Today, we are happy to share with you that the 1.51 Open Beta branch for American Truck Simulator is now available to try and test out. If you plan on participating in this Open Beta, we ask that you please help us by reporting any bugs you may encounter in the appropriate section(s) of our official forums.
Your feedback and reports are extremely valuable to our team and we thank you in advance for taking the time to help us out. So, without further ado, let's take a look at what the 1.51 Open Beta has in store.
New Title Screen
One of the first and most prominent changes you will encounter in this update is a complete redesign of our Title Screen. Whilst keeping in line with our recent user interface rework, we wanted a design which is easy to navigate and understand for all players.
First and foremost, one of the main difference you'll notice about the new Title Screen is the focus on a truck in the centre of the screen. On the left, you'll find the menu which allows easy access to the more important features of the game, such as Options, and other sub-menus such as the DLC (formerly DLC Browser) and the Mod Manager, which will display the number of MODs active next to it if you have any installed.
To access your Profile Manager, just simply click your profile widget located in the top right of the menu screen.
Functionally, we have also made navigation more comfortable with a gamepad or a steering wheel, requiring less time reaching for a keyboard from the moment you launch ETS2 or ATS. This design also leaves us space to make tweaks and changes where needed, as well as make additions in the future.
We'd like to thank the community for their feedback on the first iteration of this Title Screen, which was showcased in a recent blog. We look forward to hearing your comments on this version during the 1.51 Open Beta.
Dynamic Cargo (Un)Loading of Grainhoppers
In the 1.50 update, we introduced a dynamic loading and unloading feature for Nebraska DLC's custom agriculture depots using a grain hopper trailer. Now, we are happy to reveal that in the 1.51 update for American Truck Simulator, we are going to add more animated loading options as well as depots where players will encounter this feature!
Truckers delivering with their own grain hopper trailer will experience dynamic loading and unloading when transporting corn, soybean, grain, sugar beet, pelleted animal food, potatoes, or cotton seed not only in Nebraska but also in custom depots found in the Kansas DLC, the upcoming Arkansas DLC, and in "prefab" depots across American Truck Simulator.
You can read more about this feature in a blogpost we recently released. We look forward to hearing your comments.
I-44 and more for Oklahoma DLC
The missing link along the I-44 has been frequently requested by our community, so we are glad to be able bring this new content as part of the upcoming 1.51 update for ATS.
Currently in the Oklahoma DLC, the middle section of Interstate 44 through Oklahoma City is missing. However in the 1.51 update, we are happy to be able to bring this section in, connecting the western and eastern sections and completing I-44 in Oklahoma. This will of course come as a free update to all current owners of the Oklahoma DLC.
That is not all however, the I-44 will also include two new depots for players to deliver to and from; a furniture store and a construction site. Along with this addition, players will also be treated to 2 new truck stops on the I-40. If you'd like to read more about these changes, check out the dedicated blog on this topic which we released recently.
Vegetation Update for Texas DLC
In collaboration with our vegetation department, our map designers have replaced the older pines with the more accurate loblolly pines native to Texas!
The loblolly pines were initially created for the Arkansas DLC but also naturally grow in Texas. To enhance realism and ensure a smoother transition when driving between these states, truckers will now encounter an abundance of these trees throughout the entire eastern part of Texas - along roads, in forests, and within towns.
We hope you will appreciate our teams' attention to detail, going back to previously released map expansions and updating them based on your feedback to correct any imperfections!
Custom City Intros for Oregon DLC
We are happy to share that we have now expanded Custom City Intros to the Oregon DLC for American Truck Simulator!
These special cutscenes appear when a player selects a starting city when creating a new profile. We hope that new players (or those restarting a new profile) will enjoy these new additions, showcasing the area where you have chosen to begin.
We hope you enjoy this addition, and we look forward to introducing it to more states in the future.
FlowBelow Update for Various Trucks
We've teamed up with FlowBelow to extend the possibilities if having the FlowBelow Tractor AeroKit™ installed on a number of trucks in American Truck Simulator. Players will now have the choice of having FlowBelow fairings and wheel covers on the following vehicles:
- Kenworth T680
- Peterbilt 579
- Volvo VNL
- Mack Anthem
- Freightliner Cascadia
- Western Star 5700XE and 57X
In the real world , the FlowBelow Tractor AeroKit™ delivers fuel savings for drivers on the road, and can be found installed on thousands of trucks across the United States. For players in American Truck Simulator, we're happy to bring this economical solution to your virtual fleet.
It also has the added benefit of minimizing turbulence and improving aerodynamics by surrounding the drive wheels to better manage the air that moves around the tractor while in motion.
We hope that you enjoy using FlowBelow on your future journeys in American Truck Simulator, be sure to share pictures of your newly installed kit on our official social media channels.
Options QoL Improvements
The main change is the addition of a search bar for easier navigation across all settings categories. When a search is conducted, matches will be displayed in the current setting category, and sections where the search term also appears will be highlighted.
We have also reorganized the existing options in the settings for better clarity. These options are now divided into subcategories within each section. Additionally, two new categories, "Interface" and "Accessibility," have been added to the bottom menu for better distribution.
We've also introduced some changes that provide ease of access when it comes to changing the Desktop Background in ETS2 and ATS. You can now change your menu background directly using a shortcut from the main menu, or alternatively, you can access the same option via the interface section in your settings.
However, that's not all! We've now also made it possible to preview your backgrounds before changing them. Simply click on the background of your choice via the carousel, and you'll be presented with a short preview of how it would look, before confirming your selection.
Players will also be notified through a small widget on the main menu if they have received a new Desktop Background option as part of an event reward or update. Clicking on this will also direct you to the new settings which are implemented in this update.
Changelog
Map
- I-44 update for the Oklahoma DLC
- Vegetation update for the Texas DLC
Gameplay
- Dynamic cargo (un)loading of Grain hoppers
- Vehicles
- FlowBelow update for various trucks
UI
- New Title Screen
- Search bar added to the settings menu
- Accessibility and Interface categories added to the settings menu
- Improved changing of desktop background
So enjoy all the new additions, but please remember: It's only an open beta, not a stable public version - so you may encounter bugs, instability, or crashes. It's completely okay if you want to wait for the final release. But if you're interested in helping us to get there faster, we'll appreciate all of your feedback on our forum and your bug reports in this section.
Please check our modding wiki to get details pertaining to mods for the game.
If you wish to participate in the open beta, you can find this version in the public_beta branch on Steam. The way to access it is as follows: Steam client → LIBRARY → right-click on American Truck Simulator → Properties → Betas tab → public_beta → 1.51. No password is required. Sometimes you have to restart your Steam client to see the correct branch name there.