Thursday, March 30, 2017

Under The Hood #2: Assets


Hello, Truckers!

After some time we’re back with the second article from the series “Under the Hood”. The first one was about how we do the initial phase when we start to work on something new, about research. As you could read in that blog post, the research phase is really important and deeply connected to every other step that comes after. But what comes next? What’s the next step after we gather enough information about the new things we’d like to implement into our games? Well, let’s imagine a situation once again. You’re part of the SCS Software team of designers and you’ve just finished the research phase about a new state which is going to be created for Euro Truck Simulator 2. You have all you need to know about the lands, the vegetation, the architecture, economy, traffic rules, laws, landscapes and so on. You’re able to start creating the new part of the map right now, so you start with the roads and everything is just fine until you came to the point where a specific city, house, point of interest, landmark or something like that should be placed. And you don’t have any model, prefab or asset for that. So what will you do? Who will help?

And that‘s what today’s article is going to be about: The Assets. So just like last time, sit comfortably, sip your tea or coffee and dive deep into this blog post if you want to know something about the environmental models with which we’re filling the in-game zones.


Thursday, March 23, 2017

Game Updates Arrive Today!

The wait for the final version of the 1.6 update for American Truck Simulator and 1.27 update for Euro Truck Simulator 2 is over! We want to thank all of you who contributed to our open beta test with bug reports, feedback, and suggestions. Updates for both games are available via Steam now.

MAIN FEATURES

  • [ETS2 only] Country Specific Police Cars AI
This update brings a new element which synchronizes the game with ATS - cop cars in traffic. Police cars have a unique look for each country.



  • [ATS only] Weigh station pass device
The windshield-mounted box expands situational awareness for those who prefer to switch off all user interface elements for an immersive experience. It works the same way as the weigh station functionality which is a part of the on-screen Advisor "widget".



  • Trailer Liftable Axles
  • Differential Lock
  • Adaptive transmission modes (power, normal, eco)
  • Improved engine simulation model (friction, braking, consumption)


MINOR CHANGES

  • [ETS2 only] Volvo with Allison gearbox can shift up over 4 gears.
  • Air pressure simulation improved (pressure buildup, cut-off sound, application pressure).
  • Coin sound tweaked.
  • FOV range increased to 40-120 degrees in adjuster.
  • Engine brakes set to 3 positions (as most current trucks have). One-key-hold control will use full strength still.
  • If engine brake toggle input is not assigned, increase/decrease engine brake inputs work similar to retarder (in range from 0 to maximum).
  • Multiple fueling points on gas stations.
  • g_force_economy_reset flag is disabled after economy reset.
  • Transmission input shaft simulation (double clutch).

MODDING INFO

  • Single "overrides" (forced default) rule can be used instead of defaults-suitable rule pair across linked accessories.
  • All pressure units set consistently to bars (data, animation, dashboard UI).
  • Nominal air_tank_pressure value added to chassis data.
  • Changed interior animations: all air, oil and brake pressure (gauges, indicators).
  • New interior animation: trailer axle lift (indicator), differential lock (button, indicator).
  • New engine data: resistance_torque (measured at 2000rpm).
  • Coin sound made moddable in the same way as other sounds (through ogg file).
To get the best advice about modding either game check our modding wiki.

WORLD OF TRUCKS

  • Connecting DLC's owned by the player to his World of Truck account to make the content available for all World of Trucks features.

Friday, March 17, 2017

St. Patrick's Day

Today is a special day for our games' fans with Irish descent. Occassionally, we update older content in our games, and we decided to revisit the Irish Paint Jobs Pack for Euro Truck Simulator 2. We have added a few cabin decorations to the DLC, hoping that this free little gift for all owners of the paintjob set may make their March 17 a tiny bit better.


Your game installation on Steam will be updated with the new cabin toys automatically if you have the DLC already. If you tend to wear green on this day and still don't have the DLC, you may appreciate that it is now available on Steam Store at reduced price.

Wednesday, March 15, 2017

Sound recording - SCANIA S and R

We are hard at work on the 3D models of Next Generation Scania S and R trucks. There is still a ton of work left for the two-person team responsible for the interior and exterior of the vehicle, but we are seeing solid progress. In a previous blog post, we have covered the process of 3D scaning and photogrammetry, performed on a research trip to Scania Demo Centre in Södertälje, Sweden. But looks is not everything. In recent days, a small production team set out to record the truck sounds, and to photograph additional specific details of the cabin interior. Our thanks belong to Scania Czech Republic based in Chrášťany near Prague, who let us play with Scania’s new trucks range for 2017 models - V8 S580 and R450. We took four days in total for the sound recording sessions, so you can imagine that it was rather thorough.


We recorded sounds on eight microphones simultaneously. A vehicle's sounds are recorded at once for interior as well as for selected exterior areas and important mechanical parts. We go through various driving modes and workloads to get a wide range of authentic data. We typically dedicate 3 microphones just for the engine compartment, to make sure we acquire the distinctive full sound. More microphones are reserved for the chassis and exhaust. In total, we are talking some 50 GB of raw data in 8 tracks for each vehicle.



