Euro Truck Simulator 2 News

Today we're excited to share with you our final topic on our upcoming Greece DLC for Euro Truck Simulator 2! Let us tell you more about some of the new unique Depots and Special Transport routes coming with this highly anticipated expansion.


Travel and tourism play a prominent role in supporting the Greek economy. In 2023, Greece welcomed over 32 million visitors. As you can imagine, this creates a phenomenal demand for accommodation, including larger hotel resorts, one of the new and unique depots you can deliver to in this DLC!

[h3]Hotel Resorts[/h3]

You can deliver to 5 custom hotel depots on your travels across the Greece DLC. We spoke with Adrien, who was responsible for creating them, to learn more about their development process. "All of the hotels in this DLC are based on real-life locations, and each one of them is unique," Adrien tells us "I look forward to seeing the community find their real-life counterparts as they discover them in-game, however, one of our hotel references located in Rhodes had to be relocated to Lesbos due to size limitations"


"The biggest challenge with this project was that custom depots as a new technology was relatively new to ETS2, so we didn’t have the advanced procedures we use today; we learnt a lot along the way!"


"Researching hotels and choosing specific locations was particularly difficult, as some locations lacked the space needed for gameplay. To address this, I had to adjust the designs to ensure there was enough space for parking spots of varying difficulties while preserving the picturesque charm of Greek hotels."


"When designing the hotels, I focused on making the hard parking spots more challenging than in other depots. These spots are really meant for skilled players, and I can’t wait to see how players handle them!"

[h3]BIG in Greece[/h3]

Special Transport operations are expanding! Drivers looking for speciality work in the Greece DLC will be pleased to know that oversized loads will be on offer in the Job Market.


Truckers who are ready to take on these mighty loads will find several new Special Transport routes. Whilst our dispatchers have carefully pre-planned these routes, you can expect to have some challenging manoeuvres on the road to your final destination. As always, trained escort teams and local police will assist in guiding you along the correct route, and where necessary, help block traffic to allow safe passage.


Think you got what it takes? Special Transport DLC owners will find contracts on offer between the following cities:

• Athens to Athens
  
• Thessaloniki to Trikala
  
• Ioannina to Vlore (West Balkans DLC required)

So whether you are delivering Special Transport loads or supporting the tourism economy, we truly hope you enjoy all that Greece has to offer in Euro Truck Simulator 2 on December 4th! If you'd like to be notified and reminded of its release, be sure to add it to your Steam Wishlist! Until next time, keep on truckin'!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2604420/Euro_Truck_Simulator_2__Greece/
https://store.steampowered.com/app/558245/Euro_Truck_Simulator_2__Special_Transport/

On Sunday night, we officially ended two running World of Trucks events. Now, it is time to take a look at how successful they were. Our #BestCommunityEver managed to complete both the #HappyHauloween and #CruisingArkansas events on time and thus earned their community rewards!


We always celebrate the release of a new DLC with a World of Trucks event, and Arkansas could not have been an exemption. The #CruisingArkansas event started on the 16th of September with a community goal of driving 125,000,000 miles (201,168,000 km) while delivering cargo to or from any city in Arkansas. We were happy to see that our #BestCommunityEver reached this impressive number on the 1st of November with more than two weeks to spare!


As you can see in this infographic, you have overcome the goal by more than 22 million miles and completed over 450 thousand deliveries!


Along with this event, we have also hosted the annual #HappyHauloween event which started on the 25th of October - this year's theme being ghosts. The community goal of collectively completing 1,300,000 deliveries of Halloween Treats (which is almost double from two years ago) was completed in just two weeks on the 7th of November so everyone who completed this event can now treat themselves to spooktacular rewards!


The numbers for the Hauloween event are even more impressive. The total job count was overcome by a stunning 469 thousand! And while doing that, you drove over 460 thousand miles. Impressive!


We hope you thoroughly enjoyed both events and are now ready to claim your exclusive rewards! For the #CruisingArkansas event, participants earned the White-tailed Watch ATS truck paint job as a personal reward, while the community unlocked the beautiful Diamond Apple Blossom hanging pendant.


Meanwhile, completing the #HappyHauloween event means you can now decorate your cabin with the spooky Booing Ghost as a personal reward, along with the fun Grumpy Ghost hanging toy as a community reward.


We also appreciate all the photos, videos, and other content you shared with us on social media. It really makes our teams happy to see how much you enjoy participating in these events.

If you couldn't fully complete these events, we hope you still enjoyed taking part! And don't worry, more will come in the future. Make sure not to miss any upcoming event by following us on X/Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube where we always share the latest news and updates. Until then, keep on trucking!

Are you ready to ride through the land of legends, heroes, gods, and myths? Mark your calendars and get ready to hit the road, because we're excited to announce that the...

[h3]Greece DLC will be releasing on December 4th 2024[/h3]


We're just as excited as you are, and to keep the anticipation going, we've released the official video trailer for the Greece DLC on our YouTube channel! Created by our talented Video Team, this trailer will give you a preview of the beautiful landscapes, natural gems, cities, islands, historic landmarks, industries and more that await you in this map expansion. Have a watch of it below!

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
We cannot wait for you to embark on your first journey into Greece. Our team are working in top gear to ensure everything is running smoothly for its release. From bug smashing to putting in additional polish on the map, we're on the final stretch!


