Washington: Everett Aerospace Factory

At any given time there are on average over 9,000 commercial aircraft flying above us in the skies, and it's a good chance that one of those aircraft was built in Washington. Located in Everett you can find the states largest aerospace factory, which can produce up to an impressive 20 commercial aircraft a month.

The size of a small city, the buildings real-life counterpart holds the record for the Worlds Largest Building which has enough space to fit 13 Empire State Buildings inside its walls. As you can imagine, it would take a large workforce for everything to run according to schedule in such a huge space, and truck drivers hold a very important role in the operation of this industry.

In the upcoming Washington State expansion for American Truck Simulator, drivers will be able to deliver to and from this impressive factory; transporting aircraft parts as well as driving a new Special Transport route for heavy and unique components. The Everett factory has also been created using unique prefabs based on the real building which makes for an impressive sight for anyone driving past.

We can't wait for you to explore this unique industry for yourself! In the meantime, why not add Washington State to your Steam Wishlist?

Euro Truck Simulator 2 Update 1.35 Open Beta

With the number of blog posts featuring news from the upcoming update, you could see how big it's probably going to be. And now you can experience it for yourself - in the 1.35 Open Beta!

There's hardly a single part of our game that hasn't received a new addition or feature in this update, so let's go through them, starting with map developments.

Sardinia is one of two big map additions that 1.35 brings. Most of those who helped us by entering the Experimental Beta were thrilled with how much our map designers were able to squeeze into such a small island. Sardinia is, however, the second biggest island of the Mediterranean, so there's enough room for impressive landscapes and coastal roads.

Another huge region that has received a massive overhaul comes as part of our Germany refresh. There are over 2,000 in-game kilometres of new and reconstructed roads, two completely new highways, updated service stations, new landmarks and much more - see our dedicated article!

Furthermore, we have added two more roads in France (one in the base game and one in the Vive La France map expansion), an improved sign system in Scandinavia and a number of Special Transport jobs all over the map, including regions within Beyond the Baltic Sea!

• St. Petersburg to St. Petersburg (Beyond the Baltic Sea)
• Pori to Helsinki (Beyond the Baltic Sea)
• Toulouse to Montpellier (Viva la France!)
• Verona to Parma (Italia)
• Odense to Hirtshals (Scandinavia)
• Krakow to Banska Bystrica (Going East!)
• Plymouth to Dover (base game)

Trailers alone would be sufficient content to make a standalone update, but they are also coming to 1.35. The Krone extendable Box Liner, Schwarzmüller trailers (reefer, curtain and log variants), Container and Logging trailers are now ready to become a part of your fleet! You'll also see Schwarzmüller trailers on AI trucks.

As in American Truck Simulator, new features include trailer adjustments (extendable trailers, sliding tandems), new wiper settings and the option to copy truck/trailer configurations. And to please "Long Vehicle" sign lovers, double trailers are now permitted in the Netherlands and Germany!

Other new general features include the ability to use your own trailers for external contracts (World of Trucks jobs), and the experimental support for DX11. Keep in mind, that while there are discussions about the performance benefits of DX11, it remains an experimental feature. The ambition is currently simply to reach feature/visual parity with DirectX 9 and OpenGL renderers before we can move on with new visual features. It is still a work in progress; so while we are grateful for your feedback, use it only at your own risk.

Other smaller improvements include some of your suggestions on our forum's community wishlist. There's a considerable number of new drivers that you can hire for your company, a localised dual-language map display and the option to buy garages online, without the need to have the city discovered.

Last but not least, there's now a reworked cabin suspension, official support for Razer Chroma and the Tobii Eye Tracker 4C, input improvements and an option for emergency refuelling. Thanks to all this, the UI had to change significantly; but according to the feedback from Experimental Beta, you shouldn't have any problems to orient yourselves quickly again.

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

During open betas, we are operating a dedicated alternate site for World of Trucks, which is used to safely test all new features. Please visit World of Trucks Open Beta web for more information. Also, check our modding wiki to get details pertaining to mods for the game.

