The year 2020 is coming to an end in a few hours. It's been a very hard year for most of the world, but we want to focus on something positive here. Despite some setbacks and hard decisions to make, the work on new map expansions, new vehicles and parts, new game features, and our 3D engine improvements continued at a solid pace. We have managed to keep our chins up and remain productive, and both American Truck Simulator and Euro Truck Simulator 2 keep getting better.

Allow us to reminiscence and review the content and features we have released throughout 2020!



Let's all hope that the new year will be way better than the one we are leaving behind. As teased and hinted in our Christmas Special stream (recording here), our teams are already working on a big pile of very exciting projects and updates, including quite some game-changers. We're looking forward to bringing you more specific news as we develop and release the new features.



ːlunar2019piginablanketː

Our dearest #BestCommunityEver,

The festive end of the year is fast approaching, and the team at SCS Software is taking a bit of time off to enjoy the holidays and to recharge our batteries. We will slow down the pace of news updates and social media posts over the next couple of weeks, but we'll be back in January with new energy and lots of new topics to cover.

Meanwhile, we trust that all the automated systems we have put in place will keep on working only with a bit of monitoring needed. So you should be able to enjoy our new Christmas Wise Giving event on World of Trucks...

https://steamcommunity.com/games/227300/announcements/detail/4043634620703939516

... as well as still being able to catch up on the Cruising Colorado event if you are thinking of getting the new map expansion for American Truck Simulator.

https://steamcommunity.com/games/americantrucksimulator/announcements/detail/2908724255320776527



To say that this year has been difficult is an understatement. A lot of us have been through really rough times. There is a glimpse of hope on the horizon now with news that the world may have a cure next year, but we need to be patient and keep ourselves and the ones dear to us as safe as possible now. We are proud that our games are a part of life for so many of our fans, and we will be happy to provide you with company again if need be in the coming weeks. Ours is a hobby that fits the limitations of Stay at Home very well - or rather Truck at Home in our case!

So, make yourself a cup of hot chocolate, coffee or tea put on some warm and cozy clothes, get yourself some good and tasty food, watch some classic movies, and let these stories pull you into fantasy worlds where everything is possible. Or grab a steering wheel, a game controller, or just your trusty keyboard and mouse, and play the games you love, including American Truck Simulator and Euro Truck Simulator 2.

Additionally, if you have missed our Christmas Special live-stream on Monday, you can watch the recording now, too. Maybe it can put a smile on your face as we reflect on the good stuff we managed to pull off in 2020, while also teasing and hinting at the future of our games in the years to come.



No matter how you are going to spend the holidays, have a wonderful time, and please stay safe.

Merry Christmas! ːwinter2019happyyulː

Last year we asked the community to spread the spirit of Christmas giving across all trucking territories in the Christmas Grand Giving event of 2019. The response was outstanding and we all did ourselves proud.

So, you may ask, what could top such a momentous effort? What is better than giving during Christmas time? The answer, this year, is not just giving, but giving wisely! In this way, we bring you the Christmas Wise Giving event of 2020 for Euro Truck Simulator 2 and American Truck Simulator!



We are not only asking you, our #BestCommunityEver, to match the Grand Giving reputation that you earned last year, but we are further challenging everyone to beat it by giving wisely, and we are going to help you do this!

We have fresh trailer loads of much-needed gifts to deliver. It is going to be your kind heart and wise decisions that deliver them to who needs them most. For carrying out this noble deed your actions will be noted twofold, in that we will award Hearts to each city, based on the number of deliveries it gives, and Gifts to each city based on the number of deliveries it receives. It will be the sum total of Hearts and Gifts that will be counted towards the community goal.

The more a city gives or receives, the more Hearts or Gifts that city gets, with a maximum of 5 Heart icons and 5 Gift icons per city.

You’ll be able to track the community progress on World of Trucks or directly in the game using the updated External Contracts interface:



We'll be jump-starting this great event with a special Christmas Wise Giving developer stream on the 17th of December, starting at 18:00 CET. It will be loads of fun, delivering jobs during the event, giving away steam keys, and we'll provide more information on our social media sharing campaign, in which those who'll share an image or video from their participation in the event, under the #XmasWiseGiving hashtag, will have a chance to win some cool gifts.


