Revisiting Germany

We are excited by all the positive feedback coming back from the fan community regarding the comprehensive Euro Truck Simulator 2 Update 1.31. You must be wondering already what we have in store for Update 1.32, so let's take a peek!

We know that one of the items very high on the community's wishlist is that we put some attention on older parts of the game world. We are happy to reveal that a small but passionate team of map designers is already working on retouching and refreshing parts of our base game map to bring it up to or at least close to our current standard of visual quality as present in the latest map DLC. The oldest regions we built years ago need the most care, so our choice of where to start was clear: Germany.

We cannot redo the whole country in one quick step, though. The land area is huge, comparable to any newer map DLC. For comparison, we are in the process of pumping well over 30 man-years of effort into our upcoming Beyond the Baltic Sea DLC! We do not want slow down our progress on new content for ETS2 nor ATS, quite the contrary. So we need to dedicate a separate team within SCS that would be committed to refreshing the older map content. All in all, it is definitely going to take considerable time across multiple game updates to go over not just Germany but to eventually revisit the whole of core game map. And by the time we are done, we may just as well start with the older DLC ;)

As you can see in the screenshots, the touches to the German autobahns are considerable. Some cities are altered in a major way, some will only get a bit of polish for now with new textures, vegetation, and cleanups of the worst visual sins. Again, the changes in Update 1.32 should only be considered "stage 1" with several more steps to follow, as the team's focus will gradually shift from the north towards the south of the region. The results of all this work will be a part of regular game updates, available for all existing owners of ETS2 for free of course.

We have one more related cool picture for you on Euro Truck Simulator 2 Facebook page, the result of a little teaser we were doing on the page today. Make sure to check it out!

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Validation video for 8x4 chassis variant of New Scania trucks

As already mentioned in the Euro Truck Simulator 2 Update 1.31 feature list, and no doubt witnessed by most of the players who have updated the game yesterday, the game now contains 8x4 chassis for New Generation Scania trucks.

During review and validation, we have to create and provide quite a lot of videos. We thought it may be a cool tribute to the new vehicle variant if we selected the best bits with dramatic potential, and combined them into a single video for your viewing pleasure. So here we go, Introducing 8x4 chassis for Scania S and R...

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ATS and ETS2 Update 1.31 Out Now!

We are happy to give you official new updates for both our flagship truck sims, at last. Testing of this update wave took us longer than we had hoped, both internal tests and the open beta revealed a lot of areas requiring our attention before we could call the update done. There's quite a lot of new content and functionality for both games there, and we have run into some unexpected problems when things refused to work together.

Thumbs up to everyone who participated in the beta (for both of our games) and sent us his opinion and reported any issues. We would like to express our sincere thanks for all your help, bug reports, and general feedback, they were even more important and helpful than usual. After over a month full of testing, bug fixing, (and sometimes yelling and panicking), we're finally there. Update 1.31 is out for both of our games!

You can find the long and dry list of changes and additions below, but for those of you preferring moving pictures to written words, here is a very nice overview of the major changes in the 1.31 update courtesy of Squirrel's YouTube channel:

CHANGELOG - MAIN FEATURES:

• Power/air lines between truck and trailer(s) (read more)
• More realistic mirror rendering (head position-based FOV)

ATS only:

• New road through Yosemite added - CA-120 (read more)
• New trailers (bottom dumpers)

ETS2 only:

• Random road events
• 8x4 Scania R and S truck chassis
• New routes for Special Transport DLC missions (read more)
• Mighty Griffin DLC aftermarket tuning parts for next-gen Scania S & R (read more)

MINOR CHANGES:

• Job selection screens have new filter and cargo search elements
• Parking brake automatically ON after truck spawn (g_park_brake_init)
• Screenshot name format now based on date and time
• Increased precision trip data (dashboard computer display)
• Fixed torque converter locking
• Fixed damaged predefined trucks in dealers and quick jobs
• Fixed trailer damage reporting
• Fixed HDR interpolation

