Montana Discussion Thread

[parasaurolophus67]

just in case if you want improvements to the game, viewtopic.php?p=1709982#p1709982 there's a thread about it now

[Travismods]

It's funny people are so stuck on maps being the main content that SCS bringing more maps is literally what they constitute as "new" content. More maps is not something new. Its more of the same old content.

When we say we need new content, we aren't talking about more maps built with mostly the same assets using the same prefabs. Of course Montana and Texas will have some new assets and locations. We are talking about are new gameplay mechanics, features and options that have nothing to do with maps though. Things completely outside of the map editor even. Thats the sort of "new" stuff we should be seeing, not more copy paste maps where there is nothing to do but drive and nothing to interact with. Show us something significant and new that is NOT map content for once. Something significant that is not a UI feature or a plush dinosaur or another useless truck skin.

[Vinnie Terranova]

To be honestly, if ATS stopped production right now and only did features that some request, I'd get super bored playing the same roads over and over. Taking the same cargo, seeing the same companies without expansion.

And exactly this is happening... Right now... I've bought Wyoming, I've driven on most roads of Wyoming, I've taken some jobs to get all the Steam Achievements. But now what...? I haven't driven in Wyoming for several weeks, I think. Not because it's a bad map; it actually is a nice, beautiful map, although it is not a perfect map. But in the end it's just some extra road miles and a few extra industries. And I think with the Montana DLC and with the Texas DLC this will be no different. Ofcourse, Texas will have some bigger cities, with some interesting high level stack interchanges, but apart from that: just some more road miles and some new prefabs.

It looks like ATS should be called 'American Truck Driving Simulator' with emphasis on 'Driving'. Driving from A (prefab) to B (also a prefab) using roads in between. Nothing more, nothing less. And driving from A to B used to be fun, but it slowly is starting to get repetative, and thus boring. And I guess the same will be true for Montana. And it will be true for Texas as well. It will get super bored, because we still just drive from A (prefab) to b (another prefab) using roadsin between. The prefabs may look slightly different, the roads may look slightly different, the world may look different, but in the end it's just driving from A to B. The visuals will be nice in the beginning, the gameplay will soon become boring.

We all play differently, we all play for different reasons. Some of us take it more seriously than others, some are just casual.

It's ok to play for different reasons. If the amount of players who 'take it more seriously than others' is quite low, then there is no problem. But if the amount of players who 'take it more seriously than others' is quite substantional, then this might become a big problem. What if those substantional amount of players are starting to leave ATS, because ATS doesn't deliver serious gameplay they are looking for...?

[Optional Features]

@eonellivlem When Montana drops people will play it for a week, then get back to waiting for more maps, since there is nothing else to do in game. Just maps, maps maps so you consume them very fast when they drop.

Yes, SCS has set itself up for disappointment in many ways.

They have produced a game where exploring the map is the only thing to do, so once a player has done that, they are left trying to figure out what to do.

I will continue to bring up Farming Sim in these comparisons because I think it is relevant to the discussion. Several friends and I have started a multiplayer game on a map that is 2.5 miles by 2.5 miles square. In about a month, we probably have 100 hours played in this small area.

I was driving back to the store to pick up some tillage equipment yesterday, and noticed in my absence that a new business had popped up along the highway. One of my buddies had placed a couple shops, parked some trucks and machines, and decorated a new coop business that offers spraying and other services for the handful of farms on the map.

My farm is also completely new, and was once a blank field in the corner. Now, it's a spot for me to store grain, leave unused equipment, and refill my seeder with seed when planting season arrives.

No one can explain to me why in SCS games players have no impact on the game whatsoever. I never drive through a place and notice a new trucking company has opened or a new truck-related business. No one ever puts up a new warehouse.

It's just miles and miles of static objects that never change over years and static vehicles that never have, will, or can move.

Every vehicle in that store pic is drivable: we can't even spawn two trucks or trailers still.

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[Vinnie Terranova]

They have produced a game where exploring the map is the only thing to do, so once a player has done that, they are left trying to figure out what to do.

