What Farming Features Do You Want Most?

"Beardedgeek;c-17809333" wrote:
I always get a feeling that people wanting a "farming pack" have a very very different idea of farming, probably based on things like Animal Crossing (even Disney movies are far more realistic about farming than some people's ideas of farming) just birds singing, apple-plucking, maybe maybe some egg-harvesting. No bad harvests, no emergency visits by the vet-truck to try to save the life of a calf (or mercy kill wounded animals), no slaughter, and no workplace accidents. Oh and definitely no killing off a whole barn of cows because of foot and mouth disease outbreak.

Knowing that those things exist in real life and wanting them in a Sims pack are two very, very different things.

Although I suppose there's a market for everything, based on some of the other mods that exist out there. But yes, sure, I think most of us would prefer our Sims packs without maiming and graphic slaughter. That doesn't seem unreasonable to me. I mean, you could argue that the entire Sims universe is a romanticized version of, well, everything.

I want cows and chickens, not to eat but to milk and get eggs from.

"Beardedgeek;c-17809333" wrote:

"KathMHughes;c-17809322" wrote:

"VeeDub;c-17809293" wrote:
I've no interest at all in a farming pack (or game) of any kind. I've lived and worked on a real-life farm before. It's not what I would call fun.

Yup. My dad grew up on a farm, and when I was a kid we raised a handful of pigs and steers for meat. My only experience at a dairy farm was the day I discovered I'm intensely allergic to dairy!! But I still like 4H displays at county fairs.

Farming is hard work, honest work, and also extremely high tech. Modern farms are more high tech than a modern office, rivaling a modern manufacturing plant with computerized machinery etc. In Sims terms a real, "realistic" farming pack would be closer to the Science career than anything else.

I always get a feeling that people wanting a "farming pack" have a very very different idea of farming, probably based on things like Animal Crossing (even Disney movies are far more realistic about farming than some people's ideas of farming) just birds singing, apple-plucking, maybe maybe some egg-harvesting. No bad harvests, no emergency visits by the vet-truck to try to save the life of a calf (or mercy kill wounded animals), no slaughter, and no workplace accidents. Oh and definitely no killing off a whole barn of cows because of foot and mouth disease outbreak.

I have to say yes I want a better version of farming for a fantasy game. That doesn't mean I don't know the reality of what happens in life or on a farm... and I'm pretty sure many if not most others do too.

"Hermitgirl;c-17810209" wrote:

"Beardedgeek;c-17809333" wrote:

"KathMHughes;c-17809322" wrote:

"VeeDub;c-17809293" wrote:
I've no interest at all in a farming pack (or game) of any kind. I've lived and worked on a real-life farm before. It's not what I would call fun.

Yup. My dad grew up on a farm, and when I was a kid we raised a handful of pigs and steers for meat. My only experience at a dairy farm was the day I discovered I'm intensely allergic to dairy!! But I still like 4H displays at county fairs.

Farming is hard work, honest work, and also extremely high tech. Modern farms are more high tech than a modern office, rivaling a modern manufacturing plant with computerized machinery etc. In Sims terms a real, "realistic" farming pack would be closer to the Science career than anything else.

I always get a feeling that people wanting a "farming pack" have a very very different idea of farming, probably based on things like Animal Crossing (even Disney movies are far more realistic about farming than some people's ideas of farming) just birds singing, apple-plucking, maybe maybe some egg-harvesting. No bad harvests, no emergency visits by the vet-truck to try to save the life of a calf (or mercy kill wounded animals), no slaughter, and no workplace accidents. Oh and definitely no killing off a whole barn of cows because of foot and mouth disease outbreak.

I have to say yes I want a better version of farming for a fantasy game. That doesn't mean I don't know the reality of what happens in life or on a farm... and I'm pretty sure many if not most others do too.

They don't have to do industrial farming in the sims. The game is not even suited to that unless you are fine with lots of rabbit holes. I would like subsistence farming, with one or two big animals you can easily take care of within a household and a flock of chickens or geese.

It's also worth mentioning that while industrial farming has become the norm in the US in recent decades, that is one very narrow slice of human experience. Most traditional farming around the world and throughout history has been as different from industrial farming as a Sims depiction would be from either. Even now in the US, there are still plenty of small organic farms, and community supported agriculture is more popular than ever. It's not all vast Perdue chicken prisons out there.

Edited to add: I think the programming for this might be too difficult, but I think it would be super cute to have a CSA function in the game. Maybe something based roughly on the group or Plopsy functionality, where say, up to 5 sim households could sign up with/join a farm venue or household, and for X amount of simoleans automatically deducted from their household budget per week, they would receive a home delivery of milk, eggs, fruit, veggies, etc.

"LiELF;c-17810091" wrote:
I think a lot of anti meat people are actually pescatarian because it's not the principle of eating meat itself (for some, that is indeed the case) but the torture of the animals that comes with the industry and they don't want to support it. Some people only eat free range meats.