Using External Contracts with a World of Trucks-connected profile in Euro Truck Simulator 2, American Truck Simulator or both, the goal is to get as many Hearts and Gifts as possible awarded to as many cities as possible across all trucking territories. Every city can achieve up to 5 Hearts and 5 Gifts!

For a city to gain 1 Heart the community must make 1000 deliveries from it, using the provided Gifts cargo.

For a city to gain 1 Gift the community must make 1000 deliveries to it, using the provided Gifts cargo.

Each tier of 350 Hearts/Gifts combined, will unlock a unique community reward.

For a Personal goal, complete at least 15 deliveries of Gifts cargo in either Euro Truck Simulator 2 or American Truck Simulator.

In quick summary, using Euro Truck Simulator and/or American Truck Simulator:

• To get a Personal goal: 15 deliveries from any cities in either game.
  
• To get a Heart for a city: 1000 deliveries from that particular city.
  
• To get a Gift for a city: 1000 deliveries to that particular city.
  
• Unlock a unique community reward: Every tier of 350 Hearts/Gifts combined, collected from both games.

Your contribution of 15 or more deliveries of Gifts cargo will gain you:

• A World of Trucks Achievement
  
• A Christmas-themed, Winter Blast, paint job to help you carry out more Gifts deliveries during the event.

Each tier of 350 Hearts/Gifts combined, will unlock unique community rewards. There will be 6 tiers in total, so after 2100 Hearts/Gifts are achieved all community goals will be completed, so let's do this!





Note: In order to qualify for any community reward, you must complete at least your personal goal in Euro Truck Simulator 2, American Truck Simulator or both. Each reward will be a Steam inventory item for both Euro Truck Simulator 2 and American Truck Simulator. Once completed, claim your reward on the Events page on your World of Trucks profile.

The event will be concluded on Sunday the 17th of January at 23:59 UTC.

We don't want to leave drivers of Euro Truck Simulator 2 without some of the cool items and designs that U.S drivers can now have in their truck cabs with the recent release of Cabin Accessories for American Truck Simulator.

https://steamcommunity.com/games/americantrucksimulator/announcements/detail/2892963558044980589



We are happy to share with you that if all goes as planned, we intend to release an update tomorrow for the Cabin Accessories DLC for Euro Truck Simulator 2. It should become available just as we update both games to give the community access to a new seasonal event (hint hint!). All the new content for Cabin Accessories DLC will of course be free for its current owners. The update will contain equivalents of several practical and decorative items introduced to ATS, with a few designs exclusive to ETS2.





From coffee cups to air fresheners and laptops, the possibilities for cab customizations are (almost) endless! For owners of the Goodyear Tyres Pack, you will also find a bonus Goodyear-branded pillow for your truck's interior.










We are excited to see what items you'll choose to bring into your cab. Be sure to share with us your newly decorated cabs with us on our Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/388470/Euro_Truck_Simulator_2__Cabin_Accessories/

Today, we'd like to share with you more news about the Germany reskin project. As mentioned in our recent 'Good News & the Mixed News' blog post, the team behind the reworking of Germany in Euro Truck Simulator 2 has made good progress and today, we'd like to share with you some screenshots from their work, which is planned to be released with the next 1.40 update.



For those who are new to our game, the revisiting Germany project consists of a small dedicated map team, who has been working hard to update one of the oldest map sections of the base game with a more realistic and up-to-date look.


We are also happy to share that these screenshots were taken with the new light system that is being implemented into our game engine. However, bringing new and updated lighting into the virtual world isn't an easy task. A majority of our in-game assets and objects have had to be optimized and updated to work with the new visual style that is being actively developed. The hard work and effort our teams are putting into this update are really beginning to shine and we can't wait to share more with you about it in the future.



So what changes can you expect from this update? We won't share all the nitty-gritty details in this blog post, however, we can share that the city of Stuttgart will include a new area for the airport (which you may have spotted in the previous blog post image) and the city of Dortmund has been relocated to the correct side of the Autobahn; but that isn't all!



