Project information

• Category: Game Development
• Project date: 13 August, 2021
• Project URL: https://wombatl0rd.itch.io/the-farmers-curse

The Farmer's Curse" reimagines the serene pastime of farming into a strategic puzzle. Created as a major work assignment for Year 11 Multimedia, this game extends over three school terms—nearly 34 weeks of development. It uniquely blends the tranquil art of agriculture with the intellectual rigor of chess, challenging players to grow a variety of crops without placing incompatible types in the same row or column.

In this innovative simulator, players must thoughtfully design their farm layout to maximize harvest efficiency and fulfill orders. Each crop’s placement becomes a critical decision, introducing an engaging layer of strategic planning to the familiar genre of farm management.

The game boasts intricate pixel art across four different seasons, adding depth and variation to the visuals. While time constraints led to a streamlined complexity, the game maintains a delightful playability, evidenced by a functional watering mechanic and thoughtful design elements such as rain automatically nurturing the crops, and a scythe preparing land for sowing.

Originally envisioned with procedural terrain generation and land-clearing mechanics, "The Farmer's Curse" evolved to focus on its core gameplay. Despite having to sideline certain features and sprites, including an animated character, the final product delivers a captivating experience. Future iterations might see the introduction of pests as adversaries to certain crops, potentially deepening the strategy and expanding the game's dynamic ecosystem.