A complete yet simple addition to mainstream truck customization

[FawnPrince]

Table of contents

1- Introduction (For people who have time)
2- Suggestions
2.1- Horns, lights & Beacons mounted on the truck
2.2- ADR, TIR plates
2.3- 'Exceptional convoy' banners & signs
2.4- Stickers
3- Arguments in favour
4- Disclaimer





1. Introduction (For people who have time)

Hello everyone, it's going to be the second time that I will be writing this extensive plea in favour of a very simple yet influential addition that could be introduced in the game.
To set things off, I should tell you what kind of player I am so you can understand why I am asking for such additions. To make it simple, I am a huge sim and J-Spec player. When customizing my trucks, I like to stay frugal. White paint and mid-range engines. What I aim to do is to give my truck a story. I think about where it would haul, in what time frame, what type of cargo, and what kind of company would own the truck. So, in order to narrate the story my truck embodies, I need one special type of customization that has never been implemented into the game. This is quite confusing as to why these don't exist considering they are already partially implemented in ATS. So I am going to present you with all the easy suggestions in a form of a list, hoping my voice will resonate amongst our community, and ultimately, SCS.




2. Suggestions


2.1 Horns, lights & Beacons mounted on the truck (Horns mounted on truck coming in 1.38!)

This one is perhaps one of the most frustrating features that doesn't exist in ETS2 but does in ATS. It would be nice to be able to place beacons, air horns and lights directly on top of the truck rather than putting a superstructure in between. The following pictures will demonstrate what I mean.

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A Volvo with horns fitted on top of the roof. Note that some trucks can have horns on the top side of the cab.

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This volvo has lights mounted directly on the cab. These lights fit the truck because it keep the the integral shape of the truck.

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This volvo was fitted with beacons directly on top of the cab. When the cab's surface is curved or sloped, the beacons have to be raised.

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Beacons are sometimes mounted on the mirrors for better visibility from all angles.
The picture was taken from the Series 'Ice Road Rescue' from S1E3, timestamp 30:04.
Sorry for the pathetic quality, Disney+ wouldn't allow me to make a screenshot.


2.2 ADR, TIR plates

Indeed, TIR Plates are not in the game. However, ADR plates are already in the game. They can be seen in your trailer when hauling vaccines, explosives or fireworks. Why can't we have, in the game, the possibility to allocate a slot on your grill so that the game can put ADR plates on when needed?
TIR plates aren't in the game, however, they now make sense when Russia was added to the game.

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What an ADR plate looks like when folded. In the game, this could be used to represent the allocated slot where the plates go.

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This rigid fitted with ADR plates.

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What an ADR plate could look like on a truck with a bull bar (Sorry for the water mark).

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Yes, this picture again, but it also has the crossed pattern plate on the grill (Which already exists in the game, it is on the SCHWARZMULLER low bed for example).

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The 'A' plate is mandatory in Germany for waste transporting vehicles. (Yes the picture was taken near Prague but I guess the truck was meant to go to Germany...)


2.3 'Exceptional convoy' banners & signs

In Europe they are more than common. Most of them are signs but others are banners. This idea shouldn't be impossible to implement considering that ATS already has this feature. Ideally, in ETS2, there should be 'Oversized load' and 'Exceptional convoy' signs / banners along with their language adaptation from some or all European languages.
These add-ons along with those cited previously are, in real life, easy to cover, or remove. So, it would be appreciated to be able to remove them with a new menu. It would be based on the already existing menu 'Adjust Trailer' but this time, for your truck! Basically, a menu titled 'Adjust truck' where you can fold or remove plates and banners in a matter of seconds rather than spending money at the shop.

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The french and most common version of 'Exceptional convoy'

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The Dutch version of 'Exceptional convoy'

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Long vehicle plates exist in multiple languages in the game. Perhaps a spanish/portuguese version could be welcomed.

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Where the menu 'Adjust trailer' is situated. This menu allows you to modulate extendable cargo trailers. The function of this type of menu would happen to be handy in order to fold or remove plates or banners.


