Trucks World Cup 2020 - Start

It's time to officially start the Truck World Cup 2020 in collaboration with Renault Trucks! After receiving more than 3100 entries to the competition inbox, select members from the SCS Software and Renault Trucks teams took on the daunting task of picking 32 entries to proceed into the next round.

This was by no means an easy task, as we sorted through thousands of different variations of Renault Trucks in accessorized with different custom paint jobs, modifications, and much more. We were overwhelmed by the staggering amount customizations made possible by talented modders from around the world.

So, who are the 32 participants, and what happens next? You can check the competition board, on which all these lucky players are already sorted into groups. Can you see your name/nickname there? Congratulations if you do! Want to see what screenshots were selected? Check out the video posted on our Instagram profile, Renault Trucks Instagram profile, or the dedicated Facebook page!

Every single participant will have to match against everyone in his base group, then two best of each group moves into 1/8 final rounds, from where winners move to 1/4 final rounds, then again winners gets to 1/2 final rounds and then, the grand final match between the two most successful participants will take place.

When these matches are going to happen? When you should be ready to vote for your favorite, or for yourself? See the full schedules of base groups matches below! Each of the dates listed below, starting at 13.00 CEST time, the voting will start! Or simply keep an eye on our and Renault Trucks' social media channels as everything will be posted there!

Starting tomorrow (Friday the 1st of May, 13:00 CEST, SCS Software Instagram profile) it is up to YOU to vote for your favorite Renault Truck as they go head to head a series of voting rounds hosted on our Instagram and Renault Trucks Instagram, in Instastories section. With an amazing array of prizes to be won (see the previous blog post if you've missed it), be sure to help your fellow trucking friends by voting on each round!

Post #1,000

I would like to celebrate an anniversary with you today. Back in 2010, I started this blog as a way to keep the community updated and to quote the very first post - "to post screenshots of games under development, share behind the scenes information, and point out interesting places on the net related to SCS Software's games."

Frankly, I was not fully aware of what kind of commitment I had created for me and eventually for a small team here at SCS. Initially started as a small one-man show done on the side in the evenings, today each blog post occupies several people to iterate on screenshots or videos, draft, review, and cross-check the text across our teams to make sure we are not forgetting anything, and to format it for publication across several online platforms. It's a labor of love and we enjoy the interaction with our games' fanbase very much.

This little blog has been growing over the years. We are regularly reaching over a million page views per month, and we have already passed the massive milestone of over one hundred million page views total.

This is far from the complete picture, while the blog is our oldest communication platform, the newer kids on the social media block are incredibly strong, too. While most of our content originates on the blog to be adapted for reposting, there are actually even more readers on our SCS Software, ETS2 Facebook, and ATS Facebook pages. Our Twitter is at almost 100K followers, 150K followers on Instagram, and a huge number of people are reading the news via Steam community updates. Our YouTube channel has close to a quarter-million subscribers, and we are looking to establish yet more presence online on platforms like Twitch and Weibo, all the time still being active on our forums.

Boasting these numbers is not mere vanity. When talking to industrial partners, having a strong online presence is immensely useful. It is the best proof of the relevance of our simulation games in the eyes of marketing departments of vehicle manufacturers, helping us a ton in winning their support when we approach their licensing departments. That's why we are constantly trying to attract more of our players to follow us and subscribe to the various sites. We have even started using a new trick recently, with each of the social media sites getting exclusive screenshots in addition to the core set shared in an original blog post.

No matter which site or service you use to follow the news we publish, we feel honored to share the road with you, our fans. We have come a long way, and still, I think we're only at the start of much bigger things. We have so many cool features in development, our team has grown in size and productivity to create fantastic new content, and with your support, our games have a bright future ahead of them.

Thank you, and see you soon with blog post #1,001!

Pavel Sebor
CEO, SCS Software

The Mack Anthem® has arrived!

It's time to discover an American legend. The all-new Mack Anthem® for American Truck Simulator is now available to purchase from your local in-game dealership with a variety of customization options.

As one of the most significant new trucks in Mack’s 117-year history, the Anthem combines the latest innovations with more than a century's experience in truck-building. The Mack Anthem's bold and rugged exterior makes it stand out on the road like no other truck and has been designed with the driver in mind.

Its virtual implementation in our game includes a wide array of configurations including 12 chassis variants, 6 engine variations, 14 transmissions, 3 different cabin types and a large variety of tuning accessories; You can be sure that the Anthem will be ready for any job long or short, big or small.

Bringing this legendary truck to the virtual roads of American Truck Simulator are 3 senior designers; each one of them dedicated to a different part of creating the vehicle. A designer for the interior model, exterior model, and one for the variety of paint jobs that can be applied. Thanks to the team at Mack Trucks, we were provided with very detailed data which allowed us to create a 1:1 high-quality model of this iconic truck. Their generosity and collaboration have allowed this project to progress to where it is today.

The Mack Anthem® arrives as a free DLC add on for every owner of American Truck Simulator. Find the latest update on your Steam Client (which may require a restart for some users) to receive this new addition to your library.

Be sure to share your first journey with Mack Trucks (Twitter, Instagram) and us (Twitter, Instagram) using the hashtag #MackAnthemInATS. Our friends at Mack Trucks have sent us some very cool items from their merchandise shop and we'll be randomly picking some very lucky winners who'll receive them!

The MACK trademarks and designs are registered rights of the AB Volvo Group and are used pursuant to a license.

