Hello everyone,
I hope you're all having a wonderful holiday season! I want to take a moment to thank you for playing Acres, all the great feedback and to reflect on what has been an incredible year of updates and growth.
2024 Yearly Recap
This year brought a host of exciting updates:
- Update 12: Performance improvements and the Soil Data HUD
- Update 13: Compost & Manure mechanics
- Update 14: Taxes, custom keybindings, and gamepad support
- Update 15: Nutrient & Multiplier data overlays
- Update 16: Hardcore mode, row highlights, and DLSS support
- Update 17: The Berry Update
- Update 18: Landscaping tools and cosmetic upgrades
Update 19 Progress
I’m thrilled to share that Update 19 is on track for release in January! This update is all about expansion and optimization with the introduction of Fields.
Fields are 60x60 clusters of acres designed to streamline gameplay. They allow you to assign and queue actions on a larger scale while enabling quicker render times. Rendering is now fully decoupled from the game cycle and managed at the field level, resulting in smoother performance and the ability to support much larger farms.
As a result, with some benchmark testing, I was able to get 100k crops operating on over 90k Acres!
Performing ~120+ FPS at 3440 x 1440 on epic settings. To compare I have loaded the same save file into U18 which ran between 30-60FPS at that kind of scale.
Ready for Update 19
The following features have been completed and will be included:
- Distance icons: Visualize acre progress more clearly when zoomed out
- Customizable transition ranges: Adjust these settings in-game to suit your preferences
- Tractor action queue: When all tractors are used, additional actions are save to a queue and retriggered as tractors become available.
- Weekly profit/expense reports : Visualize income and costs tracking by type
- Slow-pan camera movement to specific locations
- Hotkey to cycle between field locations
- World notifications at action cells: Messages can appear at each Acres rather than on the hud
- Increased camera range: Allowing creation of larger farms
Additionally Planned for Update 19
These features are currently in progress:
- Assigning actions to entire fields
- Increased seed bin capacity
- Upgradeable fuel tanks for tractors
- Optional tractor stop location assignments
Road to 1.0
Update 19 isn’t just another content drop—it’s a transformative step forward for Acres. The systems introduced in this update form the foundation that will support the major features planned for the game's full release. With the performance enhancements and scalability provided by the new Fields system, larger farms can now operate seamlessly, enabling me to shift focus toward building out exciting new gameplay mechanics.
Here’s what lies ahead on the road to version 1.0:
-
The Workers Update:
This update will introduce NPC workers, bringing a new layer of strategy and efficiency to your farm. Assign tasks to your workforce and optimize operations to maximize productivity across your fields. -
The Automation Update:
Say goodbye to micromanagement with streamlined farming processes. Automation systems will allow players to set up workflows that handle routine tasks, giving you more time to focus on growth and planning. -
The Animal Update:
Expand your farm into the world of livestock management. From breeding and feeding to optimizing yields, this update will enrich gameplay with new challenges and opportunities tied to animal husbandry.
These updates build directly on the scalable systems introduced in Update 19, ensuring that Acres is ready to grow in both scope and depth. Each planned addition is designed to bring new life to your farm while maintaining the smooth performance and large-scale farming capabilities that Update 19 makes possible.
The journey to 1.0 is an exciting one, and I can’t wait to share it with you!
Post 1.0 Vision
Acres is a personal project, and while there are no guaranteed updates planned beyond its release, I have some exciting ideas I’d love to explore in the future. Potential additions include:
- Irrigation Systems: Streamlined water management for your fields
- Seasonal Mechanics: Dynamic weather and crop cycles
- Pest Management: Challenges to test your farming skills
- More Crops & Fruit Trees: Expanding your farm with additional perennial crops
Thank you for being a part of this amazing journey. I can’t wait to share more updates and continue growing Acres together!
Happy Holidays,
Jimi @ Jimi Games