This is very much a trucking post. With the Open Beta testing of v1.35 in full swing I have been doing my bit to identify any problems with the changes being delivered. Testing has meant starting from scratch and working up to owning a first truck and trailer. For this I have been doing almost all my testing in Euro Truck as one of the key changes this time is in the World of Trucks arena. We are going to be able to use our own trailers for WoT jobs and Martin transport et Logistique will be in a position to take advantage of that. I’m not looking to test this in American Truck because Republik is a Bakersfield based truckers Cooperative offering haulage power to anyone who needs it. “Truckers Cooperative? – Sounds downright Communis’ to me” – Senator McCarthy will be spinning in his grave! 😉 So that’s why I’m concentrating on Euro truck for this testing.
Because I’m testing, I have started from scratch in a clean test profile. I’ve built up to the level where I can afford to buy a truck with a loan and then pushed on to buy a trailer to go with that truck. Again, because I’m testing this is not part of the Martin company but just a solo build, so you won’t be seeing our normal colours in this post. I decided to buy a basic level DAF XF with no additional features. The only concession was a slightly higher powered engine (410HP). Everything else is stock and that includes no GPS – of which more later.
Another change that I was eager to try was the ownership of Schwarzmüller trailers. I believe this was one of the first trailer manufacturers to come on board with SCS and allow their trailers to be accurately portrayed in the game so it’s good to be able to buy them for our companies. Yesterday I reached the point where I had the money to buy their curtainside trailer for my testing. Here is the DAF XF and Schwarzmüller trailer combo sitting outside my basic garage in Montpellier…
…I think that’s a good looking combo 🙂
One thing that always surprises me is the way that our choices influence the way that things pan out in the SCS truck sims. I’ve been driving all over Europe to the point where I’ve achieved close on 1500 hours in the game. Yet, possibly because I drive in a company orientated manner, there are some roads that I rarely travel. In fact this first example is a road that I don’t think I have ever travelled! The delivery was from Montpellier to Torino and we routed via Rousset. There’s no way I would have forgotten crossing that dam (not least because I’ve seen it when watching the Tour de France!), so I guess I’ve never driven this road before…
Then it was north from Torino to Zurich and another road that I don’t think I have used more than once routing through the Alps to Bern…
…and that’s one of the joys of Beta Testing – it gets you out of any rut you may be running in 🙂 But it also got me thinking. Here I am doing lots of driving without a GPS. It adds a level of challenge assuming I don’t turn on the game’s own HUD for the route I should follow. I’ve really enjoyed the additional burden of checking the map before leaving, and if unsure of position, pulling over somewhere safe to recheck where I’m going. There may have been some missed turns and moments of being lost along the way but that adds to the fun 🙂 I think this may become a sub series of Trucking Digest – ‘Travels with my Aunt’ comes to mind as a title with the truck being Auntie Daph. Of course in ATS it could be travels with Uncle Mack 😉 We’ll see!
Images from Finchley 