By John Walker on May 19th, 2008 at 9:29 pm.
When we posted about Bus Simulator 2008, a few people commented with questions as to who exactly is the audience for such a game. The placid simulation of moving humans from stop to stop seems such a niche interest. Put it all to one side, because here’s the preview footage of Euro Truck Simulator!
“Euro Truck Simulator offers a truly immersive simulation environment. The player can pan around the cabin, just as if they were actually sitting at the wheel.”
Don’t think I’m the only one throwing around exclamation marks about this. Oh no. The press release accompanying today’s trailer goes on to say:
“Euro Truck Simulator is a European first – a truck simulation game in a European setting, with European long haul trucks!”
What are the chances they’re being ironic?
19/05/2008 at 21:33 Scandalon says:
OMTG!
19/05/2008 at 21:39 Max says:
“What are the chances they’re being ironic?”
Ahahaha XD
19/05/2008 at 21:43 Tyler says:
Yeah, I could see truckers coming home after a long haul …. to do some more trucking on a game! Either that or some kids must have big dreams to be a trucker.
Well, at least it looks nice.
19/05/2008 at 21:46 Simon says:
I wonder how accurate the game map is. If it’s accurate enough they could make a car version and seel it as a trip planner, quickly drive the route virtually before doing it for real so you have an idea what it looks like.
19/05/2008 at 21:46 Chris Evans says:
Is that a spoof video or something, the captions at the top were just great :D
Nice trees though.
19/05/2008 at 21:50 Cooper says:
Exaclibur seem to make those games, that, in the film world, might be, kindly, known as ‘straight to video’
Great for the tiny few enthusiasts and wonderful bargin bin fodder.
Given the developers seem to have the game engine already, it can’t cost much to bundle these games out and only need a handful of sales to break even.
19/05/2008 at 21:53 Jochen Scheisse says:
Oh, shame on you for your sarcasm! That could actually be an interesting game :D
I mean, look at this. Just a normal day in a trucker’s life.
Or they could use this guy as main character for the trucker…
19/05/2008 at 21:54 Dan Fuller says:
I expect Tim Stone’ll be putting in a pre order shortly.
19/05/2008 at 22:03 tWB says:
Deliver cargo!
Drive on roads!
Cope with traffic!
Strictly adhere to standard working hours as defined by (EC) No. 561/2006!
On the other hand, Excalibur also publishes Space Rangers 2, which arguably suffered from too much ambition. So maybe they can get those two companies together to develop European Space Truckers LXII and blow the market’s mind.
19/05/2008 at 22:05 Alex says:
I wonder what Sheriff “Dirty Lyle” Wallace would say if he knew about this… is there a multiplayer option…?
“Ah, breaker one-nine, this here’s the Rubber Duck. You gotta copy on me, Pig Pen, c’mon? Ah, yeah, 10-4,Pig Pen, fer shure, fer shure. By golly, it’s clean clear to Flag Town, c’mon. Yeah, that’s a big 10-4 there, Pig Pen, yeah, we definitely got the front door, good buddy. Mercy sakes alive, looks like we got us a convoy…
Was the dark of the moon on the sixth of June
In a Kenworth pullin’ logs
Cab-over Pete with a reefer on
And a Jimmy haulin’ hogs
We is headin’ for bear on I-one-oh
‘Bout a mile outta Shaky Town
I says, “Pig Pen, this here’s the Rubber Duck.
“And I’m about to put the hammer down.”
‘Cause we got a little convoy
Rockin’ through the night.
Yeah, we got a little convoy,
Ain’t she a beautiful sight?
Come on and join our convoy
Ain’t nothin’ gonna get in our way.
We gonna roll this truckin’ convoy
‘Cross the U-S-A.
Convoy!”
Ah… forget it… it is set it Europe… sorry about that.
19/05/2008 at 22:06 unclebulgaria says:
Will there be a PS3 port?
19/05/2008 at 22:10 Scandalon says:
Heh, a C.W. McCall soundtrack would make it awsome!
