Bale Degradation

Bale Degradation – Realistic Bale Decay
Have you ever left hundreds of bales in the field for weeks, only to find them looking brand new afterward? BaleDegradation finally changes that.
This simple, lightweight, and highly optimized mod introduces realistic bale deterioration based on weather conditions and storage protection.
Bales left outdoors will gradually lose their contents over time, while properly sheltered bales remain fully protected.
How It Works
Every bale placed outdoors slowly deteriorates as time passes.
Unwrapped bales decay faster, while wrapped bales deteriorate more slowly.
Rain, snow, and hail significantly increase the decay speed.
Bales stored under a roof are fully protected.
The degradation level can be fully configured through the in-game settings menu or server administration tools.
Main Features
Separate decay rates for wrapped and unwrapped bales.
Smart roof detection system.
Fully configurable degradation rate from 0% to 30% per in-game month.
Supports all bale types, including custom bale fill types from maps and mods.
Bale condition visible directly in the bale information window.
Full integration with the in-game settings menu — no XML editing required.
Lightweight design with no changes to the economy or other gameplay systems.
Console Commands
bdStatus — displays the current degradation system status.
bdToggle — enables or disables bale degradation.
bdSetWrappedRate [%] — sets the decay rate for wrapped bales.
bdSetUnwrappedRate [%] — sets the decay rate for unwrapped bales.
Optimized for Multiplayer & Large Servers
BaleDegradation was specifically designed for performance and long multiplayer sessions.
All calculations are performed server-side only.
Clients receive only synchronized results.
Bale updates occur at long intervals to prevent performance spikes.
Roof detection uses the game's lightweight zone system instead of expensive physics raycasts.
Removed or non-existing bales are automatically cleaned from memory.
Even with hundreds of bales on the map, the performance impact remains practically unnoticeable.
Simple Realism Without Unnecessary Complexity
Unlike large realism overhauls, BaleDegradation focuses on one thing only: making bale storage finally matter. No economy overhaul. No complicated moisture simulation. No unnecessary server load. Just a simple, lightweight, and immersive bale degradation system.