American Truck Simulator

[jztemple2]

Oops! Took a curve too fast on the way to Yellowstone:

[TheMix]

I'll give my brother a call. He'll have you out of there in no time. That's what he does for a living.

[ChaoZ]

Parking with a trailer, however, is just beyond me. It's just so bizarre how the trailer twists and jackknifes.

This is what made it click for me when I first learned to pull a trailer in real life: If you're backing up with a car, the steering wheel is to turn the car left and right. If you're backing up with a trailer, the steering wheel is to move the front of the trailer left and right in order to 'aim' it where you want it to go.

So, if you're wanting to turn left as you back up (visualize this), you have to move the front of the trailer to the right in order to have the whole thing pointed left, and then you need to turn back to the left (now you're driving the cab like a car) to get back in front of it to push it back.

Except if you go full lock in any direction (easy to do on a controller) the trailer goes nowhere and your rig jackknifes. I may need to buy a wheel or dig out my ancient Logitech.

[ChaoZ]

Oops! Took a curve too fast on the way to Yellowstone:

Damn, whoever ratcheted the thing on the trailer did a mighty fine job!

[jztemple2]

This is available on deep sale from SCS, who make ATS. It's rather old but it has a bunch of parking challenges. I just tested it, no problems working with Win10.

[jztemple2]

I completed the Montana Community Event and with over a half million in the bank I decided to expand, opening a fourth garage in Albuquerque and buying myself one of those new Western Star 57 models.


Dig the fancy new instrument panel.

[jztemple2]

So I was at the Albuquerque air cargo terminal to pick up a cargo and saw this aircraft with an open ramp... yup, gotta try that!


I could drive into it, but not all the way through


I now have fuzzy dice hanging inside


A Space Shuttle themed truck driving past a model of a Space Shuttle


Decided to switch it up and go with a different paint job on the new truck.

[ChaoZ]

So I've been driving a whole bunch of Quick Jobs and have just about enough for a truck. Any thoughts? I've just passed Level 10, so I think it's unlocked some options that are slightly better than bare bones.

[jztemple2]

So I've been driving a whole bunch of Quick Jobs and have just about enough for a truck. Any thoughts? I've just passed Level 10, so I think it's unlocked some options that are slightly better than bare bones.

It's been quite a while but basically I chose the cheapest truck I could find. Don't spend any money on anything other than the chassis upgrade to a 6x4 short chassis (four driven wheels means more traction which means you can handle a heavier cargo), engines and transmission. Of those, engine is probably the number one upgrade. Be sure to look on the right side of the upgrade page at the analysis chart; don't spend money on anything that doesn't give you an increase on that chart. If you wish, spend a little more money for a large fuel tank on that 6x4, but otherwise I don't really know of anything else too useful.

Also, don't be afraid to take a loan from the bank. You'll be paying it back faster the better equipment you have.

[Baroquen]

Yeah, I've had to restart a couple of times over the years, and I always take a bank loan after running a handful of jobs. That initial cash helps cover some of the cost of the truck and the inevitable traffic fines I'll get on later missions.

And I've always bought the cheapest truck as the details mostly go over my head anyway.

Well, I had this already installed from a long time ago. But jzt's posts made me want to boot it up and run some jobs. The first one I took was carrying a helicopter, which was new to me. First time I had an escort too, which I kind of liked as they cleared traffic and red lights for me. The only problem was at the VERY end of the job right before we were turning into the destination - the front escort car slowed way down and I bumped into him and had to restart from a checkpoint. Fun overall though.

[jztemple2]

Taking a special cargo across Colorado


It's a big, almost square... box


Man that thing sticks out a lot.


As long as I keep part of the box in the breakdown lane I'm OK

[jztemple2]

Going through the Eisenhower tunnel... not a lot of room to spare


Oh baby it's snug in there


I desperately want to drive up that runaway truck ramp in the distance.


Almost there


And the results. There are some special cargo jobs that are supposed to be over a thousand miles. At 40 mph, that's going to take a while.

[jztemple2]

Later on this evening I finally did find a runaway truck ramp and gave it a go.


Not as much fun as I thought.


Trying to back down the ramp


But I jackknife the trailer and have to turn it around

[jztemple2]

Four Corners Monument


A closer look at the interior

[jztemple2]

For those who might be achievement hunters, Xeeran has put together a series of guides for you. The best one to start with is the American Truck Simulator 100% Achievement-Guide [ENG]. It guides you through the achievements for the basic game and then has a series of sections with links to specific DLC.

