Octopus Overlords

Blackhawk wrote: Thu Feb 22, 2024 2:27 pm I can tell you with some authority that the Indiana portion of his route (US 24) isn't even remotely close to reality. If you told me it was some part of northern California, I'd have believed you.

Yeah, I saw that as well - it was just a field of trees. I'm not impressed.

Unagi wrote: Thu Feb 22, 2024 8:27 am Okay, so how is this guy doing this?




I didn't know there were map mods.

That's my truck he is driving, a Western Star 57X. I love the fancy dashboard

Speaking of map mods, there have been map mods since there was ATS and before that, European Truck Simulator 2, or maybe even for the original ETS for all I know. I remember downloading and installing a mod for ETS2 that covered North Africa as well as places in Europe that weren't already in ETS2 at the time. Here's a link to a post from just about ten years ago showing off some sights in North Africa. And here's one of my favorite screenshots from the mod:

What happened to that plane?!?! Did it get in the way of you trying to move a stuck trailer....

TheMix wrote: Thu Feb 22, 2024 5:47 pm What happened to that plane?!?! Did it get in the way of you trying to move a stuck trailer....

I got a big laugh out of that.

jztemple2 wrote: Thu Feb 22, 2024 5:52 pm

TheMix wrote: Thu Feb 22, 2024 5:47 pm What happened to that plane?!?! Did it get in the way of you trying to move a stuck trailer....

I got a big laugh out of that.

me too!

Unagi wrote: Thu Feb 22, 2024 3:56 pm

Blackhawk wrote: Thu Feb 22, 2024 2:27 pm I can tell you with some authority that the Indiana portion of his route (US 24) isn't even remotely close to reality. If you told me it was some part of northern California, I'd have believed you.

Yeah, I saw that as well - it was just a field of trees. I'm not impressed.

Yeah, that's because most map mods are not detail oriented, but filler oriented. They'll often make mods that just exist as connection points and to say they exist, but they're not accurate by any means. But there are also mod makers who put a lot of thought and research into their map mods to make them as accurate as possible. Map mods tend to fall into those two groups.

jztemple2 wrote: Tue Feb 20, 2024 12:32 am
By the way, I bought the game on release day, 2016.02.02, so I can pretty much confirm that this is the game I've played over the longest period of time.

Wow, it's been 8 years already? It still feels like the new kid on the block.

Nebraska DLC for American Truck Simulator will be released on May 16th, 2024!

Wonder if tornadoes will be modeled.

American Truck Simulator - 1.50 Update Release

Exciting news! The 1.50 update for American Truck Simulator has officially rolled out and is ready for download on Steam. Packed with bug fixes, adjustments, and fresh content, this update promises an enhanced experience for all players. Check out the detailed features below and dive right in!

Including California phase 3 rework



And the Nebraska DLC has been released and is on sale for 10% till May 30th

so not only are they continuing to push out new states, they're updating previously released ones at the same time AND continuing to update the base game. they must be making a pretty good cash inflow.

hitbyambulance wrote: Mon May 20, 2024 2:13 am so not only are they continuing to push out new states, they're updating previously released ones at the same time AND continuing to update the base game. they must be making a pretty good cash inflow.

There was a posting on the SCS blog a while ago, showing the staff moving into new digs in a fancy office building. They must indeed be having good cash flow. And of course they are busy on European Truck Simulator 2 as well.

Meanwhile, I've gotten the 1.50 update for ATS plus the new Nebraska DLC. Twelve more cities to explore:


And here you can see on the map the latest California rework. I had previously explored all the cities and most of the roads, so you can see how much content was added in the free update:


The new update also upgraded the graphics and I can tell the difference. It is still not bleeding edge state of the art, but it is nicer. The UI also got an update, some of it just cosmetic and some of it grouping submenus into more logical groups.

My favorite part of the upgrade is the lane assist. It can be just a beep to let you know if you are drifting out of your lane or an actual autopilot that will steer for you. Since I'm using a controller this is a very useful assistant.

Oh, look.

Bakersfield.

SCS released a teaster image about which state the next DLC will be. Anyone want to hazard a guess?

Hard to tell. Iowa, I think.

Blackhawk wrote: Thu Jun 06, 2024 5:05 pm Hard to tell. Iowa, I think.

That's what others have guessed, they say it looks like the rest area on I-80 in Iowa.

