Simple and realistic farm solution

[Ne0Que]

In regards to the farms I would suggest to split farm buildings from fields. Like in real life: farmers sometimes have to drive miles to their fields which also generates traffic (yay! tractors - read: LIFE!!). A field is not always directly connected to the farm itself. Keep farm buildings on the currently implemented farm zone but remove the field. (now, we can have multiple farm models for the same type of farm and they can vary in size up to 4x4. A farm type building is just another type of industrial. But it should also hold a low amount of residents (1 family). Allow the user to draw fields like they draw roads OR as zones, but then bigger (needs a inheritance class from default zoning). Also, allow fields without enforcing roads all around them like in XL because that's just stupid and unrealistic, but fields need to be connected to at least 1 road. 1 tile is enough. Even dirt roads.

In the real world lots and lots of fields just end where the forests begin, without useless roads in between. Let the farm buildings 'scan' for free farm fields in it's surroundings. When it finds one (or more) use them. The sizes of the farm fields could be very big. It doesn't need to be connected to water, power or sewer. It doesn't really 'eat' from simulation performance. The field is just there. Calculate it's surface and use that with some random factors and the farm building size (workplaces) to calculate the output of the farm building. A farm now can output multiple goods (potato's, onions.. you name it) depending on the claimed fields. Also, allow already existing farms and fields to be created in the map editor. The region then already has a little amount of citizens. (even beter would be having to 'really' buy land from farmers to start towns - multiple towns in one map possible - but that's another story.).

This way you can also see farmers travel to their farm lands using the (dirt?) roads. A great addition to realism.
For the sake of it, Colossal Order: Just open your Google Maps. Now estimate the amount of farmland in percentage in your screen. Yeah... that's what i thought ;P. Now, compare that with the sizes of the buildings. Even the tallest building you can find on the map. Fields are big and should be handled (and implemented) differently.

Forgive me my childish sketch skills.

Farms are underestimated in the game. Needs rework. don't make them a instance of basic zoning/buildings. They're special. Just like homes above shops combo buildings. I'll be happy to wait for a patch in the future, afte release if farms will be implemented like this.

 

[Warlord Kentax]

I realize this thread is quite old, but I have a wonderful aerial photograph courtesy of google maps that illustrates how fields can be very far away from the farm. In the picture, the actual farm is the group of white buildings in the lower right while there's a tiny town in the lower left.

This farm is more than 4km across so it wouldn't be practical to have it in Cities: Skylines, but I think that it is a good example that it would be nice to have some bigger farms. Big farmland next to a big city isn't unheard of either, just look at Austin, Texas.

 

[boformer]

I like this idea, but I think fields enclosed by roads would also be fine. It would be quite simple to define those fields. First draw some roads, then just click on the area to create a field.

 

[Shroomblaze]

I would like more realistic farms I think that would be cool having different color textured fields as well.