New to ATS - Suggestions?

[cowhand214]

I'd been kicking around purchasing ATS for awhile but once I saw the NM DLC and the holiday sale I decided to go for it. I'm super glad I did! I'm not really a driving sim guy at all but I've always liked big trucks so I decided to heck with it and let's give it a try! Seriously, driving into Jackpot as the sun was coming up or pulling into Las Vegas late at night...truly an impressive experience. And kind of being able to zen out a little on a long road trip is pretty amazing. It can be stressful but also super relaxing!

Anyway, do folks have any suggestions for a newb like myself for things to check out or do? Little things y'all find that keep it interesting for you? I've been working playing with the mods some and any suggestions there would be welcome as well!

[flight50]

Welcome aboard. I too was like you. I love big rig but not much of a sim driver. Sim racing is more of my style. SCS changed that mindset. Now I can't stay out of ATS/ETS2, lol. No suggestion though. All I can say is drive and deliver. Eventually you will see all the places there are to see until our next map release. SCS now sees the demand for ATS and the support is growing. NM was a big test as it was the first paid dlc. It mostly got nothing put positive reviews despite some complainers not wanting to pay up even though SCS stated that future map expansions would be paid. ETS2 is already established so the fan base there is huge compared to ATS. More of them may come over as ATS gets more state content. If you have not purchased ETS2, I would recommend it for a different experience. I am American so I am more fond of North America driving, but Europe does give you a different experience and I don't regret the purchase.

[Frontiersman]

I suggest grinding till you get the cash for your own truck, instead of paying interest to the bank. When you get a couple trucks and can hire help, then you can use the bank loans for extra trucks, upgrades, etc. Since you'll have drivers grinding for you.
I suggest every now and then, after you drop a trailer, fuel up and go sight-seeing bob-tailed. Mini vacation
Lastly, I suggest that you try to never forget what you love the most about the game. Sometimes it's good to try to recapture those cool moments.

Happy Truckin'!

[cowhand214]

Thanks guys! I'm having a blast with the game so far.

I'm also American (currently New England) so ATS is what appeals most to me of course. However, I am considering ETS as well. I may wait on that though to see how the ol' bank account looks after Christmas travel and associated expenses are all accounted for. I will say though that given the number of hours I've happily put in so far I'll be more than happy, thrilled even, to invest in new ATS DLC (SCS take note!).

Yup, currently on the grind for that first rig! I have an initial profile where I'd already made that purchase and which made things much more interesting to be sure. However, I recently started a second one with an economy mod that makes things much *more* of a grind. Which is okay, that's the intent, but I'm a long ways away from anything like the necessary cash to purchase a truck outright. We'll see how it goes. It's all fun either way!

I had a neat moment last night though. I was testing out the C2C mod and had a run from Nogales to Denver. A long enough trip to require a rest and refuel, I figured I'd stop at the fuel station/rest area just south of Raton, NM before continuing north. Well, I misjudged the fuel situation. It was nail-biter because by the time I'd realized it I'd already committed to this course. Well, I ran out of fuel on the exit ramp! But I had enough momentum to carry me to the top and lo and behold! The truck stop is downhill from there! I lucked out with no traffic and, completely out of gas, coasted from the top of the exit down to the pump and refueled. It was one of those times where you manage to feel like a complete idiot and totally slick all that the same time!

[Tiger313]

Just grab the loan to buy your truck. If you use the cash that you earn wisely, and you stick your skill points in long distance hauling first, then you can pay the loan off within a (in-game) week or two anyway

[GT182]

As Frontiersman said. Drive the Quick jobs until you have the money to buy the truck you want. I built up my money after I got my rig and bought a garage as I had the money. If I had enough I even upgrade the garage, hired drivers and bought trucks for them. I did all this after I had a bank of 1 million bucks. Reason was I could do high paying Quick Jobs, get paid and discover road while doing the jobs. Once you get several garages {I now have 15 and 75 drivers] money builds up fast so you can improve their trucks. You can even buy yourself a new truck whenever you want. LOL

Cowhand214, these are a few Mods I recommended to have installed:
Job Rewards X2... helps you make more money a bit faster
Trailers and Cargo Pack by Jazzy v1.8 Base
Trailers and Cargo Pack by Jazzy v1.8 English... both recommended to me by Flight50
Sleep Less and Work More mod... lets you sleep for 5 hours instead of 10
Extended Deadline mod by Momo... gives you more time to deliver your load [you'll need it]
Lower Cop Spawn mod
Hazardous Waste Standalone Trailer mod by Longhaul 444

I could recommend more but this is a good start. Send me a PM and I can give you more ideas.

[Avegooday]

@ cowhand214 , Something that will surely help you a lot to progress in the game and discover many useful "tips and tricks" is to browse this forum. Take a few minutes each day to read previous posts in the different sections and you'll be surprised of how much you will learn and find answers to a lot of questions. Welcome to the "club" and have a nice day !

Oh, and I forgot... You've been talking about mods in your post. Personnaly, I use very few mods but if I may suggest one that I consider "essential" and that I use since it first came out, it is the 'Sound Fixes Pack' from Drive Safely. Of course, it's a matter of personal taste but it adds much more realism into the game. Also, if you liked the NM DLC, wait in the coming weeks, some great things are on their way...

[BK Vissers]

My suggestion is to play with the basic game - what you purchased - buy your truck, learn how it all works, make a company and hire drivers, expand.

At some point, it will become quite familiar and feel relatively easy. The nice thing about these simulations is that you can change things to up the challenge. Really there is no limit to how hard you want to make it, it's a question of what you want to experience. So later on, you may look at economy mods, or even self-imposed limits. Like never speeding, or only fixing your truck at your home town garage excect if it won't drive. Of never using quick travel and simply accepting whatever loads come next, even if they aren't what you'd necessarily want to take - because a real driver would have to do just that.

If you're still after further experiences, try more mods - nice trailers, trucks to enjoy, mods that make it winter, mods that make it foggy, there is so much out there, you will be enjoying this still after 1000 hours, like me, and finding that time to drive is more the limitation that what you wish to experience.

[GT182]

But be careful. There are various mods that will not work with the new 1.29 update until the makers of these mods update them. And some are truck mods, and other various mods also. They won't say the won't work, you'll have to either ask or try them to find out. For some your ATS will not start of if it does will crash back to the desktop. Its just the nature of the beast. As Avegooday says, browse the forums.