Also, if we're going to be real about it, humans eat way more meat than they are supposed to, at least in the US. We're not supposed to be eating huge slabs every day, all year, certainly not multiple times a day. I used to see a nutritionist who was also a food scientist for over 20 years in the industry and she told me that the push for meat in "The Big 4" (food groups) was just to promote meat farmers who were struggling in the industry at that time and they needed people to buy more meat. It was just another marketing ploy from a corporation. She had some really eye opening information about the food industry.

I think I prefer a more idealistic or fantasy farming concept. Steampunk farming with giant, belching faux meat and cheese machines where you throw the ingredients in to get various results, and animals peacefully corralled outdoors for eggs, wool, milk, and social company, who also function as a family petting zoo. Call me a sissy but modern food farming is ugly.

Although I respect your comment, almost all animals kill for meat the difference is for humans in modern day is that we dont have to hunt for it anymore, farmers do that job for us, you could ask why should humans be any different?, humans have been eating meat way before farmers existed, we had speers and killed the animal ourselves and if we are eating too much meat perhaps that is a conversation for a farmer or fisherman, as a meat eater we are going to eat anything on the shelves, meat is good for you theres protein, nutrition and iron, it's good the immune system aswell, fish is good for the skin, hair and nail growth there is purpose for it, of course theres other options for to get that but do you know what I enjoy a real burger, a bacon roll and beef dinner ? its everyones own personal views and beliefs, at the end of day life is always going to be cruel, no matter how much we have evolved were still an animal and animals eating other animals is natural, some could also say a zoo is cruel unless the animal cant survive in the wild

"Nikkih;c-17810300" wrote:

"LiELF;c-17810091" wrote:
I think a lot of anti meat people are actually pescatarian because it's not the principle of eating meat itself (for some, that is indeed the case) but the torture of the animals that comes with the industry and they don't want to support it. Some people only eat free range meats.

Also, if we're going to be real about it, humans eat way more meat than they are supposed to, at least in the US. We're not supposed to be eating huge slabs every day, all year, certainly not multiple times a day. I used to see a nutritionist who was also a food scientist for over 20 years in the industry and she told me that the push for meat in "The Big 4" (food groups) was just to promote meat farmers who were struggling in the industry at that time and they needed people to buy more meat. It was just another marketing ploy from a corporation. She had some really eye opening information about the food industry.

I think I prefer a more idealistic or fantasy farming concept. Steampunk farming with giant, belching faux meat and cheese machines where you throw the ingredients in to get various results, and animals peacefully corralled outdoors for eggs, wool, milk, and social company, who also function as a family petting zoo. Call me a sissy but modern food farming is ugly.

Although I respect your comment, almost all animals kill for meat the difference is for humans in modern day is that we dont have to hunt for it anymore, farmers do that job for us, you could ask why should humans be any different?, humans have been eating meat way before farmers existed, we had speers and killed the animal ourselves and if we are eating too much meat perhaps that is a conversation for a farmer or fisherman, as a meat eater we are going to eat anything on the shelves, meat is good for you theres protein, nutrition and iron, it's good the immune system aswell, fish is good for the skin, hair and nail growth there is purpose for it, of course theres other options for to get that but do you know what I enjoy a real burger, a bacon roll and beef dinner ? its everyones own personal views and beliefs, at the end of day life is always going to be cruel, no matter how much we have evolved were still an animal and animals eating other animals is natural, some could also say a zoo is cruel unless the animal cant survive in the wild

I don't have a problem with people eating animals in general. I have a problem with the torturous conditions they are kept in on some of these "meat farms" for mass production. That's not nature "being cruel", it's a faction of the meat farming industry. Hunting or keeping livestock in natural outdoor conditions is reasonable. I think it would be more practical to use every part of the animal for full efficiency, though. I had a friend who used to go deer hunting and eat the meat. He would bring the carcass to a butcher who would prepare the steaks for him and in return would keep all the extra meat and good stewing bones and stuff for his shop. It was a very sensible practice and yes, I tried the venison.

I'm well aware that humans have eaten meat for a very long time. We are omnivores which is why our teeth have both sharp and blunt shapes. But very few societies have lived on huge amounts of meat alone. In the days before refrigeration, you couldn't just freeze the unused portions. It would get eaten at once and the remains dried and cured into shrunken bits to consume later. Historically, if people ate meat every day, they wouldn't have any farm animals left, lol. Often even the fat was saved for flavoring bread and bones for soups, so meat didn't need to be consumed on such a regular basis. And regarding hunting going way back; tracking, trapping, skinning, curing and cooking any wild animal is exhausting, dangerous and time consuming. So fruits, vegetables, nuts, fish, roots and any other natural edible would have been far easier and more practical to eat on a regular basis. Meat, historically, was consumed in moderation most of the time. Meat doesn't actually contain any vitamins or health benefits that you can't get elsewhere and some meats can actually be more harmful to the diet in excess and without the right accompanying exercise, particularly in the modern era where people tend to be a lot less active.

