American Truck Sim Build 1.5 Released and Map Rescale!

[Paul Jeffrey]

American Truck Simulation developers SCS Software have released the latest free update to the game, including the brand new map rescale that increases the American map from 1:35 to 1:20 scale as well as adding considerable road length extensions and a new city - Santa Maria.

Despite the size of the new 1.5 build release and rescale, SCS Software have maintained their original intention to release the update for free to current owners of the game. As well as the rescale and addition of Santa Maria, the latest build also reworks the Oxnard city, adds "hundreds of miles" of new road structures, dozens of reworked and or new junctions and a whole list additional content and feature updates to the game.

Rescaled map main features:

• Scale 1:35 → 1:20 – 1,75x larger map
  
• Hundreds of miles of new longer roads
  
• A new city - Santa Maria
  
• Completely reworked city – Oxnard
  
• Reworked roadsystem topology:
  
  New Interstate I-580 and I-80 connections
  I-5 near LA topology corrected
  I-5 Redding topology corrected
  New stretch of CA-101​
• Correct interstate junctions - no more same level crossing, freeways exiting on itself, etc
• 28 reworked or new junctions - most notably - Reno, San Francisco, San Diego, L.A.
  
• 6 new custom rest areas – truckstops
  
• More accurate height profiles - new steeper climbs and descends
  
• Famous recognizable landscape landmarks: Donner pass, Grapevine, Kumeyaay highway, Picachio peak, Humphreys peak, Cajon pass

ATS 1.5 patch notes

Main features

• Map rebuilt in 1:20 scale
• Upgrade Shop and Truck Browser Search Tool
• New chassis options (6x2 & 6x2 Midlift)

Game

• Adjustable interior FOV per truck
• Weigh station UI behavior made more real
• Truck repair/refuel performed by hired driver cost money, included in logs
• Added informational dialog showing when game detects upgrade or downgrade
• Added pounds + short tonnes as weight unit option
• Add possibility to buy driver and co-driver plate in truck dealer
• Online job offer: Replaced refresh button with browse jobs
• Better trailer air pressure simulation
• Low air warning should only be active with running engine
• Parking brake mechanical safeguard on low air added
• Revised rolling resistance computations
• Hired driver use same math for eco skill as player
• Added selector modes to shift layout, correct detection of split shifts (advanced mode)
• Adaptive shifting logic improved
• Mod manager: Added link to load game screen in case game crashed and user has at least one mod activated
• Mod manager: Added possibility of setting profile by name and by user profile pointer
• Mod manager: Added dlc dependency list to mod manifest
• Prevent to AI trucks disappearing in players view
• Tweaked traffic spawn frequencies

MOD

• Changed map parameters (climate_profile, map_data)
• Moddable interior camera zoom parameters. (speed, factor)
• 1 degree rotation on Ctrl + R, 90 degree rotation on Home
• Merged editable sign and sign dialog
• Refresh sign template and its model from content browser
• Added letter-spacing to sign editor
• Store content browser navigation history
• Support for day/nigh effect switching and child hookups for lod_model_hookup_u
• Undo of veg sphere manipulation

American Truck Simulator is available for Windows PC and currently retails for the reduce price of £10.49 on the Steam network.

Don't forget we have a nice selection of mods for ATS right here at RaceDepartment. Have a look at our American Truck Simulator sub forum for all the news and discussion as well as browsing our modding archive. If it's big riggin' you like, then look no further!

 

[fortyfivekev]

Was playing ETS2 about 15 hours or more and switched to ATS. I find ATS way better because more challenging, especially the trailer parking, better graphics and cities in 3D you can drive through. I didn´t try mods, so don´t know what is possible in ETS2, but i find it much more boring and repetitive.

I always wonder why US truckers favour the big-rig style of trucks especially as European style cab-over trucks seem way more maneuverable when it comes to turning at junctions and unloading in tight spots.

The countryside can be fairly repetitive in ETS2 but I do appreciate the differing styles of road signs and markings as you go from country to country.
I always like to play ETS2 with Promods which adds a lot more locations and detail. The only problem is you have to wait for them to release a new version everytime ETS2 has a big update which can be a pain.

It would be really nice if the environments in both games were a bit more dynamic. Once you drive past the same roadworks a few dozen times it does get a bit boring.

 

[Leynad777]

I always wonder why US truckers favour the big-rig style of trucks especially as European style cab-over trucks seem way more maneuverable when it comes to turning at junctions and unloading in tight spots.

I can tell you, why there are nearly no US-style trucks in Europe. In the late 50´s a German minister for traffic wanted to reduce truck traffic in favor of the transportation by train. He limited the maximum length from 20 to 14 meters including trailer and truck, so this trucks got popular in the first place. The drivers hated the trucks first, because of the heat, noise and less safety, but the advantages you named were obvious soon and the trucks got better during the years, so nearly all trucks in Europe have a flat front nowadays. In the US the drivers are more often travelling long distances and prefer bigger cabins (which don´t flip if you want so see the engine) and never had this restrictions including the truck, just the trailer, so they keep their habits.