2.4 Stickers

Almost all trucks on the road have stickers on their back. Not because they like bumper stickers but because they inform impatient drivers about the regulations that make trucks so slow.
Jokes aside, there are a variety of stickers used throughout Europe. From speed limit stickers to environmental certificates, their uses are numerous.
However, I would like to add something new that might be harder to implement on the game. The possibility to put crossed patterns on plastic parts. This is very specific and I am not quite certain what others would think about that. So feel free to give your opinion in the comments. If you don't understand what I mean, check the picture with the MAN truck below.

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This picture explains most of my thoughts.

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A more sober take to my suggestion.

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The crossed pattern on plastic parts.

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This truck has a green sticker. See the its meaning on the 2 first comments of page 2.

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Some trailers have these kinds of stickers on the back.

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The 'TP Alvara' permit sticker. It is visible on most Portuguese trucks. Most times, the sticker is put on the front bumper, but some put it on the grill or windscreen. This would be a nice detail with Iberia coming into the game.

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In iberia and France, speed limit stickers usually do not have a red circle around the edge.




3. Arguments in favour

As cited previously, the suggestions evocated previously are:
-Either somewhat in ETS2 or in ATS, so relatively easy to implement (Beacons & Horns on the cab, ADR plates...)
-Models that don't exist in the game (TIR...) are simple 2D models.
-Have a profound impact on realism and immersion compared to the work required to implement it.




4. Disclaimer

I know most of the suggestions previously stated have already been suggested. However, now might be the best moment to ask for them. It seems extremely easy to implement into ETS2. Moreover, the add-ons now make more sense than ever since the addition of Russia for TIR plates and heavy cargo now justifies exceptional convoy banners.




Thank you for reading. Please do not forget to fill out the poll and share your thought in the comments.


Edit 1: Modifications shown in comments
Edit 2: Modifications shown in comments
Edit 3: Typos & Grammar mistakes & clarifications
Edit 4: Fixed oopsies on L sticker
Edit 5: Modifications shown in comment
Edit 6 : Fixed oopsies & added signature

[Underscore_101_]

Agree with most of your post, but they all have to be optional and set by the player, same goes for trailers , for example the new Schwarzmuller (sorry if I spelled that wrong) food trailers have decals on them that aren't optional and they make them ugly and unpaintable.

[FawnPrince]

Yes, that's why I called all the suggested features 'Add-ons' or 'customization'.
I know some people might hate some of them, so we should not force these changes.

[erkinalp]

Green L stands for Lang.

[FawnPrince]

Doing a small edit on what has been circulating in the community and some additions to my post.

1. Apparently, horn directly mounted on trucks are coming in 1.38! At least, the beta suggests so. You can see pictures from the official SCS blog: https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dZvXogJoIsQ/ ... 600/20.jpg and https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-k7pdbtaOtw0/ ... 600/17.jpg

2. Beacons can also be mounted on top of mirrors like the picture below:
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The picture was taken from the Serie 'Ice Road Rescue' from episode 3, timestamp 30:04
Sorry for the pathetic quality, Disney+ wouldn't allow me to make a screenshot.

3. In the same series I have been reminded of the existence of oval (black and white) stickers with initials of a country. For instance 'BG', 'GB', 'IRL'... They are not reserved for trucks but still, a common sticker on trucks and trailers.

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A more colorful example.

[tobrago]

You have more about these signs in this post, it’s about my mod.

[FawnPrince]

Second edit since I have encountered some interesting stuff which @tobrago has shed more light on them. (Thanks!)

1. In the plates section, there is one that is mandatory in Germany if a truck is transporting waste (Abfall). It is a Black 'A' over a white background.

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2. The Portuguese sticker 'TP Alvara n°...' This sticker is, according to my very basic understand of portuguese, some sort of permit for trucking. Most trucks have them on the bumper, but some have it on the grill or windscreen. With Iberia coming, this would be a nice detail in the game.

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[tobrago]

A = required in Germany on all vehicles carrying waste.
For more information about ADR.

post

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post

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post

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post

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[bobgrey1997]

If only something like this could come to ATS...
No one seems to care about these kinds of details and customizations in ATS, unfortunately.

[FawnPrince]

I'm not talking about ATS mostly because I don't know anything about American Trucks. I already know very little about European trucks so I don't want to make a fool of myself

ATS and ETS are very similar. Let's hope SCS will do the same for ATS if it ever happens in ETS2.