What’s new in modding on Farming Simulator 25?
What’s new in modding on Farming Simulator 25?
Farming Simulator 25 is about to get released: this means that both fans and modders are super excited to see what the new generation of this massively popular game series is going to bring. While the initial announcement and the trailer, predictable, didn’t reveal much information about modding, FarmCon 24 had plenty of interesting news and announcements from the developers.
Stefan Maurus, programmer and lead integrator at GIANTS, ran a keynote, explaining the modding features that will separate the latest game from its earlier counterparts. On this article, we will expand on everything mentioned by the developers at FarmCon 24, and see what new features, tools, and challenges await the massive modding community, looking to get started on Farming Simulator 25.
Latest announced FS25 modding features
Let’s take a look at some of the most important changes coming for modders in the latest rendition of the popular farming simulation game.
Improved material system
The material system on the latest games was perfectly functional – but there was room for improvement. Now, we will see those improvements in action, getting a lot more depth and flexibility. For once, the multi-material setup allows a single object to be assigned with several different materials. This should help alleviate some performance concerns, as there should be no issues with textures and shader parameters.
What does this mean for modders? Well, modders will now be able to create a lot more realistic vehicles, as different textures can be applied at once, giving a lot more flexibility. This should result in much more life-like items that don’t require as many resources as some expect.
The clear coat texture has been introduced, which works as an additional glossy layer to the paint. It can be adapted to act differently on various materials. Scanned list of colors is now added to the game, letting the modders create incredibly realistic models that have the exact same color gamut as their original counterparts.
- Multi material setup
- Materials with the same “base” are allow to be on one mesh
- Shader Parameters & Shader Textures are allowed to be different
- Detail textures can be different for each material
- Fully customizable materials
material system
Merged shadows from different light sources, static light changes
Merged shadows will definitely help massively improve the way the vehicles interact with the light sources. It’s no surprise – considering how important the lighting improvements were in the FS25 announcement, this is a welcome, but unsurprising change. GIANTS takes into account that a vehicle can be affected by several light sources at once, and gives a single shadow calculation. This should help create as realistic shadows as possible, without putting a massive strain on the hardware.
The UV layout for static light functions and emissive maps will also help improve the light effects immensely. This should improve the overall system performance and reduce draw calls.
Dynamic wheel configurations
If you are a modder, who had to suffer through generating massive XML files with tire configurations for each possible manufacturer and setup – pop the bubbly right now. Dynamic wheel configurations are coming to Farming Simulator 25. Now, you will only need to specify what exact tyre size you need. The game will do the rest, selecting the correct option from the database. This directly benefits the modders – not only adding a lot more consistency in brands and configurations, but also saving time and brain cells of their modding community.
Standard dashboards, and improved static lights
Dashboards can now be set up as a standard, and shared across multiple vehicles, removing one hurdle from making lifelike mods. Updates to the dashboard, or any other changes would simply update all of the vehicles – not forcing the mod creators to adapt to any updates that might happen.
Lower link width
Tools attachment can be a little cumbersome – leading to some unrealistic looking mod behaviors. Lower link widths finally fix this issue, offering an option to choose the correct width for the category. Functionality for modders will be improved – and the players will get to enjoy significantly more realistic behavior from their tractors.
Better material and animation configurations
On FS25, modders will be able to access easier animation and material configurations. This allows modders to use some preexisting options via XML – which should make the setup process a lot more simple. With the pre-made options, modders should be able to get customized textures and animations in simple packs, massively reducing development time.
Improvements to I3D references and collision masks
A much refined I3D integration is coming our way. This means that certain visual elements that are not important for overall functionality of the game – such as random objects – can be marked for runtime loading, which should help improve the overall performance of the game. For much more precision in how vehicles behave at the game, the collision mask system has been overhauled as well. This should allow for significantly more accurate physical interactions. The overall setup for tools and attachments and their collisions should be improved as well.
Updates to tools and their support
Maya and blender shader support
Now, mods will be able to get the preview identical to the game’s visuals: as Maya fully supports the updated vehicle shader. The integration to Blender is still not fully completed, but it’s clear that the material system should soon be available on the platform as well.
Updated modding resources
The Blender Modding Book will be released on October 23, 2024. It will offer very in-depth tutorials and instruction which should help any prospective modders get all the required information on mastering the art of making mods on Blender. It’s going to be an expensive book – coming in at around 160 dollars.
The Collector’s Edition of the game will also come with some updated mudding tutorials, and focus on making complex vehicles, as well as provide an intro on dealing with the new material system. Once again – it will be an excellent resource if you’re using Blender.
Conclusion – what’s new for FS25 modding, after all?
As expected for a three-year release, Farming Simulator 25 modding will be different, and the big step forward is both expected and welcomed. The modders should have a pretty fun time, making use of the new features and materials.
We are happy to see not only new features focusing on the best possible realism, but also tools and integrations that should make creating FS25 mods easier than before. This should not only be good for any experienced modder looking to save some time – but will also be great for any beginner looking to join the community.
This is even clearer, as you see at all the modding guides, available both as a premium purchase, and added as a bonus to your game order. We hope that all of these updates, features, and guides will help grow the modding community even more!
Stay tuned for the latest news on the updated game, its features, and mods. The new generation of Farming Simulator is about to kick off.
Credits:Farming Simulator 25 Mods
