Texas Discussion Thread

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oldmanclippy
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Re: Texas Discussion Thread

#1611 Post by oldmanclippy » 16 Sep 2021 16:47

Even though Wyoming was a surprising step forward from Colorado in terms of quality and detail, I do think we've been more or less plateauing since Idaho. I expect future steps forward in graphics to be done via engine upgrades rather than improvements in mapping skill, and engine upgrades affect the whole map more or less evenly. Additionally, Texas and states north and west of it have the advantage of more space between cities vs the east coast, so even in 10 years when we're cruising around New England we'll be yearning for the wide open spaces of the west. And when we come back to the west we'll be yearning for the busy metropolises of the east.

Texas is a bit of both of those worlds. West, panhandle, and south Texas will be very much like New Mexico with wide open spaces and more desolate areas broken up occasionally by cities like El Paso and Amarillo. East Texas will be more akin to the east coast with DFW, Houston, Austin, and San Antonio all occupying an area smaller than Washington.

Additionally, the current longest possible road trip in ATS to my knowledge, Bellingham WA to Hobbs NM, is about 1800 miles in real life. Texas has the potential to increase that to 2500 with Brownsville, or at the least 2370 with Corpus Christi. That's a massive distance and it's only 300-500 miles short of ETS2's current longest trip.

I-10 will more than double in length to over 1600 miles, easily overtaking I-5 (US-95 really but we're missing segments) for current longest road in the game, where it will probably hold that title until North Carolina comes along and gives it to I-40 (and eventually I-80 and then I-90). I-10 just inside of Texas could take 45 minutes to drive from end to end, with LA to Beaumont potentially taking 1.5 hours just on one road.

For comparison, the I-80 segment we have in Wyoming is about 350 miles IRL, so you'd have to drive that almost 2.5 times in order to get to the length between El Paso and Beaumont. Texas is massive, especially when measured at its widest point. There are fewer miles of I-10 both west and east of Texas than there is in the entirety of Texas, meaning the stretch of I-10 in Texas is over 1/3 of its entire length, and I-10 is a coast-to-coast interstate (minus ~15 miles).

I-35 is no slouch either. From Laredo to where 35W and 35E meet north of DFW (which is where I think the road could end with the Texas DLC) is 457 miles via 35W, and 468 via 35E. (sidenote: it is really surreal to be talking about 35W and 35E being in the next ATS DLC, even if it's not the ones I'm used to in the Twin Cities). That would leapfrog it past I-80 in Nevada for 3rd place in terms of longest stretch of road in a state (behind I-10 in Texas and I-5 in California).

BUT we also will get I-20 in Texas, which should run for at least 590 miles within Texas alone, which puts it past I-35 in length.

I'm sure there's also some US routes that will run for obscenely long distances within Texas too but I think you get the idea. Texas with its ETS2 DLC size brings long stretches of road just within its borders, let alone what that adds to existing stretches it will connect to.
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Re: Texas Discussion Thread

#1612 Post by Brendan0620 » 16 Sep 2021 17:12

Trakaplex wrote: 16 Sep 2021 15:07 When do you think the next Texas blog will be and what it will be about? There was one about the landmarks in June, but no news after...
I think that we could get a 'Guess Where We Are?' type of blog just like what we got with Wyoming and Heart Of Russia. I personally would like to see more clarifications about Industries with it's own blog though, what other industries than Oil/Gas and Glass will we get? Would like to see a bit more of an expansion of the car industry, obviously being biased because of my love for motor vehicles. More livestock would definitely be nice too. But who knows, the possibilities of the next blog idea are unstoppable, maybe not Cities though as they are way too early to blog at the moment. As for when we get the next blog? I predict in the next 2-3 weeks, or at least before 1.42 Open Beta, we could get a Texas blog.
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Re: Texas Discussion Thread

#1613 Post by oldmanclippy » 16 Sep 2021 17:29

Brendan0620 wrote: 16 Sep 2021 17:12 I think that we could get a 'Guess Where We Are?' type of blog just like what we got with Wyoming and Heart Of Russia. I personally would like to see more clarifications about Industries with it's own blog though, what other industries than Oil/Gas and Glass will we get? Would like to see a bit more of an expansion of the car industry, obviously being biased because of my love for motor vehicles. More livestock would definitely be nice too. But who knows, the possibilities of the next blog idea are unstoppable, maybe not Cities though as they are way too early to blog at the moment. As for when we get the next blog? I predict in the next 2-3 weeks, or at least before 1.42 Open Beta, we could get a Texas blog.
Austria got a "Liebe Freunde, Guess Where We Are?" blog, so Texas should get a "Howdy Pardner, Guess Where We Mozied On Off To?" blog :lol:

