Reaching The End

Every road has its beginning and end, and this historic route is no exception. Today, we are happy to share with you a teaser of what roads lay ahead for American Truck Simulator...

Iowa - Fields & Prairies

We know some of you are very excited about the Iowa map expansion, which is one of our upcoming map DLCs for American Truck Simulator. Now, we can finally reveal more on how the development of this map is going. In this blog, we would like to show you a glimpse of the Hawkeye State's nature!

Located in the upper Midwestern region of the USA, Iowa forms a bridge between the forests of the east and the grasslands of the prairie plains to the west. Saimon, the DLC's map lead, shared his thoughts on the state's nature from the research trip he and his team took in 2023. "The first thing that caught our attention were the expansive hills with terraced fields, picturesque farms with round silos, and countless wind turbines on the horizon."

Iowa also takes special care to protect native flowers and grasses as part of its environmental program. That is why our teams have created a lot of new flower assets that will brighten the countryside of this map.

Iowa's terrain comprising of rolling hills and flat plains was greatly influenced by continental ice sheets that covered it and melted just around 13,000 years ago. Its elevation gradually increases from the southeast to the northwest, though it remains modest, with the highest spot, Hawkeye Point, reaching only 511 meters above sea level.

An important part of the landscape is the Mississippi River which creates the entire eastern border of the Hawkeye State. The vegetation in Iowa is mostly tallgrass prairie and savanna. Actually, over 90 % of its land is used for agriculture, mainly for corn, soy, and hay. This is why Iowa is also called the Corn State, and ranks as number one among the US states in corn and soybean production. So you can look forward to playing an important role in the region's agricultural industry, transporting local produce.

Only 8 % of Iowa's land is covered by forests which can be divided into three categories - upland hardwoods, found in elevated areas with well-drained soils; oak savannah, which is a transition between upland and bottomland forests; and the bottomland hardwoods often found near water bodies with wet soils.

As always, truckers can look forward to encountering some natural landmarks which will be incorporated into the map. One example is the famous Tree in the Road located near I-80 between Omaha and Des Moines.

If you are excited to be trucking in Iowa, don't forget to support us by adding this map expansion to your Steam Wishlist! Until then, make sure to stay up to date on any other news by following us on our social media (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube). We'd also really appreciate if you could sign up for our newsletter to stay informed, even when you're not able to check out the blog or our socials.

SCS Fan Day Experience Vol. 2

We are elated that our first SCS Fan Day Experience was such a success! Now, we have decided to host this event for the second time. On the 28th of March, we will invite a selection of fans from our #BestCommunityEver to our offices in Prague for an enjoyable afternoon together! You can apply below.

But first, let's recap how the pivotal event went back in October. We selected 20 of our fans and invited them for a guided tour around the office. We also took them behind the scenes of how our games are developed and shared some exclusive content that has not yet been made public. They also tried out one of our 4D Motion Simulators, we took a few photos together, showed them our live streaming studio, and at the end of the afternoon enjoyed some snacks and coffee while chatting about their passion for our games and what the future may bring. 

We are proud that everyone enjoyed the afternoon and had a great time! The whole group was full of virtual trucking enthusiasts, and some of them traveled a very long distance to visit us, which we are really honoured by.  You can take a look at the highlights here:

Anyone who did not participate in the first SCS Fan Day Experience in October can apply for the upcoming event by filling out a simple application form until the 28th of February. This way, we can give more fans the opportunity to visit us. SCS Software will personally select 20 members from our community. We reserve the right to make the final choices from all participants.

Before you decide to apply, we also have some important information to share. Unfortunately, SCS Software is unable to cover the costs of travel to our offices or any accommodations in Prague, so whoever gets selected will need to get there on their own expense. Furthermore, the date is firmly set and cannot be moved, so if selected, you will need to arrive at our offices on the 28th of March.

If you are excited and understand the terms we have mentioned above, we would love it if you applied! We encourage you to share as much information about yourself as possible - maybe even include a photo or a video introducing yourself and your passion for our games. The more we know about you, the better your chances are of being selected! Later, make sure to regularly check your email inbox as we will contact you there and tell you further details if you are picked.

