Emaulligu's Mechanized Ventures

[Emaulligu]

@AnnaKlintenitz Oh no you're fine, I enjoy a bit of interaction, the whole "nice pics !" thing gets boring really fast, I'm sick of it on WoT already.

Strangely only own Special Transport for ETS and barely touched it. A bit disappointed you can't use owned trailers in ETS but you can in ATS for some reason. I should task myself with doing these but it requires following the chart to know where which is and which one you've done, if you're going for the achievement and everything. Doable but a bit tedious, would be interesting to do, still. Later maybe.

Guess I'm getting too involved in the whole "blog" aspect lol, but I feel forced to provide context and a little summary of what I did around the pics to make it more lively.

[Emaulligu]

Variety is key !

Today is going to be about another trailer I like, older than the relatively new ownable lowbed, it's the classic flatbed trailer, together with the container pins floor option. Suitable to haul pretty much everything, concrete structures and the like, augmented by the ability to load containers on it. Possibly the best alternative to the regular box trailer when it comes to job availability, can't really go wrong with it.
Have to say, it's fun to have a trailer of normal length for once, so I can drive without worrying about the trailer cutting corners too hard, and also hauling reasonable loads, so I can actually hit 80 km/h in less than 5 kilometers lol.
Still not getting tired of this Volvo, the dashboard is clean and the exterior is very pleasant, even on a shorter cab, even though it really needs te long exhaust pipes from the DLC to counterbalance the shape. Money well spent. Just look at this beauty :

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[Emaulligu]

Lil' bit o' everythin'

Another random photo dump I guess, not really a common theme here. Maybe I'm getting burned out of screenshots, or I just couldn't find the right spots. Some of these are okay, most are passable. Hope I can get better ones next time. Drove some uncommon trailers, my owned logger, and found a flatbed with steel sides that had a nice matching color. Did a short delivery in ATS 1.40 as well, but my PC isn't liking that very much. We'll see what's ahead !

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[Emaulligu]

Back in Mack

Yes, I love cheesy puns, deal with it. Now, there's a bit of everything today, some leftover shots from ETS, which I wish I could describe enthusiastically, but my exctiment moved West, towards the US. I rolled back my game to 1.39, 1.40 proving unfortunately a bit too heavy for my potato PC to run. Changes will have to be made before 1.40 goes public, luckily there' still a bit of time before that. Anyways, I took my old W900B for a spin, yet, perhaps for the first time in over 300 hours, I failed to enjoy this truck fully. Not counting all the times I crashed into a wall or struggled to parking because of the extra length. And that's with a 4th axle that steers. Can't wait for 8x6 lol.
Just like the poor F12, I couldn't stop wondering how long would that mod stay up. The GTM team has stopped developping their trucks and are simply upkeeping them update after update. Guess it was an impulse, didn't stop to study all truck brands again, just headed over to the Mack shop and got myself a truck, fully specced. Initially planned to do heavy hauls, and possibly replace the W900B on the long term, I just didn't find it very fitting for that role. I removed the banner and put some highway tires back, and the truck still looks as good. I like the design, the pointed nose and the flat rear cab. Plenty of chromes too, which calls for a dark color. As of right now, the truck is still fully black until I can think of a pattern to skin on. This is just the start !

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[SM Power]

i’ve read this nice story, lol. and it’s pretty nice, just keep posting stuff in here, i really like it

cheers Emau

[Emaulligu]

@SM Power Thanks mate, glad to see you here !

