SCS, please allow us to deliver in downtowns

[Optional Features]

One of the things that frustrates me most about DLC states is the lack of dropoff locations. It's not that dropoff locations don't exist: they do in large numbers, but most of them are behind barriers and off limits to the player.

Perhaps the place where this is most evident to me is the downtowns of every city on the map. SCS's mapping team has done an impressive job recreating many cities, and several of these cities are essentially done if you use devcam to fly past the walls. However, up to this point, every major downtown on the map is blocked off to trucks, from Seattle to LA, Denver to Salt Lake, and more.

For any SCS staff member that reads this post, trucks deliver in downtowns. Full size trucks. Semi trucks. Trucks with 53 foot trailers. America is a country where there is a rare place that a truck doesn't go, and downtowns are one of these places where while cramped, truckers still bring the cargo necessary to furnish, feed, and supply businesses and people in the area.

With Texas on the horizon, and more big cities to come, it would be nice to see some downtown delivery options included such as underground warehouses, street loading, plus alley and blindside backs into tight docks as well. Obviously, players could skip these loads or use the delivery options to just drop off in front of the building, but for those of us who like a challenge, this would be a welcome change from the endless Walberts that dot the map.

A real life example:

Watch on YouTube

[flight50]

Most town centers don't have space for long trailers though. There are some but they are day cabs 9 times out of 10. Too many cars, to many tight corners. Town centers have side street parkin and that is a nightmare for a 53' trailer. The issue with town center deliverers in ATS is space. To even have a town center, is to have huge buildings for a few square miles to represent town center. They eat up ton of space. Not much will fit because every major city will need depots, but they must go on the perimeter of town center. Add in the surface streets and that makes things even tighter. I don't see us delivering inside of town centers for any of the top 11 cities with 1 million plus in the US.

So either we get town centers for major cities and drive thru them but can't delivery to them and get depots on the outskirts. Or we don't get a town center or a very very limited one and get all the industry around town center. It would be weird not seeing town center in the major cities and not having the road network thru them on the interstates that passes by them. The alternative is just not being able to deliver to town centers which is where we are with the mega cities. Its a compromise I'm sure. Not to mention there could also be a performance hit will all the glass that most town centers have.

We get deliveries in midsized or small cities but the largest ones.....I don't see how that is possible without giving up something. 1:10 or even 1:15, different story.

[Optional Features]

Most town centers don't have space for long trailers though. There are some but they are day cabs 9 times out of 10. Too many cars, to many tight corners. Town centers have side street parkin and that is a nightmare for a 53' trailer. The issue with town center deliverers in ATS is space. To even have a town center, is to have huge buildings for a few square miles to represent town center. They eat up ton of space. Not much will fit because every major city will need depots, but they must go on the perimeter of town center. Add in the surface streets and that makes things even tighter. I don't see us delivering inside of town centers for any of the top 11 cities with 1 million plus in the US.

So either we get town centers for major cities and drive thru them but can't delivery to them and get depots on the outskirts. Or we don't get a town center or a very very limited one and get all the industry around town center. It would be weird not seeing town center in the major cities and not having the road network thru them on the interstates that passes by them. The alternative is just not being able to deliver to town centers which is where we are with the mega cities. Its a compromise I'm sure. Not to mention there could also be a performance hit will all the glass that most town centers have.

We get deliveries in midsized or small cities but the largest ones.....I don't see how that is possible without giving up something. 1:10 or even 1:15, different story.

Yeah, I think I get your point, but I think it's still doable (and realistic given the video examples below). Almost all of these drivers are driving semi trucks with sleepers and 53 foot trailers in tight downtown areas. There are a couple daycabs mixed in, but most are otr trucks dealing with a challenging situation.

As for the game itself, devcam into downtown Portland or parts of Denver for example, and you'll see what I mean. The roads are already there. They just need streetlights, splines, and some delivery triggers. We could pick up furniture from a warehouse and drop it off in front of a skyscraper, or food from a supplier to a restaurant (like a SYSCO type of delivery), or better yet, crane parts (and concrete, steel, wood, glass, air conditioners, generators, etc) from an equipment yard or plant to a construction site. There's also conference centers and stadiums (which are all over the DLC map, and yet aren't drop zones). From tradeshows to races to sporting events, truckers are bringing stuff to these locations.

We need a challenge in this game, and I think this could be a good one. Every drop shouldn't be easy, and driver skill and patience will solve the space issues.

