Euro Truck Simulator
Euro Truck Simulator (ETS) is a truck simulator game developed and published by SCS Software first released on August 6, 2008. The sequel, Euro Truck Simulator 2, was released four years later in 2012.
Gameplay
Players are put in control of a truck and are able to drive around freely. Companies, found in cities, offer jobs in the form of cargo deliveries. Completing these deliveries rewards the player with money, which can be used to upgrade the player's current truck, purchase a new truck, or expand the player's company into other countries.
Starting Country
Upon starting a new game, the player is prompted to choose a starting country. The starting country dictates where the player spawns and what region the player is allowed to travel within before the player can afford expansion into other countries. Players are blocked from leaving the starting region by a wall at the border of the region. If the player chooses a country that only contains a single city (e.g. Portugal), the game includes a neighbouring country in the player's starting region (e.g. Spain) so that jobs between cities are possible.
Buying Trucks
After picking a starting country, players are put into a dealership to buy their first truck. All 4 trucks in the game are available with the starting money, but only the lowest tier of each truck, C Class, is cheap enough to afford at the start. Players can return to the dealership at any point in the game to purchase higher tiers of trucks.
Driving
After buying a truck, players are immediately put in control of their truck and are free to explore the cities and highways of the countries they have unlocked. Trucks have various features for the player to use while driving, including headlights and high beams, turn signals and hazard lights, windshield wipers, cruise control, engine brake, and more. Acceleration is generally fast even with starter trucks, though lower-tier trucks may struggle to get up to highway speeds with a trailer attached.
Fines
When the player disobeys the rules of the road, they will receive 'traffic offences' which impose a fine on the player. Fines are deducted from the player's in-game bank account upon completion of a delivery. Traffic offences include:
- Speeding (€250 fine)
- Ignoring a red traffic light (€250 fine)
- Hitting another car (€400 fine)
- Driving in the wrong direction of traffic (€100 fine)
- Not using headlights at night (€50 fine)
- Driving for more than 12 in-game hours without rest
Jobs
Companies, mostly found in cities (with the exception of eAcres), offer jobs to the player which reward money for their completion. Jobs involve delivering a trailer from one city to another. Some cargoes are more valuable than others and reward more money for their delivery. Fragile cargoes are very valuable, however the reward penalty for cargo damage is higher than regular cargo. ADR cargo is also more valuable than regular cargo, but requires ADR certification before they can be transported.
ADR Certification
The player msut purchase an ADR certification in order to transport dangerous chemicals. There are three ADR levels which each grant the player access to different types of cargo.
- ADR Class 3: €25,000 (Diesel, Petrol)
- ADR Class 2: €40,000 (Acid, Chemicals)
- ADR Class 1: €55,000 (Hot Chemicals)
Truck & Driver Maintenance
While driving, the player's truck may experience wear or damage, and the player will start to become fatigued over time. To remedy these, the player can repair their truck at a service shop and rest at a designated rest stop.
Company Expansion
After the player becomes more experienced, they may wish to begin traveling to other areas of the map. However, to expand their deliveries to other countries outside of their starting one(s), the player needs to purchase access permits into neighboring states (the price of which varies).
Levels
Player progression is broken down into 5 distinct levels, with each level having five 'stars'. The player must receive all five stars in one level in order to progress to the next level. Leveling up does not appear to have any impact on the in-game economy or mechanics beyond cosmetic flavor.
Novice | Experienced | Professional | Veteran | Master |
---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
|
|
Trucks
There are 4 trucks for players to choose from. Each truck has 3 variants to purchase at the dealership. Once purchased, trucks can have their paint colour changed and individual stats upgraded at the service shop.
Name | Truck Model | Alias | Image |
---|---|---|---|
Mercedes-Benz | Actros | Majestic | |
Renault | Magnum | Runner | |
Scania | R-series | Swift | |
Volvo | FH16 | Valiant |
Map
Euro Truck Simulator initially released featuring 11 countries: Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, and Switzerland.
On April 15, 2009, the Gold Edition was released for Euro Truck Simulator, bundled with Patch 1.3. The biggest change was the introduction of Calais and the United Kingdom as a new playable area, but there were also several rural roads added across the map (in particular, one road in southern France connecting Bordeaux and Lyon, two roads in Germany extending east of Frankfurt and west of Berlin, and a large network of roads in Poland).
Trivia
- Euro Truck Simulator is the first truck simulation game by SCS Software to be set in Europe.
- Euro Truck Simulator was sold as Big Rig Europe on some game distribution services.[2]
Media
System Requirements
System requirements as listed on the official Steam and Mac App Store pages.
Minimum | |
---|---|
OS | Windows XP |
Processor | 2.4 GHz |
GPU | At least 256MB VRAM |
DirectX | Version 9.0c |
Disk Space | 2 GB available |
RAM | 1 GB |
Minimum | |
---|---|
OS | Mac OS X 10.6.8 (Snow Leopard) |
Processor | Any Intel CPU |
GPU | Any except Intel GMA 950 |
Disk Space | 2 GB available |
RAM | 2 GB |
See also
- List of Cities in Euro Truck Simulator
- Wikipedia page for Euro Truck Simulator
- Official Site for the game
References
Euro Truck Simulator Content | |
---|---|
World | |
Vehicles | |
Facilites | |
Other |
SCS Software Trucking Games | |
---|---|
Truck Simulator series | |
18 Wheels of Steel series | |
Other Video Games | |
Non-Video Games |