[Baroquen]

Well I bought my first truck this morning, and ended up running 3 or 4 more jobs than I anticipated when I started playing. I guess this is like a comfort game for me, as it's pretty mindless, and really different than the other games I'm playing. Trying to visit different cities, and pay off my initial loan. I was in a cycle where I was getting my jobs overnight so I was driving in the dark all of the time. Much more interesting being able to see the surroundings flying by.

[jztemple2]

New update to ATS to expand the roads around Yellowstone: 1.46 - Montana New Content

About two months ago, while talking about the Yellowstone National Park update in Montana DLC, we teased you with the possibility of having this entire area fully recreated within American Truck Simulator. In the 1.46 update, a small addition will achieve just that. We are excited to let you know that we will be adding the US-20 leading to West Yellowstone! This means that everything will technically come "full circle", since you will be able to enter the area of the park from all of the surrounding states - Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho.

Furthermore, to celebrate the completion of Yellowstone, we have also added a new viewpoint in Montana DLC, which will showcase a bit of the park and the West Yellowstone village itself.

[jztemple2]

There are a lot of space related items in the upcoming Texas DLC for American Truck Simulator. This is from the article Texas - Space Industry. Hopefully if I'm still around and playing by the time the release the Florida DLC, they will include a drive through the Kennedy Space Center and the Canaveral Space Force Base

Space, the final frontier. Since 1957, humankind has been set on exploring what is beyond our earth and today, we are excited to share with you how virtual truckers can be a part of these historical and ground breaking missions.



Texas is home to state-of-the-art development and test sites for multiple commercial space firms, and research shows that the space industry is big work for the state, bringing in 11 billion dollars per year in revenue and providing hundred of thousands of jobs. So it wouldn't be right for us to miss this out-of-this-world opportunity to include it in our upcoming Texas DLC for American Truck Simulator.



Houston will also feature a famous space centre, which serves as the official visitor centre for a launch site. Here visitors can see previously used rockets and space shuttles from famous space missions. It really is worth passing by, so don't miss it on your travels!

[jztemple2]

The Texas DLC releases on November 15th.

[jztemple2]

American Truck Simulator - 1.46 Update

We are happy to announce that the 1.46 update for American Truck Simulator has been released and is now available on Steam. This update features bug fixes, changes and new content, which are featured below, so we recommend taking a read!

Changelog
Map
• US-20 road between Idaho and Montana
• Idaho Viewpoints Redesign

Vehicles
• Ownable Cisterns - Chemical Trailers
• Cascadia and Western Star 57X got custom infotainment implementation
• Infotainment/GPS screens on all trucks have switched off state separated from map zoom
• Cellphones and navigational devices got a custom implementation

Gameplay
• New Gallery Feature
• Company Browser
• Custom City Intros
• Driveshaft Torque

[jztemple2]

I haven't posted about ATS in quite a while. I was going to do a video covering my trip from Albuquerque to El Paso, but I had Beatles Radio playing at first and realized I'd be in trouble for copyrighted music. So I edited that out and left only my arrival in El Paso and the delivery of my cargo. I tried to change camera views a number of times so as to show off the city as I drove through. And if you stay to the end, you'll see a nice little touch, a view of a Superguppy aircraft at the El Paso airport.

[Unagi]

Heh, I see that traffic lights are not exactly your thing.

[jztemple2]

A bunch of cool new features in this update:
American Truck Simulator: 1.47 Update Released

[jztemple2]

American Truck Simulator players are now being targeted by in-game recruitment ads from a massive truck company

It's hard to explain the appeal of the various Truck Simulator games to someone who hasn't played them. They're almost like chill-out games, an experience where you do all the thinking at the start (your route and cargo) before relaxing for a while with the radio and watching the scenery drift by. I'm sure the actual trucking life is very different but, to me, these games are all about achieving a kind of highway zen.

Maybe the trucking life is not that different, however, because one of the biggest transportation companies in the world, Schneider National, is now looking at American Truck Simulator players… and it likes what it sees—a veritable hotbed of truck-loving talent that may well need a job, and want to try out the real thing.

American Truck Simulator now features billboards with recruitment ads dotting its virtual United States (thanks, GamesRadar+), which point players towards Schneider's careers page. And according to the developers, this is the first of what may be many.

