Is it Christmas already? Well, almost. Christmas isn't until next week, but we’re not going to wait that long.
In addition to a smaller Claas Vario 560, the large Claas Vario 1230 has also found its way into the game, along with a matching large cutterbar trailer. In addition, we have brought two larger Joskin Wagos (TR10 and TR12) into the game, so that you can transport more bales at once. With new silage pushing plades from Bressel und Lade, you can now also distribute silage in bunker silos.
We’re releasing a completely new set of tires for all vehicles. Apart from their new looks, they can now deform and react to load. At the same time, they have received completely new dirt textures. Furthermore, with this update we introduce maintenance and wear for machines. This means: you now have to take care of your machines and should no longer drive like crazy - otherwise it will be expensive.
So let’s go into detail.
Steam Cloud Support
This update introduces Steam Cloud support. For this purpose, there now is a "ProfilesCloud" folder in the "Cattle and Crops" home directory. If you enable cloud support in your profiles, they will be moved from "Profiles/" to "ProfilesCloud/" and automatically synced by Steam.
This means that after exiting CNC, the savegames and game settings are uploaded to the cloud and downloaded before starting the game. This also allows you to switch computers and continue playing with the cloud savegames.
Don't forget to enable Steam Cloud Support in the Steam client if it is turned off. In the game itself, Steam Cloud Support can be enabled and disabled individually for each profile.
Performance
This update includes the first part of a performance optimization package. Updating the machine nodes, a calculation step that happens every frame, is done on multiple CPU cores now. If many machines (incl. traffic vehicles) are active, this noticeably improves the performance.
Replaced the rendering back end
As part of the programming for console support, the entire renderer back end with its implementations for OpenGL, PS4 and Xbox One has been updated. This also includes some minor optimizations for OpenGL.
Updates of the graphics card driver but also our shaders can cause delayed recompilation, which can cause potential lags when starting the map. We will address this issue in the future by shipping a shader cache with precompiled shaders. This will be part of a DX11 or Vulkan update.
Controls
Improvements have been made to the control of UserActions. All analog operation forms have been adjusted in their speed to each other. This means that mouse/controller/keyboard operations now all result in the same speed. In addition, the operation of UserActions by mouse in the radial menu now sends Change instead of RelativeChange events, which means, for example, that it is no longer possible to fold and unfold the Tucano unloading chute in an instant.
Wear and maintenance
With this update we introduce machine wear and their maintenance.
The condition value ("condition") decreases over the lifetime; the lower the carevalue ("care"), the faster the condition decreases. The care value deteriorates per operating hour and also in relation to the distance driven. When machines are parked under a roof, the condition value reduces more slowly. The operating hours are counted in real time, not ingame time.
The "condition" worsens, among other things, if you do not drive properly and constantly bump into things like trees, road signs or other objects. A low condition value reduces the engine power.
The two states can be fixed in the farm workshop (right half of the residential building) — a.k.a. "Maintenance" and "Repair". Here, costs and time are calculated based on the condition values. While maintenance/repair is being done, the game is fast-forwarded by the corresponding time required. This also means that any urgent matters should be completed or taken care of beforehand. We’re planning on making this feature AI ready in a future update, so employee and machines are unavailable but the game won’t be fast-forwarded during the repair period.
Tires
The vehicles and tools have received a completely new set of tires with this update. Not only the appearance, but also the behavior is more realistic than before. Tires are now dented depending on the load, have a sideways bulge and can be coated with mud.
The amount of deformation varies depending on the vehicle and the tire: a big Hawe SLW tire takes on significantly more suspension than a thin Dammann Land Cruiser crop protection tire, for example. In most cases, the suspension travel is now split about 50/50 between the tires and the actual suspension. In the case of tractor tires mounted on rigid axles, on the other hand, the entire suspension travel goes to the tire.
The second part - the dirt - has been redesigned for the tires (and only the tires for now): there are now three layers - dust, dirt and mud. If the surface is not too wet, the dust builds up first, and then the dirt. On the other hand, if it is wet, there is no dust, and the dirt increases directly. Depending on the surface (plowed vs. cultivated vs. grass vs. road vs. dirt road vs. tarred road, etc.), dirt and dust build up and go down at different rates. If you drive through water, all three layers go down quickly. Mud gets to be seen when tires spin in the field (e.g., when stuck); normal driving reduces the mud again. In addition, the dust and dirt colors also differ depending on the surface - you can see this especially on the road and on grass with the dust.
Along with the tires there are now finally) tire labels and logos, initially for the tractors. Other vehicles, including attachments, trailers, etc., will be supplied with them later.
