1.41 Update Experimental Beta (Convoy)

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Dareus
Posts: 57
Joined: 17 May 2021 11:24

1.41 Update Experimental Beta (Convoy)

#1 Post by Dareus » 21 May 2021 15:29

Hey there, our #BestCommunityEver!

After some teasing of the upcoming Convoy feature for ETS2/ATS, it’s finally here! (Well, sort of.)

But first, what’s Convoy? Convoy is a new multiplayer game mode for ETS2/ATS, where players can set-up and host their own private sessions (password optional) to drive with their friends or other fellow truckers. There is currently support for synchronized AI traffic, time and weather, and the ability to take the same job as other players. There is also an option, before you leave the Convoy, to restore your game progress to a previous save game state, which may be handy if you are not happy with what happened to your truck, cargo, or wallet during your Convoy driving session.

As we’ve sometimes done with our past game updates, we’re starting off with an Experimental Open Beta. We’re giving you the chance to be the first to test out this exciting new game feature, but we do stress the “Experimental” nature of it. There might be bugs, crashes, and occasional frustrations; the Convoy feature is still very much a work-in-progress. It’s not quite ready yet for its primetime, but we feel confident enough to release it now to a limited and selected audience so that we can gather your constructive and valuable feedback.

What we are preparing for release now, in Update 1.41, is the first iteration of Convoy. We have a long list of improvements and features already collected to consider for future major updates, and we are sure more suggestions will come. If you’re ready to dive in and help us get to the finish line quicker, please follow the instructions below to update your game to the experimental beta branch and start playing. You may share the password with your friends, but do remember that we’re still working on polishing everything and that this isn’t a final release. Also, do tell us what you like and don’t like about Convoy. Your feedback will be very valuable to us!

We are both excited and anxious about the first shakedown of Convoy outside of our inner closed beta testing circle. We are interested in feedback on the stability and dynamics of the small-group sessions. At the moment, we are even intentionally not promoting the existence of the Experimental Beta outside of our forums; no social media promos or anything in the news. We prefer to start small, being able to manage the expectations to some extent.

To be able to use the Convoy feature, you have to switch to the 1.41 Update Experimental Beta (Convoy) branch on Steam first! Most of you already know how to do that, but just in case someone would like to get a helping hand on the instructions: right-click on American Truck Simulator in your Steam Games Library -> go to Properties → go to the Betas tab → paste this special password/unlock code into the small window: XZo2orrgbG92XMQ-> click on Check Code. Make sure you did not copy/paste it with an extra space at the beginning or end of the password. After this, the newly unlocked special branch should become available for you. The game will then update itself quickly and you should be good and ready to dive in and help us test it!

Also, we highly recommend that you backup your profiles or use a fresh one, because the save-game version from this branch will make any profile incompatible with the current non-beta version of the game.

Feedback goes here: viewtopic.php?f=178&t=300265
Bug reports go here: viewforum.php?f=280

The current feature list includes:
  • Any player can host and create their own private sessions for up to 8 people
  • Ability to haul the same contracts/jobs together from the same company and to the same destination
  • Synchronized AI traffic
  • Synchronized time and weather
  • Synchronized paint jobs, truck accessories, cabin accessories, and more
  • Ability to communicate with other drivers via CB radio broadcast (X key), quick replies (Q key), or text chat (Y key)
Notable issues / not yet implemented:
  • Mods are not supported in the initial release.
  • Players can currently join only if they have the same set of cargo and map DLCs installed as the host has.
  • Weather is not fully synced (only good/bad weather).
  • Cables for remote trailers aren't rendered.
  • When using an owned trailer, there might be a company trailer spawned in the same location you are supposed to go to to load your cargo.
  • AI vehicles might disappear when a player disconnects.
  • Lifting bridges are not synchronized. They will be stationary for the initial release of Convoy.
  • Sounds for trucks of other players are a work-in-progress.
  • Sharing of the World of Trucks external contracts is not yet allowed.
  • Steam invites work only through the Steam overlay.
  • CB radio broadcast (hotkey "X") interferes with the text input line.
  • Cargo on an owned flatbed might sometimes intersect with the trailer
  • The on-screen map in Convoy "M" zooms out together with chat scrolling in the Route Advisor.
Intended changes/limitations while in Convoy session:
  • Time progression rate does not change when entering a city.
  • The time in a Convoy session will advance to match the host's time, but it is only visual - the economy time is not affected (If you had 2 hours remaining to finish the job before joining the Convoy, you should still have the same time remaining to finish your job).
  • Special Transport jobs are not allowed. You can't join a Convoy session with such a job active.
  • Dynamic collisions are disabled for parked vehicles (you can't push a parked vehicle away, but you will still collide with it).
  • Knocked-down traffic signs are not visually replicated for other players; their collisions are simulated locally and works only in close proximity to the player.
  • Toll gates aren't synchronized, however, the opening is based on proximity like for AI vehicles.
  • AI vehicle colours may differ after some time (so cached vehicles can be reused to limit memory consumption).
Other features coming with 1.41:
  • Time and weather adjustments in photo mode
  • Quick travel
  • California reskin part 1 including 7 agricultural stations and a road layout rework
  • New icons in the map legend
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Dareus
Posts: 57
Joined: 17 May 2021 11:24