Oh, and Alex, the follow-up song was set in Europe!
“Pigpen, I got us a good idea, them friends of Jesus ‘gonna save us. So praise the Lord, and Mr. Ford, and follow that Microbus…10-4″
19/05/2008 at 22:11 Him says:
Hang on… my Penn & Teller sense is tingling!
Desert Bus!
19/05/2008 at 22:23 Alex says:
Oh, and Alex, the follow-up song was set in Europe!
You must be kidding.
“Weil wir einen kleinen Konvoi haben
rockern wir durch die Nacht.
Ja, wir haben einen Konvoi
ist er nicht toll anzusehen…”
Sounds strange in German… “Alles klar, zehn-vier!”
19/05/2008 at 22:33 Man Raised By Puffins says:
I presume the devs just really like trucking.
19/05/2008 at 23:07 Valentin Galea says:
If you cannot pick up hookers then this game is dead to me!
19/05/2008 at 23:22 dAN says:
The option to stop for pasties* would be a clincher.
(*or euro equivalent)
19/05/2008 at 23:34 wcaypahwat says:
Pretty sure an aussie set game of a similar type has been around for a while now. They like trucks here.
19/05/2008 at 23:49 RichPowers says:
I would buy a trucking game if they had GTA-quality voice actors for CB radio stations.
10-4 good buddy!
20/05/2008 at 00:13 Andrew Armstrong says:
I know it’s joking material (and I love the I like Trucking song on the Not the Nine O’Clock News too :) good link there, MRBP), but like the Flight Sim series, it does give enthusiasts some good simulation stuff – like the different train simulators too. I am sure not many people who read this blog have bus or lorry permits, especially to travel abroad with them!
If anything, it’s probably more interesting then driving a car around the same locations, and allows you to enjoy parts of the world you’d never normally visit, albeit on a road :)
At least RPS is reporting on it, I like a lot of the less mainstream stuff put up here :D good to know it exists at least. While it’s not serious, I bet it’ll make a profit, no reason games like it can’t work.
20/05/2008 at 01:23 Joe says:
Truck sims are so hot right now
20/05/2008 at 01:52 Dan Forever says:
Bus Simulator was 17 in the top 20 PC charts at the local GAME store (newcastle).
20/05/2008 at 03:18 Pod says:
That trailer actually enticed me….
Is that wrong? Will it teach me to drive? Oh boy, my life is over….
ps: MMOT (trucking)? or MMOGTS (goods transportation service)! Players could set up rival companies. It’d be like transport tycoon, only the companies would have to hire other players. Delivery not on time? Your fleet of 12 year old employees ran off to have dinner, slowing your service down to a grinding halt? Fire off an angry VOIP message and hire some chinese grinders instead! Service Guaranteed!
pps: That honestly sounded interesting, if not completely unworkable.
20/05/2008 at 06:51 RichPowers says:
We need a good trucking sim, one that isn’t stodgily realistic or redneck-over-the-top. Maybe Crazy Taxi meets 18 Wheels of Steel? (Generously mix in equal parts “quality” and “polish” as well.)
The mission opportunities are endless: haul radioactive waste through some urban center (failure results in a huge, inexplicable mushroom cloud); transport illegal immigrants across various national borders; decide what cargo type would best conceal drugs and other contraband from the authorities. Make up some fictional locations so we can travel through endless freeway tangles and huge mountain ranges, complete with runaway truck ramps. Add in a Pirates!-type thing where your avatar can enter truck stops, fight drunken rednecks, and extract information/missions from various people.
ps: If anyone wants to experience the 1970s craze of owning CBs/worshiping truckers in the US, I suggest C.W. McCall’s “Convoy.”
pss: Hell, just turn the entire “Convoy” song into a videogame already.
20/05/2008 at 08:49 Larington says:
Wait, did I actually here signalling audio, will we finally get a vehicle sim game where you can signal left/right and the cars respond to that.
Do cars change lane for you when you’re coming out of a slip-road onto a motorway/autobahn/whatever?
