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Thankfully, the developers of American Truck Simulator have made this very easy for players, allowing full Steam Workshop support of the game, and the community has created a whole bunch of enhancements. With a fully modded game, all the rough edges of the game are sanded over, and fun additions are there too.
Updated on July 23, 2022, by Ritwik Mitra: Simulator games that know how to perfect their core gameplay loops tend to stick around for a long time. After all, the fanbase for such games is pretty loyal and rewards hard work with a ton of game time. Simulators that are especially focused on realism have even more of a niche in the gaming industry, with fans of such titles going above and beyond to ensure the perfect experience for themselves.
American Truck Simulator is one such title that seems slightly boring at first glance before revealing its true cards. Accomplishing the whole host of challenges present in this game while maintaining the vehicle in proper condition makes for surprisingly engaging gameplay. This can be enhanced with the use of mods, and the best ats mods are mentioned below.
10 Realistic Graphics Mod v4.0
Created By: Frkn64 Modding
Since American Truck Simulator is a game that wears its realism proudly on its sleeve, it’s only a given for players to want this focus on each and every part of the gameplay experience. This includes the graphics as well, which receives a massive overhaul courtesy of this mod.
There’s no denying that the graphics of American Truck Simulator are already pretty great in their own right. However, some people just want these games to look as good as possible, and mods are the best way to accomplish the same and satisfy each player’s personal interest.
9 Rescued 1977 Peterbilt 359
Created By: Trucker_71
The 1977 Peterbilt 359 is a classic truck that many aficionados still remember to this day. With the use of mods, this truck can be faithfully brought over to a simulator that can do justice to the legacy of this vehicle.
It’s a simple mod, but fans of American Truck Simulator would obviously want such mods that help them experience such legendary vehicles for themselves. In this regard, this mod is easily one of the better ones that are worth trying out.
8 Enhanced Vegetation
Created By: Slavsan93
When creating a map as big as American Truck Simulator’s needs to be to provide a realistic trucking experience, some corners are going to have to be cut. In order to save on budget and development time, the assets for much of the game’s vegetation and a tad sub-par in places.
This is understandable, as players are going to be moving past them at high speeds, so they don’t need to be very detailed to look acceptable; it’s not like a farming simulator, where it needs to be perfect. That said, players who like everything to be perfect have taken it upon themselves to make the world look a bit prettier. It’s the perfect kind of mod, as it showcases the community doing a job the development team didn’t have the time for.
7 Longer Yellow Lights
Created By: Ogg Vorbis
Those unfamiliar with driving trucks in the real world may fail to realize just how different from other vehicles they can be. One of the major ones is how slowly they pull off from a full stop or the low rate at which they decelerate. The consequences of this are that players pass a traffic light on yellow, but it turns red before they fully cross, leading to a fine.
To relieve some of this frustration, players have extended the time for which lights remain yellow. Increasing it from 2 seconds to 4.5 seconds. This gives players a little extra leeway with traffic lights and will lead to a lot less unnecessary expenditure in the form of fines.
6 Realistic Vehicle Lights
Created By: Frkn64
Much like the vegetation in the game, the lighting engine in American Truck Simulator is just as good as it needs to be. With so many other parts of the game requiring greater attention, it would be a waste of time and resources for the development team to create a top-of-the-line lighting engine.
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The vehicle lights in the game are fit for purpose, but in certain situations, they can be hard to see properly. It makes for awkward times when the law requires a vehicle’s lights to be on in rain, even though they make no noticeable difference to visibility. This mod changes that, massively increasing the quality of vehicle lights, and improving overall visibility at night.
5 Real Companies, Gas Stations & Billboards
Created By: MLH82 & 4of25
For legal reasons, the developers of American Truck Simulator can’t use any real brands for most of their world. They pay for the licenses to real truck brands, as they are the most important part of the game, but for things like haulage companies, gas stations, and in-game adverts, they created fake companies instead.
However, fan-made content gets around this, as the developers aren’t liable for what the fans create. This means that those who want to haul loads with real-world branding and supplies in them can do so with the use of this mod, which changes all the logos on the game to be real-world ones.
4 SiSL’s Trailer Pack USA
Created By: SiSL
It’s clear that those who dedicate themselves to a game like American Truck Simulator are looking for the most realistic experience possible, so it’s no wonder that they want as many real-world elements in there are possible. Adding them to the world is one thing, but editing all the hundreds of trailers in the game is quite the feat.
Nevertheless, it’s what SiSL has done, creating bespoke trailers to feature just about every major brand that is seen on the roads today in the USA. There are trailer packs for a few other regions too, and a version for this game’s sister game, Euro Truck Simulator 2.
3 Smarty’s Wheel Pack
Created By: Smarty
The game offers a great number of customization options for players’ trucks that change performance. However, for the most invested players, there can always be more to offer, which is why mods exist that are dedicated to expanding the available pool of just one type of upgrade.
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In this case, loads of different tires have been added that drive differently under all sorts of conditions. Whether players want tires that offer more maneuverability in the rain, or tires designed for great freeway performance, they can have their pick of the litter with this mod.
2 Sound Fixes
Created By: YouDriveSafely
Immersion is always the name of the game when it comes to simulators, and one of the best ways to be absorbed into the world is near-perfect sound design. The default sound design in American Truck Simulator is great, but like any game, those who really know their stuff will see all the little ways in which it could be improved.
This mod looks to try and implement many of those improvements for even the smallest sound effects in the game. Things like the sound of the truck’s suspension adjusting, or the sound of refueling. It even adds a seatbelt sound effect when the player first starts up their truck. It’s the tiny details like that which turn a great experience into an unforgettable one.
1 SiSL’s Mega Pack
Created By: SiSL
Full-time truckers are known to have highly personalized vehicles. Given that it’s where they will be spending most of their day, it can be extremely healthy to make it feel as much like home as possible, there are really no limits on this front.
The options the game gives by default are good, but it’s nothing like what players would see in real life. This is where the modding community comes in once again, allowing players to add just about anything to their truck. Things on the dashboard, around the cabinet, even letting you put other people or pets inside the truck to travel with the player. Then there are the add-ons, which change the traffic around the truck and add fun things like Star Wars vehicles and passengers.
American Truck Simulator is available now on PC.
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