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59-508: American Truck Simulator is a truck simulator game developed and published by SCS Software . It was announced as being in development in September 2013 and unveiled at the E3 2015 . It was released on 2 February 2016 for Microsoft Windows , Linux , and macOS . The game is the parallel sequel to Euro Truck Simulator 2 , the spiritual successor of 18 Wheels of Steel , and the fifth installment in

118-417: A business simulation game . Weigh station A weigh station is a checkpoint along a highway to inspect vehicular weights and safety compliance criteria. Usually, trucks and commercial vehicles are subject to the inspection. Weigh stations are equipped with truck scales , some of which are weigh in motion and permit the trucks to continue moving while being weighed, while older scales require

177-410: A tram . The first trucking simulator Juggernaut  [ ru ] was released in 1985. It simulates the road train (as an articulated vehicle ) and focuses on cargo transportation and economical issues. The trucking simulator is a relatively new aspect of the vehicle simulation genre, focusing on cargo transportation and the expansion of the player's trucking business, combining elements of

236-509: A broader artistic license on behalf of the game developers. Vehicular combat games (also known as just vehicular combat or car combat ) are typically video or computer games where the primary objectives of gameplay includes vehicles , armed with weapons fighting with other armed vehicles. This genre also includes simulations of driving trains . A train simulator is a computer program that simulates rail transport operations. This includes other kinds of railborne vehicles, such as

295-402: A clear winner and loser. Some games add special challenges such as combat and slaloms . Many types of driving games, including both military flight simulators and racing simulators, make use of careers and campaigns. Players must complete different tracks or missions, and collect victories and other achievements based on their performance. The market for vehicle simulators is "divided between

354-435: A course marked by buoys , with some tracks allowing the player to make jumps. Sailing simulations are rare, as the complexity of controlling a sailboat appeals to only a specialized market. However, there has been a growing market after Nadeo introduced their Virtual Skipper games. Other popular sailing games are Sail Simulator 2010 and Virtual Sailor . These games can both be played online against other sailors around

413-468: A limit of 18,000 pounds (9 tons; 8,200 kg) in 1918. Two types of loads may result in overweight trucks: divisible and non-divisible. A divisible load is a load which can be easily divided into smaller parts, such as products that are shipped on pallets, automobiles or grains. A non-divisible load is a load which is unable to be divided into smaller parts, like a piece of equipment or a steel beam. All states provide permits for non-divisible loads though

472-407: A random check. Each time a truck is randomly pulled in, it is noted in the system whether the driver was compliant or not during the check. This affects how often a truck (or different trucks from the same company) is pulled in. For example, a company which is very compliant with the law will probably only have 5% of its trucks "redlighted." A 2020 Texas A&M Traffic Institute study commissioned by

531-443: A range of flight simulators, including civilian, military, and fantastical vehicles. Rolling and Adams note that racing games follow the design conventions of a vehicle simulation, despite often being marketed in the sports category. The core gameplay in a vehicle simulation is the physical and tactical challenge of driving a vehicle. Mastery of vehicle control is the element which encourages players to continue playing, even after

590-415: A specific truck, and contains a unique identification. The registration process propagates information such as carrier name, unit number, and elected gross weight to weigh stations. In addition, the system keeps a basic safety and compliance record for each vehicle. As a truck approaches a weigh station (approximately one mile before), an electronic "reader" on a boom over the freeway reads the information from

649-400: A truck driving business and select a home city from which to operate that business. Upon selection of the home city, the player will own the pre-placed truck garage located in that city, which will operate as the player's home base. During gameplay, the player will select from a menu of currently available goods delivery routes to drive one of several models of trailer-hooked truck and deliver

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708-404: A truck is found to be overweight, the vehicle is ordered to stop until the situation can be fixed by acquiring an overweight permit. In other cases, the driver may receive an overweight ticket and may or may not be required to offload the extra freight. Offloading the extra freight may not be practical for perishable or hazardous loads. The first state to implement a weight law was Maine , which set

767-444: A trucking safety advocate nonprofit group revealed performance differences between weigh station bypass systems that use transponders, stand-alone hardware devices that uses RFID technology, versus wireless app-based communication technologies that work via a mobile device (smart phone or tablet) in the truck or as part of a truck's on-board telematics. The transponders were more accurate in conditions of slow and heavy traffic when there

826-455: A wide audience. Thus, spacecraft simulation games are typically science fiction games, such as the Wing Commander series. Two notable counter-examples are Orbiter , and Kerbal Space Program , which have the explicit goal of physically accurate atmospheric- and spaceflight simulation. Vehicular combat simulators include tank simulations and mecha simulations. Aside from piloting

885-702: Is delivered. Many states have weigh in motion technology that allow a continuous flow of truck weighing. Weigh stations were primarily created to collect road use taxes before IFTA created an integrated system of doing so. While taxes can still be paid at weigh stations, their primary function is now enforcement of tax and safety regulations. These include checking freight carrier compliance with fuel tax laws; checking weight restrictions; checking equipment safety; and checking compliance with hours-of-service regulations. Weigh stations are regulated by individual state governments and therefore have vastly different requirements from state to state. They are typically operated by

944-481: Is employed by the company, the more experience points they will earn, thus increasing the amount of money that driver earns from each delivery. Much like the player's experience points, the player may direct the focus of each hired driver's experience points, thereby ensuring that particular hired drivers become experts in particular skill areas, such as hauling dangerous goods or performing long-haul deliveries. Company money may be used to upgrade garages, which will allow

1003-424: Is to monitor trucks during harvest season. In rail transport, weigh stations are found in freight railway stations and are intended for the inspection of locomotives and freight cars. A weigh station located near a state border is called a port of entry . States may also locate weigh stations in the interior of the state. Interior weigh stations are often located at choke points or areas where freight originates or

1062-1029: The Construction Simulator series put players in control of various vehicles on construction sites or in other scenarios allowing them to simulate the vehicles and the tasks they accomplish. Vehicles used in construction simulator games consist of a wide variety of vehicles such as cranes, dozers, excavators, front loaders and various trucks. Players can use these vehicles to build up construction projects, demolish buildings or deform terrain such as digging pits and trenches. Construction vehicle sims have become increasingly popular on mobile platforms with numerous games focused on individual vehicles such as Heavy Excavator Simulator PRO and Construction & Crane SIM. Farm simulators such as Farming Simulator series offer varying levels of farm care from agriculture production to animal husbandry and synthesis of bio-fuels. Vehicles used in farming simulator games consist mainly of tractors, combines, and tractor trailers. Because of

1121-588: The Truck Simulator series. The game is set in a condensed depiction of the United States , featuring American conventional semi-trucks and various locations across the U.S., where players pick up a variety of cargos and deliver them to their destinations. Since its release, the game has sold over 2 million copies on Steam . American Truck Simulator is a truck driving simulator with business management elements. A beginning player will be directed to found

1180-509: The Northwest Territories operates only one scale. It is situated in the townsite of Enterprise, 83 kilometers north of the territory's border with Alberta. It issues permits for vehicles from other jurisdictions, weighs vehicles and enforces hours of service legislation. In Taiwan, weigh stations (Chinese: 地磅站 ) are located on major highways, especially at all toll booths on freeways . Advanced signs tell that trucks must enter

1239-507: The South Central and Midwestern regions. Map expansions are available for New Mexico , Oregon , Washington , Utah , Idaho , Colorado , Wyoming , Montana , Texas , Oklahoma , Kansas , Nebraska , and Arkansas as DLCs. assuming the player has all the states available to them, the game features 214 visitable cities, including most state capitals and major cities, as well as many thousands of miles worth of in-game roads. Currently,

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1298-557: The air, on the ground, over water, or even in space. Different vehicle simulations can involve a variety of goals, including racing, combat, or simply the experience of driving a vehicle. These games normally allow the player to experience action from the visual perspective of the pilot or driver. This definition includes a wide range of vehicles, including aircraft, spacecraft, boats, cars, trucks, motorcycles, and so on. This definition includes many kinds of driving simulators, including both real and imaginary racing systems. It also includes

1357-408: The case of space or water vehicle simulations, the gameplay physics tend to follow those of flying and driving simulations. These games will add variety by having a variety of vehicles with different performance characteristics, such as sharper turning or faster speed. Many games make use of real life vehicles, including military vehicles or cars from major automobile manufacturers. In most games,

1416-471: The feeling of driving or flying a vehicle, including the magic broomsticks in the Harry Potter games. More common examples include simulations of driving trains , spacecraft , boats , tanks , and other combat vehicles. Most watercraft simulations are of "powerboats or jet skis". Gameplay differs from driving a car because of the fluid medium, which affects turning. These games involve racing through

