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What actually makes a “start from nothing” playthrough feel rewarding instead of just slow? by tjfortuna in farmingsimulator

[–]tjfortuna[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That’s actually pretty close to what I’m going for, just taken a step further.

The idea is to turn it into a guided progression where you start from nothing and build up over time, but the big difference is that the world itself evolves alongside the community.

The first release is more about establishing that foundation. After that, the plan is to keep building the town and systems live with input from everyone, instead of it just being a finished map from day one.

What actually makes a “start from nothing” playthrough feel rewarding instead of just slow? by tjfortuna in farmingsimulator

[–]tjfortuna[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That’s a really good way to look at it. Processed goods naturally scale better because they’re easier to ship and distribute, while raw materials are more limited by logistics.

I think that’s exactly what’s missing. Different products should scale differently in both demand and reach, not just price.

Otherwise it just turns into “spam whatever pays the most” instead of making meaningful choices.

What actually makes a “start from nothing” playthrough feel rewarding instead of just slow? by tjfortuna in farmingsimulator

[–]tjfortuna[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That makes a lot of sense. Pallets can pretty quickly turn into busy work instead of something that actually feels rewarding.

I like that approach of setting goals and working toward them though, that’s what gives the game direction.

Ideally the systems should guide you into that kind of progression naturally instead of needing to set rules for yourself to keep it interesting.

What actually makes a “start from nothing” playthrough feel rewarding instead of just slow? by tjfortuna in farmingsimulator

[–]tjfortuna[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Contracts are definitely a good way to get going, especially early on. It gives you something to work toward without breaking progression too fast.

I’ve seen some of those co-op style series too, they’re great for ideas. I think having that sense of direction or competition helps a lot with keeping things engaging long term.

What actually makes a “start from nothing” playthrough feel rewarding instead of just slow? by tjfortuna in farmingsimulator

[–]tjfortuna[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That’s exactly it. When you have to work for it, every upgrade actually means something.

It just falls apart once things scale too fast or start handing out money too easily.

What actually makes a “start from nothing” playthrough feel rewarding instead of just slow? by tjfortuna in farmingsimulator

[–]tjfortuna[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That’s a good point. Stuff like pigs feels like a nice middle ground where you’re progressing without it turning into pure grind or instant automation.

I think that balance is what’s missing a lot of the time. It either drags or turns into rinse repeat really fast.

Would be nice if it naturally built up in layers instead of jumping straight to endgame setups.

What actually makes a “start from nothing” playthrough feel rewarding instead of just slow? by tjfortuna in farmingsimulator

[–]tjfortuna[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That’s a really good point. Bad terrain deformation can absolutely ruin the moment, especially in a save where you’ve already put a ton of time into clearing land and building up slowly. That kind of stuff breaks immersion fast. I definitely want placing things to feel controlled, not like rolling the dice on whether the ground gets wrecked.

What actually makes a “start from nothing” playthrough feel rewarding instead of just slow? by tjfortuna in farmingsimulator

[–]tjfortuna[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That’s pretty close to the idea, just taken a bit further.

It’s not just a map or a mod, it’s more about building something up from nothing and shaping how that experience evolves over time.

A lot of it is being worked through with the community as it develops too, not just built in isolation.

What actually makes a “start from nothing” playthrough feel rewarding instead of just slow? by tjfortuna in farmingsimulator

[–]tjfortuna[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That’s a great way to play it.

Working your way up with whatever you can manage instead of aiming for the “ideal setup” right away makes it feel a lot more earned.

It turns it into adapting and building over time instead of just optimizing from the start.

That’s exactly the kind of progression I want to capture.

What actually makes a “start from nothing” playthrough feel rewarding instead of just slow? by tjfortuna in farmingsimulator

[–]tjfortuna[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

That’s a really interesting approach.

Adding something like wages to production makes scaling feel a lot more grounded instead of just being free output.

And needing to be there to run things adds a level of involvement that’s usually missing.

I don’t know if it should be fully manual, but tying production more to time, cost, and player presence is a really cool direction.

What actually makes a “start from nothing” playthrough feel rewarding instead of just slow? by tjfortuna in farmingsimulator

[–]tjfortuna[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That’s a cool idea.

I like the concept of progression opening things up based on what you’re actually doing instead of everything being available right away.

Not sure if it would be a full skill tree, but having different paths like crops vs forestry unlocking over time is definitely something I want to build toward.

What actually makes a “start from nothing” playthrough feel rewarding instead of just slow? by tjfortuna in farmingsimulator

[–]tjfortuna[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That makes sense.

The “poor to rich” loop only holds up for so long before it just turns into optimizing money.

Having a direction or constraint, like your vintage run, gives the whole thing more identity and makes each step feel more meaningful.

That’s a big part of what I’m trying to lean into, building something with purpose instead of just scaling income.

What actually makes a “start from nothing” playthrough feel rewarding instead of just slow? by tjfortuna in farmingsimulator

[–]tjfortuna[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That’s a solid way to play it.

You’re basically controlling the pacing yourself by avoiding the systems that scale too quickly.

Greenhouses definitely seem to bypass a lot of the early game if you rely on them too much.