I think a Texas blog could definitely come before 1.42 OB. I'd like to see a general industry blog, a specific industry blog, a nature blog, or a Guess Where We Are? blog.
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Re: Texas Discussion Thread

#1614 Post by flight50 » 16 Sep 2021 17:37

Yeah I was just about to mention that some of those US routes will take even longer. For those that like back roads. Add in the lower speeds, the scenic towns and twist and turns and roads like US-287, US-87, US-90 and US-83 can take awhile if we get them from start to end. Spending 1.5 hrs real time just in Texas could be the meal ticket many have been bargaining for. Once I-10, I-20, I-30 and I-40 extend to the next states, all of Texas will be accessible and all parts will become even more valuable because we can go thru them and not just to them.

Once Texas is surrounded by the other 3 states, SCS can basically look at the game as part 2 of ATS, lol. I don't have an issue with the diagonal build SCS is building in currently. Start with an Southeast state and slant back to the Northwest to fill in. This is a form of stair stepping and we still stay fairly boxed and we still push to Florida. That is not corridor driving. Not with 3 full map teams that will be able to fill in within the same calendar year once Texas is out.

Texas is a huge hurdle and so many things have happened since the game started. Large team across the board and I see ATS becoming a lot more fun after Texas is out. I honestly see Texas debuting with a full time DX12. I think there is a great chance we have beta DX12 for 1.42. If not, it will be the Spring update. If SCS can figure out how to get more performance with better AI, busier streets for Texas, that would be quite the immersion boost. Obviously if Texas gets busier streets, the rest of the game does as well.

I think SCS should have traffic more like these good traffic mods we have when traffic is based on time of day. Just like in real life. Spawning traffic per road type isn't the most realistic way. I think driving thru cities will become much more immersive that way. Allow control by the user to tune it though. Many people scream for more traffic/rush hr but once they get it in the game, they will complain and become frustrated. So allow people to use normal traffic (current) or rush hr (realistic traffic). I'd love to have some travel management to deal with from going thru cities like Houston and DFW during rush hr. It should add 1 hr to my travel time if I don't plan right. Detours and random events become an even nicer feature in huge cities if the road network is there. Texas should provide this larger road network that doesn't exist. California is close but it is 2015-2016. It should get busier with this rebuild though based on the newer standards ATS is at.

Travel in Texas could become critical at that point. Do I avoid the city and take backroads, or do I go thru it and deal with stop and go traffic. That is real life for you and quite immersive. Options for performance per pc is what we need more of. Each person should have the ability to adjust. Potato, middle of the road or top end pc users. If SCS can program with DX12 accordingly this go around, we could get that gameplay many have been hoping for. It won't happen overnight as the codes will have to get upgraded thru out every phase of game play.

Let one aspect of Texas be a weather upgrade. I've talked about it before but Texas followed by Oklahoma should bring a new weather feature......Severe Thunderstorms. Kansas and Nebraska gets it too. We are all in Tornado Alley. We don't need tornadoes or destructive winds or any of that, but we should get some of this:
1 - heavy heavy rain. Should be 3-5 times heavier than now. Your visible is that of fog. Sometimes we have to pull over irl here just to let the storm pass
2 - hail. no damage to trucks though. sorry. But we should get environment showing hail bounce off the ground.
3 - malfunctioning traffic lights. almost every severe storm produces power outages across town. make a random event for a 4 way somewhere to malfunction
4 - louder thunder and better lighting effects
5 - better particle system with stuff blown around...leaves, debris/trash, dandelions, bees, flies, mosquitos, harder blown vegetation (during thunderstorm)
6 - water puddling in and along streets. making floods might might very difficult in the game though. But we can get better splashing
7 - mud for all off road when it rains
8 - yesss truck washes with mud/dirt filter applied to trucks
Brendan0620 wrote: 16 Sep 2021 17:12 I think that we could get a 'Guess Where We Are?' type of blog just like what we got with Wyoming and Heart Of Russia.
We only get those before the dlc is confirmed. We won't get that for Texas because the devs told us on the xmas stream already where we are. We won't get it for Montana either because it will get revealed this xmas. The next time see it, it will be in March (Spring of 2022). All the blog after a dlc is reveal are places that we guess anyways. But the type you are talking about is when SCS has not given us clues or talked about the next place.

