Farming Simulator 19 Platinum Review – Old New McDonald hat 'ne Farm

November 22, 2019. It's been almost a year since the world premiere of Farming Simulator 19, which is an unmatched simulator of crop cultivation and animal breeding. To celebrate this occasion, game designers have decided to release the Platinum version of the game. What can we say about the game and the latest DLC?

Better dampen the enthusiasm if you're a loyal fan of the franchise cause the aforementioned Platinum Expansion is nothing more than just another DLC expansion set which introduces a slightly extended features and a large package of CLAAS vehicles and machines. On the day of the Farming's sim release anniversary (almost) it would be great to check and summarize the game from a new point of view, what was implemented in the new add-on and what are the forecasts for the franchise's future.

About Farming through the eyes of a virtual farmer

Farming Simulator 19 is a game that can be played for many hours or just as a casual title. In both cases, the game can provide a large portion of fun, as long as you like this theme and setting and the slow pace of the game. If you don't intend to cheat and don't have much experience with farm work (some basic theory should be enough), it will take you a long time to earn a budget to wisely expand your farm. Many initial purchases may not turn out to be a good idea if you don't know the full specificity of the machines/vehicles, and waiting for the proper moment to sell a full silo of potatoes at a decent price may be troublesome to many gamers.

Farming Simulator 19 has really nice graphics.

Due to the implementation of a new physics engine, Farming Simulator 19 provides a better representation of power and speed ratios of all vehicles. Furthermore, you can feel some bumps and terrain irregularities when you drive a machine on your field. Shape of terrain and its topology also have a significant meaning here. If you are tempted with a low price spacious land it means that it may be located on a slope and the consequences of cultivating such a zone are very unpleasant. Many tractors simply can't work properly on a terrain with a large tilt angle. There are also some disadvantages, which are rather a satire of realism: frequent vehicle rollovers or two-wheel driving is an everyday phenomenon. You really need to get used to it... The level of physics is acceptable, but it could be a little more "realistic & precise".

The graphics looks fantastic and it pleases the eye: brilliant 3D models of machines, great weather effects and beautiful vegetation. In addition, rich and refined animations allow you to stop for a moment and watch the independent work of the machine or its preparation for operation. In this matter it is rather difficult to have any objections.

Physics!

This aforementioned physics engine and fine-tuning of small details can also be seen in minor aspects of the game, for example, the width of tires you use may have better traction at the expense of speed and/or field destruction (if no narrow wheels are used). These little bites require players to become more familiar with the game and notice the nuances compared to previous series. Sometimes it's worth to read more and other time you can even conduct some experiments. This makes the game much more interesting, and the satisfaction of solving a troublesome problem motivates to continue the game or try to start the game from the beginning, with a completely new strategy.

Who's gonna save you now? Physics in Farming sometimes leaves a lot to be desired...

Without a doubt, I can recommend Farming Simulator 19 to most players who like to relax in an idyllic atmosphere instead of practicing reflexes in FPS games. It's also a pretty cool idea for a gift: many people would love to try out some heavy farming equipment. For me, it's a casual title I like to play from time to time, especially if you have someone to run the farm with and you can share the tasks to increase the pace of overall work as a team. Personally, I think that the default maps introduced in the game do not deserve a high rating – we get only two areas, but Ravenport is not very diverse and it's too stretched for me: to drive through this map (from point A to furthest point B) with a tractor it takes at least 5 minutes. Then, you have to return with the exact same way.

Night harvest - the hour does not limit you.

However, an interesting solution are numerous possibilities of combining different machines with each other, using different elements than those dedicated to your machines (for example, the use of large other-brand harvesters in a smaller vehicle). This allows you to complete more tasks in a single drive of the vehicle and to visit the store more often to determine what works well when combined together.

Interesting fact: Logitech Heavy Equipment Bundle

Farming Simulator 2019 is a game that you can play on any controller. Casual player will most likely be satisfied with a gaming pad, while major fans of the series may reach for the steering wheels. However, Logitech has prepared the Heavy Equipment Bundle for the most devoted supporters of farm simulators. It is a special steering wheel with pedals and side panel kit that is 100% compatible with the FS2019 and it also supports numerous heavy equipment simulator titles such as Train Simulator and Euro Truck Simulator. The price of the new equipment is quite high: the bundle will cost from $449.95 up to $659.90 depending on the selected store.

