American Truck Simulator News

California has some of the most iconic bridges in history and known around the world; from the Golden Gate Bridge to the The Bay Bridge. But, did you know that the state has over 25,0000 road bridges?



In our California Rework project for American Truck Simulator, bridges will be receiving a rework, to bring them up to a more realistic standard when compared to their real-life counterparts. Let's take a look at some pictures, shall we? The suspension is killing me.



One major addition to the California rework is the introduction of the Carquinez bridge. Constructed in 1958, it is an important link that connects the Bay area to Sacramento and northern cali and one that we could not miss in adding into the rework. Previously, we had thought it would not fit due to the scale of the map, however thanks to the hard work of the team (and the remaking an entire part of California) players will have the pleasure of driving on this essential connection of the states road network.



Another major bridge landmark that has been reworked in this phase of the project is the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge. When it opened in 1956, it was one of the world's longest bridges; today however, another bridge holds that title! Officially named the John F. McCarthy Memorial Bridge, it crosses the San Francisco Bay along Interstate 580.



But that is not all, Truckstops and Tollgates will also be receiving a rework along some new additions too! Previously, tollgates in the state were generic when compared to their real life counterparts. In this phase of the rework, drivers will see the addition of 1 new tollgate along with 1 reworked tollgate, both which come new assets and made to match their real life counterparts on a 1:1 scale. While these tollgates come at a cost to the drivers, California is only state in ATS that features them!



So whether you are going over them or just taking a selfie with them, we are sure you will enjoy going over these important connections over and over again.

On February 24, 2022, Russian military forces attacked the free country of Ukraine, which is located very close to the country of the Czech Republic, where our studio and team are based. We have all been left shocked and with very deep pain in our hearts since that day. All our thoughts are with those people and their families suffering the terrible effects of all that is happening over Ukraine during the past days. We would like to announce our company statement: we stand against the invasion of Ukraine. We deeply condemn this act of aggression for which there is no reason, nor excuse.



Even though our teams are multinational, the core of the company has its roots in the city of Prague in the Czech Republic. The history of our country carries a memory of sad happenings that resonate in very similar ways with what has been happening in Ukraine in the recent days, weeks, and months. We see a very close parallel with what happened here back in 1938 and 1968, and it leaves us deeply concerned and full of emotions and pain that the modern world has to witness such horrific times again.

As soon as we learnt about this disastrous news, the whole company has immediately turned 100% of its focus and energy into finding ways in which we can provide help and support to those in need, towards those affected the most by the sad impacts of war.

We are in close touch with multiple charities to which we have already sent over 20,000€, and more of such direct financial help from our side will come in the upcoming days and weeks. We have also relocated a part of our team to immediately start working on a much needed DLC - the Ukrainian Paint Jobs Pack, which we are racing to bring to the Steam Store as soon as possible and from which we are going to donate 100% of the income towards those in need.

Besides all this, we are also doing our best to support our team members in any way we can. Several of our colleagues are from Ukraine. We have bound ourselves to give them and their families all the support we can, whether it is financial support for any extra costs they might have during these hard times; early salaries; mental health support; extra days off, or special and flexible working times; or even providing them the company spaces and facilities for accommodation. We are not only doing this as a company, as we are getting multiple messages from almost all of our team members, that they are joining and supporting charities, providing blankets, clothes, hygiene, medical supplies, and other items to charity collections, and more.

Dark and difficult times are here and we know that now is the time for all of us to stick together and help in any way we can, no matter if as a single person, or as a collective, team, or company. The world responded and there are multiple avenues in which every single one of us can join in and support those affected by this terrible war. We, as the SCS Software team, plan to keep on supporting and providing help in the upcoming future too, whether it would be a direct financial donation from the sales of our games or any other way we will discover.

Our prayers and hopes are with you, Ukraine.

We are just one day away from the release of Valve’s Steam Deck, which means that this is the perfect time to bring you up to speed in regards to the support of Euro Truck Simulator 2 and American Truck Simulator on this new gaming system.



Our developers were extremely excited to work on this interesting project and they have done everything it takes for players to enjoy the smoothest possible experience. In addition to making some tweaks necessary to support this handheld gaming PC, our games will include several special bindings, along with a basic version of touchscreen support (clicking on the screen to select menu buttons). Moreover, we’d like to point out that by choosing to play on Steam Deck you will not be left behind when you will want to drive along with your friend in the Convoy mode, as "cross-platform" gameplay will be supported.



The development of the Steam Deck support went hand in hand with overall gamepad support, which, apart from resulting in general small improvements, adds a new mini-feature into our games - the description of gamepad mapping. Simply put, this means you will have a bindings legend on the screen to always be sure which button has what purpose. This addition represents another step-up in our continuous support of gamepads and steering wheels, and we hope we will be able to push it further in the future.



We hope you will enjoy playing ETS2 or ATS on the Steam Deck and we can’t wait for your feedback on your experience. If you get your hands on this device, make sure to let us know about how your trucking journeys went by tagging our social media accounts (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook). And if you find something that still needs a bit of a tweak, leave us a report over at our forum. Finally, if you will enjoy playing with a gamepad much more after this update, leave us a positive review on the ETS2 or ATS Steam page.

While Montana is home to marvelous nature and interesting history, it also features numerous practical facilities which are extremely important for the truckers themselves. So, whether you will just need to quickly refill gas, or the time to take a break has arrived, truck stops will provide you with both. Today, we’ll present to you the gas stations and rest stops featured in the upcoming Montana DLC for American Truck Simulator.



Gas stations in Montana have a history dating back to the early 1940s and there are still tons of available vintage screenshots that depict a rather small building with one or two filling stations. However, these facilities have seen an incredible development over the years, and nowadays they are usually in a more convenient location with a much more open area. And since this progress went hand in hand with an increased amount of visitors, these areas became rather crowded.



The alternative for those who prefer a bit more silence, with the area being quite often surrounded by beautiful nature, are rest stations. These are much bigger facilities with enough space for the main service that is being provided - the all-important resting.



We hope you have enjoyed this early look into the Truck Stops of Montana DLC. While what we have shown you today is still very much a work-in-progress, make sure to add the map expansion to your Steam Wishlist and you will always be in touch with every piece of the puzzle, which will eventually lead to a magnificent full picture, that you will be able to get your hands on!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1811080/American_Truck_Simulator__Montana/