Career Mode

[Optional Features]

When a player starts a new profile in American Truck Sim, he chooses a profile photo (that doesn't match the player character in game), a favorite truck (that becomes the first dealer discovered on the map), a company name and logo (which is never used anywhere else but in this profile creation), and a starting city.

He then is given responsibility to drive someone else's truck with no employment history or training. A completion of this initial job results in the player being gifted a piece of property with an existing shop, and access to a library of quick jobs (with the assumption he has a CDL already). Completing these jobs earns the player skills that allow him to eventually purchase his first truck, haul more "dangerous" or fragile cargo, and take out larger loans. The loan system itself is quite preposterous as a bank would be remiss to give a person money to start a business knowing only that they have driven a truck a couple times. And even so, most people irl don't start a trucking company after a bit of temporary work. There is a process generally established in the industry by which drivers go from greenhorns to owner/operators to starting their own businesses. It would be amazing if the game reflected at least some bits of that, a process that I will attempt to describe now.

This process would probably be best implemented in a hardcore mode.

Step One: Building a Character

Players for this game come in all shapes, ages, and colors. The game should make some attempt at reflecting that. GTA V and Farm Sim, the other two games I have the most play time in, both have character customization. GTA's system is incredibly in-depth, and even allows the player to choose a mother and father to influence the facial structure, skin tone, and other characteristics of the resulting character. That's a little extreme. Perhaps the only thing that could be borrowed from GTA is functional sunglasses that actually tint the game world when the player is in first person. Depending on lens color and darkness, the game world looks slightly different. That would be welcomed in ATS, especially for the bright concrete roads that dot many areas of the map.

Something like the Farm Sim system would be a more realistic expectation for this game. The player could choose from a set of pre-established male and female faces, then pick a hairstyle and set of clothing. For work in hazardous environments, the player character could don a safety vest and hard hat, while for cold days, a hat and overcoat could be worn.

[ external image ]
[ external image ]

Does this have any function in game? No. But it could greatly improve upon the existing reality where the character never changes clothing, looks to either side, or even blinks an eye in 1000 hours of gameplay.

[ external image ]
[ external image ]

The game already offers a number of different "looks" for the profile photo. Perhaps some of them could be turned into 3d faces used for characters.

[ external image ]

Step Two: CDL or no-CDL

With the character created, the player would choose whether or not the character has a commercial license. If the character has no license, he or she would be enrolled later into a virtual trucking school, similar to what Pavel described as a future feature of the game. If the character has a license, he or she would be subjected later to a brief road test delivering cargo from one point to another.

Step Three: Pick a Company

Rather than picking a city to operate out of, the player would choose from one of eight existing trucking companies in the game. Perhaps if a Swift partnership became a reality, Swift could become one of these. For now, let's just use Wallbert Transport as our example. PostEd and Sell Goods could be two other options.

Step Four: Pick a Terminal

Let's say for this example that the player chooses Wallbert Transport. He would then be presented with a list of terminals around the map, perhaps one per state.

Step Five: Training and Orientation

If the player had previously chosen "CDL" in their character creation, the player would be teleported to a Wallbert trucking terminal and placed inside the cab of a Wallbert-owned semi with an AI character occupying the passenger seat. There would be a pre-determined job already loaded which the player would need to complete in order to be hired on as a driver.

[ external image ]
[ external image ]

During the drive, which shouldn't last longer than say 40-60 miles, the player would be graded on speed, infractions, vehicle performance, maneuvering skill, and more. Actions like running over a curb would prompt a response from the AI passenger, something like "hey, there's no need to rush: we have plenty of time" or "be careful: you want to make a good first impression."

If the player received a passing grade, he or she would be hired on as a driver for Walbert Transport. If the player failed, he would be given a chance to take it again or enroll in trucking school.

If the player had previously chosen "no CDL" during character creation, the player would be teleported to the same Wallbert trucking terminal, but instead of being placed in the cab with a job ready to load, he would be standing next to a group of fellow driver trainees, all AI.

An AI trainer, similar to the one riding with the player during a road test, would give a brief explanation of the trucking school course, and the player would begin the course.

Now, to note, the trucking terminal in these examples would need to be large with room for stored trucks and trailers, many docks, and a training area.

An example from a real life Walmart distribution center:

[ external image ]

During the training course, the driver would be tasked with performing the following maneuvers taken from a real life trucking school. If the player failed, he would get a chance to retake the course.

[ external image ]

If the parking challenges were passed, the driver would then take a shortened road course with no cargo and accompanied by a virtual driver trainer as in the example with a CDL. Passing the course would result in the player being awarded an in-game CDL permit perhaps even with a printable version (with appropriate unofficial markings) to hang on the wall. Maybe call it Pavel's trucking school or something like that.

