[SCS Blog] Idaho: Director's Cut

[SCS Blog]

Ever wanted to take a moment to look at a historical landmark or a scenic view while on the job, but felt that the pressure of delivering the cargo on time, or the concern for safety on the road, just do not make it possible?

Our artists and map designers put a lot of effort into making our game world as beautiful as they can, but often, a location that they may have spent months of time creating will be driven through in a matter of seconds without the player having a chance to admire it. There have always been many players keen to explore the world to the fullest, searching for cool places to see, but until now, the game did not offer any tool or incentive for sightseeing.

With the release of the new Idaho DLC, we are experimenting with a new feature that will allow you to take a while to relax and enjoy a nice view of natural or artificial landmarks, or perhaps settlements or industries that are of interest in the given region.

In the area of Idaho DLC, drivers will be able to find several such places and activate a special in-game "cutscene" with a short showcase of a nearby place of interest. The locations include sites of economical and historical importance, such as the capital city of Boise. The spots are identified by a new film-camera 3D green icon visible in the world, which also appears on your GPS route advisor as a purple star.

At the moment, we still consider the new feature an experiment. If the reception is positive, we are thinking of expanding it further, not just to more cool locations across the whole game world, but also to make it more feature-rich, and a more integrated gameplay element. We are thinking of expanding it with descriptions and more detailed facts on why the place is interesting and important, providing a light education element. We may also consider creating a log of visited places, giving the player a chance to re-play the cut scenes of visited places as a reminder of their travels. If you have any additional ideas on how to get more fun out of the feature for players, we'd like to hear them!

We hope you will enjoy this brand new addition arriving in Idaho for American Truck Simulator. If you are excited to visit this new state, make sure you have added it to your Steam Wishlist. If you have done so already, thank you! This really supports us and our upcoming releases.

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