Nov 26, 2023

American Truck Simulator - Tiktak

Celebrate the release of our new Kansas DLC on Thursday, the 30th of November, by taking part in our World of Trucks event - Cruising Kansas! Discover and explore the diverse landscapes of the Sunflower State, where distinct ecological regions of beauty await, all while you're on the job. Kansas offers incredibly beautiful nature, native grasslands, winding streams and seemingly endless blue skies, all entwined with a rich history.

We are asking our #BestCommunityEver to achieve the community goal of driving 125,000,000 miles (201,168,000 km) while delivering cargoes to or from any city in Kansas.

While #CruisingKansas, you'll enjoy state parks and expansive prairies, providing unforgettable views. Kansas is also the home to wildlife such as deer, coyotes, raccoons, salamanders, and the iconic American bison, not to mention a multitude of birds, such as the Western Meadowlark, making pit stops during the trip south.

Emerging from its agricultural roots, Kansas has evolved into a vibrant industrial hub, attracting large businesses with its central location and efficient logistics infrastructure. Truckers can support and enjoy various industries, from the thriving aviation sector to car factories or the renowned salt mine and beyond.

During your travels through Kansas, you can look forward to many spectacular views and highlights such as:

Dodge City, known for its history as a frontier town of the Wild West
Monument Rocks, landmark of ancient chalk formations
Kansas City, largest metropolitan area in Kansas
Mount Sunflower, highest natural point in Kansas

As with past cruising events, you can use your own trailer and experience all these in the external market!

Kansas DLC is offering 14 amazing new cities to explore, and we have a special reward for completing your personal goal, which will require you to deliver a job to or from all of them. All jobs for the event need to be 100 miles each (161 km) or more.

Get ready for a fabulous trip with our latest addition to American Truck Simulator. Enjoy stunning views, beautiful landscapes and ecological regions while contributing to the state's thriving economy along the way.

Rules

Using External Contracts or External Market, with a World of Trucks-connected profile in American Truck Simulator, the community goal is to drive 125,000,000 miles (201,168,000 km) while delivering cargoes to or from any city in Kansas.

When a player completes a delivery to or from 14 different Kansas cities, they will achieve their personal goal.

All jobs for the event need to be at least 100 miles each (161 km), or more.

You can check if your recent deliveries met these conditions using your Log Book in your World of Trucks profile.

Rewards

Personal: Players that deliver cargo to or from 14 Kansas cities will gain a personal World of Trucks Achievement and a Sunflower themed ATS truck paint job Steam inventory item.

Community: When the community goal of driving 125,000,000 miles (201,168,000 km) during deliveries to or from any city in Kansas is met, and if the player has also achieved their personal goal, then they will receive an Amber Sunflower hanging ornament Steam inventory item.

The event will be concluded on Sunday, the 28th of January at 23:59 UTC.

We wait with great anticipation to hear back from you about your travels, with loads of deliveries and sights to see. We truly believe you'll love cruising the beautiful Sunflower State and we look forward to seeing all your photos! So, please share your screenshots and videos with us using the hashtag #CruisingKansas on our Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), and Instagram profiles and we will share our favorite ones (we may even feature some of them in a future blog post!).

Nov 24, 2023

Big in Kansas + Turnpike Tolls

American Truck Simulator - London

With the arrival of the Kansas DLC for American Truck Simulator on November 30th, the Special Transport DLC will be receiving an update that includes some new routes, missions and the addition of a new feature. Plus, we would also like to share with you a preview of the tolls which you'll encounter this new state, along with a new payment system!

BIG In Kansas!

With the Kansas expansion, you'll be able to answer the call of Special Transport missions on 6 new routes, of which 4 are located within the state, but two of them will be a bit more special, as they start in Pueblo (CO) and leads to either Marysville (707 miles) or Dodge City (313 miles). These range from delivering helicopters to airports, to delivering special cargo to the salt mines, as well as hauling new cargoes such as Wind Turbine Blades that need to be transported from Colorado to Kansas!

The other 4 routes will take you from:

Colby to Hutchinson
Topeka to Pittsburg
Dodge City to Emporia
Wichita to Salina

As you browse the job market, you may notice that some of these new contracts require a lot of travelling, even going as far as travelling to another state! This is why we have introduced the ability to take a rest stop and even refill your fuel tanks during longer routes on a Special Transport contract. It ain't easy work moving around these oversized loads, so make sure to take a break when you can!