The logical choices were Iowa, South Dakota or Louisiana. If it is Iowa, then the state after that might be Illinois. People in the Dakotas and Minnesota will be disappointed.

It looks more like Iowa than the other two to me - at least based on what I remember from the times I've been to the three. The picture looks like the Midwest. Iowa looks like the Midwest. SD looks like the northern plains. Louisiana looks like the south.

(Yeah, I know - all three regions have quite a bit of variation, but they've also got a different... feel, I guess you'd say, or maybe different art styles. )

Wake me when they add NJ, NY, & PA...

I'm just waiting for them to add Indiana. I'll start a new campaign centered there, then leave.

Oh, that is most certainly Iowa (and I'm excited, because hitting Chicago / Route 66 next will be a no-brainer)

I know that rest-stop.

https://www.google.com/maps/@41.4969082 ... &entry=ttu



https://www.news.iowadot.gov/newsandinf ... blade.html

as a native Minnesotan, I am insulted that Iowa is being added first. but it would be funny if they kept adding more and more easternly states while leaving a big ol' blank spot on the map where the Dakotas should be.

anyways, updates:

https://truck-simulator.fandom.com/wiki/States

Upcoming

There are currently three states known to be in progress or in development:

Arkansas (confirmed, in development, to be released soon)
Missouri (confirmed, in development, to be released soon)
Iowa (confirmed in this blog post, in development, to be released soon)

These are the states that might come in the near future:

Louisiana (likely to be confirmed, based on the road signs and assets found in update 1.50)
Illinois (likely to be confirmed, based on the road signs and assets found in update 1.50)

It takes time to model 10,000 lakes.

Blackhawk wrote: Fri Jun 07, 2024 2:08 pm It takes time to model 10,000 lakes.

11,842, to be exact!

hitbyambulance wrote: Fri Jun 07, 2024 2:06 pm as a native Minnesotan, I am insulted that Iowa is being added first. but it would be funny if they kept adding more and more easternly states while leaving a big ol' blank spot on the map where the Dakotas should be.

anyways, updates:

https://truck-simulator.fandom.com/wiki/States

Upcoming

There are currently three states known to be in progress or in development:

Arkansas (confirmed, in development, to be released soon)
Missouri (confirmed, in development, to be released soon)
Iowa (confirmed in this blog post, in development, to be released soon)

These are the states that might come in the near future:

Louisiana (likely to be confirmed, based on the road signs and assets found in update 1.50)
Illinois (likely to be confirmed, based on the road signs and assets found in update 1.50)

Just as a timeline, a while ago I started tracking "Introducing" date versus release date of the DLC. It can give you an idea of the time delay between the two:

Aug 11, 2023 Introducing Nebraska - Released May 16, 2024
Sep 14, 2023 Introducing Arkansas
Dec 29, 2023 Introducing Missouri

I've not added Iowa yet as we haven't had the official introducing blog post and video. Still, we're probably nine months away from Iowa release. If Illinois is after that, it would probably be the second half of 2025 for release.

That probably means at least 2 to 3 years for the entire tri-state area.

And it's official, Introducing Iowa!

Located in the upper Midwestern region of the United States, Iowa forms a bridge between the forests of the east and the grasslands of the prairie plains to the west. Also known as 'The Hawkeye State', Iowa invites truckers to explore its road networks, cities and local industries.

Des Moines, the state capital, is a vibrant city that you won't want to miss! As the largest city in Iowa, it is a hub of cultural and economic activity. Its skyline features the impressive Iowa State Capitol building, a must-see landmark featuring 5 domes, with the most prominent being covered with 23-karat gold!

However the Capitol building isn't the only thing that shines in Iowa. Drivers can find scenic views abound, especially when exploring small towns and cities along the famous Mississippi River. As the second-longest river in the United States spanning over 2,000 miles, this impressive waterway flows through 10 different States.

So, JZ, I have a few questions.


I've owned the game for ages now, and haven't given it nearly as much time as you, but I have played it. I've always just taken Freight Market jobs, where I take their trailer to a specific destination.

How do you generally go about playing ATC?

Do you build up your trucking company at all?
Do you own your own trailers and use the "cargo market"?
Do you own more than one truck?
Do you connect to "World of Trucks"?

I feel like there is a lot to this "game" that I don't engage, and I mostly treat it as a road-trip simulator - but I'm curious about the greater game. For instance, I think it would be delightful to drive around and randomly see my own trucks working the roads, as I assume that's the end-game here.

