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American Truck Simulator Game preview

Game preview 22 August 2015, 15:00

author: ElMundo

American Truck Simulator Preview – It Still Has a Long Way to Go…

The playable demo of American Truck Simulator showcased on gamescom was an undeniable proof to many that the game’s release is at hand. Unfortunately, the rumors of its imminent debut have been greatly exaggerated.

Read the review American Truck Simulator review - This is the best simulator ever

This text was based on the PC version.

IN SHORT:
  • based on solutions adopted in ETS2;
  • distinctive landscapes, architecture, and vegetation;
  • features California, and later Arizona and Nevada states;
  • truck scales are present;
  • licensed trucks - Kenworth and Peterbilt brands confirmed, further expected;
  • Steam Workshop support;
  • Release: TBA.

Being a fan of 18 wheelers, living on the wrong side of the ocean is hard. The most many of us can get are the images of our beloved, majestic road cruisers we see in TV documentaries or action movies, and even if we get a chance to try the virtual experience, we need lots of patience. American Truck Simulator remains in development since late 2013 but the Czechs keep this highly anticipated game tightly under wraps in their workshop and are anything but eager to share information concerning it. Luckily, it seems that the development of ATS has finally picked up the pace.

Proof number one: Pavel Sebor and his team from the Czech SCS Software finally decided to show their work to the public, during the game’s recent gamescom presentation. The fact that American Truck Simulator was shown live is surely a good sign; the fact that the developer remains tight-lipped at this point, not so much.

For starters, I’m sorry to disappoint those of you, who hoped for some kind of revolution in gameplay mechanics – the SCS Software team stated outright that the new game will, for the most part, be based on Euro Truck Simulator 2. This includes elements like driving mechanics and the player’s bussiness activity system – of course, some changes are inevitable since American tractor units have a lot more horse power under the hood and are somewhat more difficult to drive, but other than that, I wouldn’t expect much.

What is sure to change are the visuals – the landscapes, to be precise – that are bound to indroduce that distinctive mid-to-far-west interstate feel. Drive-ins, cheap roadside motels, the characteristic city architecture and the region specific vegetation – all of this awaits us in ATS, although the game engine that will be used to render the environment comes from the good old Euro Truck Simulator 2. Since both games run on the same engine, we more or less know what to expect.

Hey, it’s the Golden Gate bridge! - 2015-08-21
Hey, it’s the Golden Gate bridge!

As it was previously announced, the first state to greet us on the road will be California – further states will follow over time with Nevada and Arizona leading the way. At the same time, Pavel Sebor stated that content creation for new areas is a very time-consuming process and we shouldn’t expect new terrain additions even after a month or two – he hopes to release each new state in less than… annual intervals. We sure hope the same because, if we assume the state per year schedule to be true, the complete edition of American Truck Simulator will see the light of day sometime around 2070. In hope of reducing this, let’s be honest, outrageous date, the developer will hire additional staff and additional contents will be released as DLCs or free patches – in the same manner Euro Truck Simulator 2 tackled the issue.

An interesting feature that can add some variety to the players’ fun are truck scales - used to weigh the entire vehicle and its contents. There will be a few dozens of them located throughout the map, but their specific impact on the gameplay remains unknown at this point. This time, we sincerely hope them to be something more that the mock-ups that could be driven over without any significant consequence, like the ones we’ve seen near petrol stations in the classic Hard Truck: 18 Wheels of Steel.

Speed limit enforced by… yeah, by what excactly? - 2015-08-21
Speed limit enforced by… yeah, by what excactly?

The potential addition of official multiplayer mode remains hazy at the moment – the creators have openly declared that there will be no multiplayer included in the first official release. Will it be made available in later versions? The SCS Software haven’t denied it, but is is clear that some fan support in that matter wouldn’t hurt them; the fans themselves are likely eager to do so. It should be admitted that an online multiplayer mode would do much good for American Truck Simulator, but it will be a while before we see it featured, if ever.

Pavel Sebor admitted as well, that the developers are facing some difficulties with the license aqcuisition for trucks that are to be featured in the game. For the time being, there are two domestic American brands confirmed – Kenworth and Peterbilt, with further three brands being currently under negotiation. The CEO of SCS assumes this condition to be more or less final, at least, until the game is released. After that, license acquisition should gain some momentum – as Euro Truck Simulator 2 demonstrated, it is easier to negotiate if you can show the other party a completed game.

Oscars delivery, coming through! - 2015-08-21
Oscars delivery, coming through!

At this point, the developer has commissioned almost all of their staff to work on the game, but with their team constituting of less than two dozen people, there’s only so much they can do. Pavel Sebor would like to see American Truck Simulator delivered to the gamers by the end of this year, but that’s asking much – the information we receive is less than scarce and it seems like SCS Software has been inspired by Blizzard’s “it’s done when it’s ready” PR strategy. On the other hand, the Czechs intend to make extensive use of Steam Workshop in the future, which would allow them to create a gathering point for the game’s modding community.

Many features of the game seem as confidential as a Swiss bank account owner’s identity and there are many things we just don’t know. Fortunately, SCS Sfotware fans are used to this by now, and I guess it will come as no surprise when the game eventually hits the shelves out of the blue. Let’s just hope that the fans of truck simulations won’t have to wait too long for this to happen.

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