1475-509: The funds of the player's company. The player may also use the company's money to purchase additional trucks and trailers which are held in designated slots in the garage. The player may use company funds to hire NPC drivers (and pay their associated expenses), who are placed in additional driver slots in the garage. Once the player has earned sufficient money, the player may also purchase garages in other cities and hire NPC drivers to drive from those garages, as well. The longer an NPC driver

1534-399: The game a 4 out of 5 saying, "While a little more realism would make American Truck Simulator more fun, paradoxical as that may sound, there’s no escaping how fantastically playable it is." Laura Dale from Polygon rated the game a 8/10 saying, "As someone who sunk countless hours into Euro Truck Simulator 2 , a fresh coat of paint, an unfamiliar set of sights and the challenge of driving on

1593-537: The game continues to do well. On 26 January 2015, SCS Software published a one-hour video to YouTube of footage from early alpha of the game. On 18 December 2015, SCS Software announced the official release date for American Truck Simulator , 3 February 2016, on their blog. The game was released one day earlier instead. The game was released for PC-DVD on 14 December 2017. American Truck Simulator has received mostly positive reviews from critics, scoring 76/100 on Metacritic . James Cunningham of Hardcore Gamer gave

1652-419: The game once completed (not initially), and SCS released screenshots of the game. Truck brands included on American Truck Simulator so far are Kenworth , Peterbilt , Volvo , International Trucks , Western Star , Mack and Freightliner . More will follow; the only setback remains the licensing of trucks from their manufacturers. SCS plans to eventually include the entire contiguous United States, as long as

1711-472: The game's goals have been completed. Players learn to use appropriate speed and steering, and must avoid crashing by observing cues about how fast they are going. There are some vehicle simulations where the player is given no specific goal, and is simply able to explore and experience using the vehicle. In the absence of any competition, "some vehicle simulations aren't games at all " But most vehicle simulations involve some form of competition or race, with

1770-481: The game. American Truck Simulator won Best technological solution at the 2016 Czech Game of the Year Awards , and was also nominated for Best Game, Best PC/Console Game, and Best Audio. Vehicle simulation game#Trucking simulator Vehicle simulation games allow players to drive or fly a vehicle. This vehicle can resemble a real one, or a vehicle from the game designer's imagination. This includes vehicles in

1829-404: The garages to hold additional trucks, trailers, and NPC drivers, as well as place a reduced-cost fueling station at the garage. The company money may be used to upgrade the company's trucks and trailers, specifically by upgrading their associated aesthetic, mechanical, and structural upgrades. While driving routes, the game will direct the player to stop at designated weigh stations to determine

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1888-433: The left lane (rather than the right) and re-entering traffic from the left, potentially at a lower speed than the normal "free-flow" traffic typically expected in the left (often thought of as "fast") lane. "Weigh-in-motion" technology allows heavy vehicles that do not exceed limits of weight (and size) to pass the scale, thus improving both freight and weigh scale operation efficiency. In Alberta, scales can be on either on

1947-435: The nature of farming there are often many different components to add to the tractor to till, seed, water, and fertilize the land. Flight simulators "tend to fall into military or civilian categories". Racing video games "tend to fall into organized racing and imaginary racing categories". In general, game developers tend to avoid making realistic space flight simulators because they behave too slowly to interest

2006-409: The plane more like a car in order to simplify the game. In both driving games and flight simulators, players have come to expect a high degree of verisimilitude where vehicles are scaled to realistic sizes. These types of games usually utilize a highly accurate time scale, although several flight simulators allow players to fast forward through periods where there is nothing interesting happening. In

2065-486: The player being fined. The game is set in a condensed 1:20-scaled version of the United States . At launch, the game started off with the U.S. states of California and Nevada . Arizona was released in June 2016 as a free update to all players. A number of other states have now been added as paid downloadable content . Combined with all downloadable map content, the game now covers the entire Western Contiguous and part of

2124-425: The player can adjust performance of their vehicle by configuring or replacing parts of it, while some games like SimplePlanes allow players to build entirely custom vehicles from a set of blocks and presets. These may sacrifice realism in favor of broader customization possibilities. Although vehicle simulations focus on driving a vehicle, many games involve non-driving roles. For more detailed racing simulations,