If you wish to participate in the open 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 → 1.35 public beta. No password is required.

Changelog:

MAP

• Germany improvements, part 2 (base game)
• New French roads: A10-A6 (Viva La France DLC) and A6-N44 (base game)
• Sardinia island (Italia DLC)
• Scandinavian signage improvements (Scandinavia DLC)
• New special transport routes (various DLCs)

VEHICLES

• Ownable container trailers
• Regular owned-trailer accessory browser
• Trailer run-time adjustment (extendable trailers, sliding tandems)
• Truck/trailer configurations can be copied across a fleet
• Wiper setting improvements
• Ownable logging trailers
• Double trailers in Germany and Netherlands
• Krone extendable Box Liner for 40ft or 2x20ft containers (Krone DLC)
• Ownable Schwarzmüller reefer, curtain and log trailers including AI variants (Schwarzmüller DLC)

FEATURES

• Owned trailers usable in External contracts (WoTR)
• Online garage purchase
• Emergency refuelling service
• Input improvements (Steam controller support, Tobii eye tracker support, controller hot-swapping support, better force-feedback on Linux)
• Razer Chroma support (RGB)
• New options: truck stability, suspension stiffness, dual-localisation names on the map
• Lots of new drivers to hire
• Cabin suspension reworked
• Experimental DX11 support (config only, r_device "dx11")

MOD

• Modded trucks support (in-game function)
• Center-of-gravity moved from trailer defs to trailer chassis defs (for easier modding)
• New wiper delay+speed format
• Removed default sound for trailer legs (now empty by default)
• Cargo models randomized (e.g. container)
• Timezone areas (introduced in 1.34)
• Transmission mode names
• Curve item (map item)
• Mover/walker redesign
• Traffic improvements
• Dynamic Level-of-Detail for models

Road to the Black Sea

Where do those new roads lead to? It's the question many of you in the community have been speculating over the past few months, and today we are excited to announce our next Euro Truck Simulator 2 map expansion - Road to the Black Sea.

We are happy to confirm that this new addition will bring the countries of Romania, Bulgaria, and the European part of Turkey (Thrace) to ETS2.

From the small villages found in the countryside, to the large bustling city of Istanbul, these three countries are rich with history, unique architecture and landmarks such as "Dracula's"Castle found in Romania. All of these which you will see on your travels on the road to The Black Sea.

Just as impressive as the man-made structures built in these countries are the surrounding natural landscapes. Many of your journeys may lead you through forests, coastal roads or mountain ranges such as the ones found in Transylvania, which create a scenic drive for any traveler.

So, when will you able to explore these new roads for yourself? We expect to release this map expansion towards the end of this year.

We can't wait to share more with you through upcoming blog posts and on our social media channels. In the meantime, why not add Road to the Black Sea to your Steam Wishlist?

American Truck Simulator Update 1.35 Open Beta

Since version 1.34 for American Truck Simulator was more of a maintenance update, we understand how eager you all are for the 1.35 Open Beta - which is finally here!

Where to start? This update is yet again larger than any of its predecessors - and when we say "larger", we mean a LOT! There are changes in almost every part of our game, so let's get on it!

American Truck Simulator will receive two new roads, OR-58 and CA-299. OR-140 will also feature the final segment of its length. The Arizona sign system has also been improved along with Traffic lights (coming in later builds of the Open Beta) which have been re-worked for all current states.

Besides the various new trailers listed in the change-log (B-doubles of all types, chip van trailers, container trailers, etc) and new cargoes, vehicles in our game also received some new features. This includes three windscreen wiper settings which will help drivers handle the improved rain, an accessory browser for owned trailers, expandable container trailers and a copy function for your truck and trailer configuration - which will come in handy, as your company continues to grow.

From the list of new general additions, some longtime wishes take first spots. One of those is a highly demanded option to use your own trailers for external contracts (World of Trucks jobs). From now on, you can!

