Review: American Truck Simulator (Steam)

Experience legendary American trucks and deliver various cargoes across sunny California and sandy Nevada. American Truck Simulator takes you on a journey through the breathtaking landscapes and widely recognized landmarks around the States.

Pros:

• Fantastic graphics. They have really been improved since the last game. The attention to detail combining with the jaw dropping lighting effects really lift the game to the next level.
• Soundtrack: You can once again use the built in internet radio or you can create your playlists and import your own music.
• Game play is very much one where you deliver cargo across America and earn money to start your own business and buy a fleet of trucks and hire drivers.
• Earn exp from jobs and parking to level up and boost your stats or unlock the ability to do bigger better cargos.
• Opening tutorial for the basics with ongoing tutorial tips and tricks.
• Control options: Keyboard and mouse, Keyboard, Steering wheel or controller. Each allows you to rebind controls and set dead zones, sensitivity etc.
• Can connect your account with world of Trucks. Allows you to do online job listings and tinker more with your profile.  You can upload pics to your account and set them as profile picture etc.
• New car models including better AI behavior for the most part.
• In depth video options. You can choose a preset or you can change everything from AA to v-sync to resolution manually.
• Game settings: You can turn on/off fatigue. Adjust how fast petrol is consumed and even use the probability slider for rain!
• Day/Night cycle.
• Steam achievements and trading cards.
• Rain weather.
• Jobs board: You can choose to do a job in your own truck where you have to go and pick up the cargo, Or you can jump straight into a job in a company truck and earn less but get straight into it.
• Map: Here you can select any discovered town and select a job from there or you can change the filter to show best paid job or closest job to you etc. Its a very powerful underused tool.
• Parking: Now when you get to your destination you have a choice of 3 parking options. You can choose to skip it entirely or you can do the easy park or for extra bonus exp you can do the hard park. Each one is unique and will defiantly test your parking skills.
• Customize your truck. You can only do this with your own truck but you can add new mirrors, plates and more.
• Scenic iconic towns with as much realism as you would expect from a simulator.
• New road rules like weigh in stops to check your load.
• Can refuel at the many petrol stations.
• Gears and even assists can be fully configured. Go for the full experience or take it easier with automatic gears or partial manual set ups.
• Free DLC: Already we have had a new truck and after just following the Steam page, You get Steampunk paint jobs. Later we get the next expansion pack free: Arizona.
• Discover new towns and areas and once discovered, Allow you to work jobs from there.
• RPG light as in you need to manage fatigue, Petrol and even job assigning.
• Hire new drivers to work for you.
• Loan: Take out a loan if you want to speed up your truck ownage. Be warned the bank always gets its money.
• Fines: You can get fines for running a red light, Overtaking incorrectly or good old fashioned speeding and crashing. Fines come out of your wallet straight away.
• Police: There is a lot more Police than previous games. They are alot sneakier as well. Hiding in groups of cars and even setting up in random lay bys and turn offs.
• Easter egss to find from the Bates motel to rubber ducks.

Cons:

• Slow starter. Building up cash takes an age.
• Road rules including fines are way too sensitive. (It has been patched but a few niggles still persist)
• No online aspect at all.
• Can be described as just a reskinned stand alone DLC package.
• Only 3 trucks to choose from. (Was 2 but the DLC added one more)
• Performance hit when going into a built up area.
• No snow/ice weather.
• AI still has its moments especially when you are turning or signalling or moving. Breathing can also trigger crazy AI.
• Everything needs grinding from the trucks to building your business and hiring drivers.
• Not as many options to customize your truck.
• No Steam workshop support as of yet.