The biggest change that will come with this update is a complete reskin and rework of all the highways and roads in this part of our in-game world, which haven't been reskinned in previous updates. Additionally, the area around the cities of Dortmund, Köln, Dusseldorf, and Duisburg has not only benefitted from a complete road network redesign but a few new intersections and roads as well! The southern part of the Bundesautobahn 7 will also be available in this update.



We hope this upcoming Germany update will keep you content until our next big release. Please keep in mind that these screenshots were taken in the new visual light implantation which is still under heavy development and is subject to change. We look forward to sharing with you more development news in the future!

When we were making our plans for 2020, the world was a very different place. Our internal goals were very ambitious; we wanted to get through one of the most extensive technology changes in our engine since the release of Euro Truck Simulator 2, all the while not interrupting production work on map DLCs, new vehicles, and new game features. But then reality intervened. We have spent some three months working from home in the spring, shutting down our office for health concerns. After a couple of months during the summer that seemed to pass too quickly, we have once again switched to working from our homes in early September, and it looks like we may not make it back to our offices until spring 2021.



We have managed to keep our spirits high, we have managed to continue production and even hire new colleagues during these difficult times. But switching the teamwork to a distributed model was not without a price to pay - some of the projects are taking longer than we anticipated. We are doing our best to remotely coordinate and synchronize the effort of over 200 developers contributing to our projects, but you can imagine that managing the creative process in such a way is very demanding.


(screenshot taken at around 9 AM, at approx 43 deg latitude)
The good news is that we are on the verge of very visible improvements in how our games look. Working remotely, chatting over Discord, some of us using kitchen tables for lack of alternatives with the kids home-schooling for months as well, the team is pulling off incredible things. The second stage of changes to our lighting system is a massive project. Intensities of all the light sources in the games are now representative of real-world values, with the appropriate difference of orders of magnitude between the sun and the lightbulb. All internal rendering is fully taking place in HDR, with a series of post-processing steps during the camera exposure stage making sure that the result is crisp and believable. Whether you are under full sunlight, or in a dark tunnel, at sunset, or in heavy rain, the new unified system always makes sure to produce consistent visuals. As part of the rework, we have to touch up pretty much all game assets that we have created over the years, all the skyboxes, vegetation, rocks, buildings, all the vehicles, every texture, and of course, any related light hookup for that lamp on a loading ramp need to be manually adjusted for the new system. It's an incredible amount of changes to the art, and man-years of work of our programmers to change the graphics pipeline, shaders, and tools, using all the tricks in the book so that we do not drastically increase the games' technical requirements.



(both screenshots taken at around 6 PM, at approx 43 deg latitude)

The not so good news is that we will not be able to wrap it all up before the end of the year. We have already committed to a particular trajectory, and now we have to stay the course until we reach the destination. And it's time to go ahead and rip the band-aid off - Iberia DLC for Euro Truck Simulator 2 will not be out this year. Our fans have no doubt got used to the pattern that we have managed to keep in recent years, and you can bet that we have tried as hard as possible to stick to it once again, and get you a new map expansion in December. The scope and scale of Iberia production were challenging even for a normal year, but even with over 20 map designers working full-time on the DLC, this year proved to be too much. We have found ourselves with the timelines of Iberia and the new light project colliding and realized that there was only one proper way to sort it all out. We had to base Iberia on the new light system to minimize long-term complications for future game updates and production.


(screenshot taken at around 6 AM, at approx 39 deg latitude)
We have managed to release Colorado DLC with the current light, and there are some not-so-small additions about to be unleashed from our production pipeline soon, still based on version 1.39. However, both ATS and ETS2 teams are now full steam ahead in reworking and retooling all the models and textures of both games, with no chance to release more updates on legacy code and assets. Iberia will be our first major release to benefit from the new light at launch. Before that happens, Update 1.40 will actually bring new light to both our games, changing the way they look thoroughly; base game content as well as any DLCs.



(both screenshots taken at around 9 AM, at approx 42 deg latitude)

Iberia was not the only internal project affected by the need to unify the development cycle. The team reworking Germany is reporting major progress as well, but they too have to wait until we stabilize the changes in 1.40. See the images below.


