American Truck Simulator News

It is a generally known fact that about seventy-one percent of Earth’s surface is covered by water, and that is why it would be unimaginable to talk about the upcoming Wyoming DLC without ever mentioning the local water bodies! Without any hesitation, let’s dive into what you can expect.



Even though the local environment of Wyoming may not consist of the same proportion of water as Earth itself, passing by some of the reservoirs may in fact create such an illusion. The Glendo, Boysen and Palisades reservoirs are not mere ponds; they are vast water-filled areas, which are capable of creating extraordinary scenery in conjunction with the surrounding hillsides and mountains. Palisades Reservoir is also located along Snake River, which has one of the oldest place names in the area - reportedly derived from the S-shaped hand sign made by a Native American tribe.



Man-made reservoirs cannot exist without their dams. You will have the opportunity to witness the Boysen Dam, which has a unique look to it, being a rockfill dam. Additionally, not only will the Flaming George Dam be a part of the game, but you will also be able to drive on the road built across the top of it and there will be a viewpoint included as well! Trust us, despite the dam’s name, there’s still plenty of water around.



Furthermore, there’s also going to be a chance to pass by a couple of lakes. These are namely Bear Lake and Wind River Lake. Bear Lake (actual bears not guaranteed) is a popular destination for tourists and it is no wonder, that you will be able to enjoy this beautiful scenery with an included viewpoint. Wind River Lake is an alpine lake found at a high altitude, and even though you will not be able to visit its frequently visited picnic area, you can always take that one perfect screenshot and enjoy a snack or two looking at it afterwards!



If you are excited for the release of Wyoming DLC, do not forget to bring your swimming trunks and add Wyoming to your Steam Wishlist. Well... You will not be able to swim in the water bodies so just focus on delivering goods and basking in the glory of Wyoming’s natural beauty.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1415692/American_Truck_Simulator__Wyoming/

We love to bring you new game updates, especially when they contain features that have been requested for a long time! Those who are familiar with our forum probably already heard about our quietly released Experimental Open Beta for 1.41 update, which we have decided to release without extra promotion so we could closely and carefully monitor the first wave of community feedback. Convoy is, for sure, the most anticipated content coming to ATS with this update. Today, we are happy to share with you that Update 1.41 Open Beta for American Truck Simulator is now ready to be tested fully and publicly by our community!



However, please keep in mind that this is still an open beta, which remains in a very much work-in-progress state. If you want to take it for a spin, you can help contribute by reporting any bugs you may encounter in the appropriate section of our official forum. Your feedback and reports are extremely valuable for our team and we thank you in advance for taking the time to help us out.

Please bear in mind that this update will likely render many community MODs incompatible. MOD authors may need to adjust and update their mods to work with this update. We strongly recommend that you use a profile without any third-party modifications if you wish to participate in the 1.41 Open Beta. 

So, let's take a look at what the 1.41 update has in store!

Convoy Multiplayer Open Beta

Convoy is a new multiplayer game mode, where players can set up and host their own private sessions (password optional) to drive with their friends or other fellow truckers. There is currently support for synchronized AI traffic, time and weather, and the ability to take the same job as other players.



During this open beta phase, Convoy will allow you to create and host an online session with up to 8 players. We plan to eventually raise the player limit in the future, however, we are keeping it small at this time due to its work-in-progress nature. Session hosts will automatically be made admins of these sessions, allowing them to ultimately control what kind of environment they want to have online, as well as having the ability to kick any trouble-makers from the session. 



You can also see, filter, browse and eventually join any of the available sessions that have been already created by your friends or other truckers.



So what options and features will players be able to use and experience in the open beta of Convoy? 

• Any player can host and create their own private sessions for up to 8 people
• Ability to haul the same contracts/jobs together from the same company and to the same destination
• Synchronized AI traffic
• Synchronized time and weather
• Synchronized paint jobs, truck accessories, cabin accessories, cargoes and more
• Ability to communicate with other drivers via CB radio broadcast (X key), quick replies (Q key), or text chat (Y key)

We know how many players are eager to try out this new feature; however, there are some things you will need to know before joining your friends on the road! Convoy is in a beta phase, which means you may potentially run into some bugs, imperfections, or unexpected problems whilst driving. 

