Heart of Russia

Over the past few months, we have started teasing the next next map expansion for Euro Truck Simulator 2, the next major map DLC that will come after Iberia. You may remember seeing a few screenshots in the ETS2 8th-anniversary blogpost, or you may have spotted something in our Christmas Special stream. The community has been abuzz with speculation on what we are going to ultimately reveal. As it turns out, most of your tips were actually spot-on. We are excited to reveal today that you can look forward to driving in the Heart of Russia.

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After focusing on the southwest of Europe, our eyes are set in the very opposite direction. Our roads will continue to expand into the world's largest country by area, Russia. Home to a rich cultural heritage and history, drivers will be able to deliver to the very heart of Russia - Moscow, and beyond.

To manage expectations, it's important to explain our ambition for the project. Russia is so vast that we cannot expect to include the whole country, we do not even dare to cover the whole of the European part in one project. Our current goal is to reach the upper Volga river, but if you know Russian geography, perhaps think of the Oka river rather than the lower parts of Volga or Don. The size of the territory we plan to cover is huge anyway, comparable to the previous, as of now still upcoming Iberia map expansion.

Over the past few years, you may have gotten accustomed to a certain rhythm of map expansion releases coming towards the end of a year. The pattern has obviously been interrupted now with Iberia taking longer to complete. This affected how we could communicate about our upcoming DLC plans. Typically, starting in January, we would already begin to shower you with various details and work-in-progress pictures from a new map DLC. But with the exception of a few teases, we have kept mostly silent on the Heart of Russia project so far, as we did not want to confuse the community by promoting two upcoming expansions with very different release time frames. Now, with Iberia in the final stretch and a release period already indicated, we think it's time finally to give Heart of Russia a chance to be seen. The project (and the team) deserve to finally come into its own spotlight; the motivation is certainly higher when the team can hear the voice of our fan community's support.

It should be emphasized that we are still very early in development for this project. We cannot commit to a release date at all yet. Even internally, there are many questions on how fast we can progress from where we are now. The core of the Heart of Russia team has been in place since mid-2020. In fact, the project lead, the research team, and the art asset team have all started their work even earlier. The preparatory ramp-up phase for a new ETS2 map DLC usually starts about a year ahead of full production. However, as of now, the team still hasn't been bulked up to the final size, as a dozen or so people who were supposed to migrate over from the Iberia project are still finishing their commitments there. So it's fair to admit that we have not yet achieved the full productivity we have expected to reach at this stage. On the plus side, several new team members hail from Russia, so there is a good chance that we'll avoid losing time iterating on any authenticity errors, as it sometimes happens when we build places we have limited hands-on experience in the team. How much is this all going to affect the usual release pattern? It's still too early to tell. We are making excellent progress on some areas of the project, so we may remain hopeful, but please set your expectations accordingly. You already know us well - we release a new map expansion only when we feel that it's really done, not earlier!

With that said, we look forward to sharing more information and updates on this exciting addition to the Euro Truck Simulator 2 world. Looking forward to exploring the Heart of Russia already? Be sure to add it to your Steam Wishlist! It really aids us with the development and release of our content and we thank you for your ongoing support!

Heart of Russia - Road Network

As the world’s largest country, Russia has vast and various landscapes to explore. Driving there is an experience in itself too, as you’ll encounter all types of road, from slick highways to bumpy dirt roads. In our upcoming Heart of Russia DLC for Euro Truck Simulator 2, our team has been hard at work to replicate some of these road networks.

During the early research phase of Heart of Russia, which has been on-going since the release of 'Beyond the Baltic Sea', many of the roads highlighted for the road network of this DLC were quite old and very well used. However since that time, local map sources were updated which allowed us to bring in some recent changes, which we have replicated virtually to bring the most up-to date road network possible. 

Our teams have also taken a new approach for a lot of road assets in the 'Heart of Russia' DLC, such as bridges, railings and curbs; which are bigger and denser. Traffic signage have also been a particular focus for our teams too, as there is quite the variety of them in Russia. Besides the standard road signs on poles, we encountered new challenges, such as hanging signs, dynamic warnings, new horizontal signage, unique railway crossings and many more.

Whilst Russia maybe known for its very well-used roads, the truth is that most of the major road connections intended for truck transport are in good condition; especially around major cities such as Moscow, which are very well maintained. One type of Highway that drivers will often find themselves driving on are Russian federal highways, which are owned and maintained by the government as they are of regional and intermunicipal importance for the country and economy.