We look forward to seeing how you get on with the new routes and oversized loads!

Turnpike Tolls in Kansas

If you've been trucking in some of our recent expansions, you'll be no stranger to Turnpike Tolls. As an important source of highway funding in many states in the US, these tolls benefit the local economy, support road maintenance and cleanliness of the stretch of the road.

However, in Kansas, these will differ a little payment wise from other pre-existing tolls in American Truck Simulator. Rather than a set priced fee, you will now only be charged for the distance you've travelled along the toll road. This means if you only travel a short distance before exiting, you'll be charged a smaller amount versus a driver who travels the entire length of the road.

So if you happen to be counting dollars and pennies (like on our Twitch Let's Play! Series), You can always check the set route to see if you can't save yourself a little extra cash on your journey by making a detour onto another route.

We hope you enjoy this small, but practical change coming to our upcoming map expansion. If you cannot wait to get trucking, then be sure to add the Kansas DLC to your Steam Wishlist! We appreciate all your support and we look forward to welcoming you across the State border very soon. Until next time, keep on truckin'!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2298430/American_Truck_Simulator__Kansas/

Nov 23, 2023

American Truck Simulator: 1.49 Update Release

American Truck Simulator - London

We are happy to announce that the 1.49 update for American Truck Simulator has been released and is now available on Steam. This update contains bug fixes, changes and new content, which are featured below, so we recommend having a read!

We'd like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who participated, provided their feedback, and made bug reports during the Open Beta period. Your valuable input helped us make tweaks, changes and squash some bugs that we may have missed the first time around. We hope you can now begin to fully enjoy the fruits of your work.

HDR Skyboxes, Moon and New Weather Effects

First and foremost, after many requests, we've added the Moon (back) to our night sky! It's a subtle but remarkable touch that adds an extra layer of realism and wonder to your virtual trucking adventures. Curiously, it's worth mentioning that what might appear as a simple addition – the Moon – has posed some significant challenges for some time. Integrating the Moon into the night sky has required casting, rendering and calculating lunar light, proper phases, managing reflections in water bodies, dealing with wet roads, and addressing mirror effects, among other things.

In addition to that, we've also reimagined the night sky, introducing dynamic stars that gently twinkle, enhancing the overall authenticity of the night-time experience.

We are also happy to share that skyboxes will now be in High Dynamic Range (HDR), which means that there will be richer, more vibrant colors in the skies and our weather visual effects have also received an upgrade. Thunderstorms now include visible lightning, offering a more immersive experience. And make sure to keep an eye on the night sky in certain regions, you might be pleasantly surprised by what you will notice.

To sum it all up, we’ve also prepared a special video for you showcasing all of these changes. It’s definitely worth checking it out along with the dedicated blog post we published previously!

PACCAR Technical Center

Hidden within the vast landscape of Washington, a realistic recreation of the PACCAR Technical Center awaits your discovery.

Drivers will now have the opportunity to experience the PACCAR Technical Center firsthand. This realistic 1:1 recreation will offer a glimpse into the world of truck development. For years, the PACCAR Technical Center has been the epicenter of innovation and development for renowned truck manufacturers, Kenworth and Peterbilt.

This facility has been instrumental in testing trucks, powertrains, technologies, and more, and it's where the giants of the trucking industry push the boundaries of what's possible, creating the next generation of iconic trucks.

Even though the area won't be readily visible on the in-game map and UI, it will be waiting for curious players to discover with plenty of interesting bits to explore. We’ve also added an extra layer of excitement, a small Easter egg will be parked within the PACCAR Technical Center itself. We challenge you to keep your eyes peeled and see if you can spot this surprise.

We hope you enjoy checking out this new and unique addition in American Truck Simulator!

Used Truck Dealers

We're also happy to introduce another highly requested feature. Used Trucks will be now available immediately in the main menu taking you to a selection of trucks that are more budget-friendly compared to brand new vehicles. However, these used trucks come with some mileage and wear, which is indicated by their star rating and a separate window that provides a detailed breakdown of the damage to various parts.

