For some American or Euro Truck Simulatorettes, as I’ve determined we fake long-distance haulage followers ought to name ourselves, information of a brand new kind of auto or trailer is motive to rejoice. For me, probably the most excited I’ve ever been about American Truck Sim patch notes is the declaration that they’ve simply made rain higher.
ATS has lengthy owned my coronary heart, however I’m ashamed to say I’ve solely simply been in a position to go to its newest state DLC, Oregon, because of the small however extraordinarily loud new lifeform that steals 99% of my consideration. Today’s patch 1.33 – which applies to any version of ATS, i.e. some, none or all of the DLC so far – was the excuse I wanted to fireplace it up in work time.
I’m pleased to say, my dream of forests has been realised. I’m chomping on the bit for ATS to succeed in Washington state, so that I can play out assorted Twin Peaks roadtrip fantasies, however within the meantime neighbouring Oregon would appear to share some topography with it. Long, quiet roads, lined by bushes or the sinister silhouettes of monumental electrical energy pylons- not the classic, cheesier Twin Peaks tropes, no, however greater than a contact of Lynch, together with the eerier outerlands of The Return. I swear I noticed sights I recognised from that immortal closing episode and its 430 mile journey. With the correct soundtrack, ah sure, I can recreate the excellence sensation of 1’s soul being flayed by a freeway.
Patch 1.33 sweetens the take care of this wonderful tweak: “Rain drops behavior on glass improved.”
A tiny factor, inconsequential, virtually. But I seen it straight away. In that I seen raindrops on my windscreen, whereas beforehand I used to be solely actually acutely aware of rain as one thing exterior to my truck. Sure, it landed on the windscreen, however it was a bit ‘overlay obvious special effect here’ whereas now it’s extra convincingly water-y.
These raindrops drive proper into the guts of why ATS, this outwardly tedious factor for followers of engines and commerce (I’ve no real interest in both), weaves a spell on me, and plenty of others like me. Atmosphere. A way of being some place else – and the extra that place feels tangible, the extra enraptured I’m. Raindrops on windscreens? Beautiful, unhappy, meaningless, magical.
For these proof against the patter of tiny lens distortion results, patch 1.33’s a fairly chunky one in different respects. Headline function is detours, during which you may now been directed down a special route if one in every of ATS’s random accidents clogs up too many lanes on the highway you’re on. It’s a stunning and true-to-life thought, although I can’t assist however really feel that ATS wants many extra roads than it presently has (the size of the game’s world is spectacular, however its density maybe much less so) for this to actually sing. Once all of the states are there and related, although…
We additionally get very welcome high quality of life additions, together with having the ability to save templates on your customised vans and trailers, quite than undergo the entire elements’n’paint-choosing rigmarole each time you need to purchase one other one, and – hurrah! – Steam Cloud assist. Excellent information for these of us who play on multiple PC.
The Oregon DLC particularly has had the quite scenic OR-140 highway added, which helps to fill in among the gaps. I hope there’ll be extra little additions like that over time – I’m already extraordinarily frightened that the Washington state DLC, each time it occurs, gained’t let me drive by way of Snoqualmie and see these well-known falls..
There are a number of different fine details too, which you’ll examine here or see in genteel motion beneath:
