Opinion about Driving Academy

[Vin9902]

Here is my opinion about the driving Academy from SCS.
I have both simulators/games. This is more about ATS then ETS2. I’m not able to complete both ‘driving courses’. And that is not a problem for me. I think that in both ‘driving courses’ they want you to be able to solve situations that a real professional driver should be able to avoid.
I’m stuck in ATS on chapter 3, Advanced Training Course – Trailer. About halfway you have to get the truck and trailer around a tight 180 hairpin. I cannot do it. And here I think that real professional driver should know not to get himself in a situation that like where he cannot get himself out. This is also the point for me that the simulator becomes a game and not a simulator anymore. In real life and in the game there is no situation where you need to make a 180 hairpin that tight. If the situation should come up, then you are not suppose to be there with a truck and trailer like that. That is why there are shorter trailers and box trucks. This is also where the simulator becomes a game.
Knowing your skills and knowing not to get in a situation like that, that you have to use such precise skill level, is a sign of truck driver that does not know his own skill level. You see that a lot in real life where trucks need to be help by tow trucks to get out of a situation where they should not have been in. Knowing your truck and trailer AND you own skill level is what set the professional truck driver from the average truck driver.
So, thanks SCS to show me that I do not have the skill set to become a truck driver in your game. Also thank you for not letting me to get the Driving Academy paint job. And for me not completing your challenges. Because the Driving Academy is not about learning to drive a truck. It is more to showing you that you are not able to do near impossible things with a truck and trailer.
I have more than 1500 hours in ATS and 3000 hours in ETS2.
I know what I can do in the games. I also know what I cannot do in the games. Because even though you call your games a simulator, they are just games. I enjoy them for what they are.
Ofcourse there will always be people who will complete these challenges. But that has nothing to do with being able to drive a truck from A to B.
So thanks for showing me my shortcomings.

[Madkine]

To get your license you need to be able to get yourself out of a situation (even it was preventable).
The scenario's in the academy were put together by real life drivers with years of experience.

Hopefully Mark will come along and add to this.

[DisgruntledTrucker]

Hi, my name is Mark. I come from a truck driving family - I spent my child hood summers in the passenger seat of my dad's truck, spent my weekends as a youth helping him maintain his truck, and at 18 I got my AZ license in Ontario.

At 21, I bought my first truck, and did somewhere in the ball-park of 2.5 million kilometres of both local and long haul trucking, traversing all 48 mainland states and 6 Canadian provinces doing flatbed, reefer, and tanker, as well as multi-axle work. In the fall of 2022, I hung up my keys and went to work as a truck driving instructor.

In 2023, I joined SCS Software as a consultant, and very quickly began working with the Driving Academy team, where I provided feedback based on my experience.

Nice to meet you.

It's easy to say that a driver shouldn't get himself into certain situation, but real life is another thing.

These later scenarios are also not meant to be easy - they are meant to challenge you and push you to problem solve on the go. You have unlimited "corrections" to fix any problem you may do up in, so by all means, reverse and shimmy your way around those corners as needed!

We don't want to see anyone become frustrated (well maybe a little), but don't give up! Go nice and slow, use the exterior camera to see how you can set yourself up better, and I'm sure you'll complete the scenario and feel well accomplished!

[plykkegaard]

... that has nothing to do with being able to drive a truck from A to B.

Going from A to B is the easy part
But when the going gets tuff - really you are you own and you need to know what can done also to prevent you end in an impossible task

[Ludo Diabolo]

On the contrary, this driving academy gave me a boost and made me relaunch ETS 2, which I'd totally given up on. It provided a challenge that I really appreciated.

I'm looking forward to the sequel, because driving from point A to point B had become a routine that I no longer wanted in the game, both for ATS and for ETS 2.

[Vin9902]

So, I have tried to get furhter. I understand that some frustration might be acceptible but if I have to try it for 5 to 6 hours without any result, then this is not for me. So I'm now stuck on 23 out of 30 (and in ETS2 30 of 31).

"Everyone who has already completed or will complete the entire first module of Driving Academy will receive special rewards to use inside the game on the same profile they completed the academy with"
The skin of Driving Academy is in both games (Version 1.54) still locked.
I have read that more players have the same problem.

It is also a "nice" reminder that you still have not completed the academy.
I think this is also a bad move to have players keep getting reminded that there is a skin you do not have and will not have, as long as you have not finished the Academy.

I'm just glad that the game is not locked until you have completed the academy.

[DisgruntledTrucker]

What is occurring during game play which stops you from completing Driving Academy?

[automaton]

[The skin] is also a "nice" reminder that you still have not completed the academy.
I think this is also a bad move to have players keep getting reminded that there is a skin you do not have and will not have, as long as you have not finished the Academy.

It's simply a skin; it's not a huge deal at the end of the day. You could also apply this logic for every part across both ATS and ETS2. So long as you are below a certain level, you'll be reminded that you won't be able to access those parts until you reach that level.

[Vin9902]

What is occurring during game play which stops you from completing Driving Academy?

"

I have played the academy in ATS and in ETS2.

In ETS2 it could me 2 hours to complete the chapters. It took me a little more then 3 hours to complete the final exam part 1. I have tried Part 2. And there I am also unable to park my trailer.

In ATS i'm now have to park my trailer backwards between other trailers. Even after , as Mark put it: "You have unlimited "corrections" to fix any problem you may do up in, so by all means, reverse and shimmy your way around those corners as needed!" I been shimming for more then 30 min to get the trailer in the parking space, I tap the trailer next to me, and I can start all over again.

The strang thing is that I have almost never problems parking tailers in parking spots at reststops or parking my trailer at depots. I park my trailers with in easy and difficult spots whit no problems. Sometimes have to shimy a bit, that is oke.

This also keeps happening with the other chapters. It really looks the chapters are way tighter and less forgiving.

As Mark said: "We don't want to see anyone become frustrated (well maybe a little)." That is fine. I understand this But for me, that ship has sailed. I have become more then rustrated. Maybe it is just me. Maybe I'm to dum or stupid to complete these chapters/challenges. It is what it is.

But if these chapters are easy, then the next module with more challeging chapters will not be for me.

As an after thought, I would really like to see how players will keep playing these games if you had to park your tailer in the same way after each trip. And if you did not get it right in one go, you have to do the whole trip again from the start. I think your player base would become a lot smaller.

Like I said. I will keep playing the game but for me, the academy is a bust and closed. I'm just to incompetent. That is probably also why I do not drive a real truck and I will never attemp it.

Still, I like trucks. And that will never change.

[Vin9902]

[The skin] is also a "nice" reminder that you still have not completed the academy.
I think this is also a bad move to have players keep getting reminded that there is a skin you do not have and will not have, as long as you have not finished the Academy.

It's simply a skin; it's not a huge deal at the end of the day. You could also apply this logic for every part across both ATS and ETS2. So long as you are below a certain level, you'll be reminded that you won't be able to access those parts until you reach that level.

I know what you mean. But as long as you keep driving, everything is obtainable. You can make it easier by not parking and You still get everything.

With the academy, you have to have a certain skill to get to the end.