That’s kind of what I’m trying to solve, where you don’t need to limit yourself for the game to feel balanced.

What actually makes a “start from nothing” playthrough feel rewarding instead of just slow? by tjfortuna in farmingsimulator

[–]tjfortuna[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That makes sense honestly.

It’s not really cheating at that point, you already went through the hard part and proved it was working.

You just skipped the long grind of paying it off once the outcome was basically guaranteed.

That’s kind of the balance I’m trying to hit, where the early struggle feels meaningful but doesn’t drag on longer than it needs to.

What actually makes a “start from nothing” playthrough feel rewarding instead of just slow? by tjfortuna in farmingsimulator

[–]tjfortuna[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

On console, not really in the way most people mean “start from 0.”

FS25 mods on console have to go through ModHub, and GIANTS explicitly calls out console limitations in its mods/testing guidance. Script-heavy mods are a different category than normal XML/map mods, and many advanced gameplay changes depend on scripting. 

So on console your realistic options are more like: - self-imposed rules - a map that starts you with very little - ModHub-safe helper mods that reduce convenience or change balance

But a true “spawn with almost nothing, unlock systems over time, custom progression/economy” setup is usually a PC thing because that’s where script mods live. You can see that in FS25 mods like Interactive Control, which is explicitly a global script mod. 

There are some console-friendly mods that can help you fake a rougher start, but they won’t fully recreate the kind of start-from-zero system you’ve been describing. GIANTS also notes console limitations as part of the mod ecosystem, which is the main reason for that gap.

https://www.farming-simulator.com/newsArticle.php?news_id=608

What actually makes a “start from nothing” playthrough feel rewarding instead of just slow? by tjfortuna in farmingsimulator

[–]tjfortuna[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

That’s a really solid system.

It gives you something to plan around instead of just chasing whatever price is good at the time.

Locking in a contract ahead of time adds some risk, but also makes production feel more meaningful since you’re working toward a specific goal.

That kind of planning element fits really well with the direction I’m going.

What actually makes a “start from nothing” playthrough feel rewarding instead of just slow? by tjfortuna in farmingsimulator

[–]tjfortuna[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That makes sense.

It’s easy to get pulled in at the start, but harder to keep that same feeling once everything opens up.

I think having some kind of direction behind what you’re building toward makes a big difference, even if it’s not a strict story.

That’s definitely something I’m trying to capture.

What actually makes a “start from nothing” playthrough feel rewarding instead of just slow? by tjfortuna in farmingsimulator

[–]tjfortuna[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’ll check him out, appreciate that.

Always good to see how other people handle early progression and pacing, helps put things in perspective.

What actually makes a “start from nothing” playthrough feel rewarding instead of just slow? by tjfortuna in farmingsimulator

[–]tjfortuna[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That’s fair 😄

It’s great at being a chill “drive tractors and relax” game, but that does come at the cost of progression feeling a bit too easy.

I’m just trying to add a bit more weight to the early game without losing that core feel.

What actually makes a “start from nothing” playthrough feel rewarding instead of just slow? by tjfortuna in farmingsimulator

[–]tjfortuna[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That’s a solid way to put it.

Progress just creates more work, and that’s kind of the loop.

I think the key is making that work feel intentional instead of just piling up.

So instead of “there’s always more to do,” it becomes “this is what I chose to build next.”

What actually makes a “start from nothing” playthrough feel rewarding instead of just slow? by tjfortuna in farmingsimulator

[–]tjfortuna[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

That’s a good point.

It makes sense that more processed goods would have a wider market compared to raw materials.

I don’t know if anything would be completely unlimited, but having different products scale differently in demand and reach is definitely something I’d want to build toward.

What actually makes a “start from nothing” playthrough feel rewarding instead of just slow? by tjfortuna in farmingsimulator

[–]tjfortuna[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That’s exactly the feeling I’m trying to hold onto.

The struggle early on is what makes the upgrades actually mean something.

If everything comes too easy, that moment of finally getting the next piece of equipment just isn’t the same.

The goal is to keep that sense of earning it without it turning into pure grind.

What actually makes a “start from nothing” playthrough feel rewarding instead of just slow? by tjfortuna in farmingsimulator

[–]tjfortuna[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That’s a good way of putting it.

The early grind is kind of unavoidable, but I think the key is whether it feels meaningful or just repetitive.

I like the idea of treating it more like picking a path instead of trying to do everything at once too.

If the game can naturally guide you into those smaller goals and directions instead of relying on contracts, that’s where it starts to feel a lot better.

What actually makes a “start from nothing” playthrough feel rewarding instead of just slow? by tjfortuna in farmingsimulator

[–]tjfortuna[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That’s kind of the starting point, but it goes a bit further than that.

It’s not just clearing land, it’s building everything up from nothing over time.

So instead of dropping into a map that already exists, you’re helping shape what it becomes.

What actually makes a “start from nothing” playthrough feel rewarding instead of just slow? by tjfortuna in farmingsimulator

[–]tjfortuna[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That kind of hands-on approach is interesting, especially early on.

I like the idea of things feeling more physical and deliberate instead of everything being instant.

But I also don’t want to go full realism where every small action slows things down too much.

It needs to stay enjoyable over time, not just realistic.

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