If the title might initially seem like a classic clickbait, I’m sorry to have to warn you that unfortunately, it’s not!
I admit I’ve thought more than once I’d confused the game being referred to, or that my poor eyes were betraying me — no, sir, it’s all true!! Just yesterday, GIANTS Software released a trailer introducing the new free downloadable pack titled "Free Emergency Pack". Developed by Creative Mesh, creators of Pumps N' Hoses and Straw Harvest, the pack offers ten emergencies across four different scenarios that occur near local farmland. When the search-and-rescue team begins emitting an acoustic signal, you’ll need to respond to the incident scene, using at the rescuer’s disposal (wasn’t he an agricultural entrepreneur?) two multi-functional fire trucks and a variety of professional tools.
Let’s start with an undeniable and sincere statement: Creative Mesh has done EXCELLENT work in the creation and simulation of these vehicles and their professional tools. Rich in detail and with an attention to detail that makes this package appreciated both in terms of visual design and its operational mechanics. I leave you two quick images to give you an idea of the artwork:
The inclusion of emergency vehicles such as fire trucks and related missions in a game like Farming Simulator 22 is paradoxical! The game was conceived and marketed as an agricultural simulator, focused on the experience of agricultural management, livestock farming, and related agricultural activities. The addition of fire trucks represents a departure from the game’s context and central theme, causing confusion among its fanbase. There are already games that offer these experiences, both simulative and recreational and lighthearted!
Where has the coherence that gave Farming Simulator 22 its shine gone? Introducing emergency vehicles into an agrarian context can be misleading for players, resulting in a fragmented experience and illogical one within the virtual world presented. I think this risks undermining the player's immersion in the agricultural setting!
The disconnect between agricultural activities and emergency operations could distract and diminish the gaming experience, causing a loss of focus on the primary objective — a farming simulator. The addition of unrelated elements, despite being kindly provided by Creative Mesh, has wasted resources and time of the GIANTS Software development team that would have been better spent adding what the community has been asking for for so long:
- dynamic terrain
- weather events
- infestations
- vehicle faults
- animals that get sick
- greenhouses
There’s genuinely a lot more to develop or pay attention to before we can move on to something so decontextualised. Personally, I believe this represents a highly questionable decision in terms of product coherence and identity! Where will we end up?
Wasn't it the right approach to leave this mod alongside all the many others, so inconsistent, already present in this title's "workshop", rather than releasing it in this way? What do you think, readers?