(screenshot taken at around 10 AM, at approx 49 deg latitude)

(screenshot taken at around 3 PM, at approx 49 deg latitude)

(screenshot taken at around 4 PM, at approx 49 deg latitude)

Inevitably, we have to brace ourselves now for the big question - when are we going to be ready to release Update 1.40, when is Iberia coming? As has been our mantra for years, we are going to make sure things are solid before we get a new update out. Our best current estimate is that we should reach a closed beta of 1.40 in January. Closed beta takes a while to iron out any problems that we manage to catch ourselves. We will definitely need to spend some weeks in open beta after that, to make sure all potential issues are spotted and addressed, and to give a chance to mod makers to catch up. We do not like to commit to a particular date until we are pretty much sure we can make it, but if you do the math, we are looking at a late-Winter timeframe, hopefully still in the first quarter of 2021.


(screenshot taken at around 8 AM, at approx 38 deg latitude)

We were very careful not to communicate any promises of when Iberia would ship, but we understand that some of you may be sad or disappointed not to see a new ETS2 map expansion to pass the winter with. We apologize for the long wait that we are asking you to endure. But ultimately, we are sure that this is a healthy decision for the long term viability of our games. There are map teams working on yet another generation of map DLCs for both ATS and ETS2 already, and they too need to be sure to work on a well-defined code base and asset base. Everybody will benefit after we reach the new stable build, we just need to push through to reach it.



(both screenshots taken at around 7 AM, at approx 38 deg latitude)


(both screenshots taken at around 9 AM, at approx 43 deg latitude)

We are going to keep showing you more of the changes that are on the horizon with the new light, there will be more screenshots, we actually plan to show you some moving picture of Iberia with new light enabled very soon. It may be a bit buggy yet, we are not through with the process by far, but we feel that we need to communicate how promising it is already.


(screenshot taken at around 5 PM, at approx 39 deg latitude)

Hopefully, the screenshots we are sharing with you today are proving that the changes are really worth it, that the new looks, and the new content and map updates, are really something to look forward to. Rebasing all lighting on the new system is a crucial step. Among other things, it will allow us to present a wider variety of weather conditions and more epic HDR skyboxes. But it's not the end of the road, it's only a milestone. Our programmers have more internal projects underway for additional engine optimizations and speedups, and we expect to see more improvements over the next year. Reaching the new stable point of version 1.40 will allow the art department to pursue their vision of a fully PBR-enabled pipeline in the future, so the visual quality should and will keep on improving further.

It's been a hard time for both us and the community, and we are not yet through. Your continued support over the years gives us the motivation to keep pushing the game to the new frontiers with each update and DLC. We would not be here if not for all of our fans. Thank you for your patience.

Pavel Sebor, CEO, SCS Software

Today, the nominations for the annual Steam Awards are opening, along with the start of the Steam Autumn Sale. You may still remember that back in 2016, our incredible #BestCommunityEver was so active during the first year of Steam Awards, that our Euro Truck Simulator 2 managed to claim victory in two categories.



However, time flies, a lot of fantastic games have been added to the Steam library over the years, and many of them have rightfully accumulated massive fan-bases as well. Meanwhile, Valve adjusted the rules such that titles launched before 2019 can now be nominated in only one category - The Labour of Love, a category that reflects that a game still gets new updates and active support years after launch. This category will surely be very crowded! But still, we may give it a collective try, what do you think? 




If you feel that either Euro Truck Simulator 2 or American Truck Simulator deserves the Labour of Love award, or possibly at least some buzz and visibility for being nominated and in the category, we will appreciate your vote and support. You can cast your vote by heading to this year's Steam Awards Nomination Page.

With over 3,000 km of coastline, a majority of Iberia's largest cities and population are located near or next to the sea. With temperatures soaring into the 40's during the height of summer, the coastal breeze is nature's air-conditioning, keeping residents cool during the hottest months. 



Today, we are happy to share with you a selection of images from some of the coastal cities that will be featured in our upcoming Iberia DLC for Euro Truck Simulator 2. We won't be naming all the locations of the screenshots shown below, so we encourage you to work together and comment below if you can guess the other locations featured in this blog.