Anyway, I wasn't judging anyone. I eat meat maybe once or twice a month myself, I was just joining the conversation about the farming and food industry and what the game should or shouldn't have.

Also, yes, many zoos are cruel as well. I wouldn't want that sort in my game either. But a wild safari or preservation land with wild animals could be fun.

"LiELF;c-17810528" wrote:

"Nikkih;c-17810300" wrote:

"LiELF;c-17810091" wrote:
I think a lot of anti meat people are actually pescatarian because it's not the principle of eating meat itself (for some, that is indeed the case) but the torture of the animals that comes with the industry and they don't want to support it. Some people only eat free range meats.

Also, if we're going to be real about it, humans eat way more meat than they are supposed to, at least in the US. We're not supposed to be eating huge slabs every day, all year, certainly not multiple times a day. I used to see a nutritionist who was also a food scientist for over 20 years in the industry and she told me that the push for meat in "The Big 4" (food groups) was just to promote meat farmers who were struggling in the industry at that time and they needed people to buy more meat. It was just another marketing ploy from a corporation. She had some really eye opening information about the food industry.

I think I prefer a more idealistic or fantasy farming concept. Steampunk farming with giant, belching faux meat and cheese machines where you throw the ingredients in to get various results, and animals peacefully corralled outdoors for eggs, wool, milk, and social company, who also function as a family petting zoo. Call me a sissy but modern food farming is ugly.

Although I respect your comment, almost all animals kill for meat the difference is for humans in modern day is that we dont have to hunt for it anymore, farmers do that job for us, you could ask why should humans be any different?, humans have been eating meat way before farmers existed, we had speers and killed the animal ourselves and if we are eating too much meat perhaps that is a conversation for a farmer or fisherman, as a meat eater we are going to eat anything on the shelves, meat is good for you theres protein, nutrition and iron, it's good the immune system aswell, fish is good for the skin, hair and nail growth there is purpose for it, of course theres other options for to get that but do you know what I enjoy a real burger, a bacon roll and beef dinner ? its everyones own personal views and beliefs, at the end of day life is always going to be cruel, no matter how much we have evolved were still an animal and animals eating other animals is natural, some could also say a zoo is cruel unless the animal cant survive in the wild

I don't have a problem with people eating animals in general. I have a problem with the torturous conditions they are kept in on some of these "meat farms" for mass production. That's not nature "being cruel", it's a faction of the meat farming industry. Hunting or keeping livestock in natural outdoor conditions is reasonable. I think it would be more practical to use every part of the animal for full efficiency, though. I had a friend who used to go deer hunting and eat the meat. He would bring the carcass to a butcher who would prepare the steaks for him and in return would keep all the extra meat and good stewing bones and stuff for his shop. It was a very sensible practice and yes, I tried the venison.

I'm well aware that humans have eaten meat for a very long time. We are omnivores which is why our teeth have both sharp and blunt shapes. But very few societies have lived on huge amounts of meat alone. In the days before refrigeration, you couldn't just freeze the unused portions. It would get eaten at once and the remains dried and cured into shrunken bits to consume later. Historically, if people ate meat every day, they wouldn't have any farm animals left, lol. Often even the fat was saved for flavoring bread and bones for soups, so meat didn't need to be consumed on such a regular basis. And regarding hunting going way back; tracking, trapping, skinning, curing and cooking any wild animal is exhausting, dangerous and time consuming. So fruits, vegetables, nuts, fish, roots and any other natural edible would have been far easier and more practical to eat on a regular basis. Meat, historically, was consumed in moderation most of the time. Meat doesn't actually contain any vitamins or health benefits that you can't get elsewhere and some meats can actually be more harmful to the diet in excess and without the right accompanying exercise, particularly in the modern era where people tend to be a lot less active.

Anyway, I wasn't judging anyone. I eat meat maybe once or twice a month myself, I was just joining the conversation about the farming and food industry and what the game should or shouldn't have.

Also, yes, many zoos are cruel as well. I wouldn't want that sort in my game either. But a wild safari or preservation land with wild animals could be fun.

I agree that animals should be killed in a humaine way quick and painless and be treated with respect aswell, kept in outdoor conditions, I know someone that their doctor asked them if they're not vegetarian to have a tiny bit more meat in their diet as its a good iron boost, I meant its nature to kill other animals for food and a necessary cruelty, the cruelty of torturing them however is unnecessary, I disagree with the fur trade and keeping animals in cages, I also don't agree with wet markets, vegetables etc would of definitely been easier back then ? but nope we wanted the deer, zebras and bears etc ?, I always say if your not going to eat an animal dont kill it and if you going to we have the tools to do it humainly, theres definitely no need for torture