One of the most significant changes coming along with this feature is the enhanced damage and repair system. In the past, our approach was very simplistic - individual parts would accumulate damage, represented as a percentage, and you could repair them, resetting the percentage to zero. However, with the 1.49 update, parts will accumulate three types of damage

Damage: This type of damage can be fixed by standard repairs, just as before.
Parts Wear: When components accumulate significant wear and tear, you'll want to replace them.
Permanent Wear: The permanent wear represents systemic aging and wear across the whole vehicle. It can only be nullified by Total Restoration of the entire vehicle. This is a more expensive procedure, but it's the only way to bring your truck and trailer back to pristine condition.

With the improved damage system comes enhanced control over vehicle maintenance. You can now make informed choices about which parts to repair or replace based on your judgment. Alternatively, you have the option to seek professional advice for the best repair strategy for your truck or trailer.

Happy (used) trucking!

Mountains Rework - Utah DLC

Four years ago, the Utah DLC was released for American Truck Simulator. Back then, we were still learning a lot about our tools and techniques, especially when it came to the creation of mountains. Today, we are pleased to be at a level where we have improved on creating mountains in-game, especially when it comes to scale and details.

Today, we're happy to release with the 1.49 update a small rework of a number of mountains located in Salt Lake City, Utah. We'd like to thank those from our community who passed on their feedback in regards to the representation of the mountains found in this beautiful state.

You'll find that in most cases, the mountains have been reworked entirely from scratch, replacing the older models that once stood there. We really hope that you see a difference from this rework! We hope to continue to rework certain aspects of our DLCs as our tools and options continue to develop over time.

Be sure to share with us your trucking adventures through Utah in 1.49 on our social media channels, we'd love to see them!

Keybind Modifiers

Another highly requested feature coming with 1.49 is the introduction of Keybind Modifiers! When previously creating a new bind in the menu, you could only assign a single key for an action. With the 1.49 update, you will now have the option to use a combination of the key and modifiers to bind an action. For example, you can now assign Shift + L to turn your lights if you so wish!

This opens up a whole new world of key bind combinations for you to use, allowing for more binding options, but that's not all! You will also now have the options to bind short press and long press key. Holding the key down will be recognised as a long press, and pressing a button as normal will be seen as a short press.

Keyboards aren't the only peripherals taking advantage of this change. Controllers will also be able use this new feature!

Special Transport DLC Update

With the arrival of the Kansas DLC for American Truck Simulator on November 30th, we have taken the opportunity to bring an exciting update to the Special Transport DLC. Today we are happy to announce the arrival of 2 new oversized cargoes!

Introducing the new Wind Blade & Articulated Hauler cargoes, as part of the 1.49 update! Think you got what it takes to haul these new oversized loads? You can find these new cargo routes across some of the already existing routes in various DLCs and base game. We've also introduced two completely new routes, both which start from Pueblo in Colorado, where wind blades are often found being transported in the real world!

However, that's not all! The Kansas DLC will also receive several new routes of its own when it is released. You can read more about these routes, plus the addition of a new Special Transport feature for long haul routes at our recent blog post. Check it out here!

Automatic Headlights

Another new feature which we are happy to introduce to this update is the option of Automatic Headlights. It is a relatively straightforward feature, that turns on your headlights when the ambient light around the truck falls bellow a certain threshold.

If the option is toggled, your light switch position for parking lights is replaced by automatic lights, so you can still turn your lights off or force your headlights on with the other switch positions.

We have also introduced the addition of Automatic High Beams. This feature will temporally disable your high beams when there is a vehicle in front of you (both in your lane or oncoming) and turns them back on when the vehicle is far enough away.

These automatic high beams are enabled if you flip the high beam switch and when either your automatic headlights are turned on, or you turned your headlights on manually (in case of automatic headlights option toggled off, high beams only work when headlights are manually enabled). We hope you enjoy this simple, yet useful feature for when you are travelling on the road!

