The Ranchers News

[p]Hello Ranchers,[/p][p]I hope you are all doing great, and I wish you an amazing start to this new year. 🎄🎁 Thank you for being here, for your patience, and for the trust you have shown us over the years. ❤️[/p][p][/p][p]Today is a very special day for us, and honestly, one we have been waiting a long time to share. I have two big announcements, and both mark a major step forward for The Ranchers.[/p][p][/p][p]First, I am incredibly happy to announce that The Ranchers has been officially selected by Steam to take part in Steam Next Fest, taking place this February 2026!!![/p][p][/p][p]This means that everyone around the world will be able to play The Ranchers Demo for free, from February 12th to March 2nd. 🥳🕺🎉[/p][p][/p][p]For many of you, this will be the very first time you can get your hands on the game, explore the world, and experience what we have been building for years.[/p][p][/p][p]Steam Next Fest is a huge moment for us. It is not just about visibility, it is about finally sharing the game with you, listening to your feedback, and continuing to shape The Ranchers together as we move closer to release. ❤️[/p][p][/p][p]And this brings me to the second announcement.[/p][p][/p][p]We finally have a window for Early Access.[/p][p][/p][p]The Ranchers will launch in Early Access in Q2 2026 (between April and June).[/p][p][/p][p]The exact release date is locked and will be revealed very soon during upcoming gaming events where The Ranchers will be featured.🔥🔥🔥[/p][p][/p][p]Reaching this milestone feels unreal. What started as a small idea has grown into a full world, and that only happened because of your constant support, encouragement, and belief in the project. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for sticking with us through every step of this journey, the good moments, the hard ones, and everything in between.❤️❤️❤️[/p][p][/p][p]This is only the beginning of the next chapter. We have a lot more to show, a lot more to share, and many surprises coming very soon.[/p][p][/p][p]Stay tuned, exciting news is right around the corner.[/p][p]Thank you for being part of this adventure. ❤️[/p][p][/p][p]Ethan[/p][p][/p][p]👉 Try The Ranchers for free before it reaches the wider public, Join The Ranchers insider Program[/p][p][/p][p]👉 Wishlist The Ranchers on Steam to get notified when the demo and Early Access go live.[/p]

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1501310/The_Ranchers/

[p]Hello Ranchers!! 🤠💚[/p][p][/p][p]Today is a truly special day! Our biggest, most beautiful update is finally here! 🎉🎈[/p][p][/p][p]This milestone brings The Ranchers to the level of quality I’ve been dreaming of since the very first line of code. Seeing it come to life, and sharing it with you, feels like a dream finally becoming real.🤩[/p][p][/p][p]I want to take a moment to thank each and every one of you for your incredible patience, love, and support throughout this wild journey. This game simply wouldn’t exist without you, truly. [/p][p][/p][p]From the bottom of my heart, thank you for being here with us and believing in The Ranchers. ❤️❤️❤️[/p][p][/p][p]Now… this update is by far our biggest yet (you can imagine how long the changelog is 😅), but don’t worry, I’ll keep it as short and sweet as possible for all the curious Ranchers![/p][p][/p][p]📌 TL,DR[/p]

• [p]A bigger open world, roughly 3x the previous playable area, with new zones and neighborhoods.[/p]
• [p]New quest engine, new quests, and an airborne intro to Sunvale City.[/p]
• [p]Visual upgrade, sharper shadows, and a see‑through camera for clear visibility.[/p]
• [p]Smoother driving, major balance pass, lots of quality of life.[/p]
• [p]Heavy performance work across world streaming, terrain, and profiles for handhelds and PC.[/p]
• [p]New localization system with many languages.[/p]

[p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Alright, let’s dive into the changelog:[/p][p][/p][p]🚀 Bigger, better, truly next level![/p][p]The open world is now content complete for Alpha, a key step toward our Early Access goals.[/p][p]The new world introduces multiple additional zones and neighborhoods, expanding the playable map to about 3x the previous version.[/p][p]New zones and neighborhood highlights:[/p]

