SCS Software released another set of changes coming with update 1.54 for both Euro Truck Simulator 2 and American Truck Simulator.
This new reveal mentions that with the Road Trip and Project Coaches coming to the two simulators, they have refined the physics simulation, including how vehicles behave, how they respond to inputs, and how collisions and contact with the world are handled.
The changes won’t just benefit the new types of vehicles, but also the existing trucks, with many improvements under the hood.
Throttle response is properly calculated from a throttle torque engine map, and a more realistic engine resistance when off the throttle makes coasting feel more natural while cruising jas a smoother flow.
Trucks now behave differently on different surfaces, while the audio of elements like turbochargers has been refined. Engines revs slightly to build up torque before pulling away, helping trucks feel more alive when starting from a standstill.
On the other hand, an uphill start assistant has been introduced to compensate.
Keyboard controls have been improved with throttle applying gradually when holding the key, but you can double-tap for full acceleration. This is optional and turned off by default, but you can enable it in the settings.
Specifically in American Truck Simulator, the collision geometry of almost all roads has been adjusted, helping improve the stability of trucks in some specific cases.
The changes coming in 1.58 are just the beginning of a wider set of improvements coming down the lane, aiming to improve “the overall quality, realism, and responsiveness of the driving experience.”
Incidentally, while the developers want the driving experience of Road Trip to be “believable, stable, and enjoyable,” they want to strike a balance that is enjoyable for casual players as well, so they may gear the difficulty so that driving errors aren’t punished too harshly.
You can check out the screenshots below. If you want to learn more about the update 1.58, you can take a look at the new Driving Academy section and the reworked garages that will come only to ATS for the moment.
If you’re unfamiliar with Euro Truck Simulator 2, it’s a truck-driving simulator available for PC, but PS5 and Xbox versions have been recently announced.
The Iceland DLC was revealed a few months ago, and you can enjoy additional screenshots, in addition to its churches, and the Ring Road.
The last national DLC announced a few weeks ago focuses on Ireland.
The development team is also hard at work updating relevant areas of the map, starting with the Benelux region’s rework, of which we also recently saw the port of Rotterdam, the city of Brussels, Luxembourg, and Antwerp. The UK is also being reworked.
Last, but not least, there’s the Coaches DLC, and we recently saw its bus stations, the Scania Touring, passenger satisfaction, and the MAN Lion’s Coach.
American Truck Simulator is also available for PC, and it’s the sister game to Euro Truck Simulator 2. PS5 and Xbox Series X|S versions are also coming.
Illinois is likely the next DLC coming, and you can check out its truck stops, the city of Marion, Rockford, Quincy, even more truck stops, Moline, Peoria, Champaign, the prairies, and Bloomington.
South Dakota should come afterward, and we already saw its Truck Stops, countryside, towns, cities, and more Truck Stops.
The game will soon cross the borders of the United States and go to Canada with the British Columbia DLC.
SCS is also working on a rework around Route 66, we already saw a few new and remade cities, on top of the Grand Canyon and Hoover Dam.
Another big project is the Road Trip feature, spearheaded by the Ford Car Pack (of which we also saw the Ford Crown Victoria and the Ford F-150), which will expand the simulator’s experience from trucks to cars and pickup trucks, including pure exploration and the delivery of smaller packages.