Euro Truck Simulator 2 catch-all

Wolfen Victrocious wrote:

I've enjoyed my Volvo to great degree but I won't deny it's breaks are a little lacking and I tend to plow into anyone at a red light.

If you're playing M+K, have you set your braking strength to maximum in the options menu? It's basically the difference between slamming on your brakes and easing onto them.

Wolfen Victrocious wrote:

Also, related to the conversation happening recently, I've enjoyed my Volvo to great degree but I won't deny it's breaks are a little lacking and I tend to plow into anyone at a red light.

Had that happen to me in-game in my Volvo this weekend. Was at one of those places where the left lane is trying to merge into the right and the AI driver in front of me suddenly decided to stop to let everyone merge. Plowed right into the back of them.

Then they decided to sit there and not move. After a minute or so I gave up and saved/reloaded (which removes all AI cars from your area).

Took a 420 HP Scania out for a ride with a small tanker. It had loads of power but the handling was touchy. Like the Volvo, I thought it was going to tip over taking moderate corners at high speed.

Probably going for an upgraded Majestic or MAN truck. Taking a 500 HP Majestic on a tour of England's hills with a 24 ton load before I decide.

ahrezmendi wrote:

That's disappointing, and frankly very narrow-minded if you ask me. Why can't the thing be both a game AND a simulator? It was the tycoon aspects that finally sold me on ETS 2, if it was only driving a freight truck around Europe I don't think I'd have bought it.

I partially agree. The business building aspect is a great part and should be increased if anything. But even if the only aspect of the game was driving around a condensed version of Europe in a tractor trailer, I'd still find it worthwhile.

I'm about halfway to owning my own truck with my current profile. Haven't decided on a specific model, but I figured for my first truck I was mainly going to decide based on how nice the interior looks. Probably shortsighted, but at this point I haven't had any serious issues with the performance of the different trucks I've driven.

I guess the challenge with Train Simulator is that while you can easily roll up your own small trucking company, Train Sim represents real world lines run by massive companies. What would be very cool is a Sid Meier's Railroad Tycoon style game with route building, scheduling and progression where you actually do your runs.

Deadmonkeys wrote:

Took a 420 HP Scania out for a ride with a small tanker. It had loads of power but the handling was touchy. Like the Volvo, I thought it was going to tip over taking moderate corners at high speed.

Probably going for an upgraded Majestic or MAN truck. Taking a 500 HP Majestic on a tour of England's hills with a 24 ton load before I decide.

Biggest thing for stability in corners is the axle configuration. Be sure to try 6x2 or 6x4.

The one challenge I had with the MAN 6x2 is that it cut the fuel capacity in half, so I was fueling up on nearly every trip. Not a big deal, but definitely an annoyance. The 6x4 restores the extra fuel tank to your car.

Speaking about MAN's, I keep seeing that I have a new exhaust pipe available, but I have no idea where they are in the store? Do the MANs just not use them?

Should be an exterior option, one of the last two tabs in the store.

I click every anchor point and none of them bring up the exhausts unless there's one hiding somewhere I don't see.

Not all upgrades are compatible with each other. I think the larger sleeper cabs have fewer exhaust options available.

Actually, it's the chassis that makes the difference. I've only ever been able to swap the sideskirts and exhausts on the stock 4x2 chassis, for any manufacturer. Once you switch to 6x2 or 6x4, those options disappear. I don't own any Iveco or Majestic trucks yet, but that's been the case on the five manufacturers I do have.

So this keeps crossing my mind:

$200

2 of 5

Pick a PC game for members of the GWJ staff to play and do a Let's Play Video about it! [Limit 5]

Is it worth $200 to force them all to play ETS2? I'm just not sure!

I was sorely tempted to do it, but the budget won't allow for it this year. I give a big thumbs up to anybody who is willing to fund the staff playing ETS 2.

The guys actually played ETS2 already and spoke briefly about it on a Conference Call some months back.

While initially dismissive of the basement-dweller nature of the whole genre, I did note a pretty significant tonal shift in the following weeks. The name came up specifically on a couple of occasions in reference to pricing, dev access, and genre diversity found in modern PC gaming platform. I noticed that it went from giggles to a legit feather in the PC Gaming cap from the first time it was mentioned on the podcast to the last I heard it referenced.

My first truck!

IMAGE(http://i44.tinypic.com/350s16v.jpg)

At 150k, this ain't your basic model. Loaded it up with the best technology for my level (540 HP, 6x4, premium gearbox) but I'm skipping the cosmetics until there's enough of a buffer in my account.

Do parts like bull-bars mitigate vehicle damage in an accident? That's kind of what I assumed when I slapped 'em on.