• [p]🛫 The Ranchers Airport[/p]
• [p]⚓ Sunvale Port district[/p]
• [p]🏛️ The Ranchers Museum[/p]
• [p]🎡 The Ranchers Ferris Wheel[/p]
• [p]🏠 Suburban villas and housing[/p]
• [p]🧑‍🌾 Farmers Market district[/p]
• [p]👮🏽New Police Station[/p]
• [p]⛽ Multiple new fuel stations[/p]
• [p]🛣️ New highways, including Route 66 ;)[/p]
• [p]🏪 Low density commercial streets[/p]
• [p]🌇 Low density residential buildings[/p]
• [p]🚇 Subway stations and elevated tracks[/p]

[p]And more...[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]🏙️ New shops and landmarks[/p]

• [p]NovaGen Corp Headquarters (the bad guys)[/p]
• [p]Vitalis Corp Headquarters (the good guys)[/p]

[p][/p][p]🚘 3 new car dealerships added alongside Versatile Motors (trucks and pickups):[/p]

• [p]Star Motors, standard cars, operating[/p]
• [p]Prestige Auto, premium cars, operating[/p]
• [p]Berrari Motors, supercars, opening very soon[/p]

[p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]🎬 New game intro scene[/p][p]A new introduction sequence shows the player arriving by airplane, flying over Sunvale City’s landmarks (The Ranchers Museum, Sunvale Port, Sunset Casino, and more) before landing at The Ranchers Airport.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]⚙️ New Quest Engine[/p]

• [p]Fail conditions supported, including police chases, player death, or NPC death.[/p]
• [p]Main quest NPCs can follow the player across the open world and interiors, and can participate in activities.[/p]
• [p]Failed quests can be replayed at any time, with automatic state resets.[/p]
• [p]Multiplayer ready, friends can play co‑op quests together.[/p]

[p]📜 New quests[/p][p]A new quest line showcases the latest mechanics and guides you through the expanded open world.[/p][p][/p][p]🎓 In‑game tutorials for better onboarding[/p]

• [p]Tutorials appear the first time you attempt a new mechanic.[/p]
• [p]Each tutorial explains how the mechanic works, how it affects gameplay, and includes visual examples.[/p][p][/p]

[p][/p][p][/p][p]🌱 New plantation mechanics[/p][p]Clearer, more consistent behavior, plus re‑grow seed functionality and quality of life improvements:[/p]

• [p]Seeds only disappear when the plant dies.[/p]
• [p]Fruits and vegetables no longer get destroyed if you forget to harvest them.[/p]
• [p]A simpler, more intuitive re‑grow flow for recurring crops.[/p]

[p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]🧑‍🤝‍🧑 New NPC visitors and upgraded dialogues[/p][p]Visitors, 13 new NPCs stroll through the city with distinct jobs and personalities. Interact to learn more about their lives or professions.[/p][p]Residents, improved non‑quest dialogues with deeper conversations. Choose personal or job topics to discover each character’s story.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]✨ Visual upgrade[/p]

• [p]A refreshed art style with our most beautiful grass and foliage yet.[/p]
• [p]Characters, improved player and NPC textures, body and clothing, matched to the new style.[/p]
• [p]Animals, updated farm animal textures for better integration with the world.[/p]
• [p]Lighting and shadows, sharper, smoother, and more natural rendering across the map.[/p]

[p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]👁️ See‑through camera[/p][p]A new system smoothly fades or hides any object that blocks the camera, so you always keep a clear view of your character.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]🚗 Driving mechanics[/p][p]Vehicles fine‑tuned for greater stability and a smoother feel. Handling is more accessible and more fun.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]⚖️ Game balance[/p]

• [p]Adjusted police severity to be less punishing.[/p]
• [p]Economy pass, fruit, vegetable, and seed prices adjusted so plantations feel less grindy.[/p]
• [p]Larger area of effect for the Fire Extinguisher and the Watering Can.[/p]
• [p]Spring rain probabilities adjusted, slightly less frequent, still present.[/p]
• [p]You can light wood logs and other flammable objects while it rains if you are under a roof or inside a shelter.[/p]
• [p]Farm animals are now visible on the map when they are outside their barn or coop, no GPS tracker needed.[/p]
• [p]Unified probability engine with true weighted picks and Bernoulli gates.[/p]
• [p]All probability systems, for example fruit counts, newborn animal quality, now use the new engine and are influenced by player luck.[/p]
• [p]Updated graphics for several seeds and vegetables.[/p]
• [p]Blood effects disabled by default in game settings, in line with ESRB and PEGI guidance.[/p]

