Environmental Liveries

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Livery Responsibilities

Vehicle Team (stay as is)
1
4%
Concept Artist (shift responsibilities)
22
92%
don't care
1
4%
 
Total votes: 24

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flight50
Posts: 30163
Joined: 20 May 2017 03:33
Location: Dallas/Ft. Worth, Tx - USA

Environmental Liveries

#1 Post by flight50 » 02 Oct 2022 19:13

I've been thinking about liveries a lot lately every since SCS mentioned trying to get busier environments back on the 2020 xmas stream when they showed some Dallas progress. I'd love to see more realistic variety for the game.

Part A
Every dlc brings new First Responder paint skins. This is cool but I'd love to see another element added for immersion. Every large city in the US has public transportation. There was a new bus spotted in one of the Texas blog pics but it looked more like a Coach bus. Why not model 1-2 public buses and make each city more of a spotlight if there is a public transportation system. If bus stops are being added, why not program the buses to follow a loop in both directions of travel and make scheduled stops to pick up passengers. This increases pedestrian movement for busier activity as mentioned on the 2020 xmas stream. This only needs to happen on select surface streets in select cities. I know with the upcoming Texas dlc, there's a great opportunity for multiple cities that have public buses. This brings cities to life. The largest cities get even more shine. Salt Lake city, Denver, Las Vegas...they have surface streets that can get a nice loop for AI public buses. Texas and California have the most largest cities of any state in the top 100 cities. Other states might only have 1-2 large cities with public transportation. So its really not a lot of work outside of first responder skins. Model 2 buses and use the same buses for all cities. Just change the paint skins.

Dallas
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Houston
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Los Angeles
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Chicago
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Part B
This is the poll part. ATS/ETS2 just recently gained some talented concept artist so each game now has 2 dedicated concept artist. They create logos for new companies and are starting out great. Why not have them also do the company trailer skins. Currently that ball is not in their court. In the beginning, the vehicle team has designed new company trailer skins and they still do it. They are not concept artist though and it shows imho. I honestly think its time to pass on the responsibility to the more talented concept artist. I think they can do a better job at it. North America has pretty simple skins outside of the food industry. The food industry does have busy and colorful skins though. Most others are simple. Not all are simple but the majority are simple. Some of the skins we have are a bit to cartoony for North American skins in my opinion. Notice I'm saying imo. So there is no wrong or right to it. Some may agree, some may not, some don't care. Whatever your opinion, its up to you. My question is, would you like for the responsibility to remain with the vehicle team? Would you like to see the responsibility shift over to the concept artist. Or do you have no preference.

Here are some example of cartoony (in my opinion). I think they are doing to much. Wallbert can be simplified. Johnson & Johnson would be okay if the tracks was just a thin continuous black bar without a missing track piece. Darwing would look great if the windows were removed. Walden's, loose the wood panels. Solid olive green with the logo enlarged would look better imo. Make Farmer's Barn, Tidbit and Eddy's trailer skins. Depots like these should have company skins.

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What does look good imo?

This mod for Wallbert. Its simple.

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These 2 truck designs for the new gas company. Colorful yet simple and fits North America

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Eddy's/Tidbit/Farmer's Barn. Simple white with logo works for these.

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Concepts from the microsite.

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If the vehicle team is still wanted for liveries, I think container trailers is a better fit for them. They are not tied to companies and they don't need to be designed for depots. So if they need something to do, they can create parodies for container trailers like these which would be nice to get some color and variety in the game. Currently the container trailers are lifeless. The cool part about containers is that they are global. Make them for one game and they work for the other.

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Vk56dehan
Posts: 201
Joined: 10 Aug 2017 20:04
Location: Virginia Beach, VA

Re: Environmental Liveries

#2 Post by Vk56dehan » 02 Oct 2022 21:52

Yes to all of it. Ive always thought the liveries where a bit corny. One thing that I would like implemented is matching trucks. With matching skins would be nice (like your walbert mod example) but at least match the truck color to the company (kinda like the eddies and plain white volvo example). I dont like when i see the eddies with say a lime green Pete. It just makes it seem like every truck is an O/O instead of a company fleet. Cargo containers are a good place to have any and every type of truck and color. Europe, by what I've seen in pictures online, seem to be a little more colorful and expressive. Maybe thats the reason ats has those types of company skins....idk. My 2 cents.
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flight50
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Location: Dallas/Ft. Worth, Tx - USA

Re: Environmental Liveries

#3 Post by flight50 » 02 Oct 2022 22:47

Agreed.

