Missouri - Custom Made Depots #2

Today, we're excited to share more previews of the custom-made depots featured in our upcoming Missouri DLC for American Truck Simulator! This blog serves as part 2 of a previous post, if you haven't read it yet, you can check it out here.

Also known as The Show-Me State, Missouri offers a diverse range of depots for drivers to deliver to and from. However, one particular industry in this DLC stands out as truly unique! Drivers should exercise extra caution when approaching this custom depot, as the results could be… explosive! It’s time to put your Hazardous cargo skills for transporting dangerous goods to use, as drivers will be required to have the Class 1 Explosives skill point to deliver dynamite from this location. It’s a risky job, but somebody’s got to do it!

Operating under a subsidiary of NAMIQ, one of our in-game companies, drivers will be able to transport not only dynamite to quarries and mines across the United States, but also other cargo to a variety of other locations. Based on a real life location, we are sure you'll enjoy haulin' to this unique depot.

Speaking of quarries, you'll find several throughout Missouri, but the one located nearby the city of Rolla stands out above the rest. This quarry is huge, and players will be able to drive right into its heart, navigating gravel roads and manoeuvring around heavy equipment and mining structures. What makes the Quarry unique is the depot itself, as it is split into two parts. The main hub is used for maintenance and general operations, and the second area which is the core of the quarry itself.

We urge you to explore everything that the quarry (and other depots in Missouri) has to offer, those who do may discover more than what appears on their GPS.

Missouri is also one of the leading producers of timber products. With numerous harvest sites scattered across the state, truckers will have no shortage of jobs. Be sure to equip your rig with the appropriate tires and accessories as you travel through forested areas and dirt roads. We are sure you will enjoy delivering to these custom depots.

We hope you enjoyed checking out more of the custom-made depots you'll be able to explore and deliver to in our upcoming Missouri DLC. If you like what you see, be sure to add it to your Steam Wishlist! Also, if you'd like to stay up to date with the latest news, you can have it delivered right to your inbox. Subscribe to our newsletter here. Until next time, keep on truckin'.

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'!

Missouri - Underground Warehouses

Another piece of the puzzle from the upcoming Missouri map expansion for American Truck Simulator is here, our #BestCommunityEver! Today, we are eager to show you the unique underground warehouses you will find and deliver cargo to in the Show Me State. Let's take a look!

You will come across four underground warehouses while trucking in this map expansion, all inspired by their real-world counterparts. The biggest one is located in Kansas City, and it is in fact the largest underground business complex in the world!

Mining of limestone began here in the 1940s using the room and pillar method. This process left behind a network of tunnels separated by massive limestone pillars. Over time, these spaces evolved into a series of rooms, domes, halls, corridors, and columns. Today, the site serves as an ideal storage facility, used by hundreds of companies to store a wide variety of products, thanks to its stable year-round temperature and humidity.

Another facility is located in Springfield, also within a former limestone mine. Although it is roughly half the size of the one in Kansas City, it still spans an impressive 3.2 million square feet (nearly 300,000 square meters). The facility is highly active, accommodating over 600 trucks daily and even features a train connection.

Similar in size is another underground warehouse located in the southwest of Missouri near the city of Joplin. It is mainly used for food storage so even though the storage space is fairly cold, it is being further chilled with refrigeration units on the surface.

If you head south of St. Louis, you will come across the smallest one of them. But don't be mistaken, this warehouse is still pretty big as it is located in an old limestone mine again and you will be able to deliver plenty of different cargo in and out of there.

We hope you are looking forward to exploring these unique warehouses in the Missouri DLC. If you do, make sure to add this map expansion to your Steam Wishlist! And don't forget to follow us on our X/Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, so you won't miss out on any American Truck Simulator news. Until then, keep on truckin'!