Some more examples:

Unknown

Watch on YouTube

Freightliner Classic long hood with sleeper and 53 foot trailer

Watch on YouTube

Kenworth T660 with sleeper and 53 foot trailer

Watch on YouTube

International Prostar with small sleeper and 53 foot trailer

Watch on YouTube

Volvo VNL 670 with sleeper and 53 foot trailer

Watch on YouTube

Kenworth W900 long hood with sleeper and 53 foot trailer

Watch on YouTube

Volvo VNL 630 with sleeper and multi component lowboy (This would be the perfect opportunity for a special transport mission). Demolition and construction machines could be hauled into the city with special timing and pilot cars and the whole deal.)

Watch on YouTube

Freightliner Cascadia daycab with 48 foot trailer

Watch on YouTube

Pete 379 long hood with sleeper and 53 foot trailer (my favorite of them all because it shows an underground warehouse)

Watch on YouTube

[flight50]

More challenges is definitely welcomed. But SCS has to be careful in the core game with it. People will get stuck and trash the game even though its there fault. That would have a negative impact. There are a lot of sore losers out there and would rather point the blame at SCS than admit they can't do it. I once mentioned a challenge here viewtopic.php?p=1496505#p1496505. In which you commented on before. If challenges was separate from the core game, people can't complain the same. The warnings are there. Its meant to be a challenge. Sale it as a challenge. Buy if you want the challenge. Otherwise hush and don't complain if a dlc that is suppose to be hard....is hard. I think there is a lot of wasted space out there for sure. Those xxxx barriers, some can get removed and add some valve to the game.....in select areas.

The biggest issue with those videos though is that they are 1:1. The real world can spread out. ATS has a much smaller 1:1 city limits. Maybe someday we get DX12 that will finally support multi core so that the pc can bring more performance. But in high geometry areas, seems like a fps hit is inevitable. If SCS hit on a lot more aspects of the game for a much larger/diverse crowd, I think ATS could be more successful. You have your company management crowd, you have your casual crowd, you have your tourist crowd, you have your truck enthusiast crowd, you have your real truckers that want to pass time doing what they love, you have your modders that love to just build stuff, you have your socialites that want MP, you have people that just want to designs maps and not even really play the game and then you have your hardcores that want everything, lol. That can be more game interaction, challenges or features. In some cases, people can fit into several of these. The more feature/option rich the game is, the more SCS reaches out to certain people. There are tons of ways SCS can make money off the basic principles of the game though and just add more complexity to it.

In most of those videos, there are definitely challenges. But the mass majority of people would bicker. If no dlc, perhaps a new mod called challenges would work. Pavel mentioned missions/quest just like I have viewtopic.php?p=1372602#p1372602. This feature could be that challenge part. Go into this mode only if you want that challenge. It still needs to be separate from standard deliveries because you don't know where you are delivering to until you get there. But there needs to be a system that has rewards for challenging delivers. Cabin accessories, paint skin or something. Money is too easy so I'd do something different than money. I know Pavel once mentioned ambition for an events team. Low bandwidth right now though. I know Gavin would be part of itl. An event team could definitely setup quest/missions on a consistent basis and keep things fresh which new challenges and rewards. This rolls into contracts as well. Contracts would be a good thing for VTC and MP. Perhaps some of these missions/quest/contracts can remove XXX barriers for that challenge. Dlc's that are done already, go back and add life to them with missions/quest. Heck, once the rebuild team is done, let them be that team. We'll have 3 other map teams. Keep the map fresh and updated. Give people a reason to use the entire map and not just the newest dlc's. Why avoid something you already paid for. More sparks from the game would be nice though.

For me, I think quest/missions should be repeatable though. Play whenever you like, when you like and the mission/quest you like an infinite amount of times. Why go thru all that work to just remove the event to never be seen again. I'd love a growing list of missions that I can play whenever. Most people like Big Sur. I'd do Big Sur every 3-4 months because it was fun. I felt like I was helping real life efforts, lol. Add to the list just like a collection of map dlc's. Heck, I'd even pay a fee for challenges. Call it, monthly or quarter challenges. That fee could fund a dedicated server at SCS for missions/quest. Call it the Challenge Member ship or something. If we pay for challenges, it should be ours for ever. I think such would be a big hit with MP and VTC for sure.

No this is just me rambling about. Take my words just as random ideas/thoughts. What I'm saying is not meant to hype anything up. Its just ideas to open up the game perhaps. You never know when an idea/thought can take off.

[angrybirdseller]

New York City-some truckers along with employers will just drop off cargo at warehouse in suburb and local company or trucker deal with it. Need trucker from the area to know the area it's tricky to research. Urban downtowns have very restricted truck routes 1:20 scale have to cut something out.