[p][/p][p]🛠️ Quality of life[/p]

• [p]Malcolm’s and Angela’s shops now display opening hours.[/p]
• [p]Pickaxes are easier to find.[/p]
• [p]Icon legend added to item popups, helpful for gamepad users to read status icons, for example sick animals or failed egg incubation.[/p]
• [p]Item popups now show how much energy and health a tent or bed will restore when sleeping.[/p]
• [p]A progress bar in popups shows how close you are to chopping a tree or breaking a rock.[/p]
• [p]End of day summary animation is 4x faster.[/p]
• [p]Sprinkler timings adjusted to water plantations more quickly.[/p]

[p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]⚡ Performance, world streaming, and optimization[/p]

• [p]Extensive optimization across core systems.[/p]
• [p]Custom terrain replacement system, more than 10x lighter than Unity’s native terrain in our tests, able to render more foliage and detail at a fraction of the cost, while avoiding Unity terrain streaming overhead.[/p]
• [p]Non‑terrain scene streaming cost reduced to roughly 10 percent of the original.[/p]
• [p]New Performance and Quality profiles for Xbox ROG Ally, ROG Ally, Steam Deck, and PC and macOS.[/p]

[p]These changes significantly improve world streaming and overall smoothness. [/p][p][/p][p]🌐 Localization[/p]

• [p]New localization system with adaptive UI components, dynamic fonts, and layout adjustments.[/p]
• [p]Added support and integration for the following languages, English, French, Spanish, German, Chinese Simplified, Portuguese, Russian, Japanese, Italian, Dutch, Korean, Danish, and Turkish.[/p]

[p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Starting today, we are opening early access tests of The Ranchers through our Ranchers Insider Program. These sessions are limited and focused, we are looking for players who want to help us validate features, spot issues, and push the game forward.[/p][p][/p][p]If you want to try The Ranchers for free before it reaches the wider public, and you are ready to give concrete feedback, you can sign up here:[/p][p][/p][h2]Join The Ranchers insider program![/h2][p][/p][p]
Thank you for reading. More news is coming very, very, very soon!!!! 🔥🔥🔥[/p][p][/p][p]With love,[/p][p]Ethan[/p][p][/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p]

Hello Ranchers!

Hope y’all are safe and doing great!

Today, I’m excited to introduce our newest feature: The Ranchers Police District (R.P.D). 🎉🎉🎉

From the start, The Ranchers has given you tons of freedom to play the game your way. You can stick to the rules and enjoy a calm, relaxed experience, or you can mix things up—maybe even try something a little daring, like swiping NPCs' crops, cars, cows, or chickens, vandalizing public property, or even shaking up national security for a bit of mischief 😀

Ultimately, it’s your call, and you probably have your own reasons for how you play (don’t we all? 😀).


Before, if you got caught, the game would hit you with a fine to teach you a lesson—harsh and not very fun, especially in an open-world farming sim where freedom is key.

Now, things feel a bit more like real life (isn’t that what a simulation’s all about?): your actions have consequences. Each misdeed you commit will trigger a reaction from the Ranchers police, giving you the freedom to deal with it your way.

You can pay up, surrender, or even push things further with the R.P.D—at your own risk (and potential reward) 😀




[h2]Pay your fines and carry on with your day:[/h2]


[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]


[h2]If you commit a repressive crime, you'll find yourself in police custody:[/h2]

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]


[h2]When you're feeling brave and want to test your luck with the police![/h2]

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]






[h2]Wanted Level 1: [/h2]
- Status: Code Green
- Behavior: Police drones aim for a peaceful resolution.
- Action: They won’t arrest or attack if you pay your fines. This level handles minor offenses—pay up, and you avoid custody.

[h2]Wanted Level 2: [/h2]
- Status: Still Code Green
- Behavior: No lethal force is used, but they strongly encourage you to surrender.
- Action: If caught or if you surrender, you'll be taken into police custody, likely with a sentence.

[h2]Wanted Level 3:[/h2]
- Status: Code Yellow
- Behavior: Police drones use non-lethal, dissuasive tactics.
- Action: Getting caught here means you'll be placed in custody with a probable sentence.

