Engine upgrade and DX12 coming to ETS2 and ATS!

[Berniyh]

The statement in the christmas(?) stream was that maybe we'll see it this year.

[Some newbie driver]

Don't worry TheTiger; even if they will release it tomorrow there's still plenty of things you can keep complaining about, just in case.

[dhrto]

Some people are never satisfied...

Take a step back and let it sink in that this game is originally from 2012 (!). The developers have been improving the game constantly for free (!), even for those that only own the base game. Yes the development may feel slow, but ask yourself this: how many other games / developers have done this? Have we ever seen EA update Fifa 2012 all the way to now? Likewise, what about Ubisoft with their Assassin's Creed series? No, instead they release a paid / full price 'update' to the next version almost each year. Would you prefer this 'veiled' subscription model? Would you be more satisfied if SCS said: "OK, we're going to do major updates each year, but you would have to pay full price each time and also full price again for all the DLC's you owned last year" ?

Just some food for thought.

[parasaurolophus67]

Assassin's Creed did that? alot of money for a update. But you mean you would have to buy the DLC's again?! o.o

[dhrto]

What I meant is that each new version of those games (Fifa, Assassin's Creed) could basically be seen as a reskin of the previous game with some new features and stories. Yet, nobody complains about why they didn't just update the current version. Especially Fifa or F1 games for that matter. SCS also releases new features and special transport routes periodically, but for free.

[Optional Features]

Some people are never satisfied...

Take a step back and let it sink in that this game is originally from 2012 (!). The developers have been improving the game constantly for free (!), even for those that only own the base game. Yes the development may feel slow, but ask yourself this: how many other games / developers have done this? Have we ever seen EA update Fifa 2012 all the way to now? Likewise, what about Ubisoft with their Assassin's Creed series? No, instead they release a paid / full price 'update' to the next version almost each year. Would you prefer this 'veiled' subscription model? Would you be more satisfied if SCS said: "OK, we're going to do major updates each year, but you would have to pay full price each time and also full price again for all the DLC's you owned last year" ?

Just some food for thought.

If you call map dlcs free, then I'm not sure what to say. Yes, the updates and new skins of "truck" and "trailer" are free, but the only thing to do in game (discover new roads) is by no means free.

But that is beside the point: if the game got major improvements, I would happily pay for a "new version" that built on old ones while slowly bringing the game forward.

It makes far more sense to me than dragging this old engine towards an uncertain future.

[xXCARL1992Xx]

as if they would use a different engine if they re-release the game each year or every second again

[dhrto]

If you call map dlcs free, then I'm not sure what to say. Yes, the updates and new skins of "truck" and "trailer" are free, but the only thing to do in game (discover new roads) is by no means free.

But that is beside the point: if the game got major improvements, I would happily pay for a "new version" that built on old ones while slowly bringing the game forward.

It makes far more sense to me than dragging this old engine towards an uncertain future.

I'm not talking about map DLC's. There have been plenty free, significant updates to the core since its release in 2012. To name a few, in no particular order:

- Update from DX9 to DX11
- New lighting engine
- Updates in truck physics
- New sound engine
- Updates to the FFB system
- Convoy mode
- A handful of map reworks, yes even for the base areas

So what free updates did a game like F1 2012 got?

I'm with you about the wish that major updates could come faster, even when they are paid updates (which create a whole different set of problems for the player base, but that's another discussion), but let's not look a gift horse in the mouth.

[Berniyh]

If you call map dlcs free, then I'm not sure what to say. Yes, the updates and new skins of "truck" and "trailer" are free, but the only thing to do in game (discover new roads) is by no means free.

That's not really wrong. Nothing in this game is really "free". The skins, trucks and trailers are paid for via the dlcs. Yes, not specifically for that truck, that feature etc. but ultimately somebody has to pay for it. It's included in the price of the dlcs.
If there are no more dlcs or no more people buying dlcs there won't be any updates.

It makes far more sense to me than dragging this old engine towards an uncertain future.

That would've happened anyway, even if the up the number of the title and make you pay for everything again every second year or so.
The steady progress and the expansion of the game is what made the game big and what helped the company increase in size.

Actually, I'm pretty sure that, had they rereleased everything all the time, the game would be much smaller than it is now and as would be the company size.
Then, due to the lower number of devs they wouldn't even think about the likes of DX12 or Vulkan, because of the increased development overhead that brings.

[Optional Features]

@dhrto Yes, they have released some nice stuff for free, but some of it was an absolute necessity due to how outdated parts of the game were/are. I'm not unthankful for the free updates: they are appreciated. But sometimes I think we give them a bit too much credit for essentially maintaining their business. If they don't update the game, they would be out of a job.

@Berniyh Yeah, there are perks and drawbacks to either method. I prefer the new game approach because each time you have the possibility of a large change with the update. With a smaller game update, changes have less of an effect, and with SCS development speed, gameplay improvements take a while.

A new ATS or ETS could leapfrog upcoming competitors and establish SCS as the frontrunner for truck sims going forward, Right now, that future seems uncertain. If competing devs get their act together, SCS will be left in the dust, and any attempts to fix that with updates would likely be too much, too fast.