Does anyone here “play” on ETS2 or ATS (Euro Truck Simulator/American Truck Simulator) Either for “fun” (lol) Or for training/learning purposes?
Here is my “truck”, parked up for a 45 in Romania.
And yes, I know I am a bit of a saddoe!
TBH it would never even cross my radar to play computer games, but if it floats your boat then who am I to criticise?
There is one guy who spends many, many, hours parking B-Doubles and Triples etc in tight spaces! As you say, @maoster, whatever floats the boat!
Yeah I used to play a lot when I was out of work and bored years ago. I kept playing on and off even after I had started driving for a living but I got bored eventually as the game is pretty old now and needs a new graphics and physics engine I think and a VR version. Instead they’ve been milking it with DLCs of new contries for over a decade
I prefer emulators to simulators.
I don’t like games that demand an exorbitant amount of time just to play.
It’s a generation thing I guess.
ETS:
Yeah I used to play a lot when I was out of work and bored years ago. I kept playing on and off even after I had started driving for a living but I got bored eventually as the game is pretty old now and needs a new graphics and physics engine I think and a VR version. Instead they’ve been milking it with DLCs of new contries for over a decade
It has support for VR and eye-tracking now!
ScaniaUltimate:
I prefer emulators to simulators.
I don’t like games that demand an exorbitant amount of time just to play.It’s a generation thing I guess.
It’s an age thing, really 
I’ve been playing lots of old SEGA (the 16 bit console from the early 90s) games lately and they’re as fun as I remember them.
ETS:
ScaniaUltimate:
I prefer emulators to simulators.
I don’t like games that demand an exorbitant amount of time just to play.It’s a generation thing I guess.
It’s an age thing, really
I accept that.
I must be a bit older than you as I like BBC Micro & ZX Spectrum games as that is what I first played (after ZX81 but I don’t fancy replaying those games!).
Regarding the OP:
Here’s what a real Romanian layby looked like in the early 90’s…
…and here’s my truck being unloaded in Romania…
Can somebody give me a heads up on this ETS thing? Do you create a truck, and ‘drive’ actual routes in real time?
I never got into these games missen, probably something i’ll reserve for my declining years, 
but I’ve been seriously impressed by some of these, mostly ww2 aerial skirmishes I’ve been gorging on for some time. The levels of detail and sound effects as me -109 and Spitfire bullets hit home is off the scale incredible. Gives a real idea of what those chaps had to endure. It’s more real than real itself.T3 channel seems the best all-round poster. Gruesome yet cathartic 
wakou:
There is one guy who spends many, many, hours parking B-Doubles and Triples etc in tight spaces! As you say, @maoster, whatever floats the boat!
There’s a mod for quad trailers, a guy called squirrel has some videos on youtube. Never got the mod to work on my pc 
Rather be flying a Spitfire or even better loosing off a full wing full of rockets in mi Hawker Tempest.
Janos:
Can somebody give me a heads up on this ETS thing? Do you create a truck, and ‘drive’ actual routes in real time?
Pretty much! The actual journeys are not “real-time”, en-route it is scaled to fit the map, 1:19 if I recall. Otherwise a haul from say Paris to Istanbul would take actual days, in the game, some hours.
In towns or depots etc, the time is scaled to 1:3 (again from memory)
But yes, you start as a driver for hire, earn/bank-loan some ££, then buy your own truck, earn some more ££, and then, optionally buy your own trailer or employ other drivers to work for you.
But the real magic is the actual driving… If you have a steering wheel and pedals (I bought mine s/h for £25.00) it is surprisingly immersive. The maps are based on real life, I have “slept” in lay-bys, and “aires de relais” in the game which I have used in real life, etc!
In Belgium, the roads ARE more rutted with over-use, and rumble through the steering wheel/speakers just like in reality!
The ports of Calais/Dover and the Euro-Tunnel are modelled on the real ones, and are much like I remember from when I was a regular Euro driver.There is no Brexit-customs palaver (as yet!)
The trucks, cabs, engines, transmissions etc are all modelled on reality. And if you have a particular fave, there are people out there “modding” the game to include retro-trucks, Russian tucks etc.
The game itself is very cheap to buy, (£3.99) and even with all the added-extra countries (I think I paid for a bundle of them all, about £25.00) and does not REQUIRE a super-duper brand new computer. Although it is better with a decent CPU/graphics card/and lots of memory!
There are loads of You-tubes out there.
Here is a short vid of an Actros cab. (the first 15s or so, are pics of a real one!)
Thanks Wakou. I am intrigued by this. So in theory, you could actually ‘drive’ a route you intend to take in your normal job? After watching the clip, I agree, it is strangely immersive.
Janos:
Thanks Wakou. I am intrigued by this. So in theory, you could actually ‘drive’ a route you intend to take in your normal job? After watching the clip, I agree, it is strangely immersive.
The mapping is very simple and just fabricated, not real life. It would be the ultimate release if they could use true mapping!
Well yes! EVERYTHING has to be programmed! The mapping is very simplified, only major roads/cities.
And the cities are just one or two industrial estates. Sometimes with local landmarks. I have the Gherkin and Canary Wharf as the view from my London “depot”!
wakou:
Well yes! EVERYTHING has to be programmed! The mapping is very simplified, only major roads/cities.
And the cities are just one or two industrial estates. Sometimes with local landmarks. I have the Gherkin and Canary Wharf as the view from my London “depot”!
You want to quit virtual haulage mate and flog that piece of land instead!
I play both ATS and ETS2, used to stream some of it too at one point. And honestly, it was one of the reasons I finally decided to go for my cat C (and eventually artics). Both are fun, relaxing games and very pretty if you have a graphics cards that lets you whack up the visuals to the max. ETS2 (the base game) can be a bit meh without expansions, but the way they’ve developed and added new countries and features over the years without re-releasing the main game (I’m looking at you Giants Software aka Farming simulator) is pretty ■■■■ awesome from a consumer POV too. Plus if you ever wanted more routes and detailed cities etc there’s a wonderful mod called Promods that does just that. There’s also TruckersMP (for multiplayer, though SCS have added in their own MP/convoy functionality recently - haven’t used it yet tho) and TrucksBooks if you like to keep records.
For a laugh, since both games don’t do rigids out the box, I recently downloaded a rigid mod and had a go doing reversing in that. I know it sounds daft, but until I get into an actual truck and have my lessons, it’s cool to have a go and learning the angles you need. Of course I’m under no illusion that it’s going to be the same, but if it helps even a little bit and I can have fun at the same time, then why not. 
edit: Forgot to add for those already playing but don’t know about World of Trucks external contracts mod is great to have when you want to add a little bit of variety too. They also sometimes do community events and if you’re apart of it you get a rewards like a free cabin accessory.