Greece - Border Crossings

Get your documents ready; border control is here! In today's blog, we would like to show you some of the border crossings you will encounter on your way in and out of Greece, the upcoming map expansion for Euro Truck Simulator 2.

You will be able to get to Greece through six border crossings, but today we will show you three of those so we don't spoil it for you all at once!

Kakavia

Kakavia is a major border crossing between Greece and Albania, meticulously modeled in our game to accurately reflect its real-world counterpart. Numerous smaller details are scattered throughout the area, capturing the true essence of the location, such as the customs regulations building situated in the middle of the crossings.

Níki - Medzhitlija

Located on the E65 Route, the Níki-Medzhitlija border crossing connects Greece with North Macedonia. This crossing has also been custom-made to perfectly resemble its real-life counterpart, as you can see in the screenshots. Historically, it was the southernmost border of Yugoslavia.

Makaza - Nimphaia

Makaza-Nimphaia is a border crossing between Greece and Bulgaria. This mountain pass stands out as one of the smallest border crossings in the game measuring only over 100 metres in length. The border and its surroundings are custom-made as well.

Keep in mind that this DLC is still a work in progress, but we hope this blog provides a peek into our ongoing efforts. If you're excited about this map expansion, add the Greece DLC to your Steam Wishlist. Don't forget to stay tuned and follow us on our Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok for all the latest updates!

Germany Rework: Kassel

Today, we're happy to share with you some new images and information from our on-going Germany rework project for Euro Truck Simulator 2; specifically from the city of Kassel. Much like the previously highlighted areas in this rework, this city was completely rebuilt from scratch! Let's take a closer look shall we?

Located in the North of Germany, Kassel is a city steeped in history and cultural heritage. The rework team has recreated some of the more prominent historical buildings that can be found around Kassel, including the museum, gallery and theatre. Be sure to capture a photo of them for your gallery! 

We have also recreated the road network to a more realistic standard. Drivers will be able to travel along Bundesautobahn 7, through the city, with an exit on B251. Truckers will also find a new secondary route available which will offer views of the Hercules monument located in Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe. 

Of course, you'll also have the opportunity to travel on the Wilhelmshöher Allee, which is one of the most important streets in Kassel, connecting the city centre from east to west. Be sure to keep an eye out of your window for some views of the river Fulda, one of two headstreams of the Weser River. 

Drivers looking for job contracts in the area will find a variety of industries large and small, including logistics centres, supermarkets and a car parts factory. We also recommend checking out the location of the garage in the city, especially if you're looking to base your operations in Kassel! 

We look forward to highlighting more of the Germany Rework project in the near future, and we hope you like what you've seen here! If you do, be sure to let us know in the comments or on our Social Media Channels, as our team would love to hear your thoughts. Until next time, keep on truckin'! 

ETS2: Scania S BEV Release

We're excited to announce that Scania Trucks will be joining our electric line up in Euro Truck Simulator 2 with the Scania 40 S and 45 S Battery Electric Vehicle, which are now available to drive through the Quick Jobs section in-game. Ready for some new energy? Let's take a closer look at this new addition!

The Scania 40 S and 45 S featured in ETS2 are based on the Scania S‑series with a 4x2 Chassis and features a six-speed transmission combined with three electric motors with a continuous power output of 400/450 kW (540/610 hp). With a battery capacity of 624 kWh, it can achieve a distance of up to 520km in a single journey, depending on the Gross Weight of the Trailer.

The interior comes with a few specific changes for the electric variant. BEV-specific gauges are introduced alongside a refreshed interior that includes Blind Spot Indicators built into the A‑pillars, an electronic parking brake, as well as some smaller changes to the drivers dashboard. 

We're also happy to share that our team have re-created a special paintjob which will be applied to the Scania S BEV. Drivers can enjoy trucking and making deliveries with the 'Take Charge' livery, which features a 'Glacier White' & Blue gradient and the texts '100% Electric' & 'Take Charge'.

We hope that you enjoy this special and unique addition to the Electric Trucks line-up in Euro Truck Simulator 2! We eagerly await our community's feedback on its quietness, acceleration, behaviour, and smoothness and hope you will enjoy experiencing a new energy in-game. 

As previously talked about, transitioning to electric vehicles poses unique challenges in our virtual realm. While our team continues to work hard to support electric vehicles infrastructure, gas stations initially designed for traditional fuel vehicles, can't easily become electric charging stations without major modifications.

