Oklahoma - Cities and Settlements #1

A trucker’s journey consists of more than complex highways or wonderful nature, which is why there’s always the need to include numerous detailed cities and settlements in every additional expansion of American Truck Simulator to perfectly capture the whole "picture" of the local land. The upcoming Oklahoma DLC will be no exception, so today we will show you four of the cities that are arriving in the game with the Sooner State.

First up is Guymon with a population of about 12,000 people, which makes it the biggest small city that is located in the panhandle of Oklahoma. While in general, the city has a rich history and a strong community spirit, most importantly for us, the city's main source of business comes from large livestock farms and meat processing factories. Even though a local food factory may not seem like too much work at first glance, the entire area will provide to be a perfect starting point for your journey across Oklahoma.

Next, we have Enid, a city with a history closely intertwined with the expansion of the railway system in America. It’s no coincidence the city was originally supposed to be called Skeleton Station, but, well, let’s just say it sounds less catchy than as we know it today.

The city is surrounded by flat land and wheat fields, which is why a silo depot will most likely be your main place of visit when you will find yourself in the area. However, the city center is rich in landmarks such as a hospital, police and fire station, local school, and more.

Lawton is primarily known for its local Tire Factory for which we have created a brand-new depot (as shown in our previous New Industries blog). The factory is a significant part of the city's economy and the investments and state support are increasing every year. Moreover, the city is also home to a large paper mill, which we've added to the game as well. It's also worthwhile taking some time to see the interesting water tanks and churches in the area.

Lastly, we have Idabel, the smallest town in Oklahoma in the upcoming DLC. It is located in the southeast corner and the main point of interest for the players will certainly be the adjacent Sawmill. Additionally, it's worth a visit to see the Museum of the Red River, which is an unusually futuristic structure considering the local area. Other landmarks in Idabel include the fire station, hospital, high school, and water tanks.

And finally, we have some screenshots for you of the local settlements you will be able to pass through while cruising through Oklahoma. Can you guess which small towns are present in the following screenshots?

In conclusion, these cities and settlements will offer diverse experiences for players to enjoy. We can’t wait for you to check out the second part of this blog topic in the future and we’d suggest following our social media (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok) to not miss out on any potential updates.

SCS On The Road - Wielton Production Plant

It's now time to reveal one of our projects that we've been working on for some time already, and to confirm all the speculations about the very cool yet mysterious and unique video we published back in October. Yes, we're talking about the teaser in which not only members of our crew, but a real camel took part in as well! 

Everyone who speculated that this teaser is related to the European trailer company Wielton was right, and we are proud to officially confirm that the cooperation is real and it’s happening. We got in touch with the amazing people from Wielton back in 2022 at the IAA automotive fair in Hannover, where the initial discussions and the first steps in our common interest to bring Wielton trailers into Euro Truck Simulator 2 began. We were honored to find out that the team over at Wielton was already very familiar with ETS2 and with our #BestCommunityEver, and that they were ready and looking forward to joining the truck sim universe with their famous brand.

From the very first moment, it has been nothing but joy and fun to work with Wielton, and we are grateful to be connected to such a cool and open-minded team of people working within the automotive industry. From providing us with high-quality reference data for our vehicle department to being creative in producing unusual but cool marketing content - it's been an absolute pleasure to work on this project together!

A few weeks back, we were also invited to visit their production plant in Wieluń, Poland, to gather some tiny pieces of missing reference data for our 3D graphics designers, and to also take a guided tour through their facility to check out the production process. We can now confirm that we have seen with our own eyes how their teams are tirelessly making sure every single one of their trailers, every tiny detail and part is being made with a deep dedication for perfection and top quality! And we’ve observed their production very closely, as you can tell by the video below!

We would love to use this opportunity to express our deep gratitude to everyone from the Wielton team for all the help that they have given us so far. We can't say when this project will be ready for a release, but if you'll keep your eyes on our communication platforms such as our social media channels you surely won't miss any updates related to this topic!

Sweet Valentine Event Conclusion

With the intention of celebrating the timeless tradition of Valentine’s day, exactly two weeks ago we introduced a brand-new thematic World of Trucks event, in which we asked the players to deliver special Valentine Presents cargo across all the trucking territories. And now, since the event was successfully concluded on Sunday the 19th, we'd like to thank and congratulate everyone for taking part and offer you some final thoughts and impressions.

The community goal which was set at 500,000 deliveries was actually completed before Valentine’s Day itself and we consider that to be absolutely amazing! We knew that achieving this number wouldn’t be an easy task but all of you managed to surprise us with your true passion and dedication to finish the goal as quickly as possible. We also appreciate all the feedback we have received and, as we hope to return with another event next year, we’ll make sure to take it all into consideration. For now, let’s take a look at some of the final statistics from this year’s Sweet Valentine event.

These numbers are truly incredible and we hope you are enjoying the Trucker Cupid and Box of Chocolate rewards. We realize that Valentine’s Day is a really time-limited holiday, but you can now explore ETS2 or ATS with the accessories all year long. Additionally, don’t forget we have also updated the Valentine’s Paint Job Pack for each game with the styles used for the special event cargo!

