First Farming Simulator 19 Mod Maps Arrive on the ModHub

GIANTS Software has published the first mod maps for Farming Simulator 19 on its ModHub. The ModHub is the official mod source for every platform, and for Xbox One and PlayStation 4 players it is the only one. PC players can also install mods from elsewhere, including directly from modders.

Why console players waited

Since the game launched on November 20, 2018, many players have found the two base maps too similar, and demand for new maps has been high. A mod cannot simply be uploaded to the ModHub. It must first pass GIANTS testing against both its own standards and Microsoft’s and Sony’s requirements. Building a map, submitting it, fixing what testing finds and getting approval takes a long time, which explains the three-month wait.

The first three maps

• New Bartelshagen (AtzeVR): a German-style map with several huge, irregularly shaped fields. It is a conversion of a Farming Simulator 17 map.
• Grizzly Mountain (FDR Logging Team): a forestry map with basic farming.
• Alps Panorama by the Northern Sea (Bauer Joe): alpine mountains sloping down to a sandy beach.

The second and third were built new for Farming Simulator 19. Each offers something different from the base game, and new maps mean new areas to explore and new farms to build. On PC, community maps such as Taylor Farms’ Michigan Farm had already been available outside the ModHub.

Early days for modding

Modding for Farming Simulator 19, especially on the ModHub, was still in its early stages. Several of the best-regarded Farming Simulator 17 maps did not appear until late in that game’s life, and the same pattern is likely here. With time, more strong maps will follow.

Mods have always been central to Farming Simulator, adding new places to farm and new machines to farm them with. GIANTS adds to that with several DLC packs per game, and community manager Lars Malcharek indicated that news on the first Farming Simulator 19 DLC could come within weeks.

Installing a ModHub map

On every platform the ModHub is built into the game. It sits in the main menu: browse the list, open a map, download it, and it appears as a choice when starting a new career. A map cannot be swapped into an existing save, so changing maps means starting a new farm on the new land.

PC players have a second route. A mod downloaded outside the game is a single zip file, and it goes unopened into the mods folder under Documents/My Games/FarmingSimulator2019. The game reads that folder on start-up, and the map shows up in the same list as the ModHub ones. Mods from outside the ModHub have not passed GIANTS testing, so a broken one can cause errors in a save; keeping a backup copy of the savegame folder before trying a new map avoids losing a farm to it.

Choosing a first map

The three maps pull in different directions, and the right one depends on how the game is played:

• Large fields and big machines: New Bartelshagen. Its irregular fields reward planning work routes, and the size suits players who enjoy running several combines and hired workers at once.
• Forestry: Grizzly Mountain. Farming is secondary, so it fits players who spent most of their time in the base game’s woodland.
• Scenery and variety: Alps Panorama. Slopes make fieldwork harder, which some players find a welcome change after the flat base maps.

Console versions of mods face tighter technical limits than PC ones, since they have to run within the memory and certification rules of each console. Map makers also have to rebuild or adjust their work for each platform, and each version goes through testing on its own. That is one reason console players often see a map later, or in a simpler form, than PC players do.

Questions readers ask

Can you use mod maps in Farming Simulator 19 on console?

Yes, but only from the official GIANTS ModHub. Every mod there is tested against GIANTS standards and the Microsoft and Sony requirements. PC players can also install mods from other sources.

What were the first Farming Simulator 19 mod maps on the ModHub?

New Bartelshagen by AtzeVR, Grizzly Mountain by the FDR Logging Team, and Alps Panorama by the Northern Sea by Bauer Joe, released in February 2019.