Malaga

Located on the Mediterranean coastline, Malaga is Spain's fifth-largest city. It is best known internationally for its sunny weather, attractive beaches, and the cultural city center with towering apartment blocks. The city also features a large seaport, Puerto de Malaga, which is the oldest continuously-operated port in Spain, and one of the oldest in the Mediterranean region. From visiting cruise ships to freighters, this port works around the clock to send and receive shipments from around the world.


Algeciras

On the subject of ports, Algeciras is home to one of the largest ports in Europe and in the world in three main categories: container, cargo, and transshipment. It also serves as an important gateway for industries shipping to mainland Europe from North Africa. This beautiful coastal city offers drivers a spectacular view of the coast and even the famous 'The Rock of Gibraltar' located on the other side of the bay. 


Olhão

If you are looking to get away from the hustle and bustle of a large city, then Olhão may be the destination for you. Titled as one of one the calmest destinations in Portugal, it is one of the few coastal towns within the Algarve region where the primary focus of the economy is not tourism. Just like many of the coastal towns and cities across Iberia, fishing is one of the main industries of the town. 



Bilbao

Bilbao is the capital of Biscay and the economic, social and cultural centre of the Basque region. Combining a stylish vintage district, industrial heritage, and modern architecture, it is one of the largest cities in northern Spain. This may just be one of your first destinations on a drive when crossing the border into Iberia.


These are just a few of the highlighted coastal towns and cities that you will be able to explore and deliver to and from around the Iberian peninsula. If you like what you sea, don't forget to take a moment to add Iberia for Euro Truck Simulator 2 to your Steam Wishlist, which really helps supports us and our upcoming releases. Gracias/Obrigado!


https://store.steampowered.com/app/1209460/Euro_Truck_Simulator_2__Iberia/

As we approach the end of the year, we wish to remind you that our Official SCS Software E-Shop will be closing on November 30th at 23:59 UTC, as previously announced. From that time onwards, there, unfortunately, will be no official way to purchase our Euro Truck Simulator 2, American Truck Simulator, and SCS Software merchandise.



However, for the last month of the E-Shop's operations, we are hosting a variety of special offers across our whole range of merchandise. So whether you are looking for that perfect Christmas gift for your co-driver or just wanting to own your own piece of trucking swag, you won't want to miss out on this sale!

Since our original blog announcement, we have received thousands of orders from across the world, with more popular items selling out quickly. Today we have replenished some of these sold-out items as we found more stock in some of our storage areas; however, this stock is in limited supply, so be sure to check whether an item on your Wishlist is now back in stock.



We have also introduced a new special offer! If you spend €20 or more (including shipping), you will receive a free secret gift. What is this special gift? It could be anything! Hoodies, lanyards, shirts, an ETS2 mug... you will only find out what it is when it arrives at your door. 

However, that is not all! To spice up the last month of our E-Shop, we've had members of the SCS Software team sign dozens of items such as the Enchanted Edition of American Truck Simulator, Mugs and Posters. So, there is a chance you could receive some of these limited signed items as part of your regular order or for the secret gift!



As winter approaches, we encourage you to consider ordering one of our extremely comfy and warm ETS2 or ATS hoodies, especially as they are on-sale at their lowest price ever starting from only €19.90! Also if you decide to buy 2 hoodies, you will receive a free copy of the Enchanted Edition of American Truck Simulator, what a bargain! 



We'd also like to remind customers that due to the current on-going situation around the world and here in the Czech Republic, postal services and shipping companies are working under a limited capacity. For this reason, we are unfortunately unable to give you an ETA on your order. Please know that our e-shop team is working hard to fulfill and ship all orders as quickly as possible.

So that is all folks, once they are gone they are gone! So be sure to order quickly to secure the items you want. We thank you all for the continued support and patience during this time, and we hope you will enjoy any items or special gifts you may receive.

With lots of testing, feedback, fixing and fine-tuning, we are excited to announce the arrival of update the 1.39 for Euro Truck Simulator 2!