[h2]Wanted Level 4:[/h2]
- Status: Code Red
- Behavior: They’re now authorized to use light lethal weapons.
- Action: Their goal is to end the chase quickly.

[h2]Wanted Level 5:[/h2]
- Status: Code Black
- Behavior: Heavy lethal weapons are in play to end the chase at all costs.
- Action: The police will do whatever it takes to end the chase.

At any level, you always have a choice: surrender to reduce your sentence and bail, or try your luck evading the police.

Even if you lose the cops, their cars will continue searching for you briefly. If they catch you again, the chase restarts—but if you manage to stay hidden for a while, you'll eventually be considered evaded.



If you surrender or get caught, you'll be taken into police custody and placed in a cell. There, you'll need to pay your fines and potentially serve some jail time depending on your crimes.

Getting caught results in the maximum fines and jail time, while surrendering at any wanted level will lead to lesser fines and fewer jail days.

Plus, while you're in custody, your friends (multiplayer) can join your game, visit you, and take care of your crops and cattle— isn’t that what friends and family are for? 😀


[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]



First off, congratulations—you’ve got skills! 😀

Your fines are wiped out, and you keep all your loot ;)



This update introduces the police station interior, where you can visit friends in custody—or serve your own time! Let's take a look:

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]



This update introduces a hacking tool that lets you manipulate various elements in The Ranchers' world.

Ever wanted to hijack an NPC's vehicle for a joyride? (We know you've got your reasons 😀)




Your hacking success depends on the security system you’re targeting. You’ll have a set number of attempts—fail too many times, and alarms (and the police) might be triggered!

As you progress, you can upgrade your hacking tool through the skill tree (coming soon) to hack faster and tackle tougher systems.



[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]




[h2]QuickFix Garage:[/h2]

QuickFix garages are scattered throughout The Ranchers’ open world. They can repair your damaged vehicle anytime—even in the middle of a police chase.




[h2]Auto Hue Garage:[/h2]

Normally, Auto Hue lets you change your vehicle’s paint job. In trickier situations, they can even help you by changing your vehicle’s plate numbers, removing it from the police wanted registry.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]




This update introduces stolen vehicles to The Ranchers' world. If you drive a stolen vehicle, the police chase will be triggered when you're caught—unless you visit an Auto Hue Garage to change the vehicle plates.

A stolen vehicle can display:

1. Red stolen Icon: Plates haven't been changed. The police will pursue you every time they're alerted.




2.Black stolen Icon: Plates have been changed at Auto Hue garage, allowing you to keep the vehicle without triggering a chase.





Keep in mind, stolen vehicles can still be sold—but they fetch lower prices than those acquired legitimately.


This update also introduces two radio stations you can listen to while driving:

[h2]The Ranchers Radio[/h2]




A favorite among ranchers, playing mostly country music and tunes that capture the essence of ranch life.


[h2]Sunvale Skyline FM:[/h2]




A more cosmopolitan station featuring a mix of hip-hop, pop, rock, and reggaeton.



With this update, we've definitely delivered that “GTA spirit” I mentioned before in previous updates, and I couldn’t be happier with how it turned out. Implementing the new police mechanic was a real challenge—finding the balance between action and keeping The Ranchers a chill, relaxing farming sim wasn't easy.

At the heart of it all, The Ranchers remains a game that offers immense freedom and a stress-free experience. It might be a bit different from what you're used to (isn't that why you try new games?), but I promise — you’re going to love it!

Now that this update is in the books, our next focus shifts back to the farming and ranching side of things. We're excited to finalize the suburb area and bring you the hunting mechanic!

If you're interested in helping shape the future of The Ranchers, feel free to join our The Ranchers Discord. And if you want to see more gameplay from this update, check out the live stream I recently hosted:

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]


Thanks so much for sticking with me, and stay tuned for more updates! ❤️❤️❤️

Ethan

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1501310/The_Ranchers/

Hello Ranchers!

Today is a big day!!! You can’t imagine how happy and thrilled I'm writing these lines!

The Ranchers' big overhaul is complete! And I couldn't be more proud and happy with the final result! ✨✨✨

It was by far the most reckless decision I've made in the last three years, and oh boy, was it tough—really tough!