The power of our #BestCommunityEver is always one of the main highlights of any event and it was awesome to see you all sharing the love all over social media and other platforms, such as Youtube or Twitch. We really enjoyed looking at the screenshots, videos, and live streams, and it brings a lot of joy to all our teams to see how much you enjoy these World of Trucks events.

Once again, we are grateful for all your effort and the love you showed us during this event. We hope we’ll be able to provide you with more challenges and entertainment in the future as well, and while we are unable to say right now what our plans are, keep an eye out on our social media (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok) to always be notified of any potential announcement.

West Balkans - Trieste

We know what you are thinking right now. Isn’t the city of Trieste outside of the actual West Balkans region? Well, there is a bit more to today’s blog post than the title suggests. Keep reading and you will find out!

Every time that we are expanding the world of Euro Truck Simulator 2, we have to carefully consider how to appropriately connect it to the already existing content. Quite often this means adding something new even to the countries nearby that are technically not a part of the DLC, as it gives us an opportunity to further develop the real-life representation of the given area. This is exactly the case with Trieste, which is located only about 8 kilometers away from Slovenia’s Koper, and which we will introduce as part of a base game update paving the way for the launch of the West Balkans DLC!

Trieste is located in northeastern Italy, and, as well as being a beautiful city with amazing architecture, it is a deep-water port and one of the most important transport hubs in Europe. Due to this role, you, as a truck driver, will be able to drive through the port area near the Gulf of Trieste. This road will offer a view of a big part of the city, along with a chance to spot a part of a landmark church, so, whether you are visiting for work or just passing by, we’re sure the city will have something for everyone!

We can’t wait for you to explore this new addition to the base content of ETS2. While at the moment we are unable to say when exactly it will arrive, make sure to follow our social media (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok) to stay in touch with all the latest updates and official announcements.

American Truck Simulator: 1.47 - World Ambient Sounds

As you might remember, last year, a small team from SCS Software traveled to the USA. However, visiting expos and researching areas were not the only tasks on our agenda. Members from our sound team also traveled along to record a number of new environmental and ambient sounds for the world of American Truck Simulator. Today we wanted to share with you a glimpse into the development of some of those sounds that will be coming in the next 1.47 update! 

As we continue to make sounds more immersive across our truck sim world, one big change we have made for this update is introducing sound scatter technology through FMOD for our virtual environment. So what does this mean for players? It means you'll now notice a variety of SFX coming from different directions and distances, on top of our base 5.1 sound layer, which has an existing basic environmental loop from a specific place. For example, you may be sitting at a rest area in the quiet Texas plains, hearing the chirping of crickets, but you'll hear them at various distances, some further away, some closer! 

This change not only applies to nature but also in the city too. From the sound of distant highway traffic to a nearby police siren, these sounds will not only vary in intensity and location, but also change depending if you are parked or traveling at low or high speed; where you'll experience the doppler effect. Sounds will also vary depending on the day and night cycle. 

This new sound system allows players to always hear different sounds as they travel through the environment. Hundreds of these sound spots will be included in this first update, so the variety of sounds will be quite noticeable.

Another change we are introducing is a direction filter for trucks. Where applicable, we have included sound engine equalization in the sound system, which works according to your current camera view. For example, if you are using a camera behind the truck, you will hear a change in sound according to that view. The effect is most audible when you are able to watch your truck drive past but the camera remains stationary. 

We are excited to bring these changes in the future. Keep in mind, this is just the first implementation when it comes to sounds. This year will be another busy schedule of recording for our team, and we look forward to bringing more updates in due time. 

Until then, keep an ear out for more news in the future about sounds, we love to hear your thoughts on this topic. 

West Balkans - Nature

With 8 new countries included in the upcoming West Balkans DLC for Euro Truck Simulator 2, our teams have their hands full; Especially when it comes to creating its abundant amount of wilderness and nature. With its exceptional wealth of plant and animal life, the Western Balkans is one of the richest parts of Europe in terms of biodiversity.

It is also a region that is mostly covered in mountain ranges, especially between the northwest and southeast. Drivers can expect a very diverse terrain profile when it comes to trucking, including some very scenic mountain routes. 

Of course, not everywhere is hilly! You'll come across more even looking terrain as you travel inland. In these areas, you'll find that agriculture is more prominent, as conditions are more favourable for growing fruits, vegetables and livestock; especially in the warmer climates.

The West Balkans are also home to a variety of beautiful National Parks, which include everything from verdant valleys, to towering mountains, and a diverse array rivers, waterfalls and more which await visitors in this historic region.

With so much ground to cover, we are sure you'll have plenty time on the road to take it all in. We look forward to sharing more in-depth development blogs in the future which will feature specific areas. Like what you see? Consider adding the West Balkans DLC to your Steam Wishlist, it really helps support our studio and we thank those that have done so already!