SCS Software's blog: American Truck Simulator 1.51 Update Release

Tuesday, September 10, 2024

American Truck Simulator 1.51 Update Release

We are happy to announce that the 1.51 update for American Truck Simulator has been released and is now available on Steam. This update contains bug fixes, changes and new content, which are featured below, so we recommend having a read!

We'd like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who participated, provided their feedback, and made bug reports during the Open Beta period. Your valuable input helped us make tweaks, changes and squash some bugs that we may have missed the first time around. We hope you can now begin to fully enjoy the fruits of your work.

New Title Screen

One of the first and most prominent changes you will encounter in this update is a complete redesign of our Title Screen. Whilst keeping in line with our recent user interface rework, we wanted a design which is easy to navigate and understand for all players.

First and foremost, one of the main difference you'll notice about the new Title Screen is the focus on a truck in the centre of the screen. On the left, you'll find the menu which allows easy access to the more important features of the game, such as Options, and other sub-menus such as the DLC (formerly DLC Browser) and the Mod Manager, which will display the number of MODs active next to it if you have any installed.

To access your Profile Manager, just simply click your profile widget located in the top right of the menu screen.

Functionally, we have also made navigation more comfortable with a gamepad or a steering wheel, requiring less time reaching for a keyboard from the moment you launch ETS2 or ATS. This design also leaves us space to make tweaks and changes where needed, as well as make additions in the future.

Mack Black Anthem

The Mack Anthem just got a whole lot cooler! Introducing the Limited Edition Mack Black Anthem® in American Truck Simulator, featuring a blacked-out exterior trim package and other additional interior features. In developing this special truck, designers started with a 70-inch StandUp sleeper model painted Mack Black and spec’d it up with Mack’s black exterior trim package. They then added a number of unique styling features, including a bold black Mack wordmark across the grille.

The cab steps and deck plates are also powder-coated in black, and flat black trim stripes are added to the air intakes on each side of the hood. Black mudflap brackets, black fuel tanks, black style aluminium wheels and a limited edition Anthem doorplate add to the distinctive look. Completing the exterior transformation of the Mack Black Anthem is a unique black Mack Bulldog ornament on the hood.

It looks business, and it means business! Whilst limited to only 500 made in the real world, The Mack Black Anthem® is available to purchase at your nearest in-game Mack Trucks dealer for all owners of American Truck Simulator. We hope you enjoy this awesome looking variant of an already legendary truck.

A big thank you goes out to the team at Mack Trucks, for allowing us to bring this awesome-looking addition to American Truck Simulator as part of the 1.51 update, and for assisting our team in creating it. We hope you enjoy driving The Mack Black Anthem® across the States, and we look forward to seeing your screenshots and more on our social media channels.

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

Dynamic Cargo (Un)Loading of Grain Hoppers & Chip vans

In the 1.50 update, we introduced a dynamic loading and unloading feature for Nebraska DLC's custom agriculture depots using a grain hopper trailer. Now, we are happy to reveal that in the 1.51 update for American Truck Simulator, we are going to add more animated loading options as well as depots where players will encounter this feature!

Truckers delivering with their own grain hopper trailer will experience dynamic loading and unloading when transporting corn, soybean, grain, sugar beet, pelleted animal food, potatoes, or cotton seed not only in Nebraska but also in custom depots found in the Kansas DLC, the upcoming Arkansas DLC, and in "prefab" depots across American Truck Simulator.

But that is not all! This upcoming update will also include a new dynamic loading option for the chip van when hauling wood shavings or cotton seeds. Currently, this dynamic feature is available only for cargo loading and will appear in Arkansas' custom depots as well as "prefab" depots across the USA. We plan to extend this functionality to include other types of cargo haulable with a chip van as well as dynamic unloading in the future.

You can read more about this feature in a blogpost we posted.

I-44 and more for Oklahoma DLC

The missing link along the I-44 has been frequently requested by our community, so we are glad to be able to bring this new content as part of the upcoming 1.51 update for ATS.

Currently in the Oklahoma DLC, the middle section of Interstate 44 through Oklahoma City is missing. However in the 1.51 update, we are happy to be able to bring this section in, connecting the western and eastern sections and completing I-44 in Oklahoma. This will of course come as a free update to all current owners of the Oklahoma DLC.

That is not all however, the I-44 will also include two new depots for players to deliver to and from; a furniture store and a construction site. Along with this addition, players will also be treated to 2 new truck stops on the I-40. If you'd like to read more about these changes, check out the dedicated blog on this topic here.