DX11 experimental support. It's exactly as it sounds - most of the work on DX11 support is done, so the majority of its aspects are working quite well in our games and feedback from Experimental Beta promises a nice increase of FPS.  Still - it's not in its final state, so use it only at your own risk. Although we'll be grateful for your feedback.

Now comes a number of "smaller" additions, based mostly on your suggestions. A large amount of new hireable drivers have been added, so as your trucking empire grows you can expand much more than previously. To help with that growth, we've also added an option to purchase garages online (without the need of having to discover the city previously).

Another helpful feature is emergency refuelling, which will be an important option for those loving to drive on the edge (why do so many of you like to go with empty tanks?). And to make your travels a little bit more diverse and interesting, you'll now see STAA doubles in traffic.

Considering all these changes, the UI had to change drastically. Players who helped us by entering the Experimental Beta have reported no serious issues with it, so we hope you'll have no problems as well. And to close the list, there're many new input improvements and official support for external peripheries.

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

During open betas, we are operating a dedicated alternate site for World of Trucks, which is used to safely test all new features. Please visit World of Trucks Open Beta web for more information. Also, check our modding wiki to get details pertaining to mods for the game.

If you wish to participate in the open 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 American Truck Simulator → Properties → Betas tab → public_beta → 1.35 public beta. No password required.

Changelog:

MAP

•  New roads OR-58 (Oregon DLC), CA-299 and another segment of OR-140
•  Arizona signs improvement
• Traffic lights improvement (all states)

VEHICLES

• Ownable container trailers
• Regular owned trailer accessory browser
• Trailer run-time adjustment (extendable trailers, sliding tandems)
• Copy truck/trailer configuration across the fleet
• Wiper setting improvements
• Ownable B-double trailers (all types)
• Ownable chip van trailers
• Saddle-mounted truck transport (KW T680)
• Specialized boat trailer

FEATURES

• Owned trailers usable in External contracts (WoTR)
• Online garage purchase
• Refuelling service
• Input improvement (Steam controller support, Tobii eye tracker support, controller hotplug support, better FF on Linux)
• RAZER RGB support (colour lights)
• New options: truck stability, suspension, dual localization names (map)
• Lots of new drivers to hire
• STAA doubles in traffic
• Experimental DX11 support (config only, r_device "dx11")

MOD ALERT

• Modded trucks support (in-game function)
• COG moved from trailer def to trailer chassis (easier edit)
• Wipers delay+speed format
• Removed default trailer bracers sound (now empty default)
• Cargo model randomized (eg container)
• Timezone areas (introduced in 1.34)
• Transmission mode names

1.35 Preview Stream Episode 2 + Another Tobii Giveaway!

We would like to thank you all for your massive support on last week's 1.35 Preview Stream for Euro Truck Simulator 2. We are very thrilled to find out that over 25,000 of you have tuned in with us. As promised, we will be doing a similar stream for American Truck Simulator.

The 1.35 Preview Stream for American Truck Simulator will be held on Thursday, 9 May 2019, from 15:00 UTC (17:00 CEST) on Steam and Twitch. We will be showing you some of the new features coming to 1.35 for American Truck Simulator, with a focus on the new additional roads and map improvements made across the entire map. You will also hear from one of our lead map designers, Jakub, who will give you an insight on the map creation process. To put the cherry on the cake, we will be giving away another Tobii Eye Tracker 4C, as well as game/DLC keys too! More details on how to enter the giveaway will be announced on the stream.

During last week's giveaway of the Tobii tracker, the hashtag #ETS2Tobii was posted on Instagram and Twitter more than 200 times!

We are happy to announce that the lucky winner of the giveaway is
Wesley  (@wesmanboy). We will be contacting you soon to help you claim your prize.

For those who have missed our previous stream, or are curious to find out how the Tobii eye tracker works in our games, here's a very short gameplay snippet of reverse-parking while using the device.