You may apply here until the 28th of February 23:59 CET

We are really excited to pick twenty lucky participants from all the applicants, to meet them, and spend a memorable afternoon with them in our offices! So don't wait and fill out that form. Until then, make sure to stay up to date on any other news by following us on our social media (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Bluesky, and YouTube).

Nordic Horizons: Oulu

Hyvää päivää! As one of the northernmost countries in the world, Finland is best known for its breathtaking natural beauty, vast forests, & rich cultural heritage. In today’s blog, we’ll take a closer look at the city of Oulu, a destination you can explore and deliver to in our upcoming Nordic Horizons DLC for Euro Truck Simulator 2.

As one of the oldest cities in northern Finland and the fifth-largest by population, Oulu offers a unique mix of architectural landmarks and economic significance, making it a key destination for truckers. Our team has recreated several large industrial zones around the city, including a food industry producer and a chemical factory. That isn't all however, as you'll be sure to discover so much more when you visit the city yourself!

Players will also have the opportunity to deliver to and from the Port of Oulu, where sea, land, and rail transport converge. As the largest general multipurpose port in the Bothnian Bay, it handles an average of 3 million tons of cargo per year, pretty impressive! 

This city also offers a wonderful example of minimalist Nordic architecture, seamlessly integrated with its natural surroundings. As you travel through Oulu, you will come across various standout landmarks, including the central bridge spanning the Oulujoki River, the railway station, as well as other notable buildings and architectural structures. You will also come across some lovely views of the small surrounding islands and bays located in the west of the city.

You will also be able to travel on a variety of road networks, including major road junctions, wide city avenues, and cosy narrow streets, each built with its own character and charm. Our team has particularly focused on capturing Oulu's clean and simple Scandinavian style, blending it with the surrounding nature and landscape.

We hope you enjoyed this preview of Oulu, and we look forward to highlighting more cities featured in the Nordic Horizon DLC in the near future. If you like what you see, consider adding this upcoming expansion to your Steam Wishlist! It really helps support our releases. Until next time, keep on truckin'.

Community Stories: CaptainC0N

Today, we're excited to bring you a unique and special blog for our #BestCommunityEver. This post marks the beginning of what we hope will become a new blog series. We'd like to introduce you to Connor, also known as CaptainC0N - a long-time member of our American Truck Simulator community and a passionate truck enthusiast. Connor's incredible journey, closely tied to ATS, has led him to experiences beyond his dreams. We sat down with him to learn more about his story, and now, we're thrilled to share it with you. Let's dive in!

Connor has been playing our games for a couple of years now and shares the story of how he fell in love with them. "I grew up playing the original Euro Truck Simulator on my family computer in our office room. I remember playing on a standard keyboard and mouse and enjoying every bit. Once ATS came out I bought it. Although my laptop sounded like a spaceship taking off whenever I ran the game, I loved every bit of it. I took a break for a few years but around the Covid pandemic I got back into it and invested in a wheel and pedal setup and that was a game changer. I've since obtained an eye tracker and shifter to add to my current setup."

We also asked Connor about his favorite truck and DLC within our games. "My favorite truck would be a red Western Star 57X. My favorite DLC so far would have to be the Texas DLC and I will be very eager to wait for future DLCs as my home state is Illinois!"

After spending hundreds of hours enjoying both American Truck Simulator and Euro Truck Simulator 2, Connor wanted to try out a real-life trucking experience. This was possible thanks to Western Star and their unique Star Nation Experience 2024 event, in which they also decided to invite two members of our ATS community last year, and Connor was one of them.

"I found out about the Star Nation Experience on a loading screen in the game and it looked like a fun and adventurous experience. I've always wanted to drive a real truck or at least sit in one and I knew that this could be my opportunity. I was blown away by this opportunity and was super excited to be selected. It was a truly remarkable experience. I cannot thank everyone enough from SCS to Western Star and all the people behind the scenes to make it happen. The opportunity to sit in a truck let alone drive a powerful truck like Western Star was crazy and thrilling!"

If you want to see more from the Start Nation Experience, you can check out the SCS On The Road that Nemiro and Mark recorded as they also participated in this amazing event!

While it was Connor's first time sitting in a real truck, he managed to win one of the driving challenges beating all the others including Mark. "One of the challenges included backing up a hill on a steep grade. One of the newer features on the truck was a crawl mode which allowed you to slowly back up a hill without using the accelerator! It slowly went back and we had to stop at a certain spot without hitting anything. I ended up being closest to the line while not going over which meant I was the winner of that competition!"

