shammack Posted October 28, 2012 I was watching an episode of Conan O'Brien on the show's website today and one of the ads it showed me was for a game called Euro Truck Simulator 2. I'd never heard of it, so I looked it up and learned that it's from SCS Software, creators of Idle Thumbs favorite Bus Driver Gold. I also found this amazing trailer: Even though I hate driving vehicles in real life, I love it in video games for some reason, especially if you have manual control over fiddly things like turn signals, headlights, windshield wipers, etc. So I downloaded the demo and it's pretty fun! My first route was taking a shipment of cheese from Cambridge to Calais. I hadn't considered the whole "driving on the left" thing, and that combined with having to make extremely wide turns caused me some problems. The GPS took me to Dover, but it just stopped there and I didn't know where to go. It turned out I had to drive onto a ferry, but by the time I figured that out, I'd managed to miss the turn, try to do a U-turn and smash into a bunch of things, then go the wrong way on the highway, try to reverse back out, fail, wedge my truck across the highway, and cause a big pile-up that I ended up having to call for somebody to pull me out of. I did eventually get the cheese to Calais, but it was late and I got a bunch of deductions due to all the crashes. When you get to your destination, you can get a precise parking bonus if you manage to back the trailer into the dock, but thankfully you can also just say "fuck it" and press enter to finish the mission and forfeit the bonus. The points that you get from doing missions causes you to level up and get perks. I put a skill point into "eco-driving," so now I'll get better gas mileage. The game also simulates fatigue (if you've been driving for too long, your guy will start yawning and you have to stop at a motel or rest stop. Not sure what happens if you don't; I didn't dare try it), and you can put your own music on the radio by dumping it in a folder or put in a link to an internet radio station. It appears to be quite a nice little package. I'm not sure if I'll buy the full game (I don't like driving a truck as much as driving a bus, plus it doesn't run all that well on my machine), but it makes me really happy that games like this exist. I recognize that most people's reaction is just "ha ha, look at this game that someone made about a hilariously boring premise," and that is a factor in my initial curiosity about them as well, but then I usually end up legitimately enjoying them without any irony. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Roderick Posted October 28, 2012 I instantly cracked up when reading the title, because I thought you weren't being serious. But now that I've seen the trailer... damn, I'm so glad this exists. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
brkl Posted October 28, 2012 That looks pretty sweet Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
subbes Posted October 28, 2012 highway Motorway, sweetie. Or, possibly, dual-carriageway (I can't remember Dover that well but I don't think the ferry terminal has a dedicated motorway exit). Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Fripplebubby Posted October 29, 2012 Based on your recommendation, I too downloaded the demo. Games like this are a nice break from the standard fare, as they really focus on "enjoying the journey rather than the destination", if you will. That's maybe a bit too on the nose in the case of this particular game. I imagine this game would be really relaxing if played correctly, but I'm not an excellent driver with an xbox controller or with the WASD, so driving ends up being way more tense than intended. Driving probably gets easier with time, but if I only had a racing wheel... Previous simulation games like this one have been a little bit on the low-rent side, but this one seems well made. I might just purchase it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
subbes Posted October 29, 2012 p.s Sick trailer backg music implies the HGV is bad for us, but so sexy! Also, Bratislava! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Orv Posted October 29, 2012 Previous simulation games like this one have been a little bit on the low-rent side, but this one seems well made. I might just purchase it. The original was, if you can wrap your head around such a bizarre idea, the pinnacle of the genre, so if you really want to get into trucking sims, EuroTruck2 is probably the best way to go. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Niyeaux Posted February 25, 2013 Definitely played like five hours of this today. PIcked it up on impulse, and because I had heard good things about it. Wow, this game is incredibly fun. Not only is the actual driving part of it pretty in-depth and entertaining, but there's also a whole football management sim-esque side to it, where you can hire drivers and buy additional trucks, so you have a whole fleet on the road working for you. There's also tons of fiddly little truck customizations, like changing your light bar or your sidesteps or whatever. If you've ever enjoyed the car customization crap in old Need For Speed games or anything, you'll love the shit out of this. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