Changelog

Map

PACCAR Technical Centre added to Washington State
Mountains reworked around Salt Lake City (Utah DLC)

Visual

HDR Skyboxes, Moon and New Weather Effects

Vehicle

New Special Transport DLC Cargoes & Kansas Routes
Automatic Headlights and High Beam

Other

Used Truck Dealers
Keybind Modifiers

Nov 13, 2023

Czech & Slovak Games Week 2023

American Truck Simulator - London

Today marks the beginning of Czech & Slovak Games Week, an annual event that celebrates games created by studios based in the countries of Czechia and Slovakia. Our studio has been around for over 25 years, witnessing the major growth of the local games industry. During our humble beginnings, there were less than than a hundred individuals creating games on a professional basis in our countries. These days, well over 2,000 people in the region are making a living creating games, and making quite an impact on the global gaming scene. What a ride it has been!

We may not be the oldest studio, but we are proud to be a part of this growth from the early years, and we are honoured to partner up with so many fantastic and creative studios during this week-long celebration.

Many of the games participating will be celebrating by offering cool discounts on Steam and any platforms where players can find them. Unfortunately, we used up our available discount slot recently on the launch of the West Balkans DLC, and we will only be able to do a promotional sale around the time of the Kansas DLC launch (wink wink). Still, we wanted to support the CZ & SK Games week in some way on Steam and give the people exploring the vast offering of locally produced games a bargain to try our titles as well; Or to catch up, in case they already own one of our flagship truck simulators, but were looking for an excuse to try the other one. We have found a working solution on Steam - a dedicated bundle may do just the trick! We are aware that most of our readers probably know our games in and out, but it may still be a good way of growing our fanbase.

[Check out the Czech & Slovak Games Week Bundle here]

One part of Czech & Slovak Games Week that always stands out is the unique and beautiful artwork that accompanies it. Anna Voříšková, one of our talented 2D artists, continues to be the main driving force behind the creation of these wonderful designs. We spoke with her to learn more about the process on creating artwork for such an event.

"This is the fourth year I've volunteered to create artwork for the event, and I feel like with each year I continue to challenge myself more and more in terms of the art's vision and composition." Annie explains "It's always my job to design everything, from start to finish, which is a very challenging job and a huge responsibility, but to see it done, see the event up and running, is such a rewarding feeling. I'm very proud of what we've accomplished together with my teammates at GDACZ."

"The theme I've chosen for this year's event is "togetherness". Czechia and Slovakia have a very warm relationship and I wanted to represent it in the artwork. The two characters - a Czech girl and a Slovak boy - play through a platformer together to reach a common goal, while munching on some popular local snacks. The platformer itself also pictures various landmarks from both Czechia and Slovakia. I really wanted the artwork to have an educational impact as well - it tells you a little about the culture of both countries."

"The cover art took around 30 hours to design, sketch, outline, colour, and polish. The details and clean, intricate lines are mostly to blame. I did most of the work on my iPad, which I like to take to cafés for a little change of scenery. And no, I really don't wanna think about the cost of all the large Starbucks coffees I had to consume to get it done!"

We are proud of the work Anna undertakes in her own time for this special event! The Czech & Slovak Games Week takes place between November 13th and November 20th and features a number of discounts for locally created games across a multitude of platforms, along with digital events and online streams. We urge you to check it out for yourself! You can find the Czech & Slovak Games Week Steam page right here.

Nov 9, 2023

Arkansas - Meet The Team

American Truck Simulator - Tiktak

We've been tackling the demanding Arkansas DLC for some time now. Despite the necessary hard work and commitment, we haven't had a chance to give a shout-out to the often-overlooked heroes within our dedicated team.

We hope you will enjoy this presentation of the SCS map designers who are currently working on the Arkansas DLC and their short messages to the #BestCommunityEver.

David

I have been working at SCS for seven years now, and during that time, I have progressed from testing to map design to a leadership position as the Map DLC Lead for American Truck Simulator. In this role, my responsibility is to lead the project from start to finish, which primarily involves managing the rest of my team, closely cooperating with other departments, and staying in touch with marketing. Among my previously released projects are Wyoming, Montana, and Oklahoma.

Our goal for Arkansas is to portray it exactly as it is—full of smaller picturesque towns, beautiful nature, and interesting businesses. We're striving to create another enjoyable DLC that people will want to add to their collection of ATS.

Joanna

It's been almost 3.5 years since I've joined the SCS team. My first big task was to create the Yellowstone Park in the Wyoming DLC. It was quite a challenge but also an exciting mission for a newbie. While working on this task, I realized that creating landscapes and nature is the most enjoyable part of my job. In Arkansas, I work on the small, spa town of Hot Springs and its beautiful surroundings. I hope you will like it!