The player would then be hired on to Wallbert as a full-time employee.

Step Six: Truck Assignment

After completion of the road course (with CDL) or the parking challenge and road test (no CDL), the player would then be assigned a truck number and a trailer. In an ideal situation, both would have to be found within the confines of the terminal. The truck would be in the parked truck section of the terminal, and the trailer could be either parked at a door or in the overflow trailer storage. The player would have to find it by number, and there would be more than one functional trailer spawned meaning taking the wrong trailer would be a possibility.

Step Seven: Training Wheels

Over the course of the next ten or fifteen jobs (from one hub to various Wallbert locations around the map with increasing length and difficulty over time), the player would be monitored by a driver trainer who would remain in the cab and "take notes." Damage to cargo or equipment, speeding, accidents, or other problems could cause the player to be terminated and be forced to seek employment from one of the seven remaining companies. However, unlike the current system, the driver would carry a reputation, so too many problems over time could result in the player becoming too risky to hire. The remaining option would be to try to start an independent company, but borrowing money would be a challenge.

After ten or fifteen successful deliveries, the driver trainer would disappear from the cab, and the player would be left to fend for himself.

[ external image ]
[ external image ]

Step Eight: Career Advancement

The player would have the chance to change routes, terminals, and trucks throughout his career. And possibly (maybe convoy), even become a driver trainer himself. Each of these improvements in skill would increase the driver's payscale and open up the potential to become an owner-operator.

As an owner-operator, the driver, with the backing of Wallbert, would receive financing on the purchase of his own first truck. This truck would then be leased back to Walbert and the driver would have the chance to pay it back with loads taken for the company. The driver would also be able to put "Leased to: Wallbert Transport" on the door of the truck via an in-game livery editor.

[ external image ]

Step Nine: Starting Fresh

After a while hauling for Walbert, and perhaps even paying off a new or used truck entirely, the player might feel like taking his career in a new direction. At this point, the player would have the option to form a new company by picking a name and designing a logo using in-game clip art and text. This logo would then be placed on the door of the player-owned truck along with any additional information.

The player would also have the option of choosing a new home city and purchasing an initial garage, likely a house as indicated in my garage rework thread.

viewtopic.php?p=1646666#p1646666

As the player's fleet and equipment needs grew, he or she would be able to purchase larger and larger facilities (with a terminal being the largest) and hire mechanics, truck drivers, forklift operators, yard truck drivers, dispatchers, and admin staff to handle many of the tasks of running a trucking business.

Step Ten: Finding Work

The final phase of career mode is for the driver to find work for himself and his new company. This would be done in the form of contracts, and based on previous driving experience and skills, the driver would be able to find loads. Perhaps the first dedicated contract would be with Wallbert itself, not the trucking company, but the superstore chain. As the player's company grew (and its reputation) so too would the opportunities.

I describe the contract system in more detail here.

viewtopic.php?p=1658403#p1658403

Thanks for reading!

[rookie31st]

I was thinking since 2016 that the Quick Jobs option could be enhanced to look more like employment, and it seems to be a fairly easy task - employment would effectively be just a quick job selection with automatic/non-removable filters for a specific company (both to and from) and specific city (where players last delivery occurred). That's it. Quick Job with two additional filters and we get simulated employment mode. Of course, it would also mean additional menu options, etc., but the main point is that the core functionality is already in the game. And legacy Quick Jobs without limitations could still remain in the game for those who enjoy it.

[Optional Features]

I was thinking since 2016 that the Quick Jobs option could be enhanced to look more like employment, and it seems to be a fairly easy task - employment would effectively be just a quick job selection with automatic/non-removable filters for a specific company (both to and from) and specific city (where players last delivery occurred). That's it. Quick Job with two additional filters and we get simulated employment mode. Of course, it would also mean additional menu options, etc., but the main point is that the core functionality is already in the game. And legacy Quick Jobs without limitations could still remain in the game for those who enjoy it.

Yeah, the existing quick jobs system is perfect for arcade mode, which is kinda the game already. But something more advanced for hardcore players could be good for the game.

[DarkD92]

Wow very detailed and good writing.The makers of scs don't think about the game as much as you do.

[Optional Features]

Wow very detailed and good writing.The makers of scs don't think about the game as much as you do.

Thank you!

Haha, yeah, if I was directly giving them advice, I could probably write a 500 page book on trucking. This stuff has interested me since I was a child, and I've been doing all I can to learn all I can.

I would like the game to reflect some of this knowledge, but I don't know if they even read these suggestions at all.

We can hope: maybe another dev will come along and implement something similar of their own.