There is so much to discover in this beautiful part of the world. If you missed out on any of our previous blogs showcasing the Greece DLC, we highly recommend checking them out! You can catch up with them all here!


Ready to get trucking? There's not long to wait! In the meantime, be sure to add the Greece DLC to your Steam Wishlist! It really helps support our work and notifies you of its release. We thank you for all your support! We look forward to releasing Greece on December 4th, until then, keep on Truckin'!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2604420/Euro_Truck_Simulator_2__Greece/

Since the release of Euro Truck Simulator 2 and American Truck Simulator, the processing power of personal computers has made some serious advancements. In turn, we've continually brought updates to both our titles to introduce new technology and techniques, which has allowed us to introduce higher levels of visual fidelity to our content.


One such rework that has been happening over the last couple of years is the 'reimaging of legacy assets', which aims at enhancing the quality and optimization of game models that have started to look outdated and inconsistent with newer additions. The project team consists of two people, Pavel C and Robert P, both of whom we've had the pleasure to talk to about this project to share with you today. We will let them introduce themselves!


"My name is Pavel C. I've been working at SCS Software for about three years as a 3D Graphics Designer, and I am involved in reimagining legacy assets for our title American Truck Simulator and its DLCs."


"My name is Robert P, and I've been working as a 3D Artist at SCS Software for over three years. I've contributed to several DLCs, including Texas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, and Arkansas."

So, what is the goal behind this project? "Our goal is to create models that not only look realistic but are also well-optimized," Robert explains. "Many of the assets, although well-made, have started to show their age—especially those in use for nearly a decade. As technology advances, there’s an increasing demand for optimized assets with higher levels of visual fidelity."


Beginning a project like this can be quite challenging, especially on such a large scale, Pavel adds. "Initially, we faced many challenges as we realized we couldn’t rely on our current tools and technology for this project. We therefore had to take a different approach and develop a new workflow, often involving multiple programs and new techniques. Our focus was on finding the shortest path to the best results."

"The initiative to give our older assets a ‘facelift’ began about two years ago. Since then, we’ve organized the project and started creating newer versions of assets commonly used throughout the game world," Robert shares.


So, what is the process behind reworking older assets, and which programs are involved? "We start by analyzing the current models and planning each rework. Each asset needs to be recreated with high visual fidelity while being optimized for performance," Pavel says. "First, we analyze the assets we have and consider what can be reused." Robert adds, "Though most assets need to be remade from scratch."

The next step is gathering references, which we either handle ourselves or, if the task is large, assign to our Research Department. We then design a new logic for the asset, focusing on how it will be used and how convenient it will be for Map Designers to incorporate. Pavel explains further, "We prioritize based on each DLC’s needs and the current state of existing assets, actively collaborating with other teams to ensure consistency across projects."


"We have a list of assets in need of replacement, with priority given to those required for each new DLC. Many custom depots themed for various industries are being created, and during discussions on populating them, we often identify assets in need of a remake. We work with the Map Designers since they are the ones who will place the assets into the game world. They have valuable insights on which assets are effective and easy to use versus those starting to show their age.

We work closely with the Research Department, which helps us gain insights into real-world functionality to enhance the player experience and make it even more immersive," Robert explains. "We also collaborate with external partners, like our friends at 60FPS, to manage the workload of creating numerous new assets for each DLC".


So, what challenges do you often encounter on this project? Pavel responds, "A common challenge is achieving high visual quality while keeping hardware requirements low. We aim to strike a balance between quality and optimization, which involves many iterations and testing various techniques. This is simply part of game development." Robert adds, "Primarily, it’s dealing with outdated technologies. Many workflows that were standard just a few years ago are becoming obsolete, so it's up to us to find an optimal workflow for each asset."

As mentioned earlier, multiple programs are used for this project, and Robert goes on to share more about them. "Our primary software is Autodesk Maya, which we use for most of our modelling, organization, and exporting to the engine. We also use a variety of other tools, such as ZBrush for virtual sculpting, Marmoset Toolbag for mesh baking, and the Adobe Substance suite (Painter and Designer) along with Adobe Photoshop for texturing."


"Modern tools and fewer limitations allow us to make new assets more detailed and varied, avoiding repetition while staying faithful to real-life references. This enhances the overall immersive experience for the player." Pavel adds, "Better quality and optimization mean that players can enjoy a smoother and more visually appealing experience. Details such as refined textures, optimized geometry, and LODs (Levels of Detail) contribute to a more realistic environment."

"It's an interesting learning experience to work with both traditional and up-to-date workflows simultaneously." Robert shares "We compare the strengths and weaknesses of each and leverage the best aspects of both. It’s never the same; each asset feels unique and requires individual attention, bringing new challenges with each DLC. These assets are also used in reskins and redesigns of older areas of the map, so even if you don’t play the newest DLC, there’s a little something for everyone".


So next time you drive by some bales of hay or a stack of pallets, we hope you can appreciate a little more the work behind that asset. We'd like to thank both Robert and Pavel for taking the time to share their work with us, and for providing detailed information for this Under the Hood Blog! If you enjoyed today's blog, be sure to leave a comment in the replies or on our social media channels, we'd love to read about it! Until next time, keep on truckin'.