2183-415: The player earning reduced cash and experience points. The amount of money and experience points earned are commensurate to the length of the delivery in distance traveled and type of goods being transported. A beginning player will own a garage, but no trucks or trailers. The player will begin by completing "quick jobs," which are goods deliveries that utilize an in-game company's trucks and trailers. Once

2242-621: The player has earned enough money, they may then begin purchasing one or more trucks, but they may continue making "quick job" deliveries if desired. After purchasing a truck, the player may elect to use the purchased truck for deliveries, or go back to performing quick job deliveries. As the player completes deliveries, they will unlock skills by spending experience points to purchase particular skills upgrades. These upgrade categories include fuel efficiency , route delivery distance, carrying heavy cargo, carrying dangerous goods, carrying fragile cargoes, or making urgent deliveries. The money earned by

2301-410: The player may sometimes play the role of a mechanic who repairs or augments their vehicle. Some flight simulators involve various air traffic controller roles, especially in multiplayer mode. In games with a combat element, this might involve manning a separate combat station on a larger vehicle. Some games such as Their Finest Hour allow players to alternate between piloting the vehicle or manning

2360-433: The player may travel as far north as Bellingham, Washington , as far south as Brownsville, Texas , as far west as Eureka, California , and as far east as Jonesboro, Arkansas . SCS has stated that most future map expansions, if not all, will be at additional cost. SCS Software announced the game on 6 September 2013. It was revealed at E3 in 2015. On 11 April 2014, SCS Software announced that there will be 100+ cities in

2419-429: The player's company will automatically be used to pay back any company loans they obtains for their company or to pay any fines incurred in the course of their gameplay. The money is also needed to pay for fuel and maintenance on any vehicles or trailers owned by the player's company. When performing quick job deliveries using an in-game company's truck, repairs and other costs are paid by that in-game company and not from

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2478-445: The purists and the casual players". A variety of vehicle simulators have been created to serve both markets. Purists demand total accuracy, whereas casual players are less concerned with such details. This level of accuracy depends on how damage, physics, environment, weather, and controls are implemented. For example, accurate flight simulators will ensure that the vehicle responds slowly to their controls, while other games will treat

2537-552: The roadside, on the median or off the highway. Flashing lights inform drivers as to whether the scale is operational. Occasionally, the lights may be operational in only one direction. Alberta scales are all of the 'weigh-in-motion' type, and vehicles are not required to stop; they merely have to slow to 10 km/h. In Alberta, all government scales are available for the public to use as 'self-weigh' sites. When scales are ‘closed’, drivers can still check their axle weights without enforcement officials being involved. The government of

2596-413: The scheduled trip and expire at the end of the trip. Overweight permits are only issued for loads that cannot be broken down to smaller shipments that fall below the federal weight limit, and if there is no other alternative to moving the cargo by truck. Permitted oversize trucks are often required to coordinate with the departments of transportation and law enforcement agencies of the transited states before

2655-447: The selected load to a designated location within a fixed amount of time. By making such deliveries, the player earns money for the player's company and experience points for the player themself. By delivering the selected cargo to its designation within the allotted time and with the least damage to the goods, the player will maximize the amount of money and experience points earned. Late deliveries or deliveries with damage will result in

2714-407: The state's Department of Transportation (DOT) or Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) in conjunction with the state highway patrol or state police , thus enabling enforcement of applicable laws. The federal maximum weight is set at 80,000 pounds . Trucks exceeding the federal weight limit can still operate on the country's highways with an overweight permit, but such permits are only issued before

2773-419: The transponder a signal. If the safety information is acceptable, the truck may receive a green light and can continue without entering the weigh station at all. There are weight detecting devices in the roadway itself. A driver may get a red light. On these occasions, the truck must pull into the weigh station for the normal weigh-in procedure. The most common reason a truck is "redlighted" is a weight problem, or

2832-439: The trip begins, as most states require oversize trucks to be escorted . Many states also check freight paperwork, vehicle paperwork, and logbooks to ensure that fuel taxes have been paid and that truck drivers are obeying the hours of service (a federal requirement). Also, the truck and driver may have to undergo a DOT inspection, as most states perform the bulk of their DOT inspections at their weigh stations. In some cases, if

