American Truck Simulator News

Buckle up, it's time to hit the road! Today, we're excited to share with you the very first gameplay preview from our upcoming Nebraska DLC for American Truck Simulator. Join us as we drive from the city of Valentine, Nebraska to an Agriculture Facility just below North Platte.


Please keep in mind that what you see here is still a work in progress and does not represent the final product.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
From cities to scenic byways, Nebraska has plenty left yet to be discovered. If you like what you see, be sure to add it to your Steam Wishlist! We thank you for your continued support and look forward to reading your comments and first impressions on the Cornhusker State in American Truck Simulator.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2543810/American_Truck_Simulator__Nebraska/

Known for its scenic beauty, clear lakes, and abundant wildlife, it's easy to see why Arkansas has earned the title of the "Natural State". In our upcoming Arkansas DLC for American Truck Simulator, our team has been hard at work re-creating the various trees, vegetation and more you'll come across on your travels. Let's take a closer look, shall we?


Did you know Arkansas has its own State tree? Designated in 1939, the Loblolly Pine can be found across a majority of the state, and continues to remain the most significant timber species. These trees can reach heights of up to 100ft, with its pines growing between 6 to 9 inches long, which is makes it the ideal species for lumber and pulpwood, in which Arkansas is the leading producer in the United States. When you see a pine in Arkansas, it’s probably a loblolly! You'll be sure to spot plenty of them on your travels.


Another tree you'll be sure to see is the Bald Cypress. Commonly found in swampy or wetland areas, they are well-suited to the diverse wetland ecosystems found throughout the state. Often found across the South-eastern United States, particularly in areas like the Mississippi River; Bald Cypress trees contribute to the scenic beauty of Arkansas with its unique shape and and iconic "knees" – woody projections that emerge from the roots.


However, not every plant or tree you'll find in Arkansas is native to its homeland. The Kudzu Vine is a fast-growing, invasive vine native to Asia which has found its way into the States in 1876, where it was touted as a great ornamental plant for its sweet-smelling blooms and sturdy vines. However, they forgot to mention the rapid growth rate of the vine, which is capable of growing up to a foot (30 cm) per day under ideal conditions. It climbs by twining around trees, poles, and other structures, often forming dense mats that can shade out native vegetation. In Arkansas it is commonly found along roadsides, in forest edges, and in undisturbed areas such as abandoned fields and vacant lots.


Another such example is the Silk Tree, an ornamental tree species native to Asia, particularly Iran, Korea, and Japan. Its elegant fern-like foliage, vibrant flowers, and overall graceful appearance make it a popular choice for landscaping and ornamental purposes. While the Silk Tree undoubtedly adds aesthetic value, its ability to spread its seed rapidly, means it often outcompetes native vegetation and disrupts local ecosystems.


These are just a small handful of the various new vegetation species you'll find in our upcoming DLC. Those who are familiar with different species of trees will spot the likes of the Smooth Sumac, Black Oak and many more. We urge you to look out for them and maybe a take a minute to learn about them when you have are taking a rest!


We hope you enjoyed this little insight into the vegetation side of things, and we look forward to highlighting the natural beauty of the state in the near future. Until then, be sure to add Arkansas to your Steam Wishlist and to follow us on Social Media (Twitter/Facebook/Instagram) for all the latest news.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2585150/American_Truck_Simulator__Arkansas/

The intricate network of roads and highways in Nebraska plays a pivotal role in connecting its communities, industries, and travellers alike. Stretching across the expansive plains and rolling landscapes, these thoroughfares serve as vital links for commerce, transportation, and tourism. Today we are happy to share with you a preview into some of the Road Networks you'll find in our upcoming Nebraska DLC for American Truck Simulator.


Whilst there will be plenty of roads to explore, one major Highway you'll come across is the famous I-80, the longest Interstate in Nebraska! Along this crucial route you'll find plenty of places to stop if you need a break or some extra fuel, such as Rest Stops and Truck Stops both large and small.


Prior to the 1900s, travelling across Nebraska was extremely difficult and roads were few and far between. During the late 19th century, various interest groups began putting pressure on the Federal Government to create a larger Road Network, and by 1904, the State had created thousands of miles of roads to travel on.


Today, Nebraska has hundreds of thousands of miles worth of roads, many which our team have re-created for our upcoming DLC. From major routes to backroads, there will be plenty to explore. You may even find yourself a scenic viewpoint or a route that is not on your GPS!