This does not mean, however, that we have not encountered completely different situations in other areas. Prefabs, textures and assets have been especially adapted to the various roads conditions found across this vast country. Our teams have also focused on creating a better ratio between local roads and highways too. Drivers will find themselves often routing onto local roads rather than on a highway, as smaller roads make up a majority of the road network in Russia. You can also expect to find quite a few dirt roads too! Just be sure to keep an eye out, as these tricky roads are often used by local traffic too.

Our teams have focused on bringing lots of unique and small details to the road network in Heart of Russia, which we hope is evident from the screenshots in this blog. We cannot wait for you to explore them all for yourselves! We hope you enjoyed this first look at some of the roads that will be featured in the Heart of Russia DLC. If you did, then consider adding to add Heart of Russia to your Steam Wishlist. Огромное спасибо!

Heart of Russia DLC Statement

Our dearest community,

We’ve been receiving a lot of questions from you about the future of Heart of Russia, our map expansion DLC for Euro Truck Simulator 2. So today, after much consideration, we feel it is time to respond by shedding some light on the situation for everyone.

On the 24th of February 2022, our Heart of Russia team was some 6-8 weeks away from completing work on the highly anticipated new DLC. We all felt really good about the result; a lot of effort had been invested in making this new region look truly fantastic in the game. We were absolutely sure that our community, especially those in Russia, would really appreciate that.

Then, all of a sudden, the entire world was rocked by the news that Ukraine had been invaded by Russia. We were in shock.

With deep concern, we watched the news about the war, and we quickly realized we had to do something to help those who were suffering. Immediately, we started contributing to several charities providing humanitarian aid within the territory of Ukraine and assistance to those who were evacuating. Later on, with the kind participation of the #BestCommunityEver, we have further increased the donations by contributing all the proceeds from the sales of the Ukrainian Paint Jobs Pack DLC. It’s incredible to see that, as of now, over 85,000 of you have decided to purchase it and contribute to this noble cause. Thank you!

However, now Heart of Russia DLC was facing a lot of uncertainty. We asked ourselves many questions, including the obvious ones. Can we ever release the Heart of Russia DLC? Should we even finish the work? Since then, we have finally consolidated our thoughts.

When developing our games we try to be as apolitical as possible, in a way shielding the global player audience from everyday controversies. We quite like the idea that our shared passion, for a truck simulation, allows people to connect, to pay a virtual visit to a neighbouring country in peace, and to enjoy a hobby that we commonly share, rather than allowing anything divisive to set us apart. But since our DLC, Heart of Russia, directly concerns Russia, and with so many people suffering, we decided to refrain from releasing the DLC so that it is not perceived in any way as being in support of or tolerance of the aggression.

We strongly believe that there is hope for the proud people of Ukraine to prevail and for the suffering to end for all. Injustice cannot and must not win. And, when the time comes for Ukraine to rebuild and heal, then we will endeavour to find a way for our Heart of Russia DLC to play whatever part it can in that healing process, for everyone.

Let us work together and live in hope that the days of despair and grief will be over soon.

Thank you for your patience, understanding, and support.

SCS Software.

Heart of Russia: Ryazan

Today, we are happy to share with you the first look at one of the many cities that will be featured in our upcoming Heart of Russia DLC for Euro Truck Simulator 2. Introducing Ryazan, the 3rd largest city by population in Central Russia after Moscow and Yaroslavl. 

Located near the Oka River, Ryazan is a bustling industrial centre and transport hub. Despite the city's size, Ryazan is not usually on a tourist's list of places to visit in Russia. If you do choose to visit however, you will find many beautiful historic landmarks, such as cathedrals, as well as other interesting attractions such as museums that attract residents and visitors alike. 

Ryazan is home to the one of the oldest museums in Russia, The Ryazan Kremlin. Located on the top of a steep hill, it is surrounded by rivers and a dry moat. This monument of architecture and nature reserve of federal importance is included in the State Register of Especially Valuable Objects of the People of the Russian Federation. 

Truck drivers travelling to Ryazan for work can find a variety of industries, including a refinery and oil storage facility, a sawmill, warehouses and car dealerships. All of these which are located in around the city's main ring road, where you will also find shopping malls and many apartment complexes.  

So whether you are just passing through or staying the night in Ryazan, we hope you will decide to take a few moments out of your driving schedule to admire this unique and historical city. We hope you enjoyed this first look into one of the many cities that will be featured in the Heart of Russia DLC. If you did, then consider adding to add Heart of Russia to your Steam Wishlist. Огромное спасибо!