Hi everyone!
Summer is in full swing, the fields are almost ready for harvest — which means it's time for a new version of The Headlands demo.
Demo 0.12 is now available on Steam.
While working on this version, I thought a lot about the feeling I want the game to convey. For me, The Headlands isn't so much a farming simulator as an attempt to capture that same feeling of summer that, in childhood, always seemed longer, warmer, and more carefree.
I already covered most of the changes in the previous devlog, but the new demo has something else important — a new story line.
Now you'll be able to get to know the residents of Traktorivka better, help them with their everyday affairs, learn more about familiar characters, and meet a few new ones. The story gradually goes beyond a simple farm and starts to reveal the life of the village itself.
I'd especially like to ask your opinion about the flow of time in the game.
In some internal versions there was a time-skip, but it made the game start to feel too fast, dry, and almost turn-based. I also experimented with a faster pace of the day, but that only added a sense of rush.
So I'm very curious to hear your impressions of the current pace. Does the day feel comfortable? Is there enough to do between field work? If you have ideas on how to make the waiting more interesting or natural — definitely write in the comments.
Work on fuel balance also continues. If it feels like tractors consume too much fuel — or too little — let me know. Your feedback really helps find the right balance.
And, as always, thank you to everyone who takes the time to play the demo, leaves comments, and shares impressions. It's thanks to your feedback that the game gets better with every version.
Enjoy the game and have a great summer 🌾