ETS2 only:

• UK trailers no longer have a different license plate from the lorry
• Faster gear shifting for new Opticruise transmissions
• Fixed/updated license plates in various countries (Belgian, Norwegian, Polish, Czech)

TOOLS/ MOD:

• New terrain brushes in the map editor
• Dropped support of very old maps (pre ver. 4.38)
• Mirror_data
• A trailer can be registered as standalone or not 
• Variable shift length
• Truck dealer trucks are not in a single file/list anymore, the game reads all files/units in the given directory, making things friendlier for mods to coexist
• Steerable wheel independent on wheel model 
• Dropped support for old attributes

Make sure to OPT OUT of beta branches now and your game will be automatically updated on Steam. For the legacy non-Steam edition of ETS2, the update should be ready in a few days. Enjoy!

Related articles:
American Truck Simulator Update 1.31 Open Beta
Euro Truck Simulator 2 Update 1.31 Open Beta

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ETS2 Special Transport revisited

Last December's add-on release for Euro Truck Simulator 2 - the Special Transport DLC - has been accepted very positively in the fan community. As you may remember, a comparable game expansion is also in the works for American Truck Simulator, but meanwhile, the team behind Special Transport still keeps on tweaking and improving their creation.

We are happy to reveal that along with the upcoming ETS2 1.31 Update, the Special Transport DLC will also be updated with new jobs. There are new routes added to the core map, and several new routes will also be accessible for owners of other map DLCs.

This is not our last take on Special Transport, you can count on further tweaks and improvements down the road!

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American Truck Simulator 1.30 Update

In the frenzy of releases at the end of last year, we have not managed to sync the codebases of American Truck Simulator and Euro Truck Simulator 2 to the same revision. With multiple builds of games and DLC to pass through QA, we did not have enough testing capacity to dedicate to this update. The 1.29 revision was solid and working, and we didn't want to risk releasing a new build just a day or two before starting our whole-company vacation, only to find out that a hotfix is needed immediately. It was deemed safer to live with known little glitches for a few weeks rather than to risk introducing an unknown game-breaking bug.

This maintenance release mostly brings some bug fixes and safety measures for mods.

Your game on Steam should update automatically, unless you have opted out from auto updates, or unless you prefer to stay with a particular branch to preserve older mod compatibility.

Features:

• Code support for multi-torque engines
• Fixed generation of terrain when it is connected to terrain in unloaded sector
• AI will not use blinkers when canceling a lane change while it is in progress
• Fixed sleeping area triggers not being visible in UI map after initial game load
• Improved calculation of trailer weight distribution when lifting trailer axles
• Various editor fixes and improvements (stamps in content browser, support hiding of instanced geometry, collections, item performance info, searching, traffic tool)
• Cleanup of OpenGL support
• Fixed light sources in multi-time HQ screenshots
• Prevented crash if road is using a stamp whose material is missing
• Prevented crash when creating new board template in mod
• Updated localization

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Euro Truck Simulator 2 Update 1.30

Paving the way for next week's major map expansion release, here we are with the official Update 1.30 for Euro Truck Simulator 2. We would like to thank everyone for their participation in the Open Beta, your support was awesome as always!

The game should update automatically through Steam. If you have switched to a beta branch, don't forget to opt out now! On the other hand, if you are concerned with mod compatibility and need to stay on the older version of the game for a time, there are still branches available on Steam giving you access to previous game versions. Update for non-Steam legacy edition of the game and VR-compatible beta build of the game may take a few additional days to get ready.

MAIN FEATURES

• New Generation Scania R-Series and S-Series trucks

With almost two man-years invested in building the new vehicle models and implementing them into the game since the start of the year, this is our most detailed truck ever created.

• Map improvements - city of Milano was completely remade, the whole northern part of Italy improved

We refreshed the old part of Italy which is already present in the base game to make it fit better with the quality of the upcoming Italia DLC. Consider it a sneak-peek into what it is going to be like.