Exactly this is the issue I have with both ATS and ETS2 for more than a year. Luckily there are some things to do after I explored the map. But, yeah, this is the problem I have with new map DLCs...

[Optional Features]

Exactly this is the issue I have with both ATS and ETS2 for more than a year. Luckily there are some things to do after I explored the map. But, yeah, this is the problem I have with new map DLCs...

When Montana drops, in a dreamworld, I would start a log trucking company.

I would buy a blank piece of land somewhere outside of a town and place a shop, maybe a fuel tank, and some fencing around. In a deeper dreamworld, someone would have made one of these available to redeck the trailers on the trucks.

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Then, using Deezle's log truck addon for Project 3xx, I would build like 3-5 of these trucks, and store them at my yard.

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I'd probably buy a lowboy as well and maybe a woodchip trailer or two. All of these things would be stored in the yard.

Then I would buy a house outside of town and park a pickup there. Using the sleep trigger at the house, I'd set my "alarm" for like 3 in the morning, drive the pickup to the shop, open the gate, fire up the one truck (maybe a couple friends would be on as well in an MP session). We'd roll out into the night, then turn off the highway and go deep into the woods.

There would be a network of logging roads going far off into the mountains: I'd have to pay attention to my instructions or gps to make the right turns. Some of these roads would dead end, while others would connect back with the highway on the opposite side of the mountain.

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AI trucks, pickups, and machines would also be on these roads, some also coming in to grab loads, some leaving, some carrying crews into the woods, etc. I'd have to pay attention to my CB radio to prevent a head on collision. As such, roads would be the width of one truck, like irl. And they would support two-way traffic with pullouts for passing vehicles.

At the log landing, an animated machine would load my truck with logs, then load the trailer. Every load would be a little bit different. There wouldn't be a "log" load, but a group of logs that the game randomly generated for my cargo. Some loads might be large logs, some might be small: it would all depend on the day.

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By the break of day, I'd be thundering down the mountain heading for a sawmill like 50 miles away. Maintaining speed would require the use of the jake brake and tons of focus. It wouldn't be an easy drive as this would be one of the most difficult roads in the game.

At the sawmill, another machine would unload the truck in one pick (and the trailer the same), then I'd either head back up for one more load, or take the truck back to the yard.

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The next day, I'd do the same, and maybe the day after. I would be one of many players that had a dedicated profile that just ran logs or chips. There would be others that hauled cars in a similarly detailed fashion, and maybe some that only hauled produce. But each of these mini-communities would have mods that improved the realism of their experience. They wouldn't just arrive at a trigger, press a button, and get loaded instantly whether or not they were hauling milk, mattresses, or cattle. Every loading experience and every dock would be different, and uniquely enjoyable. Players would keep trucks for longer than a couple runs, and playing in only one state or even a small region wouldn't be considered unusual. It would (and should) be common.

[Kistk3]

Montana is the state i'm looking forward too rather than Texas. The map will be nicely boxed and it's almost like the final piece of the jigsaw with the maps current shape. I do wonder though, when Montana is released how many players will be happy with the map and leave it at that.

I'm with you on that. First time I heard about Montana was back in 2001, when MSTS came out and Marias Pass was there, since then I have a great admiration on this particulary state. Hopefully one day I can visit

[SouthernMan]

@Kistk3 Me too! I didn't know Montana like that, but I have a great admiration and affection for this state. I love his vegetation, among other things.

[Optional Features]

Marias is still one of my favorite train routes in the world: I remember it fondly from that game.

[flight50]

It's ok to play for different reasons. If the amount of players who 'take it more seriously than others' is quite low, then there is no problem. But if the amount of players who 'take it more seriously than others' is quite substantional, then this might become a big problem. What if those substantional amount of players are starting to leave ATS, because ATS doesn't deliver serious gameplay they are looking for...?

ETS2 has the same issue with features. The only difference ETS2 has is better logistics and more cargo. Yet still, tons of people play it daily vs ATS. ETS2 doesn't offer serious gameplay either but people are still there. Its going on 10 years old and the drop off is minimal. A lot of people judge ATS's drop off based on this forum and this forum only represents a small fraction of those that play ATS.