American Truck Simulator

[Markbnj]

Saw this game releases in a couple of days (2/3). I played the Euro version and it was quite fun for a few days. The videos of the U.S. version look pretty impressive. Anyone else planning to check it out?

 

[Subyman]

I saw it on youtube a few days ago and read a review then went to buy it and noticed it wasn't out yet

I'll be picking it up. Looks like they are still filling out the game. Only two truck manufacturers and two states, but more coming after launch for free and paid for eventually.

 

[Subyman]

I played ETS2 single player. Weird how they would do MP with cars. I guess they had trouble syncing them between games. That would be lame to have a completely empty world other than the players. I was hoping they would add more gameplay mechanics, but the more I look into it it seems to be a reskin more than a completely new game. I'll still pick it up because it will only be $20.

 

[Markbnj]

I'm not really into the MP game anyway. I just like the driving/business building sim aspects. The game world does look impressive vs. ETS.

 

[sandorski]

Excited for it. Has a similar look/feel to ETS2, but the cities are much more detailed and more realistic than what was done in ETS2.

 

[Subyman]

Comes out tomorrow. I'm hoping they add Mack trucks eventually.

 

[Subyman]

Actually, they released it early. Play now!

 

[Oyeve]

You know, I came in here to laugh at an American Truck sim, then I looked it up and just bought it on steam!

 

[Fanatical Meat]

I wonder if someone will mod it to have hookers & meth?

 

[Subyman]

I wonder if someone will mod it to have hookers & meth?

Lol, ETS2 would make your guy black out if you didn't pull over and sleep. ATS should absolutely have a meth option :thumbsup:

Should also be able to affix a hidden compartment to run drugs and guns

 

[Subyman]

You know, I came in here to laugh at an American Truck sim, then I looked it up and just bought it on steam!

These truck games are actually pretty fun. Very chill. Great for playing while watching a show or listening to a podcast.

 

[balloonshark]

I wonder if someone will mod it to have hookers & meth?

Oh great, micro transactions.

I pulled over at a truck stop on I-95 for coffee, scrapple, yellow jackets and a bj from a lot lizard. Life is good :biggrin:

 

[Arcadio]

I've been waiting for this game for a long time. I love Euro Truck Simulator. Perfect for when you just want to sit down and relax.

 

[BurnItDwn]

This is tempting to me, ETC & ETS2 were a lot of fun. That said, Im going to continue my obsession with modded rimworld until I get bored first ...

 

[heymrdj]

Loving it so far. Picked it up yesterday as soon as they announced on Facebook they were launching a few hours early. Got a couple of quick runs in on my lunch break .

 

[Markbnj]

You know, I came in here to laugh at an American Truck sim, then I looked it up and just bought it on steam!

Haha yeah they are pretty fun games. I got a little tired of the traffic AI in ETS, but I've read its somewhat improved for ATS.

 

[sandorski]

Haha yeah they are pretty fun games. I got a little tired of the traffic AI in ETS, but I've read its somewhat improved for ATS.

The AI has improved a lot over the years. Occasionally I'll still see traffic slowing down for no reason, but not as bad as it used to be. It still doesn't react well if you do something that would cause an actual human to react to.

I have noticed a few interesting things in ETS2 recently. One was an accident on the highway ahead that caused a temporary stop. Another was I was traveling down a minor highway when some schmuck pulled out in front of me from a side road. I nearly T-Boned him, but managed to swerve behind and only taking out the Stop sign. Not ideal driving conditions, but certainly realistic and adds some drama to the game.

 

[Silverforce11]

Any sim that tries to model road driving traffic has to include stupid to be realistic.

 

[Arcadio]

Any sim that tries to model road driving traffic has to include stupid to be realistic.

The AI drivers definitely make stupid mistakes that makes them more realistic, although I'm not sure that was on purpose.

 

[Oyeve]

Man, the controller on this game is horrid. Using an xbox 360 controller and its just hard.

 

[Markbnj]

Man, the controller on this game is horrid. Using an xbox 360 controller and its just hard.

One of the things that impressed me about ETS was how smooth the mouse/kbd interface was for driving. I had it set up with w+s for accel/brake, and I had a+d set up for gear changes. Worked really well.

 

[Subyman]

Played quite a bit yesterday. Unfortunately there are some quirks that need to be ironed out. Fines are very unfair. There was a section near the west coast where I was running at 55 and then passed under a bridge where the speed dropped to 40 and then immediate after the bridge it went back to 55. All this happened in one second. I got a speeding fine because a cop was behind me. There was no way to slow down. I'm guessing they accidentally marked that small section of the interstate the same speed as the road on the bridge. I've seen this in a few spots now and it messes traffic up because they slam on their brakes and then speed up.

I had a car in the lane to the right of me merge into the side of my truck but I got the ticket even though I didn't do anything wrong. One guy short stopped if front of me and I couldn't do anything about it. I ended up turning the police off until they fix the issues. I like have the police in the game, but it has to be fair otherwise it is very frustrating and that really sucks when the main draw for me is the zen-like experience of running a truck.

I've put about 3000 miles in the game so far and something else that starts to rear its head after awhile is the lack of freight stations in towns. Each main town on has around 3 while the smaller towns have 2 or so. It can be difficult to get a route that you'd like.

I really wish Mack was in the game too!! I'm sure a lot of these concerns will be addressed in the upcoming additions to the game. I think it is a fine start to what this game can be and for $20 it is hard to complain too much.

 

[Markbnj]

Fines are very unfair. There was a section near the west coast where I was running at 55 and then passed under a bridge where the speed dropped to 40 and then immediate after the bridge it went back to 55.

Or maybe that was a small town speed trap .

I really wish Mack was in the game too!! I'm sure a lot of these concerns will be addressed in the upcoming additions to the game. I think it is a fine start to what this game can be and for $20 it is hard to complain too much.

I know there are plans for another state as a free upgrade, and I would hope they add additional truck models too.

Anyway, picked it up today so I will be checking it out for myself tonight. Need a break from Fallout.

 

[JimmiG]

Just picked it up as well. It's very good, but the map is already starting to feel small, even though I'm only like level 3 and haven't put a single point into Long Distance yet. The map needs to be doubled in each direction (4x the area) before it's big enough to even support the game mechanics. For now I'll just level up the other skills and leave Long Distance untouched.

Other than that I like it. It's going to be great once they get another 3 - 4 states out. The graphics are quite good (not GTA 5 but good enough). The AI is as crazy as ever. Most of the time, merging means closing your eyes and praying that no car decides to ram your trailer from behind (damaging your cargo and giving you a fine). Sometimes you have to slam your brakes on an on-ramp because a car is stopped and trying to merge by slowly inching into traffic. At least there are no roundabouts with kamikaze drivers like in ETS2. Reversing seems harder than ETS2 - those trucks had crazy tight turning radii due to the cab-over design.

 

[Subyman]

The merging is a big issue. The on ramp dumps you directly on the interstate. Every interstate has a merging lane that goes on for at least 800ft or so. Not in this.

However, I'm having a good time so far. Finally got two other drivers working for me and I got a much better semi. It is no longer a dog that can barely get to the speed limit.