2891-472: The truck may have restricted routing. Some states allow tolerances for any overweight truck. Some states have specific allowances for types of loads for which they will allow tolerances. For example, Wyoming allows 2000 pounds for chains, tarps and dunnage that accompany a non-divisible load. Truckers often refer to weigh stations as "chicken coops." Many states now use electronic bypass systems (or AVI - Automatic Vehicle Identification) to alleviate some of

2950-410: The truck traffic through the weigh station. Some of the best known are PrePass , NORPASS and Drivewyze . The system may consist of equipment at the weigh station itself, as well as a truck mounted transponder or smartphone , usually placed on the inside of the windshield or on the dashboard. The transponders are similar to those used for toll collection . Each transponder is directly registered to

3009-440: The truck transponder. It also looks at the safety and compliance record on the database. A display shows the results to the weigh master, including the speed of the vehicle. The weigh master may have the system automatically determine if a truck needs to stop or may override the system. Approximately one-half to one full mile after passing under the "reader", the truck will pass under another boom which has an electronic unit to send

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3068-700: The trucks to stop. There are many different scales used, from single axle scales to multi-axle sets. Signal lights indicate if the driver should pull over for additional inspection or if they are allowed to return to the highway. Many jurisdictions employ the use of portable scales, allowing weigh stations to be set up at any point. Portable scales allow states to set up temporary scales for situations such as seasonal check points, temporary checkpoints on isolated roads often used by trucks, or to prevent drivers from avoiding scales at fixed locations. Portable scales may be set up at purpose built locations that are not normally staffed. A common reason for setting up portable scales

3127-527: The vehicle, a key element of gameplay is controlling a rotating turret. These games are seldom fully accurate, as realistic tanks are slow and have limited visibility (as World War II Online simulation game), which would limit their appeal to casual gamers . Many games have made use of mechs in order to appeal to a wider audience, as they can add weapons and capabilities that are not necessarily restricted by weapons platforms and technologies that bear resemblance to such systems that currently exist, which grants

3186-716: The waist or tail guns. Megafortress allowed players to operate five separate stations for combat and managing the vehicle. Games that make use of combat have competition modes similar to first-person shooters , where player must defeat human or artificial intelligence opponents. Many games implement a driving system. For example, it has been increasingly popular in first-person shooters to have combat vehicles. These are rarely designed with accuracy in mind, focusing more on their tactical experience. Rollings and Adams note that "the vast majority of vehicle simulators are flight simulators and driving (usually car-racing ) simulators". However, this genre includes any game that creates

3245-724: The weigh stations when the attached lights are flashing, usually when tolls are collected. Weighing procedures vary according to national highway designs. For example, National Highway 1 was built with an older design, which means that all truckers traversing it must weigh their trucks at its older scales. Weigh stations along the National Highway 3 have weigh-in-motion scales at 7 central and southern toll stations, but northern stations at Cidu , Shulin , and Longtan have traditional scales where trucks must stop. The Taiwan Area National Freeway Bureau applies for periodical inspections of truck scales every three months. Truckers entering

3304-423: The weight of the cargo before being permitted to proceed (though the game may occasionally allow the driver to bypass such station). When crossing the border into the state of California (currently only in the northern part of the state), the player is similarly obliged to stop at California Border Protection Stations to have their vehicle inspected. Avoiding a weigh station or border protection station will result

3363-404: The world. This category includes submarine simulations , which typically focus on old-fashioned submarine activities such as firing torpedoes at surface ships. Simulations of warships are more rare. Due to their slow speed, games such as Harpoon , Command: Modern Air Naval Operations and Dangerous Waters simulate naval warfare involving entire fleets. Construction simulators such as

3422-421: The wrong opposite side of the road left me confident that I'll be sinking just as many hours into American Truck Simulator ." Andy Kelly of PC Gamer commended the game and noted that it shared the strengths and shortcomings of its predecessor due to the two games' similarities, though advised that it was not finished on launch and urged more cautious gamers to wait until it was more completed before purchasing

3481-407: Was little space between trucks; the wireless solutions performed best in lighter traffic. Weigh stations (aka "scales") are usually on the right-hand side of the travelled highway, but median scales are appearing (as of 2005) on divided highways, often combined with "weigh-in-motion" technology. A median scale is placed between the opposing lanes of traffic, necessitating heavy vehicles exiting from

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