Recent reviews by AdvancedFollower

So you take Dear Esther and The Stanley Parable and combine them. Add rambling dialog that doesn't add anything and sprinkle it with lengthy cut scenes. To complete the "experience", add a few multiple-choice questions and simple minigames.

During the first playthrough, I failed. I don't know whether it was due to failing a minigame or whether I was set on the path to failure long before that. The game is too opaque to be able to tell, and since there's no save slot system, the only way to find out would be to restart and sit through another 1.5 hours of cutscenes (maybe with slightly different dialog this time, because 1 gazillion paths and all that), to try the minigame again (provided I even get that minigame this time). That's not my idea of fun. Only way to play this would be to constantly back up your save folder to roll your own save slot system.

The premise of the game is also very US-centric and hard to relate to if you live in an actual democracy. The US is of course not the only dysfunctional democracy in the world, but the game makes it painfully obvious that Petria is a metaphor for the USA.

It's essentially a downloadable existential crisis.

Lots of bugs and glitches (initially, TSW2 would crash on all 1st gen Ryzen CPUs), but they're slowly, slowly improving the sim to the point that I can now recommend it, at least during a sale. I still wish they'd focus more on fixing the core sim instead of drowning everyone in DLC.

Looks like they abandoned this to focus on the consoles.

Only leaving a positive review because of the low price. The equipment provided is quite redundant. The Borne tractor is basically the same as the starter tractor, and the "Gecko Strong 09" is very similar to the other Lindners (now "Gecko", I guess they lost the Lindner license).
The tippers are OK I suppose but there were already several large and small trailers in the game, so no real need for more.

The only piece of equipment that really adds anything is the seeder. It's slightly wider than what was in the game before, so that's nice if you do a lot of manual sowing. Would have been more interesting if they gave us an even wider, foldable seeder and/or a direct drill, though.

Sadly I cannot recommend the game in its current state. I like the concept, but there just aren't enough challenges or things to do yet. It feels like the game is about 10% done. None of the survival mechanics are implemented. The only way to lose the game is if you run out of fuel or the game simply crashes. After about 20 minutes, you have pretty much seen all there is to the game. You could just watch a Youtube video for free.

I'll be happy to change the review if the game gets closer to the vision they present, like:
-Proper survival mechanics like hunger, thirst, fatigue etc.
-Wear and tear on the car so you have to keep repairing items or find new ones (as it is now, once you find an undamaged engine cooler, you're basically invincible)
-Some kind of enemy like other cars that chase you and try to run you off the road, animals that attack, zombies or similar (there's a gun, I hope they have plans for it)
-More varied landscape. Even if it's just desert, they could add splitting/alternative roads, canyons, rivers, bridges, oases, abandoned towns etc.,
-More interesting random discoveries rather than the few prefab buildings that spawn in the current game - also traps, puzzles etc.

Played the tutorial, then started my first service. After a few minutes, got stuck at a red light indefinitely in spite of no traffic on the 2D map.
Happens with DB86019 Aschaffenburg-Gemünden departure 09:57, probably others too, as DTG don't seem to believe in beta testing their products.
https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1694240143

Looks good and plays just fine. Maybe a few minor bugs but DTG always tend to release slightly unfinished routes and put out a patch or two in the following weeks.

My biggest complaint with this route and indeed all the DLC routes for TSW is that it's just too short. Double the length of tracks (120+ km) should be the bare minimum for any route, either as a linear extension or as sidlings and other routes within the same network. I can't honestly recommend anyone to buy this at the full price, but if there's a sale going on, it's worth it. You get a couple of hours of fun.

The game is simply not playable, due to the broken trailer physics and other bugs. The devs posted once in the forum promising a patch, but then went silent.

Let’s get this out of the way first. If you want an actual farming *simulator*, with tons of different brands of machines and implements, ultra realistic soil mechanics, dynamic economy etc. this isn’t it. At first glance, it might look very similar to other farming simulators, and the core mechanics (plow, cultivate, fertilize, sow, harvest) are of course there. However, if you approach it as purely a farming simulator, you will get disappointed and bored due to the shallowness of this aspect of the game.

Instead, the game attempts to immerse you in the experience of being farmer in a small village, by introducing quests, NPC’s, RPG-like elements and the ability to repair and upgrade your farm buildings. Think of it as Farming Simulator meets Stardew Valley, with a bit of House Flipper thrown in. Compared to those games, it lacks depth in each respective area, but the game sort of becomes more than the sum of its parts. It’s not just about earning more money so you can buy bigger machines, so you can earn more money faster, and so on. You can set other goals for yourself, like getting a wife, acquiring a higher social status, or rebuilding all your farm buildings with the best building materials.

The graphics are actually quite nice, and the map is nicely detailed. The game even has a soil deformation system, so the plow and even tires will leave visible marks in the terrain. You do need to use your imagination to fill in some of the gaps however. There are currently only a few different types of quests (plow, cultivate, repair a building or deliver a package). The dialogue is quite cringe-worthy and very shallow. While you can repair your farm buildings or improve them with new building materials and furniture, you can’t actually construct new buildings, or for example expand the storage capacity of your silo. There are also very few machines and implements available. There are basically two “sets” of machines, Old (that you get for free after completing certain quests) and Modern (that you can buy in the store). There’s a total of 3 different tractors in the game, a 1930’s museum piece, a small Lindner tractor and a slightly bigger Lindner tractor. For a game that’s all about building up your farm from scratch, some mid-range equipment like second-hand 1970’s – 90s tractors would have been very fitting.
Edit: As of the full release of the game, there are a few more pieces of equipment and tractors, however it's still very limited. There are still no tractors in-between the modern equipment and the ancient starter tractor, and there are still only two harvesters.

Some of the farming mechanics don’t quite make sense. The game doesn’t differentiate between hay and straw (you can feed your cows either), and there’s no bale wrapper or silage pit. There’s also no windrower or tedder. Finally, the balancing of the game doesn’t feel quite right. When you’re starting out, the cost of the modern machines seems absurdly high. Fields on the other hand are basically for free, as a single harvest is more than enough to break even. This results in the first in-game year being a real grind, while during year 2 and 3 you will be swimming in money. More cheaper mid-range machinery, combined with more expensive fields would balance out the progression.

If you can overlook the flaws and immerse yourself in the game in spite of them, you’ll probably love this game. It’s a fairly unique blend of different ideas that make a lot of sense when you think about it. Farming isn’t just about driving endlessly up and down a field, it’s also about repairing buildings, talking with your neighbors, raising a family etc.