Texas - Truck Stops

Time and time again we somehow manage to reach the unavoidable conclusion of everything indeed being bigger in Texas. Today, this famous saying will be applied on Truck Stops featured in the upcoming Texas DLC for American Truck Simulator!

With the team's growing experience and capacity, we see that a lot of things are shaping up to be fairly big in Texas, which includes even the local truck stops. In addition to the size in general, the number of available gas stations and rest stops will be higher as well. We aim to have a truck stop near almost every city that you will drive through so there will be a lot of opportunities to take a break from your journey!

An important thing to note is also the fact that quantity does not mean less quality. Numerous of these truck stops will have a landmark main building and you will also have the unique opportunity to check out the biggest gas station in the world, which is located near San Antonio.

We hope you have enjoyed a "tiny" (needs more quotes) peek into what these important trucking facilities hold in store for you in the new Texas DLC. Please mind that everything you have seen is still very much a work-in-progress, but if it still managed to get you excited, make sure to add the expansion to your Steam Wishlist, and eventually you can be one of the first players to explore all these locations in full glory.

And finally, we are glad to let you know we have created a microsite dedicated to Texas map expansion. This site will serve as a hub consisting of all the critical information about the content of the DLC, and it will be a place where all the images and videos we produce will be able to be easily found by all the fans of this new addition to ATS. We hope it will be a perfect way through which the players who don’t follow us anywhere else will not miss out on any important information.

We also plan to include some exclusive content on the microsite, such as notes from the development, concept arts, and more! Therefore all of you who are extremely hyped about the Texas DLC should definitely add the website to their bookmarks and check it out from time to time.

You can find the microsite HERE.

1.44 - New ATS Special Transport Routes

From oversized cargo to challenging routes, the Special Transport DLC offers players a unique trucking experience; and today we are happy to share that 8 new routes will be arriving to the roads American Truck Simulator in the 1.44 update. 

Much like our previous addition of new Special Transport routes to Euro Truck Simulator 2, our team wanted to bring new additional content for our drivers in ATS too! These new routes will be found across the states of Arizona/Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wyoming, New Mexico, Idaho and Colorado. 

So where exactly do these new routes head to and from? You can find these new contracts between:

Lewiston to Sandpoint

Burlington to Lamar

Salina to Cedar City

Omak to Yakima

Dalles to Salem

Santa Fe to Socorro

Cheyenne to Rock Springs

Winnemucca to Carson City

Think you got what it takes? Keep in mind that these unique missions will be without a doubt a real challenge. Therefore, until the 1.44 update is here, we recommend keeping your skills fresh by taking some current Special Transport contracts, so you can be ready for anything once these challenging additions arrive. 

Heart of Russia - Gameplay Video #1

You’ve already seen several beautiful screenshots from the upcoming Heart of Russia DLC for Euro Truck Simulator 2. Inevitably, now comes the time to put it all together and present to you the very first gameplay video. Please relax, get some snacks or a drink to accompany you on this journey, and enjoy this short ride-along, covering a drive from Vyazma to Kaluga.

Please keep in mind, that everything you are about to see in this gameplay video is still very much in the 'WORK IN PROGRESS' phase.

It seems like the Heart of Russia DLC is shaping up great and our dedicated team is doing impressive work! If you agree, make sure to add the expansion to your Steam Wishlist, and eventually, you will be able to drive through the same roads as shown in the video yourself. Until then, we have many more interesting topics to cover so keep an eye out for any updates in the future! 

California Rework - Road Network #1

As previously mentioned in our California Dreamin' development insight blog, road networks are a large focus in the California rework. Most of the roads are being rebuilt from the ground up. Today's blog will give you a first look into the work being undertaken by the California Rework team on roads, highways, junctions and to come in the next phase of the project. 

A major focus of this part of the rework is going back to areas where roads may have not been geographically correct or represent the current standards that we are now able to achieve. With more tools to create more complex and realistic road networks based on real-life references; we can bring more true-to-life assets to the road. This includes new junctions, crossroads, bridges, agriculture stations, rest areas and more. Between major economy cities, drivers will now also come across settlements, which will become a common sight for players. 

One particular area which our community may take interest to, is the changes to the surrounding road network in the San Pablo Bay Area. With the removal of San Rafael in this rework phase, our team have made some major changes to the road layout, junctions and location of highways in this area. These changes are also being made in preparation for the new city which will replace San Rafael in a future rework phase. Here are just a handful of the changes made: 

• All junctions reconstructed from the ground up
  
• US-37 Crossroad lead to Napa Valley rebuilt
• A completely new Carquinez Bridge area
• Correct merging of I-80 & I-580 based on real-life references
• Richmond Bridge Landmark reworked
• and more! 

As you can see, the team have been hard at work! We are sure you will enjoy the updates that will be coming to California in the future. We look forward to sharing more developments updates to the road networks and more in upcoming blog posts! 

Montana - Guess the location!

When it comes to detective work, we think our community is unrivaled. Within a short amount of time, (sometimes minutes) members from our official forums along with our followers on our social media channels (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram) can accurately pinpoint the real-life locations of where our in-game screenshots were captured.

Today, we are calling on you again, our #BestCommunityEver, to find the locations from our in-development DLC for American Truck Simulator, Montana. Are you up for the challenge? If so, let's get started! 

Think you got them? Post your answers on our official forums, social media channels, or in the comments below here on our blog. We may even reward a few users who got it close or spot on with a key! 

PLUS American Truck Simulator will be celebrating its 6th anniversary on Wednesday and we would love to celebrate with you! Join us for a live-stream where we will be trucking and giving away ATS-related gifts along the way! Don't miss out from 6pm CET live on Twitch and YouTube channels.

If you like what you see in Montana, then be sure to add it to your Steam Wishlist. Your additions support us here at SCS Software and also notify you close to the time of its release; thank you! 

Austria Rework - Alps

From the grand capital city of Vienna to the charming old town of Innsbruck, there are many reasons to visit Austria; but where its beauty really peaks are the Alps. 

As we previously announced and showcased in our Christmas special live-stream, Austria is currently being re-worked in Euro Truck Simulator 2. Today, we are excited to share with you a range of screenshots showcasing the work which has been undertaken to The Alps and the surrounding road network.

The Alps really are a sight to behold, summit we believe everyone should see with their own eyes in their lifetime; and it's easy to see why! Spanning across several countries, the Alps engulf nearly two-thirds of Austria, making it a top destination for tourists from around the world. 

Driving in the Alps can be a little tricky, with its narrow and winding roads, it's a challenge for the average road user, let alone a truck and trailer! Although some of the roads, such as the Großglockner-Hochalpenstraße (Grossglockner High Alpine Road) are usually off-limits to truckers; we decided that we wouldn't want to take away access to this famous but challenging route for our drivers. 

Surprisingly, there are quite a few highways in and around the Alps too; such as the A9, A10, and A12, which we have included in this rework. Whilst we know many players enjoy taking side roads, we know that for many they are not economically and time friendly routes for deliveries. We hope you find time in the future to check all of the routes possible in the region, as each are unique and may surprise you with beautiful scenic views. 

We may even ask our Special Transport team to create a route or two through this area. Do you think you'd be able to deliver these huge, heavy, and fragile loads through these winding and demanding roads?

No matter how you decide to travel through the Alps, be sure to take a moment to appreciate the work that has been put in by our talented teams involved in the Austria Rework. From textures to assets to map design, it is evident to see the attention to detail that has been put in and we cannot wait for you to revisit Austria again in the future.