How does FS19 compare to the competition?

We cannot say that FS19 is a perfect game. It is neither an ideal simulator in terms of physics (which is perfectly illustrated by the frequent rollovers and glitches widely present in the latest version), nor in terms of the processes that occur during plant growth. Perhaps this is a deliberate move: if we exaggerate with the simulation, the game will be dedicated only to the most professional farmers. In other words, it could result with a significant increase in game's difficulty level. We can also hypothesize that game developer's idea was like: "let's not introduce too much functionality and features in this installment, cause we are going to have some novelties for later parts of the series". At the moment, however, it's hard to find a worthy rival for the Farming Simulator 2019.

Personally, I think that combining several machines of different brands in "multi-tool" is one of the most interesting functionalities.

For some gamers, other titles may have advantages in result of additional features such as horticulture, greenhouse farming and exotic crops farming like cannabis in Pure Farming 2018. This game, despite its flaws and drawbacks, is a budget competitor with a certain lack of balance. I personally believe that major part of the mentioned game is just a water transportation simulator. Another interesting title is the Farm Expert developed by the Polish PlayWay studio. Despite a few interesting ideas, this video game was a total failure. Even when we speak about its basic mechanics, they turn out to be dreadful – devastating optimization, poor graphics, lots of glitches and bugs. After some trailers, the game was already famous for its very complex terrain physics. However, it caused such issues that the game was considered as an off-road simulator.

We recommend Seasons 19 mod, which adds winter and imposes strategic actions in cultivation and breeding.

Interesting fact: E-Sport competition & farming league

The most popular competition consists in harvesting hay, converting it into bales and loading it onto a semi-trailer in the shortest time possible.

Only few people know that with the ongoing growth of the e-sports trend, Farming Simulator 19 is also on the list of titles where teams of players can face various challenges and compete with each other to win huge rewards. All of that happens under pressure of commentators, sportscasters and numerous spectators.

Platinum Expansion

Platinum Expansion offers additional vehicles that can be used in the Farming Simulator 19. These are CLAAS machines. A total of 35 new machines are available to players. The price of the expansion set on the day of its release is quite similar to the price of original game – so, it may be discouraging to buy it. Still, if you value aesthetics and good 3D modeling, it's probably the best pack of vehicles dedicated to this video game.

New machines in Platinum Edition.

The vehicles complement both the middle class (tractors with quite standard parameters) and the equipment from the highest shelf (the most powerful harvester in the game so far). There are also several loaders, new mowers and new trailers. In fact, when you're browsing the content, there's not much of it, and they're not the machines that would completely change the course of gameplay.

The CLAAS Xerion 5000 tractor with rotating cab looks very nice.

In addition, 3 additional machines were prepared uniquely for those who ordered the expansion set before the official release:

1. older model of CLAAS Dominator 108 SL MAXI combine harvester with old-school interior,
2. CLAAS Torion 1914 Dev Mule wheel loader – this is a default loader available in the DLC, but it has a unique skin.

Some of the machines, like the new Lexion 8900, have the largest size and power available to date.

As mentioned earlier, the main feature of this DLC are the well-made farming vehicle 3D models, with attention paid to numerous details from the outside ( three-dimensional tracks instead of flat sprite), indicators and screens in interiors, great animations and unique sounds of each vehicle. Nevertheless, the lack of other new features will not necessarily encourage players to purchase this add-on for a retail price of €34.99. In my opinion, it's not worth buying this content now, but rather focus on the optional mods offered by gamers.

Why Platinum? Where is FS 2020? What's next?

As usual, when there is no strong competition threatening a title, developers tend to release their product on mobile devices. As in the past, starting from Farming Simulator 11, every two years the "desktop" edition is skipped in exchange for mobile versions designed for Android / iOS platforms. Also, there are additional Nintendo Switch editions available. The next part of Farming Simulator called Farming Simulator 2020 is expected to get a release on these platforms on December 3, 2019.

Can we expect another DLC add-on to FS19? I don't think so. Gold/Platinum versions were the last DLCs available for a given installment of the series (as in the case of Farming Simulator 15 and Farming Simulator 17).