Update 23: Tractor Dispatch & Leaderboards

ACRES: Update 13 Patch Notes

This patch introduces new features, quality-of-life improvements, and performance optimizations to enhance your farming experience. Here's what's new:

New Features

Tractor Dispatch Post

• Assigns a Farmhand to oversee a row using tractors.

• Queues a new tractor action every morning at sunrise based on the placed cell's needs.

• Expandable area adds an endpoint to the tractor’s task route for seamless automation.

• Unlocks at 150 Reputation Points.

• Cost: $1,000,000 per post.

• New: Change seed type after placement (also applies to Farmhand Task Post).

• Simplifies end-game automation for larger farms.

Steam Leaderboards

• Compete globally in the following categories:

  • Total Farm Size (Acres)

  • Days Operating

  • CSA Members

  • Bank Account Balance

• Accessible via the ACRES Steam Community: View Leaderboards.

• Updates when returning to the main menu.

Gameplay Improvements

Order System Updates

• AddedNew Setting"Sell Orders One at a Time" option in Game Settings. When enabled, only the first order is attempted for sale, preventing automatic cycling through all orders.

• Manual Sell Option: Sell an order manually if items are reserved for an earlier order. Look for the green checkmark button to confirm availability.

Save Game Enhancements

• Save Metadata: Now includes slot name, days operating, account balance, total acres, and save timestamp for easier tracking.

• Improved UI: Reformatted save selection buttons for clearer readouts.

• Faster Loading: Optimized file parsing for quicker save/load times.

• Seamless Slot Switching: No delays when swapping save slots in the load menu.

• AddedBackward CompatibilityOlder saves fallback to slower loading if new metadata is absent.

• Controller Support: Cycle save slots using L1/R1 on controllers.

Additional Performance Optimizations

• Tractor Barns: Implemented spatially instanced meshes for better performance.

• Cosmetic Data Caching: Save data only updates when changes occur, significantly improving save times, especially for large farms or starting forest maps.

Quality of Life Improvements

• Worker Hover: Ignored for workers assigned to stations, reducing UI clutter and preventing blocking overlap.

• Tractor Movement: Tractors now stop on cells with cosmetic items. Enables ability to control row stop points with paths or trees.

• New Game Menu Redesign: Custom settings moved to the right; handheld consoles (Steam Deck, Switch) hide detailed graphics settings for simplicity.

• AdjustedWeatherIncreased chance of clear skies in Spring for better farming conditions.
• AdjustedAuto-SaveDefault frequency changed from 1 minute to 5 minutes.
• AddedFuel StorageAdded secondary action widget to indicate upgradability.

• Controller Support:

  • Scroll crop tooltip details with the right thumbstick.

  • Cycle save slots with L1/R1.

• UI Enhancements:

  • Updated guide text for PlayStation.

  • Path area icon changed to match in tooltips.

  • Top bar extra details hidden on Steam Deck and Switch.

  • Tool tooltips adjust dynamically based on bottom bar height.

• AddedCustom Text ScalingNew setting (0.8x–2.0x) to adjust text size for key UI elements without resizing the entire interface.

Bug Fixes

• FixedTractor SchedulerFixed 24:00 hour display, now resets to 0:00.
• FixedInput FixResolved double-bond input issue for F1; debug stats toggle moved to F9.
• AdjustedController NavigationImproved navigation in the tractor scheduler for smoother control.

Thank you for your continued support! I hope these changes make your time in ACRES more enjoyable. Share your feedback on the Steam Community or our social channels!

Happy farming! Jimi