Notable issues / not yet implemented:

• Mods in Convoy mode are not supported in the initial release.
• AI vehicles might disappear when a player disconnects.
• Lifting bridges are not synchronized. They will be stationary for the initial release of Convoy.
• When using an owned trailer, there might be a company trailer spawned in the same location you are supposed to go to to load your cargo.
• Steam invites work only through the Steam overlay.
• CB radio broadcast (hotkey "X") interferes with the text input line.
• The on-screen map in Convoy "M" zooms out together with chat scrolling in the Route Advisor.

Worried about your profile progress? In case of trouble-makers or other circumstances out of your control, players will have the option to revert their save to one made previously before joining the session. From friends to VTC's, we are excited to see how you will enjoy Convoy and we look forward to hearing your constructive feedback on this new online feature.



California Reskin

During our special Christmas 2020 live stream, we announced that we would be revisiting California in American Truck Simulator to give our starting state a reskin! Today, we bring the first iteration of this reskin, carrying a major road layout rework, agriculture stations, and more!



One of the most noticeable changes drivers will experience when arriving in California are the new agriculture border control stations! All drivers hauling goods into the state will have to undergo special checks from the control station where vehicles are inspected for commodities that may be infested with invasive species, and for the correct documentation. In-game, we will mimic these scenarios with a new feature, which will work very similarly to the current weigh stations. Upon your arrival at the border, depending on what you are hauling, drivers will be notified to pull over for an inspection at one of the control stations before they are given the green light to enter the state. 


Our world design tools have been considerably improved during the years since ATS was released as well, and we plan to take advantage of the new power. For example, our map designers can now pay attention to details like the proper roll of the road surface in a curve. We are also trying to make sure we get our research right when it comes to unique road signage elements, proper road markings, or the use of cat's eyes. We hope to achieve a completely new look and feel when driving across the State. Read more here.

Photo Mode: Time & Weather options

We know how much our players love to take photos in-game and spend a lot of time creating that perfect shot, and for many, this also includes finding the right lighting conditions and weather. So to help create that perfect trucking memory, we have implemented a new feature that may save you quite a bit of time when it comes to using console commands! 



Introducing the new Time and Weather options! Players will now be able to choose the conditions of their liking, to create the perfect trucking snap just by simply adjusting a new slider to change the time, or clicking on two buttons to control the lighting/weather, all of which will appear in the updated in-game photo studio. We can't wait to see how drivers will use this new feature in the future and we look forward to seeing your snaps! 



[h3]Changelog[/h3]

Gameplay:

• Convoy Multiplayer 
• Time and weather adjustments in photo mode
• Quick Travel

Map 

• California Reskin part 1 including 7 Agricultural Stations and a road layout rework 

UI

• New icons in the map legend

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

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

If you wish to participate in the open 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 → 1.41. No password required.

If you’ve seen the title and now you are terrified that instead of delivering the usual goods, you’re now going to become the ferryman Charon himself, transporting souls by the river Styx, or perhaps that this is going to be some sort of spooky horror blog post, then have no fear, we are going to talk about a major landmark of Wyoming instead! You have seen many legendary places during your driving adventures, but the opportunity to witness the Devils Tower in the distance while you are sitting behind the wheel is a chance unlike any other. And it looks breathtaking in all situations, no matter the hour or weather, right?





Devils Tower is a famous butte with hundreds of vertical cracks and a total height of 5,112 ft (1,558 m), which makes it an extremely distinctive feature in the area full of prairies. The name’s origin can be traced all the way back to the year 1875 and the expedition led by Colonel Richard Irving Dodge (not to be mistaken with Doge). The name "Devils Tower" was reportedly a misinterpretation of a native title "Bad God’s Tower", which does not really sound that bad but still has a quite dangerous ring to it nonetheless.



As much as it would’ve been entertaining to see the trucks climb up the mountain, the sight of this natural wonder is much better experienced by seeing the "bigger" picture with everything around; therefore the closest possible point will be the visitor’s center and in front of the gate at the entrance to the park. But do not weep, because there will be a nearby farm and an interactive viewpoint below the tower, in which the most attentive may find something very interesting.