Aaron D. wrote:

The guys actually played ETS2 already and spoke briefly about it on a Conference Call some months back.

While initially dismissive of the basement-dweller nature of the whole genre, I did note a pretty significant tonal shift in the following weeks. The name came up specifically on a couple of occasions in reference to pricing, dev access, and genre diversity found in modern PC gaming platform. I noticed that it went from giggles to a legit feather in the PC Gaming cap from the first time it was mentioned on the podcast to the last I heard it referenced.

Both Sean and Cory have definitely played it and took it seriously.

Part of why I specifically want to force them all to try it is because of the dismissive attitude Rabbit and Certis had Either they'll play it and "get" it, or they'll be forced to suffer through it - a win either way!

I like the new areas in the DLC. Bialystok was beautiful, and the roads were smooth and well marked. My one complaint is all the toll roads! I don't mind paying the tolls, but why do I have to stop at a toll booth every mile?

I'm now heading back past Berlin for Britain, with a bunch of packed glass behind me. After this it may be time for a new truck.

Oh boy, can't wait to see more of this

Turns out Top Gear UK (S12 E1) did a ridiculous competition with trucks, featuring a Renault (12L), a Scania (9L), and an ERF(11L).

As soon as I saw Renault's trademark diamond, I winced.

Yes, (fat trucker) Stig was there too. In a MAN.

Catch it on Netflix! (Even in Canada!)

Deadmonkeys wrote:

Turns out Top Gear UK (S12 E1) did a ridiculous competition with trucks, featuring a Renault (12L), a Scania (9L), and an ERF(11L).

As soon as I saw Renault's trademark diamond, I winced.

Yes, (fat trucker) Stig was there too. In a MAN.

Catch it on Netflix! (Even in Canada!)

God that's a funny episode.

Sounding really good. Liking the new avatar and photo features.

tanstaafl wrote:

Sounding really good. Liking the new avatar and photo features.

I've been attempting to catch up on my pile from the Summer Steam Sale but I'm starting to miss ETS2, I think this might just be the boost to bring me back, especially for the more detailed photography mode.

Wolfen Victrocious wrote:
tanstaafl wrote:

Sounding really good. Liking the new avatar and photo features.

I've been attempting to catch up on my pile from the Summer Steam Sale but I'm starting to miss ETS2, I think this might just be the boost to bring me back, especially for the more detailed photography mode.

I just started playing again in earnest for lack of anything else attracting my attention. I'm really excited to explore the Gone East areas. I'm up to 123 hours now.

I always wished there was some kind of walking around / tourist mode. It sounds like they're doing something like that. Right now I enjoy the undocumented free camera feature; you can add a variable to the ini file and then pressing "0" allows your camera to fly around freely. It's great, but I wish I was constrained to places a pedestrian could actually go.

... and World of Trucks is here!

EDIT: here's my profile. The photo mode is really neat, can't wait to play with it more.

Figured it out. Here's mine; I'm tanstaafl there too.

Now to get back into my truck and grab some photos.

tanstaafl wrote:

Figured it out. Here's mine; I'm tanstaafl there too.

Now to get back into my truck and grab some photos.

Kind of a bummer, the UI blocks you from doing anything while you upload a photo.

Too bad it won't let me upload any of the few dozen shots I already have on Steam. Guess I'll have to drive up to the White Cliffs of Dover again...

OK, I need some help here: {ableist slur}ers? exhaust brakes?

I've read that in real trucks, air brakes are often used sparingly, since 1) stopping a heavy load at speed requires a massive dissipation of energy and puts a lot of stress on friction brakes and 2) you can deplete the reserve of compressed air (thus having to wait for the tanks to refill).

So, when going downhill, it's common to use the {ableist slur}er and/or exhaust ("jake") brakes to reduce (or maintain) the speed of the vehicle. I believe the {ableist slur}er uses the transmission, while the jake brake controls valve timing so the engine itself acts as a compressor to dissipate energy.

I believe in "auto {ableist slur}er" mode (the default) ETS2 engages the {ableist slur}er for you when you release the accelerator. But I'm not sure about that?

The latest patch added "air brake simulation" which allows the air reserves to be depleted as they would in a real truck. I want to make all this stuff as simulator-y as possible, which means I need to understand what I'm doing. So that leaves me questions:

1) When do I use the {ableist slur}er versus the jake brake versus the air brake? For what reasons would I prefer one over the other? Should they all be used in combination?

2) I'm completely out of control points on my G27. I managed to fit {ableist slur}er increase / decrease onto the wheel, but there's nowhere to put the jake brake. I'm wondering if a flight control throttle should be added to the mix - has anybody used this with the game?