I'd like to express my gratitude for the fantastic launch of ACRES into Early Access and for all the insightful comments and suggestions you've provided this week. I've been actively monitoring the forums and responding when possible. It's heartening to see the positive reception of ACRES, and I'm eager to continue its development.
Going into EA, my goal was to establish a solid core and stable gameplay loop for ACRES. Now that we are here, the journey to version 1.0 will focus on developing deeper mechanics, extending playtime, and providing tools to make managing large fields more feasible.
To kick off the Early Access progress, I'm introducing exciting updates in Week 1:
EcoBalance pH Pro
Harnessing advanced sensor technology, this tool automatically adjusts soil pH according to your preferences by seamlessly controlling mineral levels. While it's a pricier alternative to manually amending the soil, it significantly streamlines pH management at scale. You can find the EcoBalance pH Pro in the amendments tools category, with four selectable presets:
- Neutral : pH 7.0
- Slightly Acidic : pH 6.1
- Acidic : pH 5.8
- Slightly Basic pH 7.8
These presets are easily accessible in their dedicated menu, much like the amendments menu, and your previous selections are stored for convenience.
5 Row Cultivator
For those enthusiastic about weed removal, the 5-row cultivator has arrived! It joins the cultivator category alongside the 1 and 3-row cultivators. This also means there is a steam achievement awaiting!
Multiple Save Slots
ACRES now boasts five save slots, allowing you to save new games with different modes in separate files while preserving progress in previous operations. Each save slot has its own file and additional backups at 1, 5, 10, and 20-minute intervals, creating a total of 25 different save files. Continuing a game will load the previously selected slot, and choosing a new slot will designate the future saving location.
Beehive Updates
The beehive multiplier now accumulates when multiple beehives are present, with up to 8 beehives influencing each acre. Additionally, the range of beehives has expanded to a 16x16 acre area, quadrupling the original 8x8 range. The move tool will now display this range when relocating existing hives.
Additional Updates
- A low fuel warning notifies you when your fuel drops below 100 gallons.
- We've added a new overall quality setting in the video options to automatically adjust all properties.
- A global illumination quality setting is now available to tailor lighting quality to your computer's hardware.
- Chicken animations now sync with the game speed.
- The seed selection menu now displays how many of a particular crop are already harvested in storage.
- Additional guides for best practices on using chicken runs and beehives have been added
Bugfixes
- I've resolved the crash associated with right-clicking while placing a water gauge.
- Beehive saving has been fixed to prevent duplication of hives after loading a game.
Thank you for your valuable feedback and support. Together, we'll continue to grow ACRES into an even more immersive and enjoyable experience.