Swiss game developer Timon Herzog has released a release trailer for his project The Farmer Was Replaced. The game with programming elements will be released from Steam Early Access in October.
Swiss game developer Timon Herzog has released a release trailer for his project The Farmer Was Replaced. The game with programming elements will be released from Steam Early Access in October.
In The Farmer Was Replaced, players must configure a drone to automate a farm and harvest crops. To do this, they will use a simple programming language similar to Python. According to the developer, the project will help improve problem-solving and programming skills.
Unlike most programming games, the game is not divided into separate levels that you have to complete, but rather has a continuous progression. The beginning of The Farmer Was Replaced is intended to teach the player all the basic programming concepts that will be needed during the passage.
«While the game introduces you to everything you need, it won’t take you by the hand when it comes to solving the various tasks in the game. You’ll have to figure them out on your own, and that can be very challenging if you’ve never programmed before,» explains Timon Herzog.
According to him, an experienced programmer will be able to get through the initial part of the game very quickly and move on to more complex tasks in the second half.
The programming language in the game is not Python, but it is similar enough that Python IntelliSense works well with it. All code is stored in .py files and can be edited using external code editors such as VS Code. When the «File Watcher» setting is enabled, the game automatically detects external changes.
Players will automate planting, watering, harvesting, and other repetitive tasks so that the drone can perform these routine tasks. Farming earns players resources that can be spent on unlocking new technologies. The player’s farm will grow as their code improves.
Herzog said he enjoyed the technical aspect of game development, which is why he went on to study computer science, where he was inspired to create a small farming app. The Farmer Was Replaced wasn’t intended to be a commercial project, but after it received great reviews, Timon decided to release it on Steam.
The project debuted in Steam Early Access in 2023 and has since received «overwhelmingly positive» reviews from players, with 97% of nearly 1,700 reviews recommending the project. The full version of The Farmer Was Replaced will be released on October 10.