Vegetation Update for Texas DLC

In collaboration with our vegetation department, our map designers have replaced the older pines with the more accurate loblolly pines native to Texas!

The loblolly pines were initially created for the Arkansas DLC but also naturally grow in Texas. To enhance realism and ensure a smoother transition when driving between these states, truckers will now encounter an abundance of these trees throughout the entire eastern part of Texas - along roads, in forests, and within towns.

We hope you will appreciate our teams' attention to detail, going back to previously released map expansions and updating them based on your feedback to correct any imperfections.

Custom City Intros for Oregon DLC

We are happy to share that we have now expanded Custom City Intros to the Oregon DLC for American Truck Simulator!

These special cutscenes appear when a player selects a starting city when creating a new profile. We hope that new players (or those restarting a new profile) will enjoy these new additions, showcasing the area where you have chosen to begin.

We hope you enjoy this addition, and we look forward to introducing it to more states in the future.

FlowBelow Update for Various Trucks

We've teamed up with FlowBelow to extend the possibilities of having the FlowBelow Tractor AeroKit™ installed on a number of trucks in American Truck Simulator. Players will now have the choice of having FlowBelow fairings and wheel covers on the following vehicles:

Kenworth T680
Peterbilt 579
Volvo VNL
Mack Anthem
Freightliner Cascadia
Western Star 5700XE and 57X

In the real world, the FlowBelow Tractor AeroKit™ delivers fuel savings for drivers on the road, and can be found installed on thousands of trucks across the United States. For players in American Truck Simulator, we're happy to bring this economical solution to your virtual fleet.

It also has the added benefit of minimizing turbulence and improving aerodynamics by surrounding the drive wheels to better manage the air that moves around the tractor while in motion.

We hope that you enjoy using FlowBelow on your future journeys in American Truck Simulator, be sure to share pictures of your newly installed kit on our official social media channels.

Truck Interior Shadows Improvement

We've also taken the time to create a more realistic visualisation of truck interior shadows through our new tool called Interior Shadow Tweaker.

It allows us to create simplified cage around the cabin of the truck blocking incoming light, thus improving realism of the lighting reflected in the interior of the cabin. No more washed out materials of interior when you are passing another truck, lamp or police beacons.

We hope you enjoy this small but notable improvement to your trucking experience!

1.51 Update: New Controller Config

We are enhancing the controller settings system, which will enable players to control the game with ease and offer them more flexibility and control. These changes will also pave the way for exciting future projects! Not only will you now be able to control more game features while using only your controller, but we also tried to set up the controls in a way that resembles driving a vehicle in real life which we hope will be natural and more immersive for you!

Although these changes will improve the controller settings and make it easier for players using controllers to engage with the game, there may be some cases where customized control settings could be affected. Unfortunately, players who have heavily modified their control layouts through the Steam controller configuration UI and shifted them from the default settings may see their custom configurations reset to default after the update.

Read more about this update at a recent blogpost.

Options QoL Improvements

The main change is the addition of a search bar for easier navigation across all settings categories. When a search is conducted, matches will be displayed in the current setting category, and sections where the search term also appears will be highlighted.

We have also reorganized the existing options in the settings for better clarity. These options are now divided into subcategories within each section. Additionally, two new categories, "Interface" and "Accessibility," have been added to the bottom menu for better distribution.

We've also introduced some changes that provide ease of access when it comes to changing the Desktop Background in ETS2 and ATS. You can now change your menu background directly using a shortcut from the main menu, or alternatively, you can access the same option via the interface section in your settings.

However, that's not all! We've now also made it possible to preview your backgrounds before changing them. Simply click on the background of your choice via the carousel, and you'll be presented with a short preview of how it would look, before confirming your selection.

Players will also be notified through a small widget on the main menu if they have received a new Desktop Background option as part of an event reward or update. Clicking on this will also direct you to the new settings which are implemented in this update.

As a bonus to better desktop background visualization, we've also added a new background named 'Black light studio', we hope that you like it! Be sure to check it out.

Automatic Differential Lock + Blind Spot Sensor

We're also happy to introduce the option to enable and disable the Blind Spot Sensor and Automatic Differential Lock.

The Automatic Differential Lock helps manage traction in difficult driving conditions by automatically engaging when needed. The Blind Spot Sensor provides visual and audible warnings to improve safety when changing lanes.

We hope you enjoy these features, which ultimately allows you to tailor your trucking simulation experience based on how you enjoy it!

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