American Truck Simulator and Euro Truck Simulator 2 get big updates with 1.44 open beta

The team over at SCS Software have laid down some freshly paved roads for the large fan-bases surrounding the driving sims. Both American Truck Simulator and Euro Truck Simulator 2 have recently been outfitted with the open beta versions of new updates, bringing the game version up to 1.44 across both titles. With the release of these new updates, some interesting new features and improvements have been implemented.

Starting with American Truck Simulator, its 1.44 open beta brings with it the second phase of the California Rework Project, refunds for mods, improved UI for the Upgrade Shop, unmarked roads exploration, enhanced force feedback, “smart” sequential shifting, and a lot more. Shifting gears over to Euro Truck Simulator 2, in addition to the aforementioned shared new features, the new 1.44 update outfits it with a rework of the Austria map (similar to the California Rework Project), reworked company logos, and accurate mileage signs along the roadside.

Under the hood…

The California Rework Project for American Truck Simulator is an ongoing effort from some of SCS’ scenery designers to bring the original California map up to the standard of more recent map expansions. Various cities such as Sacramento and Truckee have “been rebuilt from the ground up,” offering new scenery objects and improved road networks. San Rafael has also been axed to make space for a bigger city that will come in Phase 3.

With the mod refund feature, which is shared across both sims, players can now get refunds with in-game currency for parts and upgrades on their truck that were installed as a third-party mods. Speaking of parts, the enhanced UI in the Upgrade Shop will now identify factory parts, licensed parts, aftermarket parts and parts of unknown origin.

With the introduction of unmarked roads exploration, these secret roads will now appear on the minimap as a dashed orange line. However, they will only appear after a player has driven over them. Thus, secret roads will continue to remain a secret until properly discovered. That said, expect screenshots showing their locations to pop up to help players that don’t want to find them on their own.

American Truck Simulator and Euro Truck Simulator 2 both received upgrades to force feedback as well. This now allows for players to feel the effects of gearbox grinding, understeer slipping, power steering, and internal friction force. They’ll feel more pronounced using high-end racing wheels, as most lower-end models don’t feature any vibration at all. Continuing with better driving mechanics, the new “smart” sequential shifting feature is being referred to as such because, once enabled, it allows players to “automatically shift by more gears at once based on the current torque or speed.”

And over the horizon

In more driving improvements, the interior camera horizontal lock keeps the first-person view locked to the horizon while in the cabin, allowing it to move independently from the position of the actual cabin. This is another shared feature shared between American Truck Simulator and Euro Truck Simulator 2.

The ability to shift the truck’s suspension is also standard across both sims. This will make attaching to trailers a little easier, as they tend to differ in height. Speaking of trailers, the new drop deck trailers are best suited for unique deliveries like “aircraft engines, backhoe loaders, forklifts and so much more.”

While all of these enhancements and additions are exciting, SCS warns players that this is all still a part of the beta version of the update. Bugs and crashes may occur. That said, the full stable release shouldn’t be too far down the road, though an exact release date has not yet been provided.