• Overhaul of navigation algorithms

New navigation code has been introduced in American Truck Simulator already and it is a huge change that required major programming effort and ended up being a large improvement over the old one. The navigation is now capable of sending the driver back along the same stretch of the road if need be, which may seem trivial, but it actually required a total redesign of the underlying data structures. We are looking forward to your feedback on this.

• Time zones support

ETS2 now also supports time zones, which is going to be handy for further growth of the map. For now, this change will be affecting the UK only, since other ETS2 countries are in the same time zones.

ADDITIONAL CHANGES

• ZF-16 transmission supporting upcoming DLC for all trucks that missed similar one
• Map fitted to correct projection (more exact environment behavior), map panning option
• Multi-torque engines support (used in DAF engines 2017) 
• Basic engine and transmission info in quick job truck tooltip
• Trailers with country restrictions are towed only to services in given countries
• Further polish to DAF, Volvo, and SCANIA trucks
• Tons of map tweaks and fixes in the base map and older map DLCs
• New luxury yacht cargo

TOOLS / MOD ACCESS

• New interactive tool for environmental lighting and weather setting (included in the editor)
• New interactive tool for traffic behavior and rules debugging (included in the editor)
• New scene preview tool (included in the editor)
• New navigation parameters in map data
• Assistance service parameters in economy data

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New Mexico DLC arrives alongsideAmerican Truck Simulator update 1.29!

We are proud to announce that the New Mexico map expansion for American Truck Simulator has just been released!

New Mexico's nickname is the “Land of Enchantment.” A lot of unique natural scenery will accompany the players during all hauls. The state has a lot to offer in terms of landscape variety: Rio Grande, Carson National Forest, Baylor Peak, Pyramid Rock and other recognizable landmarks.

Thousands of miles of roads lead through urbanized areas like Albuquerque, sparsely populated trading posts, lush forests, mountain ranges and rest stops in the middle of the desert. There are many unique functional truck stops around New Mexico's highways to spend the night, rest, refuel or repair a damaged truck.

Main features

• Over 4,000 miles of new in-game roads
• 14 major cities, including Albuquerque, Santa Fe, and Roswell
• 11 custom rest/truck stops for parking and refueling
• More than 600 completely new 3D assets
• Complex and realistic custom-built junctions and Interstate interchanges
• 8 new company docks and industries
• Unique landmarks both natural and man-made
• New Mexico achievements to unlock

Useful links

• New Mexico Steam store page
• American Truck Simulator Enchanted Bundle Steam store page (make sure to visit it first if you consider buying the DLC!)
• New Mexico press kit (screenshots, video, assets, information)

We hope that all virtual truckers will have a lot of fun in the latest map extension of American Truck Simulator!

American Truck Simulator official Update 1.29 is out

We want to thank everyone who participated in the open beta. The final version of the update is now ready and the game should update automatically on Steam, unless you have automatic updates disabled. We're very grateful for your help!

You can find the whole list of major changes and fixes in Update 1.29 outlined in our previous post here.

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Under The Hood: US Traffic Signs

Welcome back to the fourth article of the 'Under the Hood' series. Today, we're going to take a look at the traffic signs in our games, specifically focusing on American Truck Simulator development.

As our experience and our team size are growing, we can afford to dedicate more attention and development time to various aspects of our game world. Traffic signs are no exception. During the early years of development, with a relatively small development team, we had to take a lot of shortcuts and simplifications to finish the project in a reasonable time. Looking back, we now realize that our first take at the arrangement of traffic signs as used in our rendition of California and Nevada left much to be desired. From our perspective of a developer based in Europe, we thought it was believable, when in fact we have unknowingly omitted quite important building blocks of the whole logical system.

We have focused a lot more on research in the past year, and managed to dedicate enough manpower to road signs. Especially for drivers with actual experience from US roads, this is going to be very noticeable in New Mexico

It's not just about the look of individual signs, their shape, dimensions, color, numbering, or proper font choice - these are non-negotiable of course. We now have a very flexible toolset at our disposal to compose a sign from its elements. We can also choose specific details that are particular to a given state or region, like different poles. But ultimately, it's about the whole system.