Currently, we're embarking on an experimental phase with our initial steps toward in-game electrification. That is why the Scania 40 S and 45 S BEV, along with a few other electric trucks planned for the future, will be introduced in a special mode and will be accessible only through the Quick Jobs section with delivery lengths limited to 350 km. In case you run out of power while on the road, we have implemented an emergency recharging service that can help you out for a fee. Our cautious approach ensures a smooth experience as we gradually integrate electric vehicles into our virtual world.

This update will not reset the in-game economy, so it may take some time for a quick job with the new electric Scania to appear in your game. Please be patient and allow some in-game time to pass if you don't see a quick job with this new truck right away.

We hope you enjoy trucking with the Scania S BEV in Euro Truck Simulator 2! Be sure to share your photos of your first journey with us and Scania Trucks on X/Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Until next time, keep on truckin'.  

Under the Hood: International LT & LoneStar Update

With the 1.50 update for American Truck Simulator, we updated the International LT & International LoneStar. Now that a few weeks have passed, we bring you an interview with Andi, our 3D Graphic Designer, who was the main person behind this wonderful redesign!

For the International LT, we added new features and customizable options to selected parts of the truck, but also adjusted and polished some of the older parts and reworked the base geometry of the truck. The biggest upgrade was the addition of the S13 Integrated Powertrain which includes a new engine, the T14 transmission, and new accessories such as new chassis fairing extenders, bumper and grille options, FlowBelow fairings, an APU, blindspot detectors, and a completely new shorter day cab chassis. 

Both trucks also underwent a complete interior overhaul with updated textures and interior materials, new customizable interior cabinets, and functioning cabin physics.

"Initially, the task was to facelift the LT with the S13 upgrade - new exterior accessories and engine options. However, during the pre-production process, we found ourselves not happy with the overall quality of the model, especially compared to the current standard of making trucks. The interior was especially lacking, so we decided to spend more time on the LT and LoneStar which meant remodeling parts of the interior and exterior, as well as making brand-new textures," says Andi.

Redesigning these two trucks was mainly a solo project done by Andi although, as he says, he had the support of his colleagues. 

"I was responsible for modeling new parts, texturing them, and integrating everything into our game engine. Oscar helped us source reference data in the form of CAD files, Mark helped me double-check the accessory options, and our QA department made sure that everything was ready for release. I had help from my team lead Jarda throughout the project, he oversaw it and provided feedback where necessary. We also had some help from our paint job department which had to re-export the old paint jobs to fit the updated UVs after the facelift, as well as making a new custom paint job for the S13 package," Andi shares with us.

The project started in April 2023 and was finalized in the winter, then released with the 1.50 update in May. "It's game development, so roadblocks and problems are to be expected. During the summer the project was put on hold because we were missing some vital reference data. But overall it went really well and I had a great time working on this facelift. The community response showed us that we did a good job with this project, especially the update on the interior," Andi tells us.

What did Andi enjoy the most while working on this project? "For me, it was definitely modeling the new steel bumper and the new S13 grille, they were quite a challenge but I really love modeling such complex curved shapes. The interior refresh was definitely a lot of fun to work on as well since I got to use Substance Designer to create new tileable textures and it was a really enjoyable experience overall. Watching the interior change over time to what it is now was pure joy," he says.

On the other hand, the most challenging part was integrating everything into the engine. "Especially on a truck such as this, that has been in the game for a few years, I had to be extremely careful what I changed, otherwise we could break a player's savegame. Every change on an existing part required additional work to create a save patch. There was an issue with the cabin deflector logic that I had changed, which proved to be too problematic to resolve, so it had to be reverted. These are unavoidable things when working in game development, and navigating them properly is always a challenge," Andi says.

Andi is a big fan of the refreshed look of the International LT, so this project was really made for him. "I love the slick and sporty look of the LT. My favorite configuration is the Skyrise cabin with the S13 grille, S13 painted bumper, painted side skirts with the new closeouts, new roof extender, and painted all in a bright yellow," he told us.

We want to thank our friends at International Trucks who provided us with all of the reference data. And we hope you have enjoyed driving with these refreshed trucks so far! If you like them, make sure to share some screenshots with us on our social media (X/Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok), we really want to see those!