After the Kickstarter campaign and the overwhelming support The Ranchers received from the community, I was completely humbled and grateful. I was just a gamer, building my dream game in my own little corner... I never imagined The Ranchers would become this popular, not even in my wildest dreams. Seeing gamers from all over the world sharing and supporting this vision gave me even more strength! It made me feel like I could do better—so much better—and deliver something even greater for our community!

It was never about building another farming sim game, I wanted The Ranchers to be something familiar, bigger and totally different.

Working night and day for the last 14 months with only The Ranchers' vision and loads of doubts wasn’t easy at all. Honestly, without the amazing support from our community and all the kind messages of encouragement and faith, I couldn't have made it to where I am today.

So I want to thank each and every one of you, reading these lines. I want to tell you that The Ranchers would never be where it is today without you being here with us in this amazing journey. Thank you for being here, thank you for being patient and supportive. Thank you from the bottom of my heart! ❤️❤️❤️

It was truly magical to watch our dream game come to life day by day, evolving into what feels like an entirely new game. I genuinely believe this overhaul has taken The Ranchers to a whole new level, and it was absolutely worth it.

Without any further ado, let’s dive into it:



This new update brought the biggest zone in The Ranchers open world, the city center.

The city center is designed as the bustling heart of Sunvale's city, characterized by a vibrant mix of modern and traditional architecture that reflects The Ranchers unique art style.

You can explore a variety of urban environments, from busy commercial streets lined with shops to serene parks and public spaces.

Let’s take you for a ride:

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

The city center features a lot of iconics buildings, that you can explore, Let’s start with the first ones:


[h2]🏛️ The City Hall[/h2]

The city hall is where you can find Victor, the mayor and Meriam the city architect. It’s also a great place to meet other characters, make deals with the city, buy new lands and sophisticated building blueprints for your ranch.

Let take a look:

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]


[h2]🏬 Leafy Markets[/h2]

Leafy Market is Sunvale City's top grocery chain, offering fresh produce, seeds, and farming supplies. Known for supporting local agriculture, it's the go-to spot for both daily essentials and farming needs, ensuring quality for all customers. There are many of them scattered around the city center.





[h2]🛻 Versatil Motors[/h2]

Versatile Motors is Sunvale City's leading utility vehicle supplier, offering a wide range of vans, pickups, and three-wheeled vehicles. Trusted by farmers and ranchers alike, it’s the top choice for reliable, hardworking vehicles that get the job done.







While the various shops and interiors are great places to meet The Ranchers' characters, I thought, why not create buildings where you can not only meet NPCs but also gather with players from around the world? Imagine being able to enter these places as seamlessly as any other building in the game, and use them to have fun and forge new friendships! And that, fellow ranchers, is what we now call the Ranchers Community Shared Places.

Features within Community Shared Places include:

- Text and voice communication through built-in chat and voice comms, allowing players to converse.
- The ability to exchange resources and tools with other players.
- Restrictions on equipping tools and weapons, as well as prohibitions on harming or stealing from others.

And, our first community Shared Places is The Sunset Casino!

Community shared places will first be available in EU and US during the preview and will be extended to other countries in the Early Access phase.

Let’s give you a sneak peek:

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]




The pedestrians were essential to make the city center and the entire open world feel alive.

Even though implementing them came with its own technical challenges, I’ve always had a major issue with random NPCs in open-world games. They often feel soulless, and their dialogue tends to be dull unless they’re tied to a quest. They remind me of their “technical purpose” – merely filling space to make the player feel less alone.

While it's difficult to break away from that technical role, we took great care in crafting each pedestrian's personality. Every single one has a unique character and backstory that you'll be able to uncover as you explore.

- Each pedestrian follows a unique daily schedule that changes each day: whether they're enjoying Sunvale's parks, the beach, running errands, shopping, or even visiting interiors like the city center and the casino…

- Unique dialogues that change based on the time of day, season, their location, or the activity they're engaged in.

- They can offer you valuable advice and hints about what's happening in Sunvale City and its surroundings.

- You can even ask them about their families, jobs, beliefs, and life priorities!

- And of course, they are fully aware of everything happening around them, including other cars and traffic lights.







This update also features a new traffic system breathing more life to the open world.

Vehicles now obey traffic lights and pedestrian crossings, can overtake one another, and will navigate around obstacles like accidents or roadblocks to find their way.