New Mexico DLC marks the start of a new era, taking advantage of the new set of traffic sign building blocks. The new set is also used when building the next ATS world region, which is already very much under development.

For future game updates, we have a plan in place and capacity reserved to also revisit the "older" states of American Truck Simulator, to make the signs more accurate. So you can look forward to further improvements in California, Nevada, and Arizona.

As you can see in the images, our asset designers have created a new set consisting of about 200 new traffic signs. Our programmers have come up with a new system, allowing the map designers to use and combine the base and info part of the traffic signs from a wide variety of options. This efficient new system will be useful for example for traffic sign poles made out of wood instead of the more typically used metal.

Only overhead traffic signs on our highways? Not anymore, because we've also created several new types of traffic sign placement. There will be signs placed on highway bridges you're just passing under, affixed to sound barriers placed alongside the road, and so on, just like in real life. We are doing some tweaks and upgrades to the standard overhead signs. We can now appreciate even small details like the difference between the placement and style of how the exit number is positioned. With all these upgrades we're trying to cover as many specifications per state as possible.

You can also look forward to meeting some diagram traffic signs, showing a schematic drawing of the upcoming intersection. We can also work better with "control cities" on highway signs. Eventually, even though for sign placements we are somewhat limited by the 1:20 scale of our world compared to reality, our ambition is to have 100% realistic road signs in American Truck Simulator.

Please let us know your opinions, wishes and suggestions, or which topic should we cover next our 'Under The Hood' series articles.

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ETS2 and ATS update 1.28 has arrived!

We want to thank everyone who participated in the open betas for their feedback. We are truly grateful for your time and dedication.

After several weeks of thorough testing and bug fixing, the open beta is finally over today, and we are here to release live 1.28 update for everyone. Thank you for your patience, we hope that you will enjoy this update as much as the previous ones. 

Here is the list of major changes and added features in this update:

MAIN FEATURES

• Doubles

We introduced doubles in this update into Euro Truck Simulator 2 across Scandinavia where they are allowed and doubles into American Truck Simulator with the addition of triples and Rocky Mountain doubles in the state of Nevada where they are legal.

• Background screen options

This feature, admittedly mostly cosmetic, is a neat break of monotony when coming back to the game's main menu. As the options for alternate background scenes will grow over time, there will be more choice for you to picking a unique atmosphere that matches your style.

• Changed light look on the player and AI vehicles

Light flares are a great change that sharpened the game's look quite a bit, as such, they have earned their own dedicated blog post.

• DAF XF 2017 Facelift

We have added facelifted version of DAF XF Euro 6 as a free update for everyone!

MINOR CHANGES

• Auxiliary brakes system support (engine brake and retarder in one control element)
• Fixed licence plate change in states/countries where no city formats exist
• Fixed brake vs parking brake behavior
• Fixed tire noise of silent tires
• Retarder improvement (better cruise control behavior, no braking with throttle, icon when moving only)
• Steam Inventory support to allow for distributing rewards from upcoming World of Trucks events
• Added three more steering wheel designs into Steering Creations DLC

Your games will be automatically updated on Steam (make sure to opt OUT of beta branches now!). For the legacy non-Steam edition of ETS2, an update should be ready in a few days. Enjoy!

Related:

Euro Truck Simulator 2 Open Beta ver 1.28

American Truck Simulator 1.28 Open Beta

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Closing a part of California's Highway 1

Dear American truckers. In your future travel plans, please keep in mind the temporary closure of the offshore section of  California's coastal Highway 1. As you already know from the IRL media, Big Sur landslide interrupted the iconic route.

We always strive to bring something new in our game updates. This time, at this particular spot, we will not give, but take. The next update will close the Highway 1 section. Its reopening in our American Truck Simulator will depend entirely on real world events. Fortunately, an alternate route is going to be available.

