After 60+ hours of Truck Simulator 2, I thought I'd give it a bit of a review.
Undoubtedly sounds boring in black and white - I mean, how could a Truck Simulator be fun?
I think this is the basic perception most people would have. It's really difficult to explain and definitely would be a hard game to market. Until you actually play it, you realise the addicting nature of it - this is the most (relaxed) enjoyment I've had from a game
in years ever and I'm so glad that I gave it a shot.
The game is set up similar to most RPGs with a skill tree split as follows:
- Long Distance
- High Value Cargo
- Fragile Cargo
- Just-in-Time Delivery
- Eco Driving
Each have 6 slots which you can upgrade as you level up.
I think there are 30 levels in total. I'm around 26. XP (as well as money) is gained from every delivery you make. If you damage the goods or don't make it on time, then that XP is deducted and so is the damage cost which prevents you from driving like a madman. You also get bonus XP for parking - which was a little difficult at first but is now really easy (for me).
You start off with your own 1 garage (shack) and working for other companies using their trucks. Once you earn enough money, you can buy your own. Trucks are varied in price and unlocked at certain levels as do the parts and accessories you can upgrade them with. Once you start to work for yourself on the freight market and level up more and more you begin to earn more money until you have enough to upgrade to a 3 and then 5 truck garage where you can start buying more trucks and employ people to drive them, earning you more money. The people you hire will have a set wage and are based on the same skill tree as you where they can increase their skills and you can choose what skill you want them to focus on. You can of course sack people if they're not turning in enough profit. Basically, it becomes an underlying business management sim - you can also get bank loans with interest.
As you drive around to the towns, there are truck dealers and employment buildings you need to drive by in order for them to register (on the map) and be able to visit them. There's also garages you can purchase in most towns (I'm not sure if it's all of them) so you can expand your business/empire across Europe.
You can of course upgrade your trucks as well, from performance to cosmetic changes.
The world is mega huge and great to drive though - the scenery is fantastic. There's speed cameras, toll booths, truck stops where you can sleep and of course petrol stations to fill up at. Towns have upgrade shops you can visit. You also get fined for running red lights. Hell, I use indicators - you start to drive like you would in RL, the game tends to do that to you. You also get fined for crashing into cars as well so it keeps your driving a little more sane. If you're using your high beams, oncoming traffic will flash their lights at you so that's got me flicking them on and off all the time now. haha.
The traffic AI could use some work, it's by no means terrible but it's not fantastic either... there is a beta at the moment and this is one of their fixes they're addressing.
While I'm on a negative, there's also a speed limiter - switch this off in the options straight away as you'll be stuck with a top speed of 90 as that's actually a RL thing in Europe. You also need to fine tune the FFB as the defaults are ordinary. Make sure to map buttons as well - the less you have to use the keyboard the better.
The game has a high amount of options, you can even go as far as adjusting the seat position and rearview mirrors.
As with any sim - play it with a wheel.
In the near future, I'll definitely be getting myself a gearbox and updating the pedals (so I have a clutch) for even greater immersion. I've also been looking at button switches http://www.derekspea...--standard.html but hey, one step at a time as these things aren't exactly cheap for toys.
SCS does a great job with supporting and updating the game... there's still major updates being released after 3 years not to mention the modding tools and community which is some of the best I've seen.
There's mods that include Africa and Russia - it's ridiculous (in a good way) tbh... and the mods are very well made. But also mods, that add RL brands, more trailer loads, more trucks or things like winter which adds snow.
Anyway - I know pretty much everyone here will still shrug this game off but hey, I'm not the one that's missing out. There's good reason why the reviews are Overwhelmingly Positive on Steam.
Now - when does that Scandinavia DLC come out? 17 days and counting... oh and American Truck Simulator on the horizon as well. Looks like I'll be trucking for a very very long time.
9/10.
2
. All being well it'll be a good foundation for you enjoying Witcher 3 
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GraphicX, on 30 March 2015 - 07:32 AM, said:
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