"Even though we’ve previously used the in-game billboards to showcase a variety of exciting updates," says SCS Software in an update, "this new addition is now in the try-out phase and we believe it holds promise in offering something valuable to our games as well as the automotive industry."

SCS talks about how Schneider National fits into providing interesting organic details to the game world, before we get to the real reason. Apparently there's a lack of truck drivers, and this allows SCS Software "to assist the need of the trucking industry in general considering the current shortage of skilled professionals."

SCS says that American Truck Simulator is "the testing ground for these dynamic billboards" but, should things go well, expect to see similar rolling out across the various games in the series. The developer rather optimistically calls the ads "meaningful visual assets that go beyond traditional advertising" but there's nothing new under the sun: I remember seeing dynamic billboards for Obama's presidential campaign in Burnout Paradise. Wonder how many votes that scored him?

Player reaction is split, though I would say broadly on the positive side. Those who don't like it are the sort that don't want IRL ads in the game at all. Others appreciate the extra immersion that in-game ads can add to something like American Truck Simulator which, lest we forget, is a simulation of driving a truck across a country that rather likes a billboard. It was ATS fan Pasquale who saw through the noise, though, and saw the big picture behind SCS's announcement: "Maybe one day we could drive a real truck over the internet!"

This doesn't bother me a bit. Billboards are part of the game and if it's a real life company that's not an issue.

[Blackhawk]

As long as they don't go the Ubisoft/Axe Body Spray route and start sticking identical billboards every two miles (all perfectly lit 24/7 with no seams or 'texture' to them), plus wallpapering buildings with the ad, plus having every third NPC truck have it on the side.

[jztemple2]

As long as they don't go the Ubisoft/Axe Body Spray route and start sticking identical billboards every two miles (all perfectly lit 24/7 with no seams or 'texture' to them), plus wallpapering buildings with the ad, plus having every third NPC truck have it on the side.

I'll agree with that. It has to fit into the feel of the rest of the game. I'll give it a try and let folks know.

[jztemple2]

I did some driving in Colorado, main interstates and local roads, and didn't see even one of those new signs. So they don't appear to be overwhelming, but then I suspect SCS wasn't about to piss off its community.

Meanwhile, American Truck Simulator 1.48 Update - Texas New Content. I left out the images, go to the article if you want to see them. And to reiterate, this is all free to owners of the Texas DLC.

They say everything is bigger in Texas, including the updates! In our upcoming 1.48 update for American Truck Simulator, our talented team has revisited the state to bring an update that fits the boot; including roads, landmarks, depots, and more. Let's dive into what our team has been working on.

We've been busy upgrading the road network! The equivalent of 500 real miles have been added over 8 different roads, interstates, and highways; including one of the most well-known interchanges in Texas. Nicknamed the 'High Five', it is one of the first five-level stacks interchanges to be built in Dallas. Its distinctive design features two high-level flyover ramps crossing over the lower-level lanes, creating a "high-five" configuration, to help ease traffic in the area.

Keeping on the topic of five, drivers will be able to drive through five new settlements. These new areas are Greenville, Shamrock, Sharman, De Kalb, and Paris; oui, it's true! We hope you enjoy passing through these charming settlements which have lots of little details to look out for.

Another big addition to this update is the addition of Texarkana; a unique city that straddles the border between Texas and Arkansas, with the state line running through the center of the city. Drivers will find plenty of jobs in the area, thanks to its strategic location of being between several major highways.

Every project has a foundation, including our newest depot in American Truck Simulator; a construction pit. Here you'll find the job site actively working hard to build from the ground up, quite literally!

Along with all of the above, you'll also find plenty of new Landmarks, rest areas, truck stops, hidden roads, and more. We can't wait for you to explore it for yourselves in the near future. We are happy to share that this update will be free for all owners of the Texas DLC.

We hope you enjoy this preview of what is in store for Texas and 1.48 in the American Truck Simulator. We look forward to sharing more with you in the near future. Until then, stay safe and keep on truckin'!

[jztemple2]

American Truck Simulator: 1.48 Open Beta has been released. It is much more comprehensive than what I previously posted and adds a lot more content for even those who don't have the Texas DLC. Check out the article for all the details, below is the changelog:

Map
• New Texas DLC Content

Vehicles
• Anti-Lock Braking System + Electronic Stability Controls
• Reworked Vehicle Transport Trailers

Gameplay
• Custom City Intros (Washington DLC)
• Special Transport New Routes (Montana & Texas DLC)

UI
• Per-State Map Exploration
• Gallery City Intro addition
• Options Sliders now feature numbers
• Input Wizard Control Selection UI Overhaul

Other
• Third-Party Mod Structure Change

[jztemple2]

I downloaded the 1.48 beta and have been driving around Texas. Heading to Texarkana (newly added in 1.48) I turned into a rest area and I noticed a road off to the side with a "Dead End" sign (you have to look closely).