[Emaulligu]

Skin updates
Mack Anthem skin is done ! Probably my most complex skin yet, and for once something that doesn't involve heavy duty stripes. As a consequence, it took me a long time to get inspired, until I eventually went to get a look at the paintjob available on the W900B. Since I have a good deal of chromes and a flat sleeper, the Anthem could almost pass for a vintage truck, especially with this new custom paintjob ! Bee sure to let me know what you think of it !
Somewhere across the ocean in Europe, my Volvo got a little upgrade too, unfortunately due to the chance of positioning, I haven't been able to make a shot I found satisfactory that showcased these changes. You can surely notice the black and white sunshield anyway, but I'll try to get a better shot at the side Volvo logo next time.
Didn't really felt like taking too many screenshots today, but as I write these words I just parked my Volvo & extra-lowbed combo after 1500 kilometers and 1h40 (real time) of driving, hauling a 34t industrial cable reel and unlocking the "I Thought This Should Be heavy ?" achievement, even though nothing is really heavy with 750 HP under the hood, is it ?
I just make short deliveries here and there when I can, but longer trips have a feeling of grand expedition to them, setting off for some far place and watching the kilometers go down and down as you drive. I love to do some when I have enough time for them.
There's more than just screenshots involved in this, even though I love taking some good ones, I enjoy being on the road no matter what. I don't care if I took only one shot over 1500 kilometers. I'm sure y'all can relate, because that's what makes this game so good. I'm no real truck driver, but I just like the idea of this, without all the real-life disagreements.
My Volvo reached 40 000 kilometers driven on the trip, I should probably start some kind of counter or something, can't really help my addiction of counters and watching numbers go up, I blame my 7 years of playing Team Fortress 2 for that lol
Anyways, I'll see you all next post. Guess my posting schedule is a bit on and off, but who cares.

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[Emaulligu]

Expanding company

After a while of seeing everyone driving around with their Scania tandems, have to admit I got a bit tempted again, so I took my F12 tandem again for a drive, yet it wasn't as fun as I hoped. Perhaps later when all the pressure of 1.40 falls down, and when I finally upgrade my PC so I can handle Kast tandems without risking crashing my PC driving them.
My second attempt took the shape of a Renault Magnum, assorted with a Krone trailer, about time I tried them on and use the DLC I paid for. I love the Magnum, and while I'm sure it would look great in real life, having a white truck in ETS just feels bland. I'm used to having a stronger identity but didn't feel like skinning the Magnum. Surprisingly, the Magnum is perhaps the truck that benefits the most from the HS Schoch pack, having an extra front grid and sideskirt sets with chrome linings. Always good to know.
Eventually, I started doing what I should have done the first time, but it's hard to work without inspiration. Making a dryvan that would combo with my Volvo, so I don't even have to change truck and keep putting kilometers on it. Now that it's done, I can safely swap between heavy cargo and dry cargo at will. Coming back to what I said last time, now you should be perfectly abale to see the new Volvo logo on the side panel.

Now, I had a complaint but looking at the Magnum it seems it may not be occuring on all trucks, but as you can see on the first Volvo screenshot, the Krone trailer actually sinks into the top of my fenders, even though I tried different tire sizes combination to solve the issue. Luckily the Volvo top fenders can be removed, and I guess I'll get used to it, but I liked having my top fenders. Nothing catastrophic but knowing they're both SCS-made models, didn't expect to run into that kind of issue. Very pleased with my new combo nontheless !

I've also tried to work on better camera angles, because my angles are a little too... similar between each other. I must learn to use a wider FOV and try to take in more of the surrounding scenery.
Cars are a bit different as traffic gets reset when I turn the graphics up, but I'm sure I could manage. I guess it's next on the list, now that I have a truck that works fine.
This will all be for next time !

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[Emaulligu]

ATS trailer tryouts

My Mack runs smoothly, but I need a trailer for it, so I tried a bit of everything. First thing I did was pick up a sliding tarp with the aero front panel because I felt like it'd look good, and it did. So I've purchased myself one of these, with a SCS skin using the same palette. Looks pretty interesting I'd say, matches the flattop sleeper well. After that I purchased a food tank, doesn't look as good in my opinion, and the cargos are a bit scarce with it. Finally I went for a flatbed, first in 53ft, but cargos never fill all the space on it and it bothers me, so I've shrunk it to a 45ft on the last screenshot. I haven't taken any decision yet, but I keep covering miles and I like that.
ATS has a very different ambience from ETS and I forgot how it felt, the sun in the desert, all those straight lines, and a big hooded truck. Yeah, it's cool.

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[Stinga]

Awesome series of pictures and trucks.