In addition to comprehensive sound sets for both S and R models, we also focused on photographing dozens of detailed photos, which will be handy for our vehicle department. For this purpose we had a fat list of items prepared by them for what needed to be further documented. The details were then photographed during breaks in the recording sessions.




Tuesday, March 7, 2017

Euro Truck Simulator 2 Update 1.27 Open Beta


Today is the day to start 1.27 Update Open Beta. It took us a bit more time than we anticipated to get the release prepared; we have been busy addressing problems reported during ATS Open Beta. Most of them would also be manifested in the ETS 2 builds, and it makes little sense to release anything with known issues.

No need to write about the Liftable Trailer Axles once again, but if you've missed it, you can find our previous mention about it here.

The fans who have already experimented with ATS Update Open Beta would of course already know about the differential lock that's coming with this wave of updates. This feature allows you to lock/unlock the differentials on the truck's wheels, to avoid wheelspin. It becomes quite handy in situations where you're hauling some really heavy cargo on an uneven road or unstable ground. The difference with differential lock on is very obvious and can save your day. We were testing it with really heavy trailers on dirty roads from the bottom of the biggest mines to the top.

This new feature is by default set to hotkey V, but keep in mind that you can turn differential lock on only when the truck is not moving fast.


For ETS2 specifically, the new version updates one element that brings the game in sync with ATS - cop cars in traffic. Police cars have unique looks for each country. It's not about just changing the colors or a texture on the same car model. We've created specific car models which we consider typical or representative for each country. They can give you fines, but they can do it only in the state where their jurisdiction belongs. So, if they happen to be lured outside of their homeland to another country, they can't take any of your hard-earned money anymore. But still, better take your feet off the pedals and obey the traffic law, because there are new sheriffs in towns!



Enough chit-chat? Ok. Here comes the full list of changes:

MAIN FEATURES

  • Country Specific Police Cars AI
  • Trailer Liftable Axles
  • Differential Lock
  • Adaptive transmission modes (power, normal, eco)
  • Improved engine simulation model (friction, braking, consumption)
  • Transmission input shaft simulation (double clutch)

MINOR CHANGES

  • Volvo with Allison gearbox can shift up over 4 gear.
  • Air pressure simulation improved (pressure buildup, cut-off sound, application pressure)
  • Coin sound tweaked.
  • FOV range increased to 40-120 degrees in adjuster.
  • Engine brakes set to 3 positions (as most current truck have). For one-key-hold control you can still use full strength.
  • If engine brake toggle input is not assigned, increase/decrease engine brake inputs work similar to retarder (in range from 0 to maximum)
  • Multiple fueling points on gas stations
  • g_force_economy_reset flag is disabled after economy reset.

MODDING INFO

  • Single "overrides" (forced default) rule can be used instead of defaults-suitable rule pair across linked accessories.
  • All pressure unit set consistently to bars (data, animation, dashboard ui).
  • Nominal air_tank_pressure value added to chassis data.
  • Changed interior animations: all air, oil and brake pressure (gauges, indicators)
  • New interior animation: trailer axle lift (indicator), differential lock (button, indicator)
  • New engine data: resistance_torque (measured at 2000rpm)
  • Coin sound made moddable in the same way as other sounds (through ogg file).

WORLD OF TRUCKS

  • Connecting DLC's owned by the player to his World of Truck account to make the content available for all World of Trucks features.

During open betas, we are operating a dedicated alternate site for World of Trucks, which is used to safely test all new features. Please visit World of Trucks Open Beta web for more information. Also check our modding wiki too to get details pertaining to mods for the game.

If you wish to participate in the open beta, you can find this version in public_beta branch on Steam. The way to access it is as follows: Steam client → LIBRARY → right click on Euro Truck Simulator 2 → Properties → Betas tab → public_beta → 1.27 public beta. No password required.

Just as with the previous Open Beta releases - please keep in mind that this is still only a beta version of the update! You may experience instability and/or bugs and kinks. It’s completely okay if you want to wait for the final release. But if you are interested in providing feedback at this stage, be sure to let us know on our forum. We appreciate all your feedback immensely.

Monday, March 6, 2017

Raven Truck Design Pack

A long time has passed since Polar Express Holiday Event 2014. Tons of people participated in it, and we distributed over 30 thousand free activation keys of Raven Truck Design DLC as a special reward. We made this DLC exclusive for the event, there was no other way to obtain it or purchase it.

Ever since then we keep receiving a lot of messages, questions, suggestions, pleas and wishes from our community from all corners of the world to make it available for everyone. It looks like the Raven Truck Design DLC is really desired among the game's fans.


So after two years, we have now decided to make this pack available for purchase. First though, we felt that we should revisit it and spice it up with additional goodies. The DLC was silently updated with new tuning parts a couple of weeks ago, to give the current owners a little bit of exclusivity to enjoy the new tuning options. Today, we are releasing Raven Truck Design DLC on Steam for everyone who is interested in getting it.

