Euro Truck Simulator 2 - 1.50 Update Experimental Beta

We have some news for our #BestCommunityEver! Today, we're rolling out the Experimental Beta for the upcoming 1.50 update for Euro Truck Simulator 2. Why do we call our upcoming beta experimental? We need to manage expectations right from the start. We are starting the beta cycle this time from a rather early stage. The level of polish and stability is not the same as for our usual Open Betas. We believe in transparency with our community, and we also need to gather a lot of feedback early this time, to understand how well the features perform. That's why we're offering this Experimental Beta as a precursor to the Open Beta, giving you a glimpse of what's to come while acknowledging that it's still very much a work in progress.

Behind the scenes, our team is working hard on internal projects and releases, all scheduled for version 1.50 of our games. Despite our best efforts, certain aspects of the update are still undergoing refinement. However, we know how important it is to involve our community in the development process, which is why we're making this content available to you in its current state. Your feedback at this stage is invaluable as we strive to deliver the optimal experience. 

With the Experimental Beta, we invite our dedicated players to join us in fine-tuning, testing, and providing feedback. Your input will assist us in identifying and addressing any issues or imperfections before the Open Beta and ultimately the full version 1.50 release.  It's worth noting that this beta may cause instability in certain areas of the game. For those seeking a more polished experience, we recommend awaiting the subsequent Open Beta or the full version's release.

We are very committed to delivering high-quality updates. In the days to come, we'll continue to debug and finalize everything that's coming to ETS2 with the 1.50 update. Your patience and support during this phase are deeply appreciated as we work towards a seamless transition to the next chapter of Euro Truck Simulator 2. Without further ado, let's delve into what you can anticipate from version 1.50. 

Renderer Changes - (still based on DirectX 11 API for now)

We're consistently working on improving our rendering system. It's been a key focus lately, though it'll take some time to complete. Until then, you can expect additional content and enhancements in version 1.50, including: 

• A new feature was added - TAA, or Temporal Anti-Aliasing, which sets itself apart from other anti-aliasing techniques, that aim to smooth images to reduce jagged edges or flickering through higher resolution rendering. Instead, TAA harnesses the timeline, particularly previous frames, to calculate color values as if from a higher resolution, providing a smoother result.
• Cascaded shadow changes: Smooth transition when blending between cascades, smoother and better-stabilized shadow edges.
• Soft particles: Particles and light flares smoothly fade out when near geometry, eliminating harsh intersections for a more seamless visual experience.
• Lit/shadowed smoke: Smoke particles with enhanced volume perception and shading from sunlight, providing a more realistic and immersive atmosphere.
• Far shadows: Ever-present shadows from distant large objects like factory halls, skyscrapers, and road overpasses, with the option to toggle them off in the Options menu.
• Optimized light computation: Dynamic lights are evaluated in a single pass, known as clustered lighting, improving performance in night scenes.

User Interface Rework

We are introducing substantial UI updates to enhance player interaction and accommodate more features. The redesign adopts a flatter, minimalistic design with tooltips and layered navigation, ensuring easier accessibility. For most UI screens, the visible changes are just an evolution of the previous look, though functionally, a lot of work was invested into making them work more comfortably with a gamepad or a steering wheel, requiring less time reaching for a keyboard. The biggest change is the Home screen redesign, a new Status Bar sitting atop many various UI screens, the Quick Menu shortcuts, new fonts, icons, and much more. The result should be a clearer look on 2K and 4K resolutions, with all the changes contributing to a more streamlined gaming experience. We plan to have a separate, more detailed blog on this topic in the near future, so stay tuned.

Switzerland Rework

The eagerly awaited Switzerland Rework project is set to debut in the upcoming 1.50 version of Euro Truck Simulator 2. You can look forward to a complete redesign of Switzerland, including its major cities such as Geneva, Bern, and Zurich. Alongside these enhancements, the economy has been finely tuned to reflect reality, featuring additions like a chocolate factory depot.

But that's not all – the road network receives substantial upgrades too. Prepare to navigate the newly added sections of the A9 motorway and the challenging N19 road. Moreover, fulfilling the longstanding desire of many truckers, the A40/E25 route from Geneva to Aosta, Italy, promises an exhilarating journey beneath the majestic Mont Blanc. You can watch the trailer for this project below or find all the blogs about the rework here!