Pushing silage
With the new silage push blades from Bressel und Lade (W15, W22 5m and 6m), silage can now - surprise - be ... pushed ... in the bunker silos. If your silage heaps become once too tall you can use the blades to smooth and spread them. The blades can be lifted, lowered and rotated (radial menu or quick slots 3 and 4).
New vehicles
Two additional Claas Vario cutterbars, including a trailer, have finally found their way into the game. With 5.60 m and 12.30 m respectively, these offer good alternatives for the early and late game. In the course of this, there have also been small improvements to the Vario 930 (animated hydraulic hoses).
At the same time, there are two new bale transport trailers from Joskin, the Wago TR10 and TR12. These can transport 32 and 40 bales respectively.
We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. The Cattle and Crops team will go on winter vacation and will be back for you starting January 11, 2021. The support will remain available during this time.
Changelog 1.1.0.8
- Steam Cloud Support
- New tires for all vehicles
- Maintenance and condition
- Silo pushing
- Claas Vario 560 grain cutterbar
- Claas Vario 1230 grain cutterbar
- Claas 521 cutterbar trailer (large)
- Joskin Wago TR10 & TR12
- Bressel und Lade Silage pushing blade W22 5m & 6m
- Bressel und Lade Pushing blade W15
- Call / Send Away Chaser UserActions in the Claas Tucano, Send Away in the Claas Jaguar. These can actively call registered drivers and send them to unload
- AttachToNode Method: Target connector can also be located on used node
- Multithreading optimization for many active machines
- Hungarian language support
- Machine combinations no longer fly through the air after the start of a task
- Wash window disappears again when a task is executed
- Bales no longer fall off the Joskin Wago trailer after loading
- Lacotec headland calculation corrected
- AI controlled combine drives off the field again on field 22/37 and does not get stuck later on
- Harvesting task: Harvester recognizes swath in front of the cutterbar as a plant and thus no longer pauses the helper
- Path calculation at field 38 is no longer far outside the field
- Scenario 3 "Let it grow": Shovel no longer hangs in the air after fast-forwarding
- Bunker silos are no longer able to get stuck in the covered state
- Helpers are no longer limited in their working speed and can therefore catch up better - Helpers no longer remain at the edge of the field in the "WaitForHarvester" status
- Tractors no longer rest on the rims on wet fields and thus get stuck
- Scenario 5: fixed missing translation in mission 3 step 7
- Spelling error in scenarios fixed
- Scenario 2: The bale attachment option is now correctly activated automatically
- When harvesting swath, nutrients are now correctly set in the FillType
- Deutz 7250: Turn signals and hazard lights always work now
- Claas Liner 500 now uses real WheelJoints and no longer slides back and forth so easily on the field
- Image Bloom reduced during store image creation
- Lacotec now also works with regular field tracks after headland
- Deutz 7250: Tail Light intensity adjusted
- Joskin Wago: "Auto collect" function was incorrectly displayed active in radial menu
- Bressel und Lade silage roller support foot moves correctly again
- Console performance drastically optimized
- Icons added to task overview (status, employee, quantity, fill type)
- Wrong waypoint for tractors driven by player when harvesting with Claas Axion and Lacotec fixed
- Implements are only turned off when turning off the motor if they were already turned on (fixes Rauch Axis particle animation on motor off)
- Rauch Axis: spread rate sometimes above 400 kg/ha fixed
- Hammer CornKing: Particles during cultivating fixed
- Hammer CornKing: Spread rate can be changed again via radial menu
- Copied task no longer uses wrong devices
- "Start from the beginning" in task fixed
- If the fermentation is not yet complete, it will take at least 1 more day for the next simulation step
- Optimizations in mowing tasks (track directions)
- Relative Change Input value range adjusted: All input options have been adjusted in their speed to each other. Analog Actions via mouse/controller/keyboard are now equally fast. Analog operation of actions in the radial menu with the mouse now sends Change instead of RelativeChange events.
- New gameplay option "Neutral gear when gear is disengaged": it will automatically switch to neutral when gear is disengaged. Specifically useful for shifters without dedicated neutral gear.
- Vehicle centers of gravity now vary depending on the physics level. On Arcade the center of gravity is as before, on Medium it is further up, and on Realistic it is where it actually would be according to the physics calculation.
- Vehicles in tasks turn on all-wheel drive on the field, off again on the road
- Leaf springs are synchronized directly with the tire suspension using skinned meshes with bones instead of vertex color offset, which adds performance, requires fewer materials and scripts, and is generally easier to implement
- Swath is again recognized as fruit by AI helpers
- Maintenance window: when using imperial units, a time (... am/pm) is displayed instead of the duration
- On Wago TR10 and TR12 bales may slide a little more than on the D15
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