My rules for hardcore mode.

[Swoop]

Long time player, first time poster. Kinda got bored with ETS a year or so ago.....returned to it in January and started a new game with some self imposed rules to make things more interesting:


1. Player is only allowed to take jobs from companies he has made an 'excellent' delivery to. ie, ya know that email you get saying "drivers with their own equipment wanted"? Well when you get that email, that's your starting company, you can only take a job from branches of that company. Whenever you make a perfect delivery to another company (not late, not damaged in any way) you can then add the company you delivered to to your list of clients you can take jobs from.

2. If any delivery is made late or heavily damaged (10% +) then both the company you took the contract from and the company you're delivering to add you to a black list. You can't take jobs from either company until you've made 2 more perfect deliveries to them. 1 to clear your name from the black list and another to build a reputation so you can take jobs from them again.

3. Deliveries made with minor damage do not incur a penalty, you just don't get to add the destination company to your client list.

4. Trucks cannot be repaired. Damaged parts (engine, chassis, wheels, etc) must be replaced, not repaired. (big increase in expenses for bad drivers who crash a lot).

5. Every friday night you must aim to have returned to your HQ, you must then lay up until monday morning (tip: put your HQ near a ferry port so you can go back and forth all of saturday or you'll run out of resting time before the game tells you you're not tired and cannot rest any more).

6. No repaying loans easly, all loans must be the 23% interest £8,000 loan.

7. If you have no money and need to get a ferry / fill up with petrol......no going overdrawn, you must take out another loan.

8. When buying a new truck, it must be the bottom of the range, low power, cheapest version.

9. Upgrading a truck can only be done 1 level at a time, ie if you've got a 320hp engine and the next one in the list is the 360hp....that's the one you upgrade to, you can't go straight to the 600hp one.

10. All upgrades take 8 hours, when you upgrade something you immediately take a rest stop to simulate the work being done.

11. And this is the big one......I'm using slightly different traffic rules. Firstly, the speed limit is the speed limit, no 55mph for me.....however, between the hours of 7am and 7pm......no overtaking. If traffic in the slow lane is doing 40mph.....tough.

That last rules is cos nothing winds me up more than 2 lorries taking 20 miles to overtake each other and I'd be a hypocrite if I did it myself. Plus is makes driving in game more interesting.



Wadda ya think?

[IonutL]

You're the only one who decides how you play the game.

[RTobi]

Actually.. very interesting I'll see if I try some of that
I also have some own rules for my gaming style

[Andy_GTI]

Some interesting ideas there. It may be worth using the console so you can change the time manually.

[Mohegan13]

(tip: put your HQ near a ferry port so you can go back and forth all of saturday or you'll run out of resting time before the game tells you you're not tired and cannot rest any more).

Or just use the console to fast forward time to a specific point.

[natvander]

A few extra to consider.

Can only purchase a truck from a dealer, not online.

Can only purchase major upgrades (engine, transmission) from a dealer. If the engine upgrade is considerable (e.g. V6 to V8), then you need to purchase a new truck.

A cab or chassis upgrade requires a full new truck.

Any company management must be undertaken while off the road.

Rest breaks compulsory (using Supric's Tachograph plug-in)

Ferries run to a timetable (and yes I have made a ferry timetable). You must arrive 1hr before departure or you miss the ferry.

Non EU border crossings take a random time to complete (work out a scale using dice - roll the dice and that's your delay)

A week end rest break cannot be taken in the cab. Must be at a motel, company HQ/depot or ferry.

[DWVTLtd]

Lots of interesting ideas there. There should definitely be something implemented for badly damaged goods.

1 fresh idea comes to mind: don't go for repairs out of the usual showroom hours, & building on this only have repairs done at main dealers & then only for your make of truck.

[Mohegan13]

What I would like to see for damaged goods (as an options setting) is the ability to set "Rejected delivery after X damage". Which means the delivery is rejected, you have to return the goods to the origin depot, and bare full costs for travel both ways and no income from the delivery in any form.

Like real life.

[Andy_GTI]

A few extra to consider.

Can only purchase a truck from a dealer, not online.

Can only purchase major upgrades (engine, transmission) from a dealer. If the engine upgrade is considerable (e.g. V6 to V8), then you need to purchase a new truck.

A cab or chassis upgrade requires a full new truck.

Any company management must be undertaken while off the road.

Rest breaks compulsory (using Supric's Tachograph plug-in)

Ferries run to a timetable (and yes I have made a ferry timetable). You must arrive 1hr before departure or you miss the ferry.

Non EU border crossings take a random time to complete (work out a scale using dice - roll the dice and that's your delay)

A week end rest break cannot be taken in the cab. Must be at a motel, company HQ/depot or ferry.

I use a lot of these myself!

I use ferry company websites to find latest timetables (and I try to get there 45mins before departure)
I take reduced weekly rest (less than 45 hours) in the cab, however any more than that I take in a hotel/motel if I'm not back at base.

[Cyrus Ramsey]

Interesting!

I've disabled the fatigue simulation and I'm using the console for time travel every time I need a rest according to European rules. That feels already quite realistic.

But I also like the ferry timetable idea, maybe I'll add that to my game.

Cheers

C.