[trainguy_modding]

When a player starts a new profile in American Truck Sim, he chooses a profile photo (that doesn't match the player character in game), a favorite truck (that becomes the first dealer discovered on the map), a company name and logo (which is never used anywhere else but in this profile creation), and a starting city.

He then is given responsibility to drive someone else's truck with no employment history or training. A completion of this initial job results in the player being gifted a piece of property with an existing shop, and access to a library of quick jobs (with the assumption he has a CDL already). Completing these jobs earns the player skills that allow him to eventually purchase his first truck, haul more "dangerous" or fragile cargo, and take out larger loans. The loan system itself is quite preposterous as a bank would be remiss to give a person money to start a business knowing only that they have driven a truck a couple times. And even so, most people irl don't start a trucking company after a bit of temporary work. There is a process generally established in the industry by which drivers go from greenhorns to owner/operators to starting their own businesses. It would be amazing if the game reflected at least some bits of that, a process that I will attempt to describe now.

This process would probably be best implemented in a hardcore mode.

Step One: Building a Character

Players for this game come in all shapes, ages, and colors. The game should make some attempt at reflecting that. GTA V and Farm Sim, the other two games I have the most play time in, both have character customization. GTA's system is incredibly in-depth, and even allows the player to choose a mother and father to influence the facial structure, skin tone, and other characteristics of the resulting character. That's a little extreme. Perhaps the only thing that could be borrowed from GTA is functional sunglasses that actually tint the game world when the player is in first person. Depending on lens color and darkness, the game world looks slightly different. That would be welcomed in ATS, especially for the bright concrete roads that dot many areas of the map.

Something like the Farm Sim system would be a more realistic expectation for this game. The player could choose from a set of pre-established male and female faces, then pick a hairstyle and set of clothing. For work in hazardous environments, the player character could don a safety vest and hard hat, while for cold days, a hat and overcoat could be worn.

[ external image ]
[ external image ]

Does this have any function in game? No. But it could greatly improve upon the existing reality where the character never changes clothing, looks to either side, or even blinks an eye in 1000 hours of gameplay.

[ external image ]
[ external image ]

The game already offers a number of different "looks" for the profile photo. Perhaps some of them could be turned into 3d faces used for characters.

[ external image ]

Step Two: CDL or no-CDL

With the character created, the player would choose whether or not the character has a commercial license. If the character has no license, he or she would be enrolled later into a virtual trucking school, similar to what Pavel described as a future feature of the game. If the character has a license, he or she would be subjected later to a brief road test delivering cargo from one point to another.

Step Three: Pick a Company

Rather than picking a city to operate out of, the player would choose from one of eight existing trucking companies in the game. Perhaps if a Swift partnership became a reality, Swift could become one of these. For now, let's just use Wallbert Transport as our example. PostEd and Sell Goods could be two other options.

Step Four: Pick a Terminal

Let's say for this example that the player chooses Wallbert Transport. He would then be presented with a list of terminals around the map, perhaps one per state.

Step Five: Training and Orientation

If the player had previously chosen "CDL" in their character creation, the player would be teleported to a Wallbert trucking terminal and placed inside the cab of a Wallbert-owned semi with an AI character occupying the passenger seat. There would be a pre-determined job already loaded which the player would need to complete in order to be hired on as a driver.

[ external image ]
[ external image ]

During the drive, which shouldn't last longer than say 40-60 miles, the player would be graded on speed, infractions, vehicle performance, maneuvering skill, and more. Actions like running over a curb would prompt a response from the AI passenger, something like "hey, there's no need to rush: we have plenty of time" or "be careful: you want to make a good first impression."

If the player received a passing grade, he or she would be hired on as a driver for Walbert Transport. If the player failed, he would be given a chance to take it again or enroll in trucking school.

If the player had previously chosen "no CDL" during character creation, the player would be teleported to the same Wallbert trucking terminal, but instead of being placed in the cab with a job ready to load, he would be standing next to a group of fellow driver trainees, all AI.

An AI trainer, similar to the one riding with the player during a road test, would give a brief explanation of the trucking school course, and the player would begin the course.

Now, to note, the trucking terminal in these examples would need to be large with room for stored trucks and trailers, many docks, and a training area.

An example from a real life Walmart distribution center:

[ external image ]

During the training course, the driver would be tasked with performing the following maneuvers taken from a real life trucking school. If the player failed, he would get a chance to retake the course.

[ external image ]

If the parking challenges were passed, the driver would then take a shortened road course with no cargo and accompanied by a virtual driver trainer as in the example with a CDL. Passing the course would result in the player being awarded an in-game CDL permit perhaps even with a printable version (with appropriate unofficial markings) to hang on the wall. Maybe call it Pavel's trucking school or something like that.

