American Truck Simulator News

Since September, drivers across the world have been celebrating the release of the Wyoming DLC for American Truck Simulator by taking part in the #CruisingWyoming World of Trucks event. It was a unique opportunity to earn special rewards by completing personal and community goals whilst discovering the cities and countryside of The Equality State.



In a very short time, you have successfully completed the community goal of 80,000,000 miles (128,747,520 km). We were in awe at how the #BestCommunityEver managed to come together and smash such a difficult objective. And even though this goal was completed, there were still many truckers left who did not have time to complete their personal goal. Therefore we decided to extend the event to make sure everyone got a chance to get their rewards.

However, time flies and the #CruisingWyoming event must, unfortunately, come to an end. The final statistics are very impressive, just take a look at some of the numbers that you achieved whilst exploring our newest addition to ATS!



Good job, truckers! We are grateful for all your hard work and effort. It really does bring a lot of joy to our team to see how much you enjoy participating in these events. We hope the hanging Jade Bison Ornament and Wyoming Bison-themed truck paint job will be valued additions to your collections.



Wyoming itself wasn’t the only place where the members of the #BestCommunityEver have made themselves known. You also made sure to tag our social media accounts using the hashtag #CruisingWyoming, when sharing your journey through screenshots or videos. We absolutely loved seeing your reactions to the beautiful nature and cities that this state has to offer.

In addition to that, we would once again like to thank you for visiting our live stream dedicated to this event with a special guest - game designer Gavin. It was a lot of fun and you taking part in the chat and hanging out with us made the experience much better!

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

With one chapter closing, another one is about to knock on the door. Apart from not being too far away from the start of another exciting event, we still hope to be able to come up with one more surprise for ETS2 players this year, so keep an eye out for our blog and social media (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook).

We will also go live on our Twitch and Youtube with our annual and special live stream, in which we will most likely host numerous cool giveaways, alongside some news regarding the upcoming content and planned projects. Follow us to be informed about more details related to this when we reveal them!

It has only been a short time since we last released an update for our truck simulator titles, however, we are happy to share with you that the 1.43 update is now ready to be fully released for American Truck Simulator. 



We'd like to thank everyone who participated, provided their feedback, and made bug reports during the Open Beta of 1.43. Your valuable input helped us make tweaks, changes and smash some bugs we may have missed the first time around. We hope you can now begin to fully enjoy the various new features which are included within this update, including some new ones that may not have made it during the beta!

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
So, without further ado, let's take a look at what 1.43 has in store!

2022 Freightliner Cascadia

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
In this update, you will be able to find new parts and customization options in-game which will allow you to upgrade your current Freightliner® Cascadia to the current production version of the Cascadia at your nearest Freightliner dealership or repair shop.



The 2022 Freightliner® Cascadia will feature new interior options, as well as exterior changes that further improve fuel economy. Let's go into more details on what changes you can find in this update for the Cascadia!



The Cascadia will come with a new interior, the most noticeable change being a brand new digital dashboard. This modern and state-of-the-art dashboard allows the driver to view important information easily and clearly with just the click of a button on the new steering wheels.



The updated exterior includes a new lower and even more streamlined front bumper, updated drive wheel fairings, and new aero deflectors on the A-pillar for improved aerodynamics. We look forward to seeing you on the roads of American Truck Simulator with the 2022 Freightliner® Cascadia.

Ownable Dumpers

We are happy to announce that Dumper Trailers are now ownable and fully customizable! These trailers are used for transporting bulk materials such as coal, soil, gravel, stone, sand and much more.



In American Truck Simulator, Dumper Trailers will have 3 customizable body types. These are End Dumpers, Side Dumpers, and Livefloor Dumpers. Each of them is available in different lengths, and in two or three-axle configurations. Side dumpers are available as a b-double, turnpike, or single trailers; bottom dumpers can be used in double, rocky mountain double, turnpike double, and single configurations, and all other body types come with just a single trailer configuration. 



Want to customize your Dumper Trailers? You will be able to add and modify some of the accessories on them including, markers, rear bumpers, front and rear mudflaps, front and rear fenders, and paint jobs.



We can't wait to see you hauling these new Dumper Trailers in your company and how you will customize them! Be sure to share with us your photos of your newly owned trailers on our Social Media channels. (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram)

New Loading Screen Images

This update will also display new images to the loading screens alongside our Editor Picks from the user gallery at WorldofTrucks.com. These new shots will showcase scenic locations from across American Truck Simulator featuring the new visual lighting system.



However, that is not all! These new loading screen images will also come with a short description on where the photo was taken in-game and from which DLC (if applicable). 

We look forward to showcasing many beautiful landmarks and sceneries from across the states with these new images.

Interior Cabin Sound Update

In this update, we have also implemented a new sound effect that simulates sound attenuation from surrounding environment noises, as well as the sound of the truck engine and wheels. Since each truck has different sound insulation, our sound team has simulated this with the use of sound equalization and reverb effects. 

Put simply, interior truck cab sounds have been updated to better simulate how the engine, tyre, and other exterior sounds are dampened when driving from a first-person view.

This is just the first iteration of this update, as in the future we plan to bring more accurate attenuation simulation by the size of the truck cab. This update has been applied to all trucks in both American Truck Simulator and Euro Truck Simulator 2. 