Actually Montana could give us one. No point though. People already know. We could get one 2-3 weeks before the xmas stream and the xmas stream just confirms what we already know.
Last edited by flight50 on 16 Sep 2021 17:43, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Texas Discussion Thread

#1615 Post by Bedavd » 16 Sep 2021 17:42

Flight, I think they mean like the "Guess the Place" blog we got for Wyoming in January. It was the first blog we got after Wyoming was officially announced in December of last year.
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Re: Texas Discussion Thread

#1616 Post by alaskagames » 16 Sep 2021 18:08

With the addition of oil industry and most likely tankers, I hope we get the ability to deliver to more gas stations. I believe theres a few around the map already we can deliver to, but how many times do we truly do that anyways? Seems like one of the most rare jobs honestly. Fuel hauling can be such a fun little thing to do. I'd love to drive from a refinery to a gas station 100 miles up the road in a Loves skin. Or even deliver to random gas stations in the middle of nowhere, that would be such a fun addition! Really hope that can be a feature more prioritized in this DLC. Texas has some HUGE gas stations, would be cool to deliver to the biggest one in the world. Or deliver to some inner city gas stations.
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Re: Texas Discussion Thread

#1617 Post by Trakaplex » 16 Sep 2021 18:10

flight50 wrote: 16 Sep 2021 17:37
Oklahoma should bring a new weather feature......Severe Thunderstorms. Kansas and Nebraska gets it too. We are all in Tornado Alley. We don't need tornadoes or destructive winds or any of that, but we should get some of this:
1 - heavy heavy rain. Should be 3-5 times heavier than now. Your visible is that of fog. Sometimes we have to pull over irl here just to let the storm pass
2 - hail. no damage to trucks though. sorry. But we should get environment showing hail bounce off the ground.
3 - malfunctioning traffic lights. almost every severe storm produces power outages across town. make a random event for a 4 way somewhere to malfunction
4 - louder thunder and better lighting effects
5 - better particle system with stuff blown around...leaves, debris/trash, dandelions, bees, flies, mosquitos, harder blown vegetation (during thunderstorm)
6 - water puddling in and along streets. making floods might might very difficult in the game though. But we can get better splashing
7 - mud for all off road when it rains
8 - yesss truck washes with mud/dirt filter applied to trucks
I remember when a Youtube comment in an A.P. 101 video stated that there will be tornadoes in Oklahoma, with a reply saying it actually was a joke...
However SCS doesn't have seasons yet, so it would be yet a big surprise.

If all these disasters did come to SCS, they would have to look at the probability and timing. Lightning could strike objects and give them a flame effect. Now the smaller details would be great, like a mosquito swarm that might come with Louisiana.
Back to Texas, let's not forget an Arctic Blast, like what I underwent in Plano back in February.
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Re: Texas Discussion Thread

#1618 Post by flight50 » 16 Sep 2021 18:30

To get natural disasters, would be a lot more work than its worth. SCS would need to make destructible assets just to break apart. Not worth the effort. They could make them in the far background as a random event but even that is troublesome.
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Re: Texas Discussion Thread

#1619 Post by oldmanclippy » 16 Sep 2021 19:35

Being conservative, I do think it's possible to get the following with 1.42/1.43/1.44:

- At the very least, better wind sounds. If the physics aren't in, at least let me hear the wind howl as a storm approaches.
- More intense weather. Not disasters, but more variance for sure. Like what flight50 said.
- Traffic based on time of day. I do agree that having to plan for rush hour while not for everyone would do wonders for the game's immersion. Driving through Denver on I-25 at 4pm? Probably not the best idea, maybe let's take a job going somewhere else. We don't have enough density for it to factor in with detours, but it could be part of the decision making on which loads to take.

I hope we'll hear something about the 1.42 OB before mid-October with a release in November sometime. I am not entirely sure what to expect besides California, Austria, and Lyon.
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Re: Texas Discussion Thread

#1620 Post by Bedavd » 16 Sep 2021 19:37

I don't think natural disasters really what this game is, tbh. Like severe weather is a part of trucking absolutely, but having random background things catch fire or buildings break apart seems like a whole lot beyond that. Wind effects, heavy rain/snow, and sand/dust storms is really where I'd call it good for severe weather. A good gust sound effect and the truck getting pushed around and having to slow down would be fantastic, but I don't really need a tornado in the distance. It would be great to have heavy heavy rain making it hard to see and have AI slowing to a crawl with their hazards on or pulling over to wait it out, but I don't need a hurricane flooding NOLA or anything hahaha. On my drive out to Washington last year we got caught in a massive sand storm west of Ritzville. That would be a cool thing to add too. See it in the distance, have variable message signs warn you about the reduced visibility, and then have the wind and dust obscure vision. This is all a WHILE off but I hope doable. I just hope it would be really really exceedingly rare so that it doesn't get too repetitive.
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