Following last month’s update that rounded up all of the equipment coming to the game at launch we wanted to follow-up with another topic that is extremely important in a game about cutting grass… and that’s the grass!
We’ve mentioned previously that while we were proud of the grass technology we implemented in the original Lawn Mowing Simulator, it was fairly resource-hungry and didn’t leave any real headroom for us to add much more to the game (the prime example of this was leaf-blowing).
So a core part of the reason for creating a new game was to rebuild everything from scratch using the experience we gained last time around - but better! And top of the list of priorities was a more realistic and visually understandable grass technology that would make the act of mowing and trimming much more satisfying - and intuitive - than before.
While we’ve released clips showing early versions of that grass tech in action, we’re now at the point where we’re close to an implementation which is representative of what we’re expecting to achieve at launch (although, please note, this is still very much work-in-progress!)
And what we really wanted to do was create something that would demonstrate just how much difference there will be between the two games - as well as trying to future-proof for potential expansions or additional ideas going forwards.
To give you an idea of the effect we’re aiming for, the new tech allows us to have millions of blades of grass in an environment, while also looking much more natural and realistic. What’s more the variation in height and tuftiness will give you a much clearer indication of how thick the grass is - which is a crucial element in deciding how to approach a section of lawn in terms of speed or cut height.
And this means - yes! You’ll be able to anticipate better those areas which might push your mower into the red at a glance, so no more overworking the engine by accident!
The grass also looks a lot more natural when cut - all the way to the borders, so there’s no more ‘thinning hair’ effect that you’d sometimes see before.
But, as mentioned, what you’re seeing here isn’t finished - we will continue to work on it and improve in the coming months, up to launch and beyond, building on variety and visual fidelity as much as we can.
Hopefully that whets your appetite further for Lawn Mowing Simulator 2, and helps to demonstrate just how much of a difference this part of the game can make. We’re homing in fast on our Kickstarter campaign now so if you haven’t already, please consider giving us a Follow… especially if you’re interested in snagging an Early Bird discount or even getting your name into the game itself!