Sims

For a long time, simulators were a genre that didn’t really resonate with me. My first exposure to them was an old version of Microsoft Flight Simulator on my dad’s Apple IIe back in the 80s. I learned how to take off and fly around, but not land. It was all a bit too slow for my tastes at the time, especially with all of the goodies that Sega and Nintendo had to offer in the world of video games. Even when I poked my head into the genre during subsequent years, the games were still fairly clunky, or overly complicated for me (ie. Flight combat sims).

In recent years, I’ve actually warmed up to simulators a fair bit, not flight sims, but some other types. In particular, truck sims have become something I’ve found myself logging an unexpectedly large amount of time on. At first it was just a bit of curiosity when Euro Truck Simulator 2 came out. It was getting a bit of buzz, and watching footage of the gameplay was strangely compelling. So, I got it on a sale and started playing.

To my surprise, it was quite relaxing. I’ve not gone whole hog with my setup as some people have. There’s no steering wheel, no multi-monitor view, and no head tracker. I’m just using a cheapo Logitech gamepad with some tweaks to the game’s controls for comfort (particularly steering sensitivity). This has been more than enough to enjoy the game. The enjoyment has been coming from simply going on drives across Europe, watching the countryside roll by as I deliver fish, or cars, or tanks or whatever.

Over time, DLC came along that I happily gobbled up. Eastern Europe, the Baltic, Italy, and Scandinavia could now be visited. Exotic deliveries became possible, which usually meant extremely large, wide loads, that could barely fit on a highway. All the while, the experience remained very enjoyable, especially visiting new lands. The core game was a bit same-y with a lot of similar-looking rolling hills peppered with wind turbines. There were some variations in greenery, and each major city would have some sort of landmark in the background to emphasize the location. Nevertheless, it was clear that these were all developed with a low budget and not knowing just how popular the would later become. With these DLCs into new regions, one can quickly see that SCS had a lot more money to play with. Each area feels a lot more unique. Players can drive along the Mediterranean coast of Italy, or wind through the tunnels and bridges of Scandinavia. The spruced up locales have really breathed a lot of life into the game.

I can’t say I like the exotic loads all that much, though. These are more for the super serious simulation players, I reckon. At most, I’ll take a particularly articulated trailer if I want a challenge, but on the whole, more humble, real-life deliveries are more my thing. People still need their groceries, toys, furniture, and the like, and I’m happy to deliver it.

Eventually, American Truck Simulator came along for a different flavor of truck sim, and I happily picked that up as well. Right out of the gates, this game has a lot more variety in locales, reflecting the landscape of America. As it stands now, I can drive through the forests of the Pacific Northwest, swing through the Nevada desert, get a glimpse of big sky country in Idaho, and even wind my way through the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. It’s not just that, though. The game feels a lot more lived in for lack of a better word. There are a lot more cities and they’re far more fleshed out. In Euro Truck, most cities area few square blocks, and feel more like representations of cities. In American Truck, the cities stretch out a lot more, and there are a lot more buildings. It feels much more like real towns in that game.

None of this is to say that I’m spending all of my free time on truck sims, but they have managed to scratch a specific itch. There are times in the evening when I’m tired after work and kind of want to play some video games, but I don’t want anything overly fast paced, nor do I want something that will tax my brain terribly. These truck sims give me something that is lightly interactive, especially since I play with a controller and haul stable goods around. It becomes a very stripped down, arcade-like experience doing that. When I’m looking for something game-related to do for an hour before bed when I’m already half a sleep, these truck sims do succeed in providing a nice little romp just driving around, soaking in the scenery. There’s even a bit of exploration seeing as the road system is so vast. Currently, I’m stringing jobs together making my way to Lithuania in Euro Truck. It’s fun figuring that stuff out then venturing forth on the open road.

Years ago, I’d never imagine that I’d get into simulation games. I associated them as the sort of thing older people played, like complex war games, and some of the management games that started emerging in the 90s. Then again, I am getting older, so maybe some of this is a natural progression in what sort of interactive experiences people crave at different points in their lives. Don’t get me wrong, I still love a good shoot ‘em up or metroidvania. However, a special place has grown in my heart for simulators as well.

Pennywhether

pennywhether@posteo.net

April 1, 2021