I have an account on World of Trucks and so I select external contracts for my own jobs. These give me more variety of cargos and destinations.

I have my own company of course (I think you have to create one to start the game). I have several garages and each have a full compliment of trucks and drivers. This gives me lots of income.

I drive only one truck as a preference. I use the automatic transmission option and have turned off the fatigue and police options. I tend to use cruise control and the new lane keeping system so I can do more sightseeing.

I did have my own trailer for awhile but I prefer to have a variety of cargo types so I sold it off.

You don't see your own company trucks in the game, sorry

There really isn't any endgame to ATS which is fine with me. I just find it as a good game to relax with.

Thanks for the reply.

I'm disappointed one does not see their own company's trucks on the road. Just so I'm clear, the other trucks and other drivers are just sorta simulated in the background, never on screen?


And, yeah - I don't really see an end game at all, I just meant that I assume once one had truly hit every part of the game (not just the map, but company growth, etc) - that the world would start to have your trucks in it... more and more.

Unagi wrote: Fri Jun 28, 2024 5:18 pm Just so I'm clear, the other trucks and other drivers are just sorta simulated in the background, never on screen?

Yes, they are simulated in the background. As they do jobs they gain experience which allows them to level up and unlock access to special loads, just like the human player. When they arrive at a location they try to find another job for which they are qualified. If there are no jobs they drive back to their home garage.

You can actually see where your drivers are on the map. For instance, in the image below my driver Anna K. is transporting a wind turbine nacelle from Show Low in Arizona to Colorado Springs, Colorado. It shows that the current trailer is N/A because she is using the customer trailer rather than one from my company.


Here's another driver, he's resting right now on his trip to delivery a wheel loader to Fresno. I've never noticed it before, but when I check out this screen it seems that all the drivers are either are traveling from their home garage location or back to it, carrying a cargo. Huh, I guess that's a good reason to make sure all your garages are located in bigger cities so they have plenty of cargoes

It kills me that the game can't render them into the game - how hard would that truly be?
Limit it to one at a time... I dunno - seems not impossible at all. I've read online just now that "people" say it would be to hard/cpu intensive. Just doesn't seem like tracking and knowing a certain driver is in visual range would be hard to do.
what do I know, though....


That's cool to know what you shared though. I suppose I should get a few drivers and trucks to start earning more serious money.

I'm just a 1 man Co. with $330k in the bank at the moment and 8.5% explored

They should at least add trucks with your logo to the pool of possible spawns.

Still playing on occasion.

Once Indiana and Louisiana are added I will dive back in heavier.

Rip wrote: Sat Jun 29, 2024 11:14 am Still playing on occasion.

Once Indiana and Louisiana are added I will dive back in heavier.

Hey Rip.

My son has been spending time with this, of all things. When he needs to use the restroom he asks his little sister to take the wheel. I don't really get it, myself, but everyone has their own preferences.

Rip wrote:Still playing on occasion.

Once Indiana and Louisiana are added I will dive back in heavier.

Holy shit! A rip sighting

Sent from my Pixel 7 Pro using Tapatalk

GreenGoo wrote: Sat Jun 29, 2024 2:34 pm

Rip wrote: Sat Jun 29, 2024 11:14 am Still playing on occasion.

Once Indiana and Louisiana are added I will dive back in heavier.

Hey Rip.

My son has been spending time with this, of all things. When he needs to use the restroom he asks his little sister to take the wheel. I don't really get it, myself, but everyone has their own preferences.

It is one of those things I do when I want to relax and listen to music.

I especially like it in VR, but don't let your kids do that. VR is bad for younger kids.

naednek wrote: Sat Jun 29, 2024 2:58 pm

Rip wrote:Still playing on occasion.

Once Indiana and Louisiana are added I will dive back in heavier.

Holy shit! A rip sighting

Sent from my Pixel 7 Pro using Tapatalk

Rip wrote: Sat Jun 29, 2024 6:34 pm It is one of those things I do when I want to relax and listen to music.

I especially like it in VR, but don't let your kids do that. VR is bad for younger kids.

I suspect it's the same for my son

My son is no longer a teenager and his sister is almost finished high school so the VR would probably not be an issue, if I ever got around to getting one. Which I have not.

I can see the appeal, and my son is waiting for new territory DLC too, but I don't think I'll be playing it any time soon. I'm glad there are products like this for those who enjoy them though. That's cool.