Much as I enjoy Farming Simulator 22, I find portions of the game a bit impenetrable, and when Giants Software adds something new to its complex agricultural sim I'm usually not sure how excited I should get. As a clueless farming bumpkin and not a die-hard simulation enthusiast, it's hard for me to get worked up by announcements about "the world debut of the Valtra Q Series" or the inclusion of "the new Volvo L200H High Lift wheel loader" when they land in my inbox.
Don't get me wrong: I love the sim's vehicles, but it's because they're shiny and unfold like sci-fi spaceships, not because I understand why a Claas Arion 660-610 is better than a Deutz Fahr Series 8280 TTV, or why the Koller K-300-T uphill logging yarder is so exciting. I don't even know what an uphill logging yarder is, exactly. I think it has something to do with logs, and potentially hills. Maybe yards, too.
But here's something I can get excited about, and I suspect other casual sim fans can too. Farming Simulator 22's Platinum Edition includes a new map set in the Pacific Northwest, full of magnificent trees to cut into logs and transport into town, and when you deliver enough lumber you'll be able to build a rideable rollercoaster.
And that's honestly great! I find Farming Simulator 22 much more enjoyable when I've got a big, specific quest on the front burner, like last year when I spent $1.3 million trying to bake a single cake. A long term project where you cut down trees and deliver enough logs to build a rollercoaster, one you can actually ride when it's complete, sounds awesome.
You can see a glimpse of the coaster in the background at the very end of the trailer above, but I asked Giants Software to send me a nice big screenshot of it, too. And here it is. I've always had a fair amount of trouble cutting down trees in the game, but for a ride on that beauty I'm willing to give it another shot.
Naturally, that's not all included in the Platinum Expansion. There are 40 new vehicles and tools (you can see many of them in the trailer above), and besides the rollercoaster you'll be able to create new production chains with the trees you harvest to manufacture floor tiles, wooden barrels, dog houses, and even boats.
And if you are much more into the real nuts and bolts of the sim than I am, here's a nice fact sheet collection of the new machines included. The Platinum Expansion arrives on November 15.
