Here we are back behind the wheel and riding towards new maps that are coming for both ETS2 and ATS. There were unannounced deployments to both games yesterday which may only be bug fixes but could also include preparatory work for these map releases. In Euro truck we’re expecting some more of the eastern European countries including Romania, Bulgaria and european Turkey. American truck will finally see the state of Utah – often predicted as the next state but previously subverted by New Mexico, Oregon and Washington!
This week, with The Hunter COTW taking quite a bit of my time and a short term special event in Euro Truck, I fitted in a couple of drives in ATS. The first was north from Ehrenberg to Winnemucca. This entailed driving east to Kingman to pick up Route 93 up and over the Hoover Dam to Las Vegas whose evening lights and sights we were able to enjoy as we passed through…
…From Las vegas we picked up Route 95 and made our way up to Beatty where we pulled into the rest area for the night. Here we are creeping through the town looking for the darn thang!…
Next morning and refreshed we continued up the 95 to Tonopah. Now, I don’t drive this route very often. As the only town with a delivery point between ‘Vegas and Winnemucca, Tonopah rarely appears on my available manifests. Most of my jobs either take me up the main interstates in California or I’m continuing up the east side of Nevada on route 93 to Ely and Elko. So the road less used becomes less familiar. Even so, there were quite a few bits along the route that looked new and when I got to Tonopah I didn’t recognise the place! The SCS Software mapping teams have clearly been back in there improving the standard once again. The new road layout is now true to the real road layout at Tonopah where we divert off the 95 and pick up the 376…
… SCS’s willingness to go back into existing maps and improve them for free is a welcome change from the gaming norm and to be applauded.
A swap onto Route 50 and a quick refuelling stop in what I take to be Austin (another improvement waiting to happen?)…
…before picking up the 305 to Battle Mountain and driving on to Winnemucca from there – Job done. There is a certain irony that having not driven that route for a long time, my very next job should take me back down the same trail as I took a load of Ethane all the way across to Farmington in New Mexico. I doubt that, when we get the state of Utah, a run from Winnemucca to Farmington will go anywhere near Tonopah and this route will become even more of a road less travelled! Here we are on the return journey, about to take a break at that seedy rest area in Beatty…
I mentioned at the start a special event in Euro Truck. There is a new Goodyear Tyres dlc and the event was to announce it and to give the community an opportunity to get it for free. All you had to do was carry out 10 deliveries of the special trailers but you only had 4 irl days to do it. Here is my Renault on my first delivery. Anyone spot an issue?…
…Yes – conflict of interests with Monsieur Bibendum of rival tyre manufacturer Michelin on display! So, at the earliest opportunity I popped into the DAF dealer in Bordeaux and bought an XF 105.460 – passing the Renault on to an employee. Here are some shots from the rest of the event in the new ‘non-partisan’ DAF…
Hope you enjoyed that quick look at what’s been going on in my Trucking world. Who knows, maybe the next Digest will be about a new map release? Keep the shiny side up everyone 🙂
Images from Finchley 