ATS concept map (fanmade)

[flight50]

I like how dense eastern part of the state looks. Hopefully now people will stop saying that the East Coast looks too optimistic on my map.

Agreed and I'll admit its your map that I like to reference the most. Its the closest speculation we got to being accurate almost every time. You are mostly 8590%+ correct most of the time. SCS tends to make a little more density than what you have which is great. I don't think your East is too optimistic at all which is why I trust your map the most. You don't go overboard with it and then people get disappointed. Its your map that honestly got me super excited about states other than Texas and wanting to learn the cities and roads more. The massive potential in other states, in Canada and in Mexico.....mmmm.

I remember when you started creating this map. I wanted more and more. When you did finish, I was like OMG. This is about 85% or better of what ATS could possibly look like if ATS is still being supported to the end. The big thing that the East can do is provide lots of road density because of all the vegetation. Soooooooooo many tree wall roads and tree tunnels is how a lot of that density comes. Not to mention cities buried in vegetation. That works into SCS favor even more. So don't worry about being too optimistic for your map. Its the Midwest and the East that makes the detour feature worth adding. Right now, its just before its time but Texas sims to make it worth the add. From here on out, ATS should be more of a grid type for roads. They are everywhere East of I-35.

One thing SCS has started doing is what I like to call Reforma style. SCS is starting to get off the main Google Maps trajectory line and not attempt to make the road as accurate as possible but also make if fun. Sure all grades won't make the map but the map is SCS's best thing going for the company. For me, I'm a map person first. I love exploring new roads, cities and then ICCs. To me, its worth the cost. For others, they need new features to keep going. Features are bonuses to me. They are needed but they alone don't keep everyone playing. There should be a balance though.

If anything, based on how dense east TX is, the east coast might even be a little denser than it is on your map. Pretty reassuring

Lol. You posted before finished by above post, lol. But yes I totally agree. I think SCS gets in a few more state and US hwys than ads shows but to keep it reasonable, I like what he has. It too unpredictable for state and US hwys. So yeahhhh, the vegetation will be a huge factor for the East. People will even start to complain that it all looks the same. Well yeah.........because that's what real life looks like as well.

[Shiva]

ads678, your city guessing from the start, was quite good!
One of your first. And the first I saved on my PC. But I am showing Texas only.
I saved this version of ads678's map 22th july 2019.

There is some roads that ain't ingame at release. And then there is roads that weren't in this concept map.
I do think that there is a possibility to add more roads to SCS's Texas DLC, in the future. I do not mean future DLC connectors, but inlands.

When the neighboring states have been added, then I am interested to check again, how this first draft by ads678 compares to Texas at that time.

I think it is a good decision of SCS, to avoid the ring roads that are not 100% necessary.

[flight50]

I think it is a good decision of SCS, to avoid the ring roads that are not 100% necessary.

Agreed. In ATS, they just take up a ton of space. The interchanges alone are small towns. The devs can't stress that enough. For someone that knows the map editor if someone can pic one of the larger 4 way intersection prefabs and put it over the top of a scenic city and post that pic, I think people will finally understand jut how large the 1:1 junction in ATS really are. If we got ring roads, we don't get towncenter and that would be badddd. That cuts off interstates and more people would be pissed. I think they chose the lesser of the evils.

Is there industry off ring road, of course. Some cities even prohibit hazardous waste from going thru town center. Well this is a game so its no harm to the city. Realistic? No but it is what it is. 1:10 scale yeah ring roads get added but they don't fit and have industry at the same time at current scale. Its either tiny towncenter and be unrealistic than what they are now or make due with the space without ring roads. The vibe of any US city is towncenter, that is the meal ticket.........not the ring roads.

[Gormanbros]

Only big cities I think definitely need their ring roads are Atlanta and Washington DC. DC especially needs its beltway.

Edit: Nashville too maybe. The state's road map would be weird without at least a partial ring road to bypass downtown Nashville. Chicago will need the freeways west of downtown going from IN-WI to feel realistic as well, but that's not a full ring road.

[Shiva]

Atlanta, I do agree. DC, yeah.
Nashville Downtown ring road? I thin it will be similar to Houston inner ring road.
Atleast it seems to me, that there is a Houston ring road?

[rbsanford]

I can see Washington being like Rennes in ETS2, where we only get the ring road and the industry in some of the satellite towns.

[Gormanbros]

I should've clarified, by Nashville, I just mean they should include I-840. I don't know if it counts as a ring road, but regardless it's spread out enough from Nashville it should be totally fine to include, especially using tree walls.

Washington should feel like the most European city in the US for sure. I do think they'll probably let us drive to the Lincoln Memorial and Washington Monument if just for the marketing value of showing off a truck in the National Mall, but I agree with @rbsanford otherwise.

[flight50]

I agree on Atlanta and DC. Atlanta is going to suck though because that means SCS has to drop downtown. But I know Atlanta is strict with it. At that point, we get enough US cities that we get to see towncenter so going with ring roads would be the best route. I don't know Atlanta at all so if there is a view that can show town center with on the ring road, that is the only hope to seeing at least a LOD model of downtown. Kinda of like we can see Denver from I-76. Looks great but Atlanta as a ton of vegetation. Perhaps there are interchanges that elevate enough to see into Atlanta. That would suffice. In DC, we can take US-50 thru town. There is a map that @Shiva found some time ago that can get us a route thru DC. But the ring is the interstate we get around it.

[angrybirdseller]

Indianapolis has six interstates coverge at once.

For example, you cut out interstate 74 east of Indianapolis direct route to Cincinnati is no longer there.

Compromises with interchanges will be necessary and some downtowns will have to smaller what it seen currently.

Most cities don't need beltway others it's necessary over having the downtown.

[Shiva]

flight50, but still, that DC route needs a lot of space. Possible, but space hog.

angrybirdseller, Indianapolis, that one will be interesting, to see how SCS will do it.

rbsanford, Rennes, the ring road has a lot of connections and looks nice. But it is very big!