Whilst we are still working hard behind the scenes on the road network, we hope you enjoy the previews of the routes you'll be travelling on in the future. Let us know if you recognise any of the roads, highways or areas by commenting below, on our official forums or one of our social media channels (Twitter/Instagram/Facebook).

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2543810/American_Truck_Simulator__Nebraska/

Today, we're rolling out something a little different: the Experimental Beta for American Truck Simulator's upcoming 1.50 update. Why call our upcoming beta experimental? We need to manage expectations right from the start. We are starting the beta cycle this time from a rather early stage. The level of polish and stability is not the same as for our usual Open Betas. We believe in transparency with our community, and we also need to gather a lot of feedback early this time, to understand how well the features perform. That's why we're offering this Experimental Beta as a precursor to the Open Beta, giving you a glimpse of what's to come while acknowledging that it's still very much a work in progress.


Behind the scenes, our team is hard at work juggling internal projects and releases, all scheduled for version 1.50 of our games. Despite our best efforts, certain aspects of the update are still undergoing refinement. However, we recognize the importance of involving our community in the development process, which is why we're making this content available to you in its current state. Your feedback during this phase is invaluable as we really want to deliver the best possible experience.

With the Experimental Beta, we invite our dedicated players to join us in fine-tuning, testing, and providing feedback. Your input will help us identify and address any issues or imperfections before the Open Beta and eventually the full 1.50 version release. It's important to note though, that this beta may cause instability in certain areas. If you prefer a more polished experience, we recommend waiting for the further Open Beta release.

Rest assured, our commitment to delivering high-quality updates remains unwavering. In the days to come, we'll continue to debug and finalize everything that's coming to ATS with the 1.50 update. Your patience and support during this phase are greatly appreciated as we work towards a seamless transition to the next chapter of American Truck Simulator. Now, without further delay, let's take a look at what you can expect from version 1.50.

[h3]Renderer Changes - (still based on DirectX 11 API for now)[/h3]
We're consistently working on improving our rendering system. It's been a key focus lately, though it'll take some time to complete. Until then, you can expect additional content and enhancements in version 1.50, including:

• A new feature was added - TAA, or Temporal Anti-Aliasing, which sets itself apart from other anti-aliasing techniques, that aim to smooth images to reduce jagged edges or flickering through higher resolution rendering. Instead, TAA harnesses the timeline, particularly previous frames, to calculate color values as if from a higher resolution, providing a smoother result.
  
• Cascaded shadow changes: Smooth transition when blending between cascades, smoother and better-stabilized shadow edges.
  
• Soft particles: Particles and light flares smoothly fade out when near geometry, eliminating harsh intersections for a more seamless visual experience.
  
• Lit/shadowed smoke: Smoke particles with enhanced volume perception and shading from sunlight, providing a more realistic and immersive atmosphere.
  
• Far shadows: Ever-present shadows from distant large objects like factory halls, skyscrapers, and road overpasses, with the option to toggle them off in the Options menu.
  
• Optimized light computation: Dynamic lights are evaluated in a single pass, known as clustered lighting, improving performance in night scenes.
  

[h3]User Interface Rework[/h3]
We are introducing substantial UI updates to enhance player interaction and accommodate more features. The redesign adopts a flatter, minimalistic design with tooltips and layered navigation, ensuring easier accessibility. For most UI screens, the visible changes are just an evolution of the previous look, though functionally, a lot of work was invested into making them work more comfortably with a gamepad or a steering wheel, requiring less time reaching for a keyboard. The biggest change is the Home screen redesign, a new Status Bar sitting atop many various UI screens, the Quick Menu shortcuts, new fonts, icons, and much more. The result should be a clearer look on 2K and 4K resolutions, with all the changes contributing to a more streamlined gaming experience. We plan to have a separate, more detailed blog on this topic in the near future, so stay tuned.


[h3]California Rework - Phase 3[/h3]
The eagerly awaited third phase of the California rework is focused on central California. Six cities have undergone a complete rework: San Francisco, Oakland, Stockton, Santa Cruz, Huron, and Fresno. We have also added two brand-new cities; San Jose and Modesto, which will replace Oakdale in our game.

All roads in the area have received a complete overhaul, including major routes such as CA-1, US-101, I-5, CA-99, US-395, and more. The beautiful Yosemite National Park also underwent significant enhancements as part of this update! You can watch our trailer for this phase of California rework below.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
[h3]International LT S13 & International LoneStar[/h3]
The International LT will receive revamped interior and exterior options, and the LoneStar will get a refreshed interior. The International LT's exterior sees significant enhancements with new features, customizable options, and adjustments to existing parts, including the addition of the S13 model with its Integrated Powertrain. Additional accessories such as new chassis fairing extenders, bumper and grille options, FlowBelow fairings, blindspot detectors, and a shorter day cab chassis have been introduced.