Towards the end of the event, one of the participants Casey LaDelle came up with an idea to help Connor get his CDL along with us and Western Star, as it was one of his dreams for a long time. "I am currently working on earning my CDL class A license. It's going good so far but it includes a lot of studying as well as learning all the different parts and features of a truck such as the air brake system. I am currently set up to take my permit test this month and then I will begin behind-the-wheel training after passing. My goal is to finish within the next couple of months as I am still working a full-time job during the week as well as spending time with my girlfriend and family."

Connor would like to incorporate trucking into his current job. "I currently work at a steel bar manufacturer and we see trucks come and go all day long! My goal would be to do a small load or two here or there for my company and help out when I can while still having my main job. Also, I would plan on making some YouTube videos along with it to help encourage other young drivers to take the leap and get a CDL!"

You can already follow CaptainC0N on YouTube right now, as he is creating content mostly from ATS. "I started creating content just about a year ago officially. I like being able to interact with others in convoys as well as in the comments or in the chat. I've learned a lot just from talking with others about trucks and learning how to drive a manual transmission. I have even made a few videos of my girlfriend driving a truck and teaching her a bit about the game and the awesome opportunities it can create while also still making it fun!"

In the end, we would like to forward the message Connor, aka CaptainC0N, has for our #BestCommunityEver: "Keep putting in those miles whether you are in a VTC or just conveying with friends! Enjoy the time and experience on the open road. Thank you to everyone who has supported me. I can't wait to continue to carry on this awesome experience and give back to y'all in the future! Don't forget to apply for next year's Star Nation Experience when applications open!"

Before you leave, we just wanted to tell you one more thing! If you have a similar interesting life story like Connor that involves our games, we would really love to hear it and maybe present it on our blog like we did today. So get in touch with us! Follow us on our X/Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Bluesky, and YouTube, so you won't miss out on upcoming news. Drive safe!

Missouri - Custom Made Depots

Missouri is also known as "The Show-Me State," and today, we're excited to show you some of the custom-made depots which have been created for this upcoming Map DLC for American Truck Simulator!

On your future travels in Missouri, you’ll be able to deliver to and from some of our custom-made depots, such as  a livestock farm, a crop farm, grain elevators, and river ports! Many of these industries are inspired by real-life locations in Missouri, and feature dedicated loading and unloading spots for each type of cargo found there. To share more insight into their creation, we spoke with some of the team involved on how these custom depots are brought to life.

"It all begins in the pre-production phase of the DLC," says Lukas, one of our Map Designers. "The DLC lead collaborates with the research department and the custom depot team to select potential candidates for custom depots. After that, the responsible team members create guidelines for the map designers, which include details such as what the depot is, how it operates in real life, what cargo goes in and out, and what facilities, buildings, or machinery can be found there. The process culminates in a detailed prototype created on paper. With this document, the map location, and the map editor tool, the map designers are ready to bring these depots to life!"

"Many of the locations are based on real-life counterparts," Lukas continues. "We always try to strike a balance between realism and creativity. Our main goal is to make the experience engaging for players while maintaining a sense of authenticity. One of the biggest challenges is adhering to the scale of our game map. While we love the idea of vast industrial areas, endless fields of corn, and expansive forestry sites, we must respect the map’s limitations. Balancing these elements while brainstorming interesting parking spots and fitting them seamlessly into the custom depot is always a challenge."

Despite the challenges, Lukas finds the process rewarding. "It’s fun," he says. "In the end, it feels like a ‘small’ development process within the ‘big’ game development. We collaborate with other departments, such as asset creators, programmers, testers, researchers, and many others, to bring everything together. Personally, I always try to design depots the way I’d want to experience them as a player. I enjoy the uniqueness of custom depots and the realistic approach in both visuals and gameplay. Lastly, we always do our best to listen to the community."

We hope you enjoyed this insight into the custom-made depots coming to the Missouri DLC for American Truck Simulator, be sure to keep an eye on the blog, as this won't be the only post on this topic! If you’re excited about it, consider adding the Missouri DLC to your Steam Wishlist, as it really helps support our upcoming releases. Thank you for reading, and until next time, keep on truckin'!