20/05/2008 at 08:50 Mike says:
I would end up getting so annoyed with faster cars overtaking that I’d just plough into the nearest fuel station, end it quickly!
20/05/2008 at 09:42 Thiefsie says:
But how do you simulate the taking of Roofies, back pain and slanderous truckie talk?
20/05/2008 at 10:00 Ginger Yellow says:
Is there a refinery blockade mode?
20/05/2008 at 10:03 Ian says:
£30 I spend on anything else in the near future will merely eat away at me as £30 I haven’t spent on this.
20/05/2008 at 10:08 phuzz says:
That was some rubbish driving, he seemed to be spending all his time swerving between the fast lane and the middle, how’s that good trucking?
A friend of mine is doing his HGV license right now. He’s thinking about going to do a tour in Iraq, apparently you can make big bonuses, but it might be a more exciting setting for a game.
20/05/2008 at 10:19 Babs says:
If you cannot drive to Ipswich and strangle hookers then this game is dead to me!
What?
20/05/2008 at 10:24 Ian says:
@Phuzz: Hell yeah!
Trucks: WARZONE!
20/05/2008 at 11:31 Arnulf says:
Actually the trailer left me with a wanting to play that game…
20/05/2008 at 12:43 Nallen says:
Glad to see the closing shot is of a cab in the fast lane causing a tailback.
Now that’s what I call hardcore simulation :)
20/05/2008 at 13:19 Michael says:
And it does not end there. Have a look here:
http://www.astragon.de/product_info.php?products_id=213
Not sure whether they have an English site, but it’s the – brace yourself – Garbage Truck Simulator 2008. Seriously: WTF?
20/05/2008 at 14:58 Razerious says:
Now that’s something for me. Ever since I was a little boy I’ve wanted to be a garbage truck driver. Now I can finally realize that dream, thanks to Astragon’s Garbage Truck Simulator 2008!
20/05/2008 at 15:14 Inglorion says:
There better be a multiplayer option and a convoy mode.
20/05/2008 at 16:53 Man Raised By Puffins says:
@ Andrew: To be fair to the game it does remind me of the fun times I’ve had just driving between Los Santos and San Fierro admiring the scenery in San Andreas, so I can kind of see the appeal.
@ Michael: Also, Agriculture Simulator 2008! Featuring a nightmarish dystopian near-future where sentient combine harvesters roam the fields in search of human prey, by the looks of it anyway.
20/05/2008 at 18:49 Cigol says:
…and the say PC gaming is dying. Surely the existence of a trucking simulator dedicated to GARBAGE TRUCKS is evidence to the contrary?
Anyway, count me in as one of the lepers who is, conceptually at least, attracted to games of this ilk. I’ve not played one that doesn’t lose it’s novelty value after a short while yet, but here’s hoping a developer with the budget, support and time eventually gets to tackle this hot bed of gaming potential.
Ahem.
20/05/2008 at 19:40 terry says:
If I can’t pick up backpackers and bore them to death it isn’t realistic :)
20/05/2008 at 19:51 Optimaximal says:
You’d think they wouldn’t demo the game with the person playing on a keyboard – It’s more twitchy than GRID…
21/05/2008 at 05:26 Mario says:
And people say that PC Gaming is dying…. pfttt.
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http://www.taxi583.com
09/07/2008 at 04:24 Unanimous says:
i think that a game should be made where they cross sims and 18 wheels of steel haulin. So therefore you have to stop for food, go to the toilet, sleep (which is already in 18WOS haulin) and add a few more things like being able to get drunk, smoke cigarettes and other emotions add such as being addicted to ciggarets changes yur charecters mood and addiction to alcohol etc. to make other people want to play that arent into trucking so much. And be able to buy your own car and house and have a life outside trucking but have your own truck and get your own jobs from different employers or be an owner driver or have yur own business. Just like 18 WOS haulin but have a life outside of trucking just like sims. :-)
06/03/2009 at 22:13 Jeff says:
Nice read thanks.