The team behind the huge Switzerland Rework is already engaged in another rework project; however, we will keep any additional details to ourselves at the moment.

Germany Rework - Rhine

For the 1.50 version, we have reworked the Rhine region as part of the Germany Rework project. In total, four cities were completely rebuilt - Dortmund, Cologne, Düsseldorf and Duisburg. Not only did we revamp the cities, but their surroundings as well so this whole region has been reimagined from the ground up. We also added a part of Autobahn 3 from Cologne to Frankfurt.

You can find out about this rework project in more detail in this blog dedicated to the cities in this region or another blog about industry and intersections in this part of Germany. This is surely not the last time you will hear about the Germany rework project as the team is already working on another part of the country!

Scania Demo Centre

The Scania Demo Centre in Södertälje, Sweden, which we developed in collaboration with Scania, is going to make its debut in the 1.50 version. This facility was established in 1995 and serves multiple purposes in real life. Mostly, Scania uses it to demonstrate their vehicles, both trucks and buses. The facility hosts up to 14 thousand visitors every year from universities to engineers and also allows drivers with a Category B license to try out Scania vehicles.

In-game, players will have the opportunity to navigate the meticulously recreated test track, featuring asphalt, forest, and gravel roads, offering diverse terrain challenges. This in-game circuit is an exact replica of the real one on a 1:1 scale. Remember, you need to own the Scandinavia DLC to be able to visit the Scania Demo Centre.

Wielton Trailer Pack DLC Update

In cooperation with Wielton Trailers, we are introducing the new Container Master trailer series to the Wielton Trailer Pack DLC. Featuring a super lightweight and durable chassis, this update offers two lengths for added versatility.

The first being the Wielton Container Master NS3 P20 SL TANK, which measures 8305mm (27ft) in length and is especially created for the safe transport of Chemical Tank Containers (ADR). The second length we are introducing is the Wielton Container Master NS3 P40 SL, which is designed for the transport of a 40ft container or 2x20ft containers. Both of these trailers will also have a range of options available for them. You can read more about it here.

Options Tooltips

Placing your mouse over each setting option will display helpful information, including explanations of what the options do. You will now effortlessly grasp the purpose of every adjustable option in the settings, enabling you to easily fine-tune your experience.

Lane Assistant

After implementing various driver assistance features, developing lane assistance was the next step for us. This system is more complicated because it has to work well with the different ways people control their vehicles. Making it work well with steering wheels with force feedback was particularly important, even though it was challenging because of possible problems like control-force feedback loops and other details.

Also, the lane assistant features different modes, each serving distinct purposes, making it more complicated. Now, truck drivers can enjoy simply turning it on along with adaptive cruise control, letting the truck do more of the driving.

Changelog

Map

• Switzerland Rework
• Germany Rework - Rhine region
• Scania Demo Centre

Vehicles

• MAN TGX Update
• Lane assistant feature added
• Wielton Trailer Pack DLC Update

UI

• Substantial UI design update (Home screen redesign, persistent Status Bar, Quick Menu, new fonts, icons and more)
• Settings options show information about what they do

Visual

• Improvements in the rendering system
• Temporal Anti-Aliasing feature added
• Cascaded shadow updates
• Soft particles 
• Lit/shadowed smoke 
• Far shadows
• Optimized light computation
• Frame rate limiter added

Sound

• Brake squeaking sounds added

So, do enjoy all these new additions, but please remember: It's only an experimental beta, not an open beta yet or even a stable public version, so you may encounter bugs, instability, or crashes. It's completely okay if you want to wait for the open beta or the final release. But if you're interested in helping us get there faster, we'll appreciate all of your feedback on our forum and your bug reports in the dedicated section.

Please check our modding wiki to get details pertaining to mods for the game.

If you wish to participate in the experimental beta, you can find this version in the 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 → 1.50. No password is required. Sometimes you may need to restart your Steam client to see the correct branch name there. Also, the 1.50 Experimental Beta is currently unavailable for Mac OS users, but it is expected to be released for the platform in the near future.

Thank you for your ongoing dedication and feedback. We believe the Experimental Beta will be a valuable stepping stone towards Open Beta and an exceptional 1.50 version. Don't forget to stay connected with us and all the latest information through our social media channels, make sure to follow us on X/Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok. Happy trucking!