Vojta

I joined SCS in 2019 and started working on Colorado DLC where I learned all the basics of the editor. Since then I've been working on many projects like the rework of California, Wyoming, a little bit of Texas, Montana, Oklahoma and now Arkansas where I'm responsible for Little Rock and most of the I-40 that goes across the state. What I've enjoyed the most is the variety of tasks that I get from rural roads, and truck stops to large cities.

Vopi

It's already been five years since I joined SCS back in 2018. Nowadays I work as a Senior Map Designer and during my time here I was able to get my hands on DLCs like Washington, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana and Oklahoma, where I usually focused on some mountainous areas and roads and on nature in general. I am excited about Arkansas because I like the lush and foresty feel it has. Of course, it is not the PNW, but in some ways, it reminds me of working on Washington. Among other things, I am responsible for the North-West Arkansas region around Fayetteville and I hope we can deliver some of its unique features so players can enjoy them.

Jakub

It's been a long day at work or school. You are tired; you have had enough. All you want to do for the rest of your day is chill. And so you go trucking. As a fellow gamer, I get it. That's why I am always trying to follow this rule: no matter how pretty and accurate your game is, if it's not fun to play, people will not play it. It will soon be 3 years since I started working at SCS as a map designer on DLC Montana, then worked on Oklahoma, and now I'm doing my best to make sure you have fun trucking in Arkansas. My favorite parts of the map to design are small settlements because they have that American country vibe that I like.

Vladimír

This is my seventh year working at SCS as a Map designer. I started with a road connecting California and Nevada through the Death Valley. Then I worked on smaller towns and neighbourhoods, mostly on the coast of California and Oregon (Redwood-Sequoia), Utah (Vernal), Idaho (Salmon), Wyoming (Jackson), Montana (Wolfpoint-Sidney-Glendive), Oklahoma (Idabel-Broken Bow-Hugo) and now I'm working on a road from De Queen to Texarkana in Arkansas. I enjoy working with the details of industrial areas and smaller towns the most.

Adam

I joined SCS at the beginning of 2022 as a junior map designer without any previous game development-related professional work experience. I joined in the later production stage of Montana, where I made some interstates and settlements. Then I worked on some parts of cities in Texas and after that on Oklahoma right in the beginning so I had the opportunity to have creative freedom. These days I work on Arkansas which is by far my favorite project. Parts of the map I work on inspire me and I feel blessed to work specifically on this DLC.

Jáno

It's been nearly three years since I started working as a map designer at SCS. In the beginning, I worked on Sacramento city for the California Rework project. Later, I joined Davido's team and started to design small abandoned settlements, wide-open plains, and stunning landscapes, which I really enjoyed working on. You can find some of them in the Texas, Montana, or Oklahoma DLCs. Currently, I am focusing on the eastern region of Arkansas, and I really hope the new DLC will be fun and exciting to play.

Zuzu

It has been almost 4 years since I joined SCS as a junior map designer. I started with small roads in Idaho and soon discovered that my interest lies in the more technical aspects of mapping. Now, as part of the Arkansas team, I am responsible for road layouts, such as complex junctions and truck stops. In Arkansas, what I am aiming for is creating viewpoints in beautiful sceneries, crafted by my colleagues.

Lukáš

I have been working at SCS Software for almost three years now, and every one of them has been entirely stellar. Since then, I have worked on Montana, Oklahoma, and now, of course, the Arkansas DLC, but also a few bits of the California rework and Texas. Regarding Arkansas, I am working on a few settlements and an unnamed city that might or might not contain some gold. But what I really love about Arkansas is the countryside. My absolute favorite places are the swamps, bogs, and overgrown little forest rivers. I always try to capture their true soul. I only wish Arkansas was a bit bigger, so we might be able to weave a few more such places in.

We hope you've appreciated this brief departure from our typical map-focused blog content. The team is putting in their utmost effort to deliver an exceptional experience, and we're eagerly anticipating revealing more of their ongoing projects in the future. Meanwhile, stay tuned to the blog or follow us on social media platforms (X/Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok) for any upcoming updates.