This update introduces 35 new vehicles ranging from three-wheeler, classic cars, muscle cars, sport cars, trucks and pickups.

This update also introduces completely new driving mechanics:

- Each car, scooter, truck, and more now has its own physics system that takes into account properties like engine type, weight, and engine power, making each vehicle feel more realistic and unique to drive.

- All vehicles now feature a visual damage system, allowing you to see the physical effects of accidents or weapons, as well as the overall condition of the vehicle. This damage is generated in real-time based on your actions and also impacts the vehicle's performance. For instance, you could break your headlights or end up with flat tires, affecting how well the vehicle drives.

- Each vehicle now features a trunk (that you can open and close 😀), allowing you to store your belongings.

- Some vehicles also allow you to transport your farm animals.

- The trunk capacity and the number or type of farm animals you can transport vary with each vehicle, making each one uniquely suited to different tasks.

- And of course, all vehicles are drivable, including those in the traffic system—without consequences (for now 😉).

Let’s take a look:

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]




You can now take on the role of a TAXI-Co driver in Sunvale City!

Taxi-Co is the leading taxi company in Sunvale City. You can work as a Taxi-Co driver, earn big money, and meet interesting people along the way.

But before driving starlets home, you have to first earn your stripes.

Taxi-Co has 3 subsidiaries:

[h3]Taxi-Co Regular[/h3]
That’s where everyone starts, from the bottom. You have plenty of time, small rides, small money.




[h3]Taxi-Co Business [/h3]
Now you drive CEOs and some wanna be: they are a bit in a hurry, they expect smooth driving and pay you a bit more. Taxi-Co Business is available starting from 3 driver stars.




[h3]Taxi-Co VIP[/h3]
That’s where the real money is. You drive only Ranchers Country stars in limousines. They expect 5 stars driving talents and fast rides if you want to see their hefty tips.Taxi-Co VIP is available starting from 4 driver stars.




After each ride, the passenger will rate your driving and may tip you (or not), based on how fast and smooth the journey was.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]




Harvest hills is a homage to pastoral life, featuring sprawling farmlands, small forests, rolling hills, all designed to immerse players in the tranquility and beauty of rural living.

It's located in the countryside just outside Sunvale City, where your Ranch is also situated.

Let’s go for a ride!

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]




This update introduces new polished main characters to The Ranchers world. All of them play a significant role in the game and have their own backstories and daily occupations.

[h2]Victor Lawson[/h2]



The 52-year-old mayor of Sunvale City, Victor is a strong leader dedicated to sustainable growth and community well-being. Known for his empathy and decisiveness, he balances modern development with environmental conservation.

[h2]Meriam[/h2]



Meriam is the architect in Sunvale, she is innovative, dedicated, and empathetic. She blends modern design with traditional charm, aiming to enhance Sunvale's urban landscape while preserving its cultural heritage.

[h2]Malcolm Tanner[/h2]



A 45-year-old rancher in Harvest Hills, Malcolm is a hardworking, single father focused on running a successful cattle and sheep ranch. He is dedicated to his daughter Alicia and dreams of a prosperous future for their family.

[h2]Alicia Tanner[/h2]



Alicia is a ranching influencer, she balances her responsibilities on the ranch with her online presence. Passionate about sustainable farming, she aims to modernize her family's operations while preserving their legacy. Alicia is one of the romanceable characters.

[h2]Angela Tanner[/h2]



A 45-year-old poultry farmer in Harvest Hills, Angela is vibrant, strong-willed, and deeply connected to her community. She’s dedicated to expanding her farm sustainably and mentoring young farmers. She is Malcolm's twin.

[h2]Gigi Parker[/h2]



Gigi is an agricultural engineer, she is passionate about sustainable farming. She is known for her innovative solutions and close bond with her brother Scott. Gigi dreams of starting a family while contributing to Harvest Hills' agricultural community. Gigi is one of the romanceable characters.

[h2]Scott Parker[/h2]



Scott is a civil engineer and rancher, Scott is dedicated to both modernizing Harvest Hills and preserving his family's ranching legacy. Protective and caring, he seeks to balance his professional life with finding a life partner. Scott is one of the romanceable characters.