The new stuff in the DLC includes new cabin accessories - Raven Art Figure, Raven Emblem LED, Raven Wings LED, Raven Emblem, also new front & rear rims - Raven Revolution and Raven Claws, and a new paint job: Corvus Ex Machina.


Of course the content which has been included since the original release is still there - Raven hubs, nuts, rims and two paint jobs: Golden Raven and Raven Custom.


We hope those who earned the DLC during the event will gladly welcome new things for free, that they will feel rewarded once again. And for those of you who have desired this DLC so long, but missed the opportunity to win it during the event, we hope that you appreciate the possibility to finally get it now at this link.

Friday, March 3, 2017

Community's Driver Seats

Recently, we've asked our fellow truckers via our Facebook profiles for ATS and ETS2 to share photos of their cool little places for relaxing and virtual trucking with us. We are always curious and excited to see the various unique gaming setups that passionate game players can come up with to enjoy their favorite truck sims.

And we must admit that you've really amazed us! We've got a lot of photos from you and all of them are awesome and very interesting. So big thank to you for sharing them with us! Also thank you for the very kind communication that was started with many of you on this topic, it was really cool to have small chats with you to learn more about your sanctuaries where you can relax and haul some cargos in ATS or ETS2.

The number of photos we have received from you is so high that it's not possible to put them all in one article on our blog. We were granted permission to show the photos from many of you, but we had to pick only a small subset. So we've chosen some of the most creative (by our personal opinion anyway) which you can see below. We will be picking some more in the future, so we'll be happy for more submissions. More driving rigs may also appear from time to time on our Instagram profile.














Thank you once again, keep on trucking and have a great time!

Wednesday, March 1, 2017

American Truck Simulator Update 1.6 Open Beta

We are ready to start public testing of a new Update for ATS today. ETS2 Open Beta should follow later this week.

After rescaling the ATS world in 1.5, we have focused on driver experience improvements in this update. 


We have already mentioned liftable trailer axles in a previous blog post. Weigh station pass device is another little "cabin toy" that's a part of a trucker's life, so we felt that it should be brought into the game.

This update also improves simulation of a vehicle's engine internals. There is more attention now on varying performance of different configurations, we have enhanced adaptive transmission modes, and also added the differential lock, which may be handy on uneven surfaces. Additional improvements to vehicle behavior include air brake simulation tweaks, also engine brake input in certain situations has been changed. We have also increased the range of available FOVs for multi-monitor setups.

About the weigh station pass device:

The box is mounted on the windshield of the truck. In the game, it works the same way as the weigh station functionality that's a part of the on-screen Advisor "widget." For players who prefer to switch off all user interface elements to get a more immersive experience, they will now have the visual cue to know whether they need to either complete the weight check or whether they can bypass it.


List of features included in ATS Update 1.6:

MAIN FEATURES

  • Weigh station pass device
  • Trailer liftable axles
  • Differential lock
  • Adaptive transmission modes (power, normal, eco)
  • Improved engine simulation model (friction, braking, consumption)

MINOR CHANGES
  • Air pressure simulation improved (pressure buildup, cut-off sound, application pressure), working air pressure values fixed
  • Transmission input shaft simulation (double clutch)
  • Coin sound tweaked
  • Field Of View (FOV) range increased to 40-120 degrees in adjuster
  • If engine brake toggle input is not assigned, increase/decrease engine brake input work similar to retarder (in range from 0 to maximum)
  • Tuned wheel noise to be more noticeable with loud engines
  • Multiple fueling points on gas stations
  • g_force_economy_reset flag is disabled after economy reset

MOD
  • Single "overrides" (forced default) rule can be used instead of defaults-suitable rule pair across linked accessories
  • All pressure unit set consistently to bars (data, animation, dashboard UI)
  • Nominal air_tank_pressure value added to chassis data
  • Changed interior animations: all air, oil and brake pressure (gauges, indicators)
  • New interior animation: trailer axle lift (indicator), differential lock (button, indicator)
  • New engine data: resistance_torque (measured at 2000 rpm)
  • Coin sound made moddable in the same way as other sounds (through .ogg file)

WORLD OF TRUCKS

  • Connecting DLC's owned by the player to his  World of Truck account to make the content available for all World of Trucks features.

During open betas, there is a dedicated beta site for WoTr, which is used to safely test all new features, please visit World of Trucks Open Beta web for more information. Also check our modding wiki too to get details pertaining to mods for the game.

If you wish to participate in the open beta, you can find this version in public_beta branch on Steam. The way to access it is as follows: Steam client → LIBRARY → right click on American Truck Simulator → Properties → Betas tab → public_beta → 1.6 public beta. No password required.

Just as with the previous Open Beta releases - please keep in mind that this is still only a beta version of the update! You may experience instability and/or bugs and kinks. It’s completely okay if you want to wait for the final release. But if you are interested in providing feedback at this stage, be sure to let us know on our forums. We appreciate all your feedback immensely.