in a field, emulating the sensation of drawing such machinery into a compact place. However, there is a clear distinction between open space and confined space sound, with the change being quick and obvious.

Even though the sound design might need some improvement in future generations, Farming Simulator 22 is a step in the right direction, and fans will appreciate the time and effort put into boosting immersion in these areas.

For many, the seasons mod in Farming Simulator 19 was a game-changer, particularly in terms of immersion. The mod was so popular that Giants decided to include it as a standard feature in Farming Simulator 22.

Seasons in Farming Simulator 19 provide some structure and improved planning possibilities for planting cycles, but the way it’s done in Farming Simulator 22 might need some tweaking in future updates and patches. Seasons isn’t that enjoyable right now. Whereas the previous mod allowed for spring and winter wheat, allowing you to seed and harvest a field twice a year, the basic FS22 game currently does not allow for this.

There are, however, a plethora of new crops to cultivate, nurture, and harvest. Olives, grapes, sorghum, and greenhouse crops provide Farming Simulator 22 more choices and possibilities than ever before. Not only are some of these crops entertaining to play with, but they also provide new tactics to the game while looking amazing.

Olives have always been a favorite of mine; I appreciate how neatly the rows appear (even though planting them may be a nuisance since they aren’t seeded like other crops, but rather planted through the building menu). Aside from the many techniques of olive field maintenance, the actual harvesting looks great and exemplifies how real-life farmers utilize the same technology to harvest the produce.

In Farming Simulator 22, there are lots of activities to keep you occupied between crop maintenance.

Because my farm is largely set up as a dairy farm (plus poultry), many of my crops are designed to keep them nourished and happy. I next refine milk and eggs into cheese and butter using the newly added production chain system, which can then be used to manufacture items like cake in the bakery production facility or sold at one of the numerous selling stations.

Production chains, another previously popular mod, are a fantastic addition that adds another layer of planning and logistics to the game. Gone are the days of maximizing profits by producing large fields of soybeans, which were a proven bestseller in earlier editions. Production chains allow all crops to flourish while also allowing users to set higher objectives for their farms. Getting into manufacturing chains requires time, strategy, and money, but it’s a fun method that doesn’t get tedious.

Improved A.I. assistants are another feature that addresses the more laborious pace of prior editions. These farmhands may be recruited to help you with your farming, and unlike previous helpers, who could only do basic fieldwork activities like plowing, planting, and harvesting, helpers in Farming Simulator 22 can do a lot more.

You may now engage them to carry items to manufacturing facilities, sell commodities, and move cars and equipment around the map. While you’ll still need to load certain items individually, the additional assistance is helpful if you’re not playing the game’s 16-player co-op mode.

The Bottom Line in Farming Simulator 22

Pros

Fantastic visuals
Maps that are large and attractive
A thriving community of modders

Cons

There are some minor audio issues.
Seasons (optional) may be more evenly distributed.

Farming Simulator 22 is a fantastic way to unwind. You may play it on easy mode or with all of the extra systems turned on for a more genuine and demanding experience. This is the finest game in the series thus far, and I’m looking forward to the next DLCs and many (many) more hours on the farm.

I’m also interested to see what Giants does with user input in the next months to enhance the systems and mechanics of Farming Simulator 22. I’m looking forward to seeing the incredible work that the modding community will do in the months ahead. There will be many more haversts in the future!

[Note: The copy of Farming Simulator utilized for this evaluation was given by Giants Software.]