[h2]Dr. Susan Clark[/h2]



Dr. Susan is the veterinarian of Harvest Hills. She is compassionate and highly skilled. She runs a successful clinic and has instilled strong values of empathy and care in her adoptive son, Malik.

[h2]Malik Clark[/h2]



As an intern veterinarian, Malik follows in his mother's footsteps with a deep love for animals. He is gentle, observant, and dedicated to providing excellent care at his mother’s clinic. Malik is one of the romanceable characters.

[h2]Chris Langley[/h2]



THE famous lawyer of Sunvale, Chris is cunning, greedy, and operates in the gray areas of the law. Driven by wealth and power, he uses his vast network of connections to manipulate situations to his advantage.





Now you can heal your sick animals at Dr.Susan’s veterinary clinic.

We did decorate the clinic walls from real pets pictures shared by our community on Discord.

Let’s take a look at it

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]



The main characters in The Ranchers can now send you text messages or call you on your phone.

Each character has a unique voice and may reach out to ask for help, offer tips, or simply check in with you.

And here is how it looks in-game:

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]




First of all, congratulations for making it this far in this dev-update! Hopefully you enjoyed reading it and discovering all the new features and additions in the game.

If you are one of our kickstarter backers, you will be able to play the new version of The Ranchers (called The Ranchers “Preview”) starting from …. 🎉🎉TODAY! 🎉🎉

You can play The Ranchers “Preview”, on Windows, Linux/SteamDeck, and MacOs.

It's been a while since the last dev update, a lot of things did evolved in The Ranchers and I'd love to hear your feedback and thoughts on everything I showcased today. Feel free to drop a comment here or on The Ranchers discord.

It may also be a great idea to host a live stream with all of you to talk about The Ranchers future and answer any questions you may have? Let me know ;)

Thank you so much for your time and unwavering support! Stay tuned for more updates. ❤️❤️❤️

Cheers,
Ethan

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1501310/The_Ranchers/

Hello Ranchers, 👩‍🌾👨‍🌾

Hope you all are safe and doing great.

Since our last big update, I was hesitating about what the next move for The Ranchers' development will be. There were two paths: whether we should prioritize the mines exploration with the Monsters/combat system or the open-world production.

It was a hard question to answer as each choice brought its pros and cons.

For me, I want The Ranchers to be something that stands out from the other farming sim games, not another Stardew Valley clone with a bunch of upgraded mechanics or a “better” art style.

I want The Ranchers to be something big, and most of all, something different!

Like many of you, I grew up with games like Harvest Moon, The Sims, and GTA, and I played the hell out of games like Stardew Valley and Animal Crossing.

My vision for The Ranchers since the beginning was: what if all those games had a child? 😀

A new game that combines all the mechanics and fun I love about those classics? What will that game be? How can it honor the legacy of those classics while being different and take the farming sim genre to the next level?

Reconnecting with this initial vision made that prioritization choice a lot more lucid.

Since we’ve made great advancement on the farming and the Sims side of it, now it’s time to tackle how much of the GTA spirit should be put in The Ranchers. Moving forward with the Open World production it will be then.

Sooo, now it’s time for my favorite joke: We decided to cancel The Ranchers and start working directly on The Ranchers 2 😀 (I’m probably the only one who still finds this statement fun :D)

Joke aside, we took the opportunity of rethinking what the heart of The Ranchers is, to revamp and upgrade everything we weren't happy about in the current build, starting with the game visuals!


There is a lot to talk about here but to make it simple and quick: The whole game art style was rebuilt from scratch for a more unique and modern look with a stronger visual identity.

Here is a quick sneak previews:

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

Now that the foundation of the new visuals is here, I will be sharing more details through new gameplay videos and screenshots with you all in the upcoming weeks ;)


Last summer, I had the opportunity to work with two of the greatest sound designers in our industry. I did learn A LOT about sound, music, and how they can be a great vehicle for creating unique experiences and emotions in gameplay.

How little details can make a huge difference in terms of making what's happening on the screen more believable, more alive.

One of the more famous quotes I was hearing from all those very talented people is “The visuals are half the picture, the sound is the other one” (something like that :D )

Therefore, all the audio systems in The Ranchers were also rebuilt from scratch 😀

There is also a lot to talk about here too, but basically everything, literally every sound was remade and remastered from scratch.