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Update info and DAF XF 105 improvements

We know that our fans are waiting for any new information about the status of the upcoming update for our games. We finally believe that the extensive internal testing of the new content for Euro Truck Simulator 2 and American Truck Simulator is almost complete. An Open Beta stage is planned next, but we do not want to release a build of the game with any known issues even into beta. At this point, we are still tweaking the last little things so we can invite you all to test new content as soon as possible, hopefully early next week.

In addition to new features, you can look forward to improved DAF XF 105 in the next update for Euro Truck Simulator 2. We have revisited the truck model and made quite some changes to the Exclusive and Standard interior. In the exterior, the changes touched stock sun shield for Super Space Cab and Super Space Cab Plus.

We're constantly striving not only to deliver new content but also to improve the existing one that we can proudly offer the highest standard of truck simulators to our fans.

Related articles:
Doubles
Better light flares for vehicles

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Doubles

Today we have an announcement that should make many of our fans happy. After quite some years of internal discussions and frankly some frustrations and struggles to have the gameplay as well as technical side of multi-trailer physics support ironed out, we finally feel ready to reveal fresh info about our progress on doubles.

It has taken us a long time, but hope never dies! We are polishing double trailers for inclusion in the next major updates for Euro Truck Simulator 2 as well as for American Truck Simulator. We have a few pictures for you to prove that we are serious...

Our games' fans have patiently (or not so patiently) waited for double trailers for a long time, and the wait should not be that long any more. The new trailers and physics improvements will be a part of the next big "point release" update of both games. Our hope is to release the updates in early summer. It's going to be a FREE update.

Meanwhile, we are also wrapping up work on Heavy Cargo packs both for ETS2 and for ATS, which are going to be paid DLCs, comparable to our existing High Power Cargo Pack DLC. So if you are into cargo transport in particular, there is a ton of cool stuff to look forward to!

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Game Updates Arrive Today!

The wait for the final version of the 1.6 update for American Truck Simulator and 1.27 update for Euro Truck Simulator 2 is over! We want to thank all of you who contributed to our open beta test with bug reports, feedback, and suggestions. Updates for both games are available via Steam now.

MAIN FEATURES

• [ETS2 only] Country Specific Police Cars AI

This update brings a new element which synchronizes the game with ATS - cop cars in traffic. Police cars have a unique look for each country.

• [ATS only] Weigh station pass device

The windshield-mounted box expands situational awareness for those who prefer to switch off all user interface elements for an immersive experience. It works the same way as the weigh station functionality which is a part of the on-screen Advisor "widget".

• Trailer Liftable Axles
• Differential Lock
• Adaptive transmission modes (power, normal, eco)
• Improved engine simulation model (friction, braking, consumption)

MINOR CHANGES

• [ETS2 only] Volvo with Allison gearbox can shift up over 4 gears.
• Air pressure simulation improved (pressure buildup, cut-off sound, application pressure).
• Coin sound tweaked.
• FOV range increased to 40-120 degrees in adjuster.
• Engine brakes set to 3 positions (as most current trucks have). One-key-hold control will use full strength still.
• If engine brake toggle input is not assigned, increase/decrease engine brake inputs work similar to retarder (in range from 0 to maximum).
• Multiple fueling points on gas stations.
• g_force_economy_reset flag is disabled after economy reset.
• Transmission input shaft simulation (double clutch).

MODDING INFO

• Single "overrides" (forced default) rule can be used instead of defaults-suitable rule pair across linked accessories.
• All pressure units set consistently to bars (data, animation, dashboard UI).
• Nominal air_tank_pressure value added to chassis data.
• Changed interior animations: all air, oil and brake pressure (gauges, indicators).
• New interior animation: trailer axle lift (indicator), differential lock (button, indicator).
• New engine data: resistance_torque (measured at 2000rpm).
• Coin sound made moddable in the same way as other sounds (through ogg file).