[Optional Features]

More challenges is definitely welcomed. But SCS has to be careful in the core game with it. People will get stuck and trash the game even though its there fault. That would have a negative impact. There are a lot of sore losers out there and would rather point the blame at SCS than admit they can't do it. I once mentioned a challenge here viewtopic.php?p=1496505#p1496505. In which you commented on before. If challenges was separate from the core game, people can't complain the same. The warnings are there. Its meant to be a challenge. Sale it as a challenge. Buy if you want the challenge. Otherwise hush and don't complain if a dlc that is suppose to be hard....is hard. I think there is a lot of wasted space out there for sure. Those xxxx barriers, some can get removed and add some valve to the game.....in select areas.

The biggest issue with those videos though is that they are 1:1. The real world can spread out. ATS has a much smaller 1:1 city limits. Maybe someday we get DX12 that will finally support multi core so that the pc can bring more performance. But in high geometry areas, seems like a fps hit is inevitable. If SCS hit on a lot more aspects of the game for a much larger/diverse crowd, I think ATS could be more successful. You have your company management crowd, you have your casual crowd, you have your tourist crowd, you have your truck enthusiast crowd, you have your real truckers that want to pass time doing what they love, you have your modders that love to just build stuff, you have your socialites that want MP, you have people that just want to designs maps and not even really play the game and then you have your hardcores that want everything, lol. That can be more game interaction, challenges or features. In some cases, people can fit into several of these. The more feature/option rich the game is, the more SCS reaches out to certain people. There are tons of ways SCS can make money off the basic principles of the game though and just add more complexity to it.

In most of those videos, there are definitely challenges. But the mass majority of people would bicker. If no dlc, perhaps a new mod called challenges would work. Pavel mentioned missions/quest just like I have viewtopic.php?p=1372602#p1372602. This feature could be that challenge part. Go into this mode only if you want that challenge. It still needs to be separate from standard deliveries because you don't know where you are delivering to until you get there. But there needs to be a system that has rewards for challenging delivers. Cabin accessories, paint skin or something. Money is too easy so I'd do something different than money. I know Pavel once mentioned ambition for an events team. Low bandwidth right now though. I know Gavin would be part of itl. An event team could definitely setup quest/missions on a consistent basis and keep things fresh which new challenges and rewards. This rolls into contracts as well. Contracts would be a good thing for VTC and MP. Perhaps some of these missions/quest/contracts can remove XXX barriers for that challenge. Dlc's that are done already, go back and add life to them with missions/quest. Heck, once the rebuild team is done, let them be that team. We'll have 3 other map teams. Keep the map fresh and updated. Give people a reason to use the entire map and not just the newest dlc's. Why avoid something you already paid for. More sparks from the game would be nice though.

For me, I think quest/missions should be repeatable though. Play whenever you like, when you like and the mission/quest you like an infinite amount of times. Why go thru all that work to just remove the event to never be seen again. I'd love a growing list of missions that I can play whenever. Most people like Big Sur. I'd do Big Sur every 3-4 months because it was fun. I felt like I was helping real life efforts, lol. Add to the list just like a collection of map dlc's. Heck, I'd even pay a fee for challenges. Call it, monthly or quarter challenges. That fee could fund a dedicated server at SCS for missions/quest. Call it the Challenge Member ship or something. If we pay for challenges, it should be ours for ever. I think such would be a big hit with MP and VTC for sure.

No this is just me rambling about. Take my words just as random ideas/thoughts. What I'm saying is not meant to hype anything up. Its just ideas to open up the game perhaps. You never know when an idea/thought can take off.

Yeah, I think that is one of the downfalls of this game. They are so focused on the casual player that they have completely neutered the idea, and as a result, it's boring for everyone. I really just play in MP now. Driving around in circles imagining that I'm hauling cargo that barely even weighs the truck down got old a long time ago. SCS needs some new ideas, and a much different focus.

Make some sliders to turn stuff off for the casual gamers. But don't let them run the show. Otherwise, we're going to keep having the equivalent of a flight sim where it's always sunny and daytime. ATS right now isn't a simulator, and they should remove it from the title if this is the direction they choose to follow.

As for including stuff like this in the game, I think the easiest way would be to make it another skill level. Tight drops or challenging deliveries or something. Then only the people who have chosen that skill and achieved it through play time (or cheats) could take on these loads. It doesn't need to be a game mode, and it doesn't need to require a lot of dev time. Use what is already there with some slight tweaks and see what happens. Make it an experimental beta even so people have to opt in to try it.

This game has so much potential, but I feel it'll never truly be reached.

New York City-some truckers along with employers will just drop off cargo at warehouse in suburb and local company or trucker deal with it. Need trucker from the area to know the area it's tricky to research. Urban downtowns have very restricted truck routes 1:20 scale have to cut something out.

