Indiana: Research Trip

In June, we announced that we are working on the Indiana DLC for American Truck Simulator. While our map teams are busy bringing the Hoosier State to life, they first had to experience it for themselves. Let's take a look back at their research trip to Indiana!

The team that set out for Indiana consisted of the map DLC lead Dubak, our map designers Lukáš and Martin, and our researcher Spekin. Today, they will share their impressions from the trip and a couple of photos they captured along the way. Below, we are also bringing a few screenshots from the work-in-progress map!

"This was my second research trip to the US, and every time it's an incredible experience for me. It boasts not only amazing nature and landscapes, but also rich and beautiful cities. Before the trip, we were a bit worried that Indiana would be a state full of fields, but we were completely wrong. It was a great experience, and I'm really glad that my team and I get to build this wonderful state and show players all the beauty and hidden gems Indiana has to offer," Dubak told us.

They travelled across the state, visiting many of its cities and landmarks, from Indianapolis to Fort Wayne, Evansville, South Bend, and more. "We were blown away by the memorial and the Capitol in Indianapolis, and we also checked out a massive steel mill in East Chicago, Lake Monroe, and the Indiana Dunes National Park," Dubak said.

During their nine-day journey, the team gathered plenty of references and experienced the atmosphere of each place they visited. They explained that walking the streets and visiting these places in real life before recreating them in the editor was a completely new experience.

"As a map designer, I was thrilled to have the opportunity to visit the US in person. You can feel the atmosphere and the scale of everything around you. Personally, I enjoyed all the landmarks in Indiana - from courthouses and churches to banks, statues, historical monuments, memorials, and murals, not to mention the small details here and there. History has shaped the US greatly, and you have the opportunity to experience that," Lukáš shared with us.

Being there in person also reveals smaller details that can be difficult to notice through street view or other sources. This helps the team understand what is important to include in the game and what gives each place its authentic feel.

"As a map designer, I looked for all the details that make every corner authentic. If you are sufficiently attentive, you can find a lot of interesting stuff around. For example, I learned that bigger is better. You can hardly go wrong with that. I also love discovering all the different advertisements, billboards, and signs. I created a large photo gallery of them so that our branding and asset team could use them as inspiration for the state of Indiana and upcoming projects. We also saw an Amish community in the region, which was really interesting. Overall, the research trip was a great experience, and I would love to come back for more inspiration," Lukáš said.

For Martin, it was the diversity of Indiana's landscapes and the roads connecting them that made the biggest impression.

"I was amazed by how diverse the landscape actually is, with plenty of forested areas that transition into national parks, wetlands, prairies, and even sand dunes up north along Lake Michigan. What captivated me the most was probably the scenic IN-46 highway between Bloomington and Columbus. The road winds through the Norman Upland, home to Indiana's largest state park, Brown County State Park. We drove through many towns packed with truly memorable landmarks. In the capital, Indianapolis, it was fascinating to see modern skyscraper architecture blending with historic buildings, churches, cathedrals, and beautifully maintained parks," Martin shared with us.

Even Spekin was surprised by some of the things he saw during the trip, despite his role as a researcher, which means he spends a lot of time studying upcoming DLC areas and preparing references for the rest of the team.

"I was shocked by how big everything is in the US. For example, flags, totems, grain bins, or even roads and countryside are not as straight as they seem on street view, and you can also see the elevation. We observed and measured everything from a random curb in the city to grown corn in the countryside, so the biggest task was just not to look suspicious while capturing those details," he told us.

As a researcher, Spekin records everything that could be useful to other departments and considers how these references could be used in the game, while keeping our scale and other map limitations in mind: "Sometimes a reference can be just for inspiration, like night photos of buildings with neon lights or backlit advertisements, which are often difficult to find. During the trip, however, this was much easier, as we often arrived at our final destination late at night," he shared. 

"It might sound weird, but I like farm areas, so grain elevators, barns, and animals are my favorite ones, so you can probably guess what my photo library looks like. I also love industrial zones, so I really enjoyed Gary Steel Works, even though we saw it only from the outside. We also visited a few old covered bridges in Indiana, and I know it's just an old bridge, but I liked it a lot. Of course, I enjoyed the whole trip, every city and every town. I wish we could put everything into the game," Spekin says.

While our work on the map is still in its early stages, we also wanted to give you a small preview of what's already getting done. 

Here, you can see a few locations that are taking shape for the Indiana DLC, including the public library in Evansville, Acy Lake, and locations around Indianapolis and along I-69 and US 30.

And that's it from today's blog! We hope you have enjoyed this report from our research trip to Indiana. If you are looking forward to exploring the Hoosier State like we did, be sure to add the Indiana DLC to your Steam wishlist and show your support to our team working on it!

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