Do you like hoofed, ruminant mammals? Nice. We add water buffalos to the ensemble of farm animals. You’ve already seen them in past trailers and screenshots, but let’s take another look at one of the new animal types for Farming Simulator 25. We also chat with Roman Pelypenko, our Lead Character Artist. Check the interview below. And don’t forget to preorder!
Water Buffalos – Strong, But Low-Maintenance
- Water Buffaloes adapt to harsher environments: Hot and humid? No problem. That’s why they feel at home in South/East Asia, for example. Ideal creatures to keep on our new, Asian map! In many cultures, they’re also significant symbols of prosperity.
- They’re high-performance lawnmowers: Grass-eating animals? Not that special. Unbelievable, but true: in Farming Simulator 25, your fields of grass will be cut by grazing livestock. Not just the water buffaloes.
- They’re valuable milk producers: Water buffalo milk is especially rich in fat, protein, and minerals, making it ideal for producing dairy products. Which you can, too.
- They’re social, gentle, and smart: Despite their size and strength, water buffaloes are generally gentle and social animals. They form strong bonds with their herd and handlers and often show a calm and docile temperament.
New Products & Productions to make some Mozzarella!
Water buffaloes are mainly used to produce milk. You can of course also keep them for breeding and selling for a profit when dairy production is not your thing.
But, as buffalo milk and mozzarella are in high demand, you might want to go for it and deliver the fresh milk to new production sites for processing.
Ba-Ba-Baby Buffalos
By the age of 18 months, water buffalos have matured. That’s when they start producing milk. And offspring. They also start reproducing, and tiny baby buffaloes will soon appear in your pastures. Look at how cute they are!
When you buy them from the local animal farmer, you can either get some fresh and cute water buffalos or strong and mighty ones. She can also give you some more information on how water buffalos are properly handled on your farm.
Talking to Roman, Lead Character Artist
Roman, walk us through your creative process when designing a new animal. How do you start? What are the key steps?
The process begins with creating a comprehensive reference list from real-life animals to study their anatomy, behavior, and movement patterns in detail. Once this research phase is complete, we move on to crafting high-poly models using sculpting software like ZBrush.
The next step involves preparing a low-poly model with accurate topology, making it ready for the texturing phase.
In Substance Painter, we bake the intricate details from the high-poly model onto the low-poly version and begin painting the textures. At this stage, the model is complete, but the next phase involves bringing it to life through animation.
What kind of research do you do before starting to model an animal? What is important to keep in mind?
Before we begin modeling an animal, it’s important to find good reference, and have a good understanding of the animal’s anatomy. Since the sculpting is done by hand, it’s easy to make small errors in such complex structures.
That’s why we do multiple iterations of checking at each stage. To ensure accuracy, we carefully study every aspect, from the bone structure and muscle alignment and even the tiniest details, like the pores on the nose.
What challenges do you face when animating animals, especially when it comes to creating realistic movements?
Animation is a challenging process because it involves bringing a static model to life. The real test is making sure the animal’s character shines through in the animation, allowing viewers to feel its personality and natural movements.
How do you ensure that the animal interacts correctly with other game elements, such as the environment or other animals?
The game features a system developed to ensure animals interact correctly by keeping them within a defined space where they’re aware of each other’s positions.
What is an aspect that you are particularly proud of? What was unique or challenging about it?
I’m particularly proud of the final integration of the animals into the game. It’s incredibly rewarding to see them evolve from initial concepts into living creatures with their own unique personalities.
