Weed Control & New Crops control system in Farming Simulator 19
Welcome back to the devblogs for Farming Simulator 19. Today we’ll be discussing new crops unique to Farming Simulator 19, as well as the new weed control system, and any new vehicles that are involved in those processes.
Two new crops come to the fields of Farming Simulator 19. The first is oats. While oats are not dissimilar to other cereals in how they are grown, using normal processes and combine harvesters, they have one unique property – they are used to feed your new, rideable horses. Those of you keen on rearing animals as part of your farm will need to set space aside for oat harvests.
Cotton is the second new crop, and has its own special harvester – the Case IH Module Express 635. Once collected, the 635 creates a large bale of cotton that can be transported on special trailers. The Lizard-brand trailers come in two sizes, allowing for transport of one or two bales at once. This makes cotton a significant investment in resources, but with the rewards to match.
Along with these new crops is an overhaul of the crop icons used in-game. While a minor change, these icons are used to display every vehicle’s expertise and uses. You will want to become familiar with them.
Finally there’s the far less useful kind of plant – the weeds. In our new weed control system, weeds will begin to grow whenever you sow any crop. You can see them in your fields, and they come in two stages, young and old. Young weeds in the first two growth stages are easier to remove, requiring only a weeder, so you should check your fields regularly and act accordingly.
Once weeds begin to age, they become more problematic. Once embedded you will require a sprayer with herbicide to remove them, more costly equipment since herbicides need to be refilled after use. Once bought, this sprayer can also be used on young weeds and to fertilize fields, however.
If you don’t tackle your weed problem before your crops are ready for harvest, the field’s final yield will be reduced by 20% – laziness is expensive! We expect that weeds will provide an extra wrinkle especially for players tackling the game in the new Start From Scratch mode.
That’s all on new crop types and the weed control system for today. Please join us next time when we’ll detail character customisation.