The vehicle team are the ones that do truck skins that are not companies as paid dlc's. They can keep that going but when it comes to depots we can deliver to, the concept art team are better designers. Much easier for them to do concept art for everything just like what's on the micro site. Design the company's look, the banners, the kiosk, signage, trailer skins and truck cab skins to tie in trailer logos. JazzyCat's painted truck skins does this nicely but I stopped using his mod awhile back. It would be nice if SCS implemented company kicks for tractors as well. The 2 I posted above for NAF are for the truck and the cab. The Aron gas station does that as well but I didn't reference that one from the microsite.

Beginning ATS did have a lot of Europe design for ATS and yes that is why things are so busy. But its not like that here. Those guys are not concept artist. Instead of studying North America, they do what they want based on what they see in Europe perhaps. I think Annie has studied graphics in North America very well and I'd much rather her concept art as its much more relatable for North America. Things that she has done could be real life companies. Things are approached in a marketable type way and that is how North America operates. Everything is markable along roads here with signage and kiosk/banners on company lots. Its all about image and being recognized. But things are fairly simple here for the most part. One can watch traveling video on youtube and see what type of logos and marketing there is. I think her designs are Americanized nicely. Its not an easy job but she's a natural at it and I'd love for ATS to feel more natural vs so cartoony. ATS is a video game but it doesn't have to necessary feel that way. I think the life that she has given ATS since Colorado's new restaurants, I think concept art can take ATS to new heights.
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55sixxx
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Re: Environmental Liveries

#4 Post by 55sixxx » 02 Oct 2022 22:52

Definitely the concept/2d artists, because as it is, the vehicle team just doesn't know how proper liveries are like. The same could be said about the current paintjob packs, since they're mostly very uncommon to see IRL.

For instance, in ETS2 so far, 90% of the liveries does not looks like it could be a real life artwork (Except for the Scania ones). There's some much possibilities, like Holland style paintjobs but we keep getting fantasy, cartoonish or overdone mettalic finishes.

It's plain and simple, the vehicle team does not know how to make realistic company liveries neither custom paintjobs... This work should fall down to 2D artists like Annie for example. Because I am 100% sure that if she went on google images, threw in these three magic words "holland style truck" for some inspiration, we would have, for the first time in years, a paintjob pack that is worth every single cent.

And don't even get me started on ATS's company skins... They're one of the (IF not the main) reason of why I only use ownable trailers.
Vk56dehan
Posts: 201
Joined: 10 Aug 2017 20:04
Location: Virginia Beach, VA

Re: Environmental Liveries

#5 Post by Vk56dehan » 02 Oct 2022 23:01

55sixxx wrote: 02 Oct 2022 22:52 Definitely the concept/2d artists, because as it is, the vehicle team just doesn't know how proper liveries are like. The same could be said about the current paintjob packs, since they're mostly very uncommon to see IRL.

For instance, in ETS2 so far, 90% of the liveries does not looks like it could be a real life artwork (Except for the Scania ones). There's some much possibilities, like Holland style paintjobs but we keep getting fantasy, cartoonish or overdone mettalic finishes.

It's plain and simple, the vehicle team does not know how to make realistic company liveries neither custom paintjobs... This work should fall down to 2D artists like Annie for example. Because I am 100% sure that if she went on google images, threw in these three magic words "holland style truck" for some inspiration, we would have, for the first time in years, a paintjob pack that is worth every single cent.

And don't even get me started on ATS's company skins... They're one of the (IF not the main) reason of why I only use ownable trailers.
I liked the "retro" for ATS.....it fit well with the 389 and w900. That was the first I bought. Every other pack I have absolutely zero interest in. I tend to run fairly simple and "nice" trucks though. I dont like too much stuff and chrome going on.
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Bedavd
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Location: Michigan -> Washington

Re: Environmental Liveries

#6 Post by Bedavd » 03 Oct 2022 00:25

I think the Vehicle team has gotten better at making liveries, or at least taken a step in the right direction. MWM has a good design but the rest could use some more work. However, it definitely seems to me that it would be a better area for the 2D artists in general. The concepts that Annie (and maybe Petr?) did were perfect and Annie said a while back that she's sad she doesn't get to do them and wants to get her hands on the responsibility. I think that would be fantastic!

Plus, if the vehicle team had less 2D art to work on that would open up their time for other projects such as AI vehicles and cargos.
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