We had an amazing time doing last week's stream. Don't forget to mark your calendars and join us for another fun stream later this week, where we will show you the features coming to v1.35 of American Truck Simulator. Another Tobii Eye Tracker 4C is up for grabs!

Conclusion of the #OneTruckFamily event

Everything that has a beginning also has an ending. And so our #OneTruckFamily event campaign, promoting a hashtag started by our friends at FIA ETRC to unite all types of truck drivers, has come to a close, too.

A tremendous number of players have lent a hand - with a little bit of imagination - in transporting race trucks throughout Europe; from racing circuits to home bases, from testing circuits to workshops and so on. Thanks to you, the teams are now ready for a new season... and so are we!

It's said that a picture is worth a thousand words. How many words is a video worth then? Because we've prepared one - as a memento to all the kilometres you guys and gals in our #BestCommunityEver have spent on the roads - we are #OneTruckFamily!

Razer RGB gets official support

We're happy to announce the upcoming arrival of the official support for Razer Chroma in both American Truck Simulator and Euro Truck Simulator 2. Starting with the 1.35 Update, our games will support Razer keyboards, mouses and RGB mousemats (headset will use only one colour scheme). Sure, you might think what's the big deal about some "game of lights", but take a look at our video and the list of functions below. Adds a little bit extra to the immersion, doesn't it?

• During the tutorial, the keys being currently explained will be distinguished by colours and the "continue" key will be blinking green
• Some keys will be active only when the truck electrics is on
• Steering left/right and throttle/brake keys are distinguished by colour (typically WASD keys)
• Key for the parking brake is lit when active and blinking when the engine is on
• Lights keys show lights state (parking, low beam, high beam)
• Blinker keys are blinking (the same goes for all speeds of flasher and wipers)
• Gear up/ down keys are active only for non-automatic gearbox
• Camera keys are distinguished by colour and the active camera key is different
• Route Advisor pages keys are distinguished by colour and the active page key is different
• Trailer connect key shows state of the trailer: green for available connect, red for connecting in progress, green blinking for job delivery
• Activation key (typically Enter) is blinking when activation possible (eg. gas station, toll etc.)
• When pumping gas, the keyboard shows tank state and there is a falling wave visualizing flowing gas. When full, the keyboard is green
• Key for the differential lock is lit when the differential is locked and it blinks when there is a differential lock warning in Route Advisor
• When the job is finished, a wave goes across the keyboard, mouse and mousepad in colour of the received medal
• Police fine keyboard blinking
• When the truck is damaged a red wave moves across the keyboard
• All keys and other accessories slowly pulse when the job's time is running out
• Mouse and mousepad's left side LEDs show current player speed in green and in red when the player is speeding
• The cruise control key is yellow when CC can be turned on, blue when it is on. Keys for CC speed up and down are lit when CC is on
• Keys for lifting axle and trailer axle are lit only when lifting is available
• Cvar g_color_feedback can be used to disable colour feedback altogether. This cvar can also be set in Options > Controls > Color feedback.

US Traffic Lights

You probably noticed that during the last few patches, traffic lights in the American Truck Simulator have had some considerable tweaks. From last year June, our research department started work on this project, but there were a few issues we would need to overcome. One of the main problems was to find a system for US traffic lights in our game, as there are many differences found in every state, region, and cities. MUTCD defines the guidelines for the whole United States, but since every State can adjust it, you see where the problem lies. We agreed to make a compromise and choose those most commonly used (which means 50%+ coverage) to be made and implemented in our game.

An (un)expected result was that by mass replacement of the old lights, almost every junction and intersection in American Truck Simulator had broken. Lights colliding with other objects, signs and street name signs had also moved to pretty funny places... good times (especially for our map designers who had to fix this mess).

But in the end, we managed to overcome these issues and with update 1.35, every State (CA, NV, AZ, NM, OR and upcoming WA) will have real unique traffic lights. So that means you can now enjoy even more authentic roads, with more options now available for possible future additions, like the Flashing Yellow Arrow.