Indie developer Timon Herzog, and publisher Metaroot, have released automation sim The Farmer Was Replaced on Steam. The 1.0 release is currently available with a 20% discount through October 20.
The Farmer Was Replaced is a farming automation sim and idle puzzler (think Rusty’s Retirement) with a unique twist. The automated farming drones must be programmed using a “simple python-like language.”
The game starts out relatively easy, with a small wheat field and a single flying drone (wearing a wide-brimmed straw hat, naturally). Using on-screen text windows, the game teaches basic programming concepts for beginners, all the way through advanced challenges and complex tasks in the latter parts of the game.
By completing challenges and harvesting resources, players can unlock more advanced technology (and more drones!) to take on larger maps and bigger challenges, while improving their coding skills.
The game’s code is stored in .py files, and can be edited with external editors such as VS Code. Players can activate a File Watcher setting, allowing the game to react to code changes as they’re being made. Probably safe to leave that bit to the experienced programmers who enjoy even more tinkering.
The Farmer Was Replaced has been in Early Access on Steam for over two years. The new 1.0 release adds multiple drones, a better tech tree, improved sound design, dozens of achievements, and more languages. The English user reviews currently sit at an Overwhelmingly Positive (96%) rating.