Yeah, but that's New York, the biggest city in America (and one of the best organized). I doubt Denver or Atlanta or Portland is that complicated. And for stuff like oversize cargo (which cities need due to construction and demolition), it's a necessity to be able to make downtown drops.

Just my two cents, but something has to be done to spice things up a bit. It's starting to get really boring unless you're using mods, and those are constantly broken.

[flight50]

I modified when I play ATS a long time ago.........to avoid getting bored. I only play on the weekends. I'm too busy during the week most of the time to play. I'm on here more than I play actually. I might get in 5 hrs total playing time between Friday, Saturday and Sunday. So honestly, I don't get bored. I got burned out back when we just had NM and OR though. That L shape map changed the way I play. So now, I can be a bit more patient with maps because I'm not so antsy. But the spice up, yessss. Innovation is the key. I always say that myself that there is a lot of potential for the game. Manpower is a factor but it could also be lack of some skills. I can say that they are much deeper and better than when I first got started Summer of 2016 though. Lots has happened since then but tons can happen going forward as well.

I'll be around for the ride. The more core content or SCS content the better. I try limiting the mods I use. I pretty much only use the same ones I been using the past 2-3 years anyways. I don't introduce many new ones. Maps is only ProMods for me. Sound is only Kriech, only 2 trailer mods..SmithCo and Artic Logger. Now with 1.43, we have side dumpers that I realllly wanted so that is one more mod I can remove. Now if we can get a much better logging trailer, I can drop that mod too. I only use one truck mod...K100. Would be awesome if SCS bit the bullet and made it. I use SiSl's trailer skin pack and a few minor ones. I like mods that don't break with every update. Maps is tougher but ProMods is worth the wait.

[SmokeyWolf]

@angrybirdseller we normally don't drop off outside the city for another driver to take it. Only way we do that is if that customer has a warehouse in say Jersey and their own local trucks.

Normally we deliver in the heart of NYC. They actually have a map with the roads we can and can't be on. NYC is not hard to navigate, just tight and narrow.

[55sixxx]

Yes, SCS should add. (In fact they should have already done that).

The people who are capable of maneuvaring their truck can drop off at urban areas and those who are not should just stay away. Everybody wins.

[Optional Features]

Yes, SCS should add. (In fact they should have already done that).

The people who are capable of maneuvaring their truck can drop off at urban areas and those who are not should just stay away. Everybody wins.

Yeah, exactly. This game currently has no challenges. This could be a nice start.

@angrybirdseller we normally don't drop off outside the city for another driver to take it. Only way we do that is if that customer has a warehouse in say Jersey and their own local trucks.

Normally we deliver in the heart of NYC. They actually have a map with the roads we can and can't be on. NYC is not hard to navigate, just tight and narrow.

Interesting: based on the videos I've seen, seems like downtown deliveries are way more common than even I realize.

I modified when I play ATS a long time ago.........to avoid getting bored. I only play on the weekends. I'm too busy during the week most of the time to play. I'm on here more than I play actually. I might get in 5 hrs total playing time between Friday, Saturday and Sunday. So honestly, I don't get bored. I got burned out back when we just had NM and OR though. That L shape map changed the way I play. So now, I can be a bit more patient with maps because I'm not so antsy. But the spice up, yessss. Innovation is the key. I always say that myself that there is a lot of potential for the game. Manpower is a factor but it could also be lack of some skills. I can say that they are much deeper and better than when I first got started Summer of 2016 though. Lots has happened since then but tons can happen going forward as well.

I'll be around for the ride. The more core content or SCS content the better. I try limiting the mods I use. I pretty much only use the same ones I been using the past 2-3 years anyways. I don't introduce many new ones. Maps is only ProMods for me. Sound is only Kriech, only 2 trailer mods..SmithCo and Artic Logger. Now with 1.43, we have side dumpers that I realllly wanted so that is one more mod I can remove. Now if we can get a much better logging trailer, I can drop that mod too. I only use one truck mod...K100. Would be awesome if SCS bit the bullet and made it. I use SiSl's trailer skin pack and a few minor ones. I like mods that don't break with every update. Maps is tougher but ProMods is worth the wait.

Yeah, fair enough. We play differently. On my multiplayer profile, I have close to 60 mods activated, and honestly we could have more if we wanted. We have trucks, trailers, a traffic mod, a police vehicle mod, a traffic vehicle mod, a traffic light mod, a couple maps, and various other things. And none of these things I really could play without.

The game just isn't good enough to be played default imo. And it's barely enjoyable with mods given the limited things we can do.