They say that picture is worth more than a thousand words. You'll be able to easily create similar shots with the upcoming 1.41 Update which brings the revisited in-game photo mode. And if you cannot wait to experience driving through Wyoming DLC, remember to add Wyoming to your Steam Wishlist and you can be one of the first to admire the Devils Tower and much more! And if you are still a little bit worried about the name, just remember, "the Devil went down to Georgia" some time ago anyway.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1415692/American_Truck_Simulator__Wyoming/

Howdy, truckers! We don't talk very often about Texas DLC on our blog, as there is still a ton of work ahead of us to start hyping it too much. But we have assembled the largest team ever to work on an ATS DLC for this project, and they keep producing great stuff. Today we are delighted to share some of the landmarks and prefabs that you will eventually be able to spot while on the road in this massive state. Get your cowboy hats ready and let's jump right into it!



What comes to people's minds when you ask them to imagine driving through Texas? For many, it's the oil wells and oil processing facilities. The state is the leading oil producer in the USA; the new map expansion would not feel complete if we did not focus on oil processing and related transport when portraying it. Your future journeys may frequently bring you to various functional areas such as oil wells and oil service depots. In addition to the fractionation method we previously introduced in Idaho, Texas will also be using oil extraction by pressure. The service depots will be the source of oil well mechanical parts, which are a must-have since there are about 180,000 oil wells in Texas.

Apart from oil industry-related areas, there will also be an introduction of the first glass plant. Our inspiration is a state-of-the-art facility that boasts the latest inventions that redefine glass processing and prevent excessive pollution. You may also find it interesting to deliver to a warehouse used for transferring cargo between Mexico and the USA.



Texas is home to a great deal of charming architecture and there are many interesting structures that you will be able to spot while on your deliveries. Some of the structures have major historical importance, for example The Herring Hotel, which is the only one still standing of the three oil-boom era hotels built in the 1920s, or perhaps "A Tribute to Courage", a monument that is a statue of Sam Houston - army general and the first president of Texas. 



These are of course just a few examples. There will also be a number of well-known courthouses, apartment buildings, arenas, university, a medieval castle (although not really an actual castle!) and... what’s that? Did you think we could forget about the legendary Texas Capitol? Never! You will definitely be able to see this landmark in the game as well.



We hope you have enjoyed an early look at what is coming in the upcoming Texas DLC. Trust us, there will be much more to show you in the future. If you cannot wait to pass by some of these buildings or feel the atmosphere of the ever-growing industry, don’t forget to add the expansion to your Steam Wishlist and stay in touch with all the upcoming news.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1465750/American_Truck_Simulator__Texas/

Networks are certainly an important part of today’s world.For example, our #BestCommunityEver is an inseparable aspect of our socialnetwork. In the same manner, road networks are a fundamental piece oftraffic infrastructure. The newest location that will be arriving inAmerican Truck Simulator is going to be no exception. Today we are going toshed some light on the road layouts and landmarks in the upcoming Wyoming DLC!



Legend says that a certain trucker (we’re all feeling proud here right?) decided one day to take a picture while driving on Interstate 80, as he was approaching an area near Fort Bridger known as "The Three Sisters". The image made it seem as if the road over the crest was never-ending and ever since then, people commonly referred to this area as the "Highway to Heaven". Just like it is with the real-life location, we cannot promise you a trip to paradise, but maybe if you try hard enough, you may just follow in the footsteps of the famous trucker and recreate something similar. Just be careful, as some others tend to call this area "Highway to Hell" instead. As if the Devils Tower wasn’t enough.



Time to get back to earth now and mention numerous new road signs which will include speed limit signs, freeway and highway signs, tourist signs, and dynamic message gantries! Speaking of road gantries there’s also going to be a very interesting new visual - gantries with traffic lights at crossroads. These are not exactly a common occurrence, that is why you should always be prepared to take a picture just so you can take it with you "spiritually" wherever you go.



But that’s not all, however, as you will also be able to cross several colorful bridges, and if open space is not for you, be sure not to miss the I-80’s Twin Tunnel near Rock Springs.



All this and more is coming in Wyoming DLC and whether you want to try to ascend to the heavens (just do not get your hopes "up" - pun intended) or add new visual features to your collection of pictures, do not forget to add Wyoming to your Steam Wishlist!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1415692/American_Truck_Simulator__Wyoming/