The interiors of both trucks have also undergone a complete overhaul with new models, updated textures, customizable interior cabinets, and functioning cabin physics, fulfilling a highly requested feature. Stay tuned for more updates as we plan to have a separate blog on this topic in the future.


[h3]Options Tooltips[/h3]
Placing your mouse over each setting option will now display helpful information, including explanations of what the options do. You will now effortlessly grasp the purpose of every adjustable option in the settings, enabling you to easily fine-tune your experience.


[h3]Lane Assistant[/h3]
After implementing various driver assistance features, developing lane assistance was the next step for us. This system is more complicated because it has to work well with different ways people control their vehicles. Making it work well with steering wheels with force feedback was particularly important, even though it was challenging because of possible problems like control-force feedback loops and other details.

Also, the lane assistant features different modes, each serving distinct purposes, making it more complicated. Now, truck drivers can enjoy simply turning it on along with adaptive cruise control, letting the truck do more of the driving.


[h3]Changelog[/h3]

Map

• California Rework – Phase 3
  

Vehicles

• International LT S13
  
• International LoneStar (interior) and LT (exterior & interior) rework
  
• Lane assistant feature added
  

UI

• Substantial UI design update (Home screen redesign, persistent Status Bar, Quick Menu, new fonts, icons and more)
  
• Settings options show information about what they do
  

Visual

• Improvements in the rendering system
  
• Temporal Anti-Aliasing feature added
  
• Cascaded shadow updates
  
• Soft particles
  
• Lit/shadowed smoke
  
• Far shadows
  
• Optimized light computation
  
• Frame rate limiter added
  

Sound

• Brake squeaking sounds added
  

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

Please check our modding wiki to get details pertaining to mods for the game.

If you wish to participate in the experimental 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 → 1.50. No password is required. Sometimes you may need to restart your Steam client to see the correct branch name there.

So, to our community, thank you for your ongoing dedication and feedback. Together, let's make the Experimental Beta a valuable stepping stone towards Open Beta and an exceptional 1.50 version. Don't forget to stay connected with us and all the latest information through our social media channels, make sure to follow us on X/Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok. Happy trucking!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/270880/American_Truck_Simulator/

Hey there, truckers! We've got some updates to share about the upcoming Nebraska DLC for American Truck Simulator. Get ready to explore fresh industries as we venture into the Cornhusker State. With three exciting new companies on the horizon, there's plenty to look forward to in our virtual trucking adventures!


One of the standout additions to Nebraska's industrial landscape is the Recreational Vehicle (RV) dealer. You'll find these dealerships sprinkled across cities like Omaha, Norfolk, and Columbus, offering a wide array of recreational vehicles. But it's not just RVs; they've got buggies, ATVs, and UTVs too! We're bringing these dealerships to Nebraska because there are so many beautiful places ideal for camping in the Cornhusker State. These vehicles are a hit not just in Nebraska, but all across middle America!


The Utility Vehicle Factory in Lincoln represents another key addition to Nebraska's industry. Here, they manufacture a diverse range of equipment, from UTVs and ATVs to buggies and motorcycles which are then delivered to the RV dealers. However, the crown jewel of this facility lies in its production of subway cars, destined for public transport systems across various states. As players deliver cargo to or from this factory, they may see these subway cars that operate in iconic cities like New York City.


Agriculture remains a cornerstone of Nebraska's economy, with the state being a leading producer of corn, soybeans, beef, and other agricultural commodities. That's why we had to incorporate a few Soybean Factories into its landscape. Located in cities such as Scottsbluff, Alliance, and Lincoln, these facilities specialize in soybean processing, serving both human consumption and animal feed purposes.


Apart from those new industries, truckers can expect to encounter a variety of prefab reskins scattered throughout Nebraska. These include revamped versions of road garages, construction warehouses, and farm garages, adding visual diversity and realism to the state's infrastructure.


We cannot wait to bring you this map expansion. If you are looking forward to it, make sure to add the Nebraska DLC to your Steam Wishlist! Until then, stay connected with us and all the latest information through our social media channels, make sure to follow us on X/Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2543810/American_Truck_Simulator__Nebraska/