We'd like to thank all those who took part in the 1.39 open beta and made bug reports and provided general feedback on this new version. We hope you can now begin to fully enjoy the various new features which are included within this update. So, what can you expect to find in the 1.39 update for ETS2?

Lets us give you a quick recap of the most significant changes.


LAUNCHPAD UPDATE

One of the first things you may notice when you launch Euro Truck Simulator 2 with the 1.39 Open Beta is a redesign of the current launchpad. The main reason why we are introducing this change is to pave the way for a future addition, which will introduce new features to our games that are accessed through the launchpad.



Until then, however, you can see that the design has changed quite significantly. The profile selected at the top now affects all other options and managers found on the launchpad. This applies not only to the Mod Manager but especially to the new addition which we have placed here, Game Options. 

This allows you to change your game settings without even having to load the game. So if you're just looking to tweak your game before streaming on Twitch or adjusting a few options before heading into your truck, it can all be done from the launchpad screen. 

LOW-BED & LOW-LOADER TRAILERS

As we previously announced in a recent blog, new Lowbed & Low-Loader Trailers will be arriving at Euro Truck Simulator 2. These trailers have been reworked from the ground up, offering drivers the option to purchase them and use them in an array of different jobs

including High Power Cargo Pack, and the Heavy Cargo DLC's.



Low-bed and low-loader trailers now come in two main versions - short and extended, plus they now have customizable chassis which can affect their suitability for heavy cargoes. You will now also be able to adjust and tune them up with multiple new options like colors, rear bumpers, and banners, markers, lights, ramps, side protectors, multiple versions of side/toolboxes, beacons, strobes, mud-flaps, and more! Every single one of these new options had to be adjusted properly for each of these new trailers, to be sure that they fit perfectly!


This major update affects not only the base game of ETS2, but also a lot of other DLCs such as the Heavy Cargo Pack, High Power Cargo Pack, Schwarzmüller DLC, and Special Transport.


CITY OF CALAIS RESKIN

Introducing the port of Calais, the fourth-largest port in France and the busiest for passenger traffic. Its industry accounts for more than a third of economic activity in the local area. As many of you may know, Calais is one of our base game cities which was released with Euro Truck Simulator 2. 



As such, a dedicated part of our map team has taken time to give the city and port a major reskin, giving it a fresh and up-to-date look for 1.39. The biggest change you will notice is how the port is now represented in-game. In reality, Calais port is huge and so our map team has worked hard to best reflect that reality within the confines of our map scale. This newly recreated port will feature new assets including gates, terminals, ramps for ferries, and fences.


Other changes include updates to the port entrance and surrounding city areas which have been redesigned to correspond more correctly to reality now. You can read more in detail about this free update to Calais in this blogpost. 

GENERAL BUG FIXES/SOUND CHANGES

1.39 also features various bug fixes, improvements, and an update to sounds. This includes, but is not limited to, improved interior cab sound mixing and other changes in preparation for new and upcoming content.

One of the changes you can find is the addition of the Turbo sound slider in the game's Options screen. When we introduced a separate channel for turbo sound some years back, it was hailed as a crucial enhancement to the simulation. We did our best to tune it properly based on actual in-cabin recordings. Indeed, many players commented very positively on it. However, over the years we have also been receiving feedback that the whistling sound may be too difficult to bear for some players. The new slider continues the trend of giving you more control over your simulation experience. We hope you enjoy this new addition plus a few other sound tweaks which come with it.

While a majority of the changes in 1.39 are not seen visually in this version, we look forward to bringing you more content and changes in the near future. 

CHANGELOG

MAP

• City of Calais re-skin

UI

• Launchpad redesigned

VEHICLES

• Lowbed and low-loader trailers (ownable)
• Schwarzmuller low-loader (ownable) for the Schwarzmuller DLC
• DAF XF 2017 Facelift added to AI vehicles
• MAN TGX Euro 6 added to AI vehicles (with 6x2/4 variants as well)

FEATURES

• Sound updates and improvements (turbo slider, sound positioning, cabin spatial mixing, sound distribution to accessories)
• Trailer browser & lister shows all valid cargo variants
• Experimental transmission input shaft emulation and clutch brake support (g_clutch_brake)