American Truck Simulator: Version 1.61 Open Beta Update

We are thrilled to announce that the American Truck Simulator 1.61 Open Beta is officially live and ready for testing. Should you choose to jump into the beta phase, we kindly ask that you report any anomalies or glitches you encounter in the dedicated section of our official forums.

Community feedback is paramount in helping us elevate the driving experience, and we deeply appreciate the dedication you show when testing fresh features. Furthermore, a massive thank you goes out to everyone who engaged with the 1.61 Experimental Beta—particularly those who provided insightful critiques regarding the Multi-Function Display (MFD) and the overhauled In-Game Menu. These exciting elements will debut in a subsequent update, granting us the necessary time to refine them to perfection.

Now, let’s explore what awaits you in the 1.61 Open Beta:

Proximity Exploration

The 1.61 update introduces a fantastic quality-of-life mechanic crafted to make traversing the world map more intuitive while preserving the intrinsic joy of discovery. Enter Proximity Exploration.

When activated, this feature automatically uncovers a modest radius around your semi-truck as you cruise down the highways. Consequently, you no longer need to meticulously maneuver over every microscopic stretch of pavement to mark it as traversed—a dream come true for truckers chasing that elusive 100% map exploration milestone! It also helps illuminate adjacent accessible pathways surrounding rest areas, toll booths, international borders, fuel stations, and dense multi-lane junctions.

Rest assured, hidden paths retain their mystery! Proximity Exploration will expose merely the opening stretch of a secret route once you pull in close, serving as a subtle hint that adventure awaits nearby. Beyond that initial threshold, however, uncovering the remainder of the route requires traditional navigation—you still have to physically drive the path to log it.

Whether your goal is to polish off those final completion percentages or simply make long-haul navigation more seamless, the power is entirely in your hands.

Improved Material System

The revamped Material System drastically elevates the visual fidelity and lighting physics inside select vehicle cabins. The primary objective is to revolutionize how interior surfaces interact with dynamic light sources, resulting in a significantly more immersive, legible, and breathtaking cockpit environment.

A cornerstone of this overhaul is the complete redesign of interior shaders. This accentuates the tactile differences between leather, textiles, synthetics, and polished metals, even under low-light or nocturnal driving conditions. The modern rendering pipeline leverages diverse dynamic cubemap variants, empowering all surfaces to mirror their surroundings organically and respond to ambient illumination with supreme realism.

Engineered from the ground up to support SCS software titles, this architecture will progressively roll out to existing fleets across our simulation library. For this initial release, we are proud to introduce the Improved Material System to the International LT and the International LoneStar.

Subsequent patches will extend this advanced technology to other trucks in due time. You can dive deeper into the technicalities of this feature via our dedicated developer blog post.

Preparatory Map Adjustments for ‘Road Trip’

In anticipation of the upcoming Road Trip project, our world-building and asset development divisions have been proactively modifying the landscape of American Truck Simulator. While many of these adjustments occur behind the scenes, they establish a robust framework for upcoming mechanics.

We have strategically positioned dormant Tourist Boards throughout multiple states, including California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, and the forthcoming South Dakota expansion. These information hubs will remain offline until the Road Trip initiative officially launches, but they are already fully integrated into the world geometry. Concurrently, we’ve applied numerous aesthetic touch-ups and polish passes to various pockets of the map.

Additionally, a collection of brand-new fuel stations has been peppered across the highway networks. While tailored for heavy haulers right now, these locations will eventually accommodate passenger automobiles when the Road Trip expansion drops, broadening your options for pit stops.

These foundational updates ensure the American Truck Simulator ecosystem remains primed for upcoming expeditions.

Fresh Cargo Options

Haulers can also look forward to expanded freight variety alongside upgraded textures for legacy loads. You are now cleared to transport fresh commodities such as Seed Containers, specialized Trailers, and heavy structural Trusses.

Furthermore, standard rail cargo has received a total graphical overhaul, featuring entirely remodeled geometry and high-resolution textures. These visual enhancements inject exceptional detail into your roadside cargo sightings, making every freight run feel thoroughly authentic.

Known OpenGL Rendering Advisory

We are actively tracking a rendering artifact impacting setups utilizing the OpenGL graphics API. OpenGL serves as the primary rendering framework for Linux and macOS users, while remaining available as an alternative protocol on Windows.

Drivers operating on Linux, macOS, or Windows via OpenGL may occasionally experience visual flickering or minor graphical anomalies. Our engineering squad is hard at work deploying a resolution, and we will issue updates as soon as a fix is verified.

Changelog Summary

Map

• Proximity Exploration integration
• Preparatory changes for the Road Trip project

Vehicles

• Addition of fresh cargo types

Visuals

• Improved Material System implemented for the International LT and International LoneStar

Enjoy diving into these fresh additions! Please keep in mind that this is an open beta build rather than a stable production release; consequently, you may run into temporary bugs, performance stutters, or unexpected crashes. Waiting for the final polished version is completely fine. However, if you wish to help accelerate development, your bug reports and constructive feedback in our dedicated forum channels are immensely appreciated.

Consult our official modding wiki for specific documentation regarding community modifications. To participate in this Open Beta, switch to the designated branch via Steam: Open Steam Client → LIBRARY → Right-click American Truck Simulator → Properties → Betas tab → Beta Participation dropdown menu → Select public_beta. No access key is required. A quick restart of your Steam client may occasionally be required to make the branch visible.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/270880/American_Truck_Simulator/

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