Greetings, valued ACRES community! I'm thrilled to bring you the latest game-changing updates that promise to take your farming experience to new heights. As a solo developer, your feedback and enthusiasm have fueled my commitment to enhancing every aspect of ACRES. Reputation Points, Crop Genetics Research, and a host of other exciting changes are the fruits of your invaluable input. These innovations are aimed at providing you with even more control, customization, and enjoyment as you cultivate your virtual farm. I can't wait to see how these updates transform your ACRES journey.
Reputation Points
Introducing Reputation Points, a new currency in ACRES. Earn these valuable points by successfully completing orders. Regardless of the order's size, each completed task rewards you with one reputation point, adding a strategic dimension to tackling smaller orders, even when they offer lesser profits. Reputation Points serve as the gateway to unlocking an array of upgrades, research opportunities, and farm improvements.
Upgrading the Primary Tractor
Your trusty, first tractor, nestled in the home barn, can now undergo significant upgrades through the license tab, using Reputation Points.
Changes to Max Orders
Say goodbye to automatic increases in max orders upon completing orders. Instead, you can unlock more orders in the license tab by utilizing your hard-earned Reputation Points. This revamped system empowers players with enhanced control and customization of their farms, introducing fresh incentives. Additionally, the new max order system permits players to reduce the maximum number of new orders, exclusively affecting future orders while leaving current ones unaffected.
Selectable & Upgradeable Licenses
I'm thrilled to introduce the game-changing feature of Selectable and Upgradeable Licenses. Here's how it works: Each license is now optional and can be handpicked by you, the player. When you unlock a license, it seamlessly integrates the corresponding items into your order request queue. But that's not all; as you increase the license level, you'll notice a surge in the number of items required for orders and a substantial boost in their financial payouts. This upward journey in license levels does come at a cost in Reputation Points, so spend wisely. The great news is that you also have the flexibility to reduce a license level, which will return Reputation Points to you. This ingenious system is already at play with the farmstead license, granting access to lucrative honey and egg orders.
Crop Genetics Research
ACRES now features Crop Genetics Research, enabling you to enhance each crop variety, resulting in higher-performing variants. Access this feature through the new gene research tab. Each upgraded variant boasts distinct attributes from its parent variety, necessitating varying nutrient values. Unlock these upgraded varieties using your Reputation Points and switch between heirloom and hybrid variants at any time.
Livestock Animation Optimization
This week the livestock animation system received an overhaul. The costly skeletal animation has been replaced with a highly efficient static vertex animation framework. All animations are now compressed into texture files, promising faster and smoother performance. This revamped framework is already visible in the chicken runs, paving the way for a more robust livestock system, capable of handling a multitude of diverse animals, and setting the stage for exciting new additions to ACRES.
Optional Day Cycle & Weather Animation
Listening to player feedback, we've made sky lighting and animations optional. By toggling off the "Animate Sky & Day Cycle" setting in the game options, you can disable sun movement, nighttime darkness, and other sky-based visibility effects. Rain will still be visible on the screen, minus the visibility-blocking effects. Note that toggling these settings on or off may require a game restart for the changes to take full effect. This option can also be accessed in the main menu settings.
Additional Updates
- Display numbered key bindings on the HUD for Action Category Buttons.
- Increased camera movement distance.
- Tool tooltips for buildings now display their size with Height x Width.
- Quickly exit the pause menu using the ESC key.
- Keep track of time with minute updates in the time clock.
- Adjust livestock animation quality with a new setting in the video options.
- Added amendments notice in tooltip "Amendments offer an instant yet costly solution for improving soil conditions. Use Cover Crops as a more economical but time-intensive alternative."
- Added soil structure message in the tutorial
- Updated Localizations
- Hovering over current game mode icon now displays tooltip with each custom setting in game
Bugfixes
- Included updated key bindings for AZERTY layouts
- Removed prefix size 3 in tractor barn tooltip name
I'm excited to see how these enhancements reshape your ACRES experience. Your valuable feedback continues to inspire me to innovate and elevate the game. As you embark on new farming adventures, remember that your journey is at the heart of ACRES, and I'm here to support and grow with you. Stay tuned for more exciting updates, and happy farming!
Jimi