SCS Home Office Vol. 2

While our company continues to work from home during this difficult time, most of us have settled into creating our own little office working space within our living space (see our first home office blog post). Although working from home does have it own challenges, the main one being distractions! From home pets to family, many of our team members have settled and created their own workspace to help them keep focused during this time.

So what do some of these home work-spaces look like? We asked more of our team to send in photos of their home setups to share with you our community (just don't judge too hard!) Do you have a favorite? Plus, those with a sharp eyesight might spot a teaser of something our map designers are working on which has not been announced yet.

We'd like to remind you the importance of social distancing and staying at home if it's possible. The world around us is going through a difficult time and all of us should do our part to help stop the spread of the coronavirus. We understand that the longer we need to stay home the harder it can become, but please if you can, stay home and isolated from others. Stay safe, stay healthy, #PlayApartTogether and remain the #BestCommunityEver!

Mack Anthem® Announcement

Over the past weeks, our fan community has been abuzz with speculations about the arrival of a new truck brand in American Truck Simulator. You may have seen a few glimpses of this truck hidden across our social media channels; but today, we are happy to put these rumors to rest and present to you this American legend in its full glory.

Introducing the Mack Anthem® for American Truck Simulator

The newest highway truck from Mack is built for your business and designed for the driver. With a bold design, tough engineering and a high-quality interior, the new Mack Anthem has been created with detail in mind.

So when will you be able to drive the Mack Anthem® for yourself? You can purchase one from your local in-game dealerships from the 28th of April.

By the way, here is a behind-the-scenes photo of the main actor and his honorarium from the shooting of the teaser, which sparked the speculations and hype for the Mack Anthem! This good boy did a wonderful job and sends his best regards to the #BestCommunityEver!

Be sure to follow Mack Trucks Twitter and Facebook as well as our social media channels for more screenshots and content before the release.

The MACK trademarks and designs are registered rights of the AB Volvo Group and are used pursuant to a license.

American Truck Simulator 1.37 Release

After much testing, feedback, fixing and fine tuning, we are excited to announce the arrival of update 1.37 for American Truck Simulator! 

We'd like to thank every single one of you for all your help with your bug reports, opinions and general feedback during the Open Beta. We hope you can now begin to fully enjoy the new features included within this update.

The main feature included with this update is the implementation of our new sound engine based on the powerful and flexible FMOD library; which radically redefines the way we mix vehicle and environment sounds. This update includes new sounds for most of the AIs (including trains) and the inclusion of a true Doppler effect for passing vehicles. This also brings an array of new sound options for users accessed from the main menu, that allows you to tweak many more individual sounds to your liking.

While there is still a lot of tweaking to do and more sounds to arrive, this is only the first phase. We will continue to improve on feedback and implement changes throughout the year to come.

As a benefit from the new sound mixing approach, we are happy to bring you truck windows that you can open! You can now enjoy the continuum of sound levels between a well-insulated cabin with windows closed and the roaring traffic coming from the outside when you roll the windows all the way down. Give it a try especially when you hit the rush hour on the road or at a big junction.

Another addition that arrives with this update is our "walk-around feature." Our game world is generally not designed for exploration on foot, but we figure that fans of trucks may welcome a new closer perspective to view their favorite machines and appreciate how impressive they look. Getting up close may also be of use when you need to tune up your rig and match the color of your rims with the cabin's paint just right. So here we are with a little bonus feature of 1.37, an alternate way to control the camera in the game's service and vehicle browser. We had to redesign the "garage" scene a little to make more space and way for the cameras, hopefully, you will appreciate it.

Hungry for more? Then get ready for some food tanks! And we mean literally food tanks because, with this update, a new type of trailer comes available to buy. Also, when we speak about trailers - bulk feed and hopper trailers can now be customized with multiple paint jobs (including the Classic Stripes and Halloween Paint Job packs).

Owners of the Steering Creations Pack DLC, will also find new content in the form of new steering wheels for their rig. Be sure to check them all out, as they offer a wide variety of colors and types to match any rig alike!

And last but not least, we're excited to announce the upcoming arrival of the official support for ASUS Aura for  American Truck Simulator. Products supported include ASUS keyboards, mice, RGB mousemats and more.This brings a new level of immersion to your trucking experience with the inclusion of RGB support. You can expect to see a blog post with more details on the integration and the features that come with it in the near future.

VEHICLES

• Food tank trailer (ownable)
• Paintjobs for bulk feed and hopper trailers (including the content of Classic Stripes Paint Jobs Pack and Halloween Paint Jobs Pack DLCs)

FEATURES

• FMOD implementation with all existing sounds and few improvements
• Openable windows on all trucks
• AI movement and sound behavior improved (featuring FMOD)
• Walking camera in truck or trailer configuration screen (plus new garage scene)
• Added technical inspection of vehicles on mandatory weigh stations (illegal trailer, damaged vehicle).
• Added progressive fines.
• Colour Feedback support for ASUS ROG Strix

TOBII EYE TRACKING

• Eye-tracking pause key function fixed
• Automatic eye-tracking pause while the game is paused/in UI
• Settings hotkey visibility in UI

MOD

• Ingame sounds completely reimplemented for FMOD
• Engine power range data (instead of boost value)
• Exhaust gas temp gauge animation
• AI data tweak (engine power instead of torque and gearbox, vehicle_mass override for trailers)

To enjoy the 1.37 update, make sure to OPT OUT of beta branches and your game will be automatically updated on Steam.

Some mods, however, may have not caught up yet - this update may effectively break them. So remember that you can always stay on 1.36 or an even older branch. The way to access and select them is: Steam client → LIBRARY → right-click on American Truck Simulator → Properties → Betas tab → select the version you want.