So I drove down this unmarked road and soon I found this sign:


Now I'm feeling challenged, so I continue on... and eventually come to this sign:


Now there's no stopping me. I have to drive off into a dirt road to bypass a fallen tree and eventually get back to the unmarked road. And in a little while I see this sign:


This took me back to the highway with a sense of accomplishment

[Blackhawk]

Make sure you grab a load of beer in Texarkana. I hear they're thirsty in Atlanta.

[Alefroth]

This took me back to the highway with a sense of accomplishment

That's pretty fun.

[jztemple2]

As someone who for many decades has a real interest in history of all sorts, one of the joys of ATS is coming across an historical marker that motivated me to look into things further. For instance:



I knew nothing about the El Paso Salt War, so off to the Wikipedia link:

The San Elizario Salt War, also known as the Salinero Revolt or the El Paso Salt War, was an extended and complex range war of the mid-19th century that revolved around the ownership and control of immense salt lakes at the base of the Guadalupe Mountains in West Texas. What began in 1866 as a political and legal struggle among Anglo Texan politicians and capitalists gave rise in 1877 to an armed struggle by ethnic Mexican and Tejano inhabitants living on both sides of the Rio Grande near El Paso against a leading politician, who was supported by the Texas Rangers. The struggle reached its climax with the siege and surrender of 20 Texas Rangers to a popular army of perhaps 500 men in the town of San Elizario, Texas. The arrival of the African-American 9th Cavalry and a sheriff's posse of New Mexico mercenaries caused hundreds of Tejanos to flee to Mexico, some in permanent exile. The right of individuals to own the salt lakes, which had previously been held as a community asset, was established by force of arms.

The conflict began as a local quarrel and grew in stages to finally occupy the attention of both the Texas and federal governments. Newspaper editors throughout the nation covered the story, often with frenzied tone and in lurid detail. At the conflict's height, as many as 650 men bore arms. About 20 to 30 men were killed in the 12-year fight for salt, and perhaps double that number were wounded.

Traditionally, the uprising of Mexican-Americans during the San Elizario Salt War has been described by historians as a bloody riot by a howling mob. The Texas Rangers who surrendered, especially their commander, have been described as unfit. More recent scholarship has placed the war within the context of the long and often violent social struggle of Mexican-Americans to be treated as equal citizens in the United States and not as a subjugated people. Most recently, the "mob" has been described as an organized political-military insurgency with the goal of re-establishing local control of their fundamental political rights and economic future.

This has further motivated me to add a book to my various wishlists to find out more about it.

I don't remember if we have any Texans in the forum. If so, any comments?

[Isgrimnur]

I came to Texas late, so all my state history is Kit Carson and silvery rills.

[Blackhawk]

I came to Texas late, so all my state history is Kit Carson and silvery rills.

Are we talking Texas, or Nevada here?

[Isgrimnur]

...yes.

[Blackhawk]

Fair answer.

[jztemple2]

Here's another interesting historic marker (that's my truck in the background):


Here's the actual marker:


And the lead from the Wikipedia article. Read the rest of the article for the details.

The Baxter's Curve Train Robbery, also known as the Sanderson Train Robbery, occurred in 1912 near the town of Sanderson, Texas. Ben Kilpatrick and his partner, Ole Hobek, attempted to rob a Southern Pacific express car, but they were stopped by one of their hostages, David A. Trousdale, who managed to kill both of the bandits.

[jztemple2]

For those interested in Route 66, I'm now at the town of Adrian, Texas which is just west of Amarillo. Not that much to it but it does have one claim to fame, the halfway point of Route 66:





With that I've now also achieved visiting and watching all 27 viewpoint videos in Texas. The rest of the West awaits...

[Unagi]

I feel like this game has potential to turn into a really cool “USA Road Trip” simulator if they could actually get this whole country mapped out, which I seriously doubt they will do.

I mean, it’s doing it really well on the states they have tackled - but it’s just such a big country and apparently too much work.

[Isgrimnur]

Dude, they're doing Kansas.