To get the best advice about modding either game check our modding wiki.

WORLD OF TRUCKS

• Connecting DLC's owned by the player to his World of Truck account to make the content available for all World of Trucks features.

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Euro Truck Simulator 2 Update 1.27 Open Beta

Today is the day to start 1.27 Update Open Beta. It took us a bit more time than we anticipated to get the release prepared; we have been busy addressing problems reported during ATS Open Beta. Most of them would also be manifested in the ETS 2 builds, and it makes little sense to release anything with known issues.

No need to write about the Liftable Trailer Axles once again, but if you've missed it, you can find our previous mention about it here.

The fans who have already experimented with ATS Update Open Beta would of course already know about the differential lock that's coming with this wave of updates. This feature allows you to lock/unlock the differentials on the truck's wheels, to avoid wheelspin. It becomes quite handy in situations where you're hauling some really heavy cargo on an uneven road or unstable ground. The difference with differential lock on is very obvious and can save your day. We were testing it with really heavy trailers on dirty roads from the bottom of the biggest mines to the top.

This new feature is by default set to hotkey V, but keep in mind that you can turn differential lock on only when the truck is not moving fast.

For ETS2 specifically, the new version updates one element that brings the game in sync with ATS - cop cars in traffic. Police cars have unique looks for each country. It's not about just changing the colors or a texture on the same car model. We've created specific car models which we consider typical or representative for each country. They can give you fines, but they can do it only in the state where their jurisdiction belongs. So, if they happen to be lured outside of their homeland to another country, they can't take any of your hard-earned money anymore. But still, better take your feet off the pedals and obey the traffic law, because there are new sheriffs in towns!

Enough chit-chat? Ok. Here comes the full list of changes:

MAIN FEATURES

• Country Specific Police Cars AI
• Trailer Liftable Axles
• Differential Lock
• Adaptive transmission modes (power, normal, eco)
• Improved engine simulation model (friction, braking, consumption)
• Transmission input shaft simulation (double clutch)

MINOR CHANGES

• Volvo with Allison gearbox can shift up over 4 gear.
• Air pressure simulation improved (pressure buildup, cut-off sound, application pressure)
• Coin sound tweaked.
• FOV range increased to 40-120 degrees in adjuster.
• Engine brakes set to 3 positions (as most current truck have). For one-key-hold control you can still use full strength.
• If engine brake toggle input is not assigned, increase/decrease engine brake inputs work similar to retarder (in range from 0 to maximum)
• Multiple fueling points on gas stations
• g_force_economy_reset flag is disabled after economy reset.

MODDING INFO

• Single "overrides" (forced default) rule can be used instead of defaults-suitable rule pair across linked accessories.
• All pressure unit set consistently to bars (data, animation, dashboard ui).
• Nominal air_tank_pressure value added to chassis data.
• Changed interior animations: all air, oil and brake pressure (gauges, indicators)
• New interior animation: trailer axle lift (indicator), differential lock (button, indicator)
• New engine data: resistance_torque (measured at 2000rpm)
• Coin sound made moddable in the same way as other sounds (through ogg file).

WORLD OF TRUCKS

• Connecting DLC's owned by the player to his World of Truck account to make the content available for all World of Trucks features.

During open betas, we are operating a dedicated alternate site for World of Trucks, which is used to safely test all new features. Please visit World of Trucks Open Beta web for more information. Also check our modding wiki too to get details pertaining to mods for the game.

If you wish to participate in the open beta, you can find this version in public_beta branch on Steam. The way to access it is as follows: Steam client → LIBRARY → right click on Euro Truck Simulator 2 → Properties → Betas tab → public_beta → 1.27 public beta. No password required.

Just as with the previous Open Beta releases - please keep in mind that this is still only a beta version of the update! You may experience instability and/or bugs and kinks. It’s completely okay if you want to wait for the final release. But if you are interested in providing feedback at this stage, be sure to let us know on our forum. We appreciate all your feedback immensely.

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