New SDF Fonts

Another new feature coming along with 1.43 is the use of SDF (Signed Distance Fields) fonts in-game. So how exactly does this affect the game? This font technique allows texts and fonts to be displayed perfectly in any resolution, scale, or distance. 



Instead of fonts being displayed like a picture, which can become distorted when on a smaller resolution or zoomed in on from a far distance, SDF fonts can be adjusted to any size and remain perfectly clear and sharp for the user. 

In the first iteration of this update, we are bringing this new font technique to Convoy name tags, the GPS, License Plates, Truck dashboard displays, and in the UI. At first glance, it might not appear that much has changed and in most cases, the difference will be quite subtle, however, when looking at the more prominent or larger text (such as the UI or Convoy name tags) the difference is crystal clear!

World Map Legend Filters

Are you looking for somewhere specific to visit? Maybe a city that you haven't discovered or the nearest fuel station? Introducing our World Map Legend Filters! You can now easily filter out specific icons on our world map. 



Simply choose which icons you would like to filter on our world map and you'll be shown just them. Now navigating to unexplored areas, rest stops and dealerships is easier than ever! We hope you enjoy this small yet useful feature.

Improved Controller Support

We are happy to share with you that 1.43 will include a major update for the support of controllers in the American Truck Simulator. The main aim of this update is to allow gamepad users to navigate the UI, without having the need to have input from a secondary device such as a keyboard. However, as you can imagine, this was quite a large challenge for our teams to undertake with the number of different controls and keys which are utilized in-game. While this update is just the first iteration, let's walk through some of the changes you can experience.

Some of the more notable changes include being able to use the D-pad of your controller to move or select any part of the on-screen UI, alongside using the already implemented 'virtual mouse' to navigate. Combing these two features ultimately enhances the user experience for controller users. Each individual screen has also been revisited and streamlined for gamepad users. A lot of work has gone into each area so it feels great and intuitive on a controller. 

We plan to continually make changes and implement new features according to user feedback and more. We still have quite some work ahead of us, including revamping the driving in such a way that you can do everything from your controller. Plus the UI will receive more polish and additions too. You can help us report back your user experience with the improved controller support at our forums. We greatly appreciate your help in ironing out any bugs or problems during this time.

This update for controllers is extensive, however, we are confident that this will bring a more seamless experience for those who use them as their main controller. This also paves the way for future platforms which utilize similar controls.

Changelog

Map:

• General Bugfixes
  

Vehicles:

• Ownable Dump Trailers
  
• 2022 Freightliner Cascadia
  

UI:

• New Loading Screen Images
  
• World Map Legend Filters
  

Other:

• Improved Controller Support
  
• Implemented Sound Attenuation
  
• MSDF Font Implementation
  

Today, we are happy to share with you some news about the Freightliner® Cascadia, which we are sure avid drivers of this truck will love! In the 1.43 update for American Truck Simulator, we will be introducing new parts and customization options that will allow you to upgrade your current Cascadia to the current production version of the 2022 Freightliner® Cascadia.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
The 2022 Freightliner® Cascadia will feature new interior options, as well as exterior changes that further improve fuel economy. Let's go into more details on what changes you can find in this update for the Cascadia! 



Interior

The Cascadia will come with a new interior, the most noticeable change being a brand new digital dashboard. This modern and state-of-the-art dashboard allows the driver to view important information easily and clearly with just the click of a button on the new steering wheels.



Exterior

The updated exterior includes a new lower and even more streamlined front bumper, updated drive wheel fairings, and new aero deflectors on the A-pillar for improved aerodynamics. These new exterior parts have been specially designed to keep the Cascadia on the road for longer by improving its fuel economy. These updated parts also bring a fresh and futuristic look to an already modern truck.



The 2022 Freightliner® Cascadia will be made available at the in-game Freightliner® dealership or as an upgrade at your nearest repair shop. Be sure to share with us your pictures of when you take it for a drive for the first time. 

We look forward to sharing more news with you in the future about the 1.43 update and other future updates and content in the works too. 

The nominations for the annual Steam Awards are opening, along with the start of the Steam Autumn Sale. Our games are once again featured in these special events. You may remember (we definitely do, thank you!) that our Euro Truck Simulator 2 managed to win in two categories during the first year of Steam Awards in 2016.



Since then, we have continuously supported our games with multiple updates that brought tons of new content and our developers are always passionately doing their best to bring our #BestCommunityEver all that it likes to see. Apart from having multiple big and smaller features in development, we are working on multiple map DLCs and several vehicles, and we are curious to see how happy the community will be once all of these features are released for ETS2 or ATS. 

Like years previous, you will be able to nominate us for the Labor of Love category, which is dedicated to games that constantly receive updates and new content even years after their initial launch. This category will be crowded and there will be some tough competition, but if you feel like either Euro Truck Simulator 2 or American Truck Simulator deserves this award, you can cast your vote over on the Steam Awards Nominations Page.



No matter the result, we want to once again let you know that we appreciate your support, and your happiness will always be our measuring scale when developing new updates. Until we have some more news to share about that, we’ll see you on the road!

American Truck Simulator has already added 8 stately expansions, and already has a 9th - Texas - announced. Not content, SCS Software have also announced a 10th, Montana.

Read more