Texas, America’s second-largest state, is about to get what’s probably its most authentic virtual rendition ever in American Truck Simulator. SCS has formally announced that the new map expansion for the sim is coming soon — very soon. The Texas map DLC will ride its way into American Truck Simulator with a release date for next week.
With nearly 30 marked cities across its map, the Texas expansion for American Truck Simulator is, by far, one of the most, if not the most comprehensive scenery that SCS has yet put together. After all, the studio itself has said that Texas is “[the] biggest map addition to American Truck Simulator we ever created.”
The “Lone Star” giant
Going back to SCS’ earlier big rig series, 18 Wheels of Steel, this is not the first time that Texas has been handled. After all, various entries in the 18 Wheels of Steel franchise covered basically the entirety of America.
Image via SCS Software
But, the difference here is that those dated maps were exceptionally crude and miniscule in terms of scale and complexity compared to what has been done in recent tears with American Truck Simulator (and Euro Truck Simulator 2, of course). Indeed, SCS has poured far more effort into each map expansion across its modern sims, and the Texas DLC is shaping up to be the embodiment of this feat with its sheer vastness and density.
The immense scale of it is quickly shown off in this highlight reel of the many sights that virtual Texas is going to offer in American Truck Simulator.
American Truck Simulator – Texas DLC gets a release for next week
The new map expansion will span the length and breadth of the state, sporting marked cities from the high north all the way to what is practically its most southern tip. Other than Key West in Florida, the southern tip of Texas is about the most south you can get in the contiguous 50 states.
To really signify how big Texas is, take into account some real figures. In the game, the most northern city is Dalhart, and the most southern is Brownsville. In real life, you would cover nearly 900 miles across a near 17-hour journey to complete the drive; El Paso is the furthest western point, and Beaumont is the most eastern. This drive is 830 miles (or 909, depending on the route) and would take around 13.5 hours to complete. In this instance, you would have crossed between two time zones, and spanned the length of nearly half of New Mexico and all of Oklahoma.
Image via SCS Software
This isn’t to mention the incredible geographical and topographical difference you’ll encounter throughout the ride. The dry, desert regions of the west, to the coastal areas of the south that are straddled by the Gulf of Mexico — you can see nearly every geographical and climatic feature of the US within the confines of this single state.
From oil, to cattle, to even spaceship parts, there’s a lot of cargo to haul into, out of, and round the Lone Star State in American Truck Simulator. In only a few days, prepare to saddle up. The Texas map expansion for American Truck Simulator is available on November 15, and you can check out more info on Steam right now.