Re: 1.41 Update Experimental Beta (Convoy)

#2 Post by Dareus » 28 May 2021 14:14

Hello, our dear #BestCommunityEver!

Today we are happy to bring an update to the American Truck Simulator 1.41 Update Experimental Open Beta! With it comes a bunch of fixes, further polish, and additions which we've worked on and compiled over the past week.

Let's take a look at what's included in this update:
  • Added a warning that Convoy is currently not available with a modded profile.
  • It is no longer required to have the same set of map DLCs in order to join a session. Cargo DLCs must still match, this requirement will be relaxed at a later date.
  • Most texts are now properly translated.
Dozen fixes and tweaks:
  • improved name tags (now includes an indication when in a non-collision area)
  • improved positioning of player icons on the map (further improvements will come)
  • fixed various crashes
  • fixed several AI issues
  • fixed AI collision with player truck when player is using the menu
  • fixed dashboard time information for multiplayer
  • fixed wrong odometer and job delivery distance compared to the predicted route
  • fixed time jumping when the host is in the menus
  • fixed persistent CB radio effects
  • fixed photo mode while in session (changing time/weather, depth of field)
  • fixed input issue when activating the adviser chat with a mouse click
  • fixed scrolling in the session browser
  • fixed urgency for shared jobs
  • fixed double-clicking to join a session
  • fixed job information update on convoy screen
  • fixed advanced filters for session browsing
  • implemented correct sounds of horns and air horns of other player's trucks
  • improved sounds of the engines of other player's trucks
We thank everyone who has joined the experimental open beta and helped us spot and note down all potential issues, bugs, or imperfections. We also value all of your feedback, appreciation, and constructive criticism for this Convoy mode, which is the main focus of the 1.41 update.

We'll be really grateful if you keep on testing and giving your thoughts about anything that is included in this upcoming update. Your help and feedback are crucial for us!
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Dareus
Posts: 57
Joined: 17 May 2021 11:24

Re: 1.41 Update Experimental Beta (Convoy)

#3 Post by Dareus » 02 Jun 2021 15:32

Hello once again, our dear #BestCommunityEver!

Today we are happy to bring another update to the American Truck Simulator 1.41 Experimental Open Beta! With it comes more fixes, even further polish, and some extra additions which we've worked on and compiled over the past week.

Let's take a look at what's included in this update:

New Features:
  • It is no longer required to have the same set of cargo DLCs in order to join a session
  • You can now share World of Trucks external market jobs
Fixes:
  • Fixed the expected time for job delivery
  • Fixed missing parts of a vehicle in remote player vehicle shadows
  • Last session config save fix for fast setup of new convoys (also works if you make any changes and leave the screen)
  • Unified position calculation for remote vehicle icon and text in the map
  • Fixed name tag max-width detection and tweaked fade out distances
  • Fixed invisible name tags when facing the sun or any other bright light source background
  • User preference for disabled name tags is fixed
  • Fixed name tags not initializing in some cases
  • Beacons and other addons on other players' vehicles are now simulated
  • Fixed movers spawn out of multiplayer and in the editor
  • The server now checks both the game version and internal multiplayer version when joining
  • Player's truck is stopped after joining the session to prevent having an uncontrollable vehicle while in menus
  • Various UI fixes
  • Various security fixes
Again, we'd like to thank everyone who has joined the experimental open beta and helped us spot and note down all potential issues, bugs, or imperfections. We highly appreciate all of your feedback and opinions too!

Please, keep on testing and giving your thoughts about anything that is included in this upcoming update. Your help and feedback are really important!
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Max
SCS Software
Posts: 6482
Joined: 26 Nov 2012 10:00
Location: SCS, Prague

Re: 1.41 Update Experimental Beta (Convoy)

#4 Post by Max » 09 Jun 2021 15:36

today experimental open beta for 1.41 ATS has ended.

you can test open beta now, with regular access (steam branch without code) and all regular rules.
Nobody can tell you anything about it. Those who know about it aren't allowed to talk. And those who talk know nothing.
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