The player would then be hired on to Wallbert as a full-time employee.

Step Six: Truck Assignment

After completion of the road course (with CDL) or the parking challenge and road test (no CDL), the player would then be assigned a truck number and a trailer. In an ideal situation, both would have to be found within the confines of the terminal. The truck would be in the parked truck section of the terminal, and the trailer could be either parked at a door or in the overflow trailer storage. The player would have to find it by number, and there would be more than one functional trailer spawned meaning taking the wrong trailer would be a possibility.

Step Seven: Training Wheels

Over the course of the next ten or fifteen jobs (from one hub to various Wallbert locations around the map with increasing length and difficulty over time), the player would be monitored by a driver trainer who would remain in the cab and "take notes." Damage to cargo or equipment, speeding, accidents, or other problems could cause the player to be terminated and be forced to seek employment from one of the seven remaining companies. However, unlike the current system, the driver would carry a reputation, so too many problems over time could result in the player becoming too risky to hire. The remaining option would be to try to start an independent company, but borrowing money would be a challenge.

After ten or fifteen successful deliveries, the driver trainer would disappear from the cab, and the player would be left to fend for himself.

[ external image ]
[ external image ]

Step Eight: Career Advancement

The player would have the chance to change routes, terminals, and trucks throughout his career. And possibly (maybe convoy), even become a driver trainer himself. Each of these improvements in skill would increase the driver's payscale and open up the potential to become an owner-operator.

As an owner-operator, the driver, with the backing of Wallbert, would receive financing on the purchase of his own first truck. This truck would then be leased back to Walbert and the driver would have the chance to pay it back with loads taken for the company. The driver would also be able to put "Leased to: Wallbert Transport" on the door of the truck via an in-game livery editor.

[ external image ]

Step Nine: Starting Fresh

After a while hauling for Walbert, and perhaps even paying off a new or used truck entirely, the player might feel like taking his career in a new direction. At this point, the player would have the option to form a new company by picking a name and designing a logo using in-game clip art and text. This logo would then be placed on the door of the player-owned truck along with any additional information.

The player would also have the option of choosing a new home city and purchasing an initial garage, likely a house as indicated in my garage rework thread.

viewtopic.php?p=1646666#p1646666

As the player's fleet and equipment needs grew, he or she would be able to purchase larger and larger facilities (with a terminal being the largest) and hire mechanics, truck drivers, forklift operators, yard truck drivers, dispatchers, and admin staff to handle many of the tasks of running a trucking business.

Step Ten: Finding Work

The final phase of career mode is for the driver to find work for himself and his new company. This would be done in the form of contracts, and based on previous driving experience and skills, the driver would be able to find loads. Perhaps the first dedicated contract would be with Wallbert itself, not the trucking company, but the superstore chain. As the player's company grew (and its reputation) so too would the opportunities.

I describe the contract system in more detail here.

viewtopic.php?p=1658403#p1658403

Thanks for reading!

I agree

[Optional Features]

Thanks!

[Desperado]

Sounds good & interesting - but it is possible to make this all into a "running game"? However this is what i´m looking for, since a few years - equal of for rallying or trucking! Only great, thanks!

[MMBrown]

I remember when the first Gran Turismo game came out, way back in '97. The first thing you did each time you started the game was select "Arcade Mode" or "Simulation Mode." ATS/ETS2 could really benefit from this available selection - each time you play, do you just want to hop in a truck for a bit and relax for a couple hours, or do you want to develop your career? There's no wrong answer, and you can do whichever depending on your mood that day. But with that distinction, I feel there would be room to greatly increase the difficulty and immersion of simulation mode, as you've described. I, for one, would think it would be fun to do a grind in a basic truck along a dedicated route, knowing that it's all for the goal of better things to come.

[rookie31st]

Another example, the SkyPark addon for the Microsoft Flight Simulator. They started as a tool offering quick job assignments for players and players could use any plane from the in-game hangar. Players were gaining XP and money, but overall those were meaningless beyond bragging. Over time, developers realized the demand for more serious gameplay and implemented two game modes: Discovery (legacy mode for those who just want to fly, with no economy aspect at all) and Endeavour (adding company finances, employee expenses, aircraft maintenance etc.)

In the world of ATS/ETS2, this could be done as well by introducing a similar gameplay mode modifier:
If a player selected enhanced economy mode, the game would modify the income factor and other existing parameters, and activate new parameters like property taxes/utility bills, vehicle insurance, trailer insurance etc.
Not a full career mode, but a relatively minor modification that would elevate gameplay closer to a full-scale career simulation