To summarize it in a few bullet points:

• New ambiance sounds that make each day feel different. The ambiance sounds also change depending on the player zone and time of the day (crickets, frogs, Owl... by night; different bird species sound per day...)
  
• New Weather and Weather sweetener sounds: you can, for example, hear the wind sound changing (sweeteners) if you are near a metallic building or a wooden one. You can also hear different sound sweeteners if it’s raining and you are near trees with wet leaves…
  
• New vehicle engine sound: engine power and power type (gasoline, diesel, electric engine) does now have their unique distinctive sound. You can tell about a vehicle's characteristics just by listening to its engine sound.
  
• Livestock sound: all the animals' sound has also been revamped from scratch for every breed at every growth stage for better audio fidelity. Now you can also know what is “the state” of your animal (happy, sad, sick, angry…) just by listening to its audio.
  
• A more rich player footsteps sound that changes depending on the surface type.
  
• Every player interaction now has audio feedback...
  
• 60 new music tracks (Yes! 6 and 0 😛 ); Including 12 exclusive music tracks per Season to avoid any sort of repetition. The music is controlled by our new music algorithm (called MozArt - why not? 😀 ) that shuffles between music playing and silence in a very specific manner to avoid ear fatigue. It seems that music is all about the notes that we - don’t - play!
  
• The whole game audio is now compatible with Stereo and Surround format: 5.1; 7.1 and 7.1.4 (Dolby Atmos)
  

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]


Unleashing the team's creativity without any limit (no performance budget) was for me the best way to move forward and see how far we can take it further.

It’s totally irresponsible and foolish, but in the end who cares? We are making this game for fun! 😀

Oh boy! And I did pay the expensive price for it. Optimizing the new art style with all the details and the huge FOV/Zoom level was a nightmare! 😀

Now that all of it is behind us, I do look at it as one of my greatest journeys in programming! I had the chance to deeply explore the abyss of Unity game engine and learn how to get the most of every piece of it.

Today, I'm very pleased to share with you that The Ranchers, runs very smoothly on the Steam Deck (Linux), Rog Alley (Windows), and all the middle ranges PC handled in the market.

Now we also benchmark the performance of every new piece we do add on those devices before moving forward, making them our minimum target hardware.

Also, The Ranchers has now a native integration of AMD FSR2 AND Nvidia DLSS leading to more performance gain and wider hardware coverage. With those techs The Ranchers can also run on old/slow hardware and still be greatly playable without compromising any bit of its visual quality!





I’m also thrilled to announce that The Ranchers is also coming to MacOS (Intel and Apple silicon) day one!

More explicitly, if you are one of our Alpha backers, you will be able to enjoy The Ranchers on your Mac starting from the next build update.


As you know by now, we are currently building the Open World of The Ranchers. Without spoiling anything, the world map is composed of 5 different main zones:

1. The “agricultural zone” is where your ranch is situated among other ranchers.
   
2. The city center
   
3. The industrial zone
   
4. Forests/Swamp zone
   
5. and the desert.
   

The “agricultural zone” production is done, and by the time I’m writing this book, we are heavily producing the city center. Other zones should follow a lot quicker now that all the foundations and tools are here.

It was a true headache knowing at which stage we could release a new build update for our Alpha backers. But because now the main game loop is heavily relying on the “agricultural zone” and the city center, releasing a working build can only be possible once the production of the city center is completed. At least when the first pass is completed.

I know that many of our Alpha backers were expecting all of this to be available right now, but it’s simply impossible given the new scope of the game/map and all the major changes we did introduce in the latest months. It still needs more work, and trust me it’s totally worth it!

Don’t be sad, don’t hurt me on discord or social media (please! :🙏😊 ), The Ranchers is a work of love and it’s your enthusiasm and support that get us out of the bed each day! ❤️‍🔥

The Ranchers will be released in early access in 2024 as expected. It’s truly gonna be great! And that’s what matters the most. It was never about the When but always about the What!

2024 it will be, and we are thrilled to be there! 🔥❤️‍🔥🔥

At the end, I sincerely want to thank you again for all the love and support we did receive from you all and count on us to bring to your keyboards and controllers the ultimate farming sim game! ♥️

As always I will keep you updated and I can't wait to share more with you in the upcoming weeks.

Cheers,

Ethan

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1501310/The_Ranchers/