shammack Posted February 26, 2013 Yep, I ended up buying this when it got greenlit on Steam and have put about 20 hours into it so far. I haven't even tried any of the management-type stuff yet. I just have the one purple and green Man truck and am working on customizing it just right. It's really easy to put on Hot Mix Radio and start driving around and zone out until you realize you've wasted an entire afternoon delivering imaginary sugar. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Niyeaux Posted February 26, 2013 Has anyone managed to run this game on max settings? I'd be interested in seeing some screenshots of that. I've only managed to run it at medium-ish settings, and some of the options seem to scale waaaaay up. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Luftmensch Posted February 26, 2013 "Listen kid, I'd love to help you out, but you're gonna hafta run this one on Max Settings. He knows what to do." Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
miffy495 Posted February 27, 2013 "He's an alright guy, but he won't give ya nothin' unless yer packin' the proper hardware, if ya catch my meaning." Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Luftmensch Posted February 27, 2013 "Let's just say, things could get choppy." Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gormongous Posted October 1, 2014 This game was on sale for Midweek Madness, so I picked it up after having chickened out during the Summer Sale. I then spent ten hours delivering car parts between Frankfurt, Strasbourg, and Stuttgart. People weren't lying, it's a unique and fun experience. Is anyone else still playing? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
monkehhh Posted October 1, 2014 Yep! The multiplayer mod (ETS2MP) is well done and fun, and SCS are still patching and adding to it - they just put in achievements. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
shammack Posted October 1, 2014 I usually spend a good chunk of my weekend playing this; I've got 154 hours in it on Steam now. I've fallen off slightly in the last few weeks, but the achievements may pull me back in... and if not, there are new trucks and a new map expansion on the way before too long. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dewar Posted October 1, 2014 This is currently my "play it for a few minutes before bed" game. I've only got about 5 hours in it so far. I'm pretty close to completely paying off my truck so I can get a loan and get a buddy to help me. I'm interested to see the Scandinavia expansion. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
monkehhh Posted October 1, 2014 Can link the multiplayer now I'm at home - http://ets2mp.com/ It reminds me of the Just Cause 2 multiplayer mod in how it's a launcher that runs the Steam version of the game and does fancy stuff behind the scenes to get over a 1000 people on to a server. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dewar Posted October 1, 2014 Oh nice, last I checked it was still in a pretty rough state. I'll have to take a look. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Justin Leego Posted October 2, 2014 Awesome. We should go trucking together sometime. I haven't played this in aaaages since an official update came out and would have broken my save because of mod compatibility, but I will put some time into patching it all up if there is the prospect of some Thumbs MP. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gormongous Posted October 2, 2014 Awesome. We should go trucking together sometime. I haven't played this in aaaages since an official update came out and would have broken my save because of mod compatibility, but I will put some time into patching it all up if there is the prospect of some Thumbs MP. I am a terrible driver, so I'm especially afraid of multiplayer, but the excitement of everyone here makes me wonder... Right now, I am shocked by how perfectly this game fills the same need as Crusader Kings 2, except that I don't understand Euro Truck Simulator 2 backwards and forwards to the point that I can beat it to death with any character at any start date. I had a rough first half-dozen hours because I chose Iveco as my favored brand and quickly discovered that the starter models have about the same horsepower as my Ford Taurus, but now that I've got a Volvo FH16 Classic with 600 hp, I'm completing long hauls like Luxembourg to Wroclaw with time to spare. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Justin Leego Posted October 5, 2014 Can link the multiplayer now I'm at home - http://ets2mp.com/ It reminds me of the Just Cause 2 multiplayer mod in how it's a launcher that runs the Steam version of the game and does fancy stuff behind the scenes to get over a 1000 people on to a server. I am a terrible driver, so I'm especially afraid of multiplayer, but the excitement of everyone here makes me wonder... Ok, I'm updating my game to 1.12,1, the latest version supported by ETS2MP (upgrading / downgrading is possible by right clicking on game in Steam Client > Properties > Betas > temporary_1_12_01). I see a couple of you on right now, unfortunately this download won't be fast enough for today, but how about same time next weekend? Woo woo! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tanukitsune Posted October 14, 2014 It's pretty safe to assume someone who doesn't know how to drive shouldn't play this game, right? I saw in on sale with all the DLC. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dewar Posted October 14, 2014 It's not really hard. It doesn't make you use all the real gears or anything. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
