American Truck Simulator 1.56 has officially released. Many of the 1.56 features in ATS are similar to those in the ETS 1.56 Open Beta, which we covered here, though there are some unique ATS features in this update.
Height Blend
First up is a new height blending technique, which is also coming to ETS2. Height blending is used to create a realistic and visually appealing transition between terrain and surfaces such as grass, dirt, and stone.
SCS explains that the team has converted, tweaked, and visually checked over 1,300 materials from the game to work with this new technique and the results do look good in the example images provided by SCS, which you can see below.
Dynamic Cargo Improvements
SCS has expanded the dynamic loading and unloading feature, which was introduced back in version 1.51. Now, players that use their own logger or chipvan trailers can see a material handler loading and unloading their loads at selected depots across the map. Large tubes, logs, utility poles, and metal scrap, are supported with this feature.
Camera Zoom – Hold/Toggle
Another feature coming over from the ETS2 1.56 Open Beta is the Camera Zoom accessibility toggle. You can now choose whether the interior zoom function requires holding a key, or be switched to a toggle mode. This feature is primarily there to offer a more comfortable way for all players to take a closer look at details inside their cab.
DLC Browser
SCS has updated the design of the in-game DLC browser. The redesign aims to make browsing and discovering DLC easier and more enjoyable, while also giving you a better overview of what each DLC offers. Notably, SCS mentions that they have improved categorization with clearer sections, such as Featured, Bundles, Map, Cargo, Trailer, Accessories, and Paint Jobs.
New Profile Creation and Start-up Flow
Now onto an update feature for both new and existing players, the profile creation and startup flow. This update includes a new UI design, along with improved navigation. The old table-style list of profiles has now been replaced with larger, card-like slots, providing a cleaner and more modern look, as has been the theme with all the most recent UI updates to the game.
SCS notes that your active profile will always appear at the top, with your other careers sorted by most recent playtime. The first slot is reserved for starting a brand-new career, and switching between your profiles is now quicker, as all you have to do is simply double-click on a card to jump right in.
A new Truck Preference screen has also been added for when you select your truck preferences between selecting your headquarters and the opening cutscene when creating a new profile.
Last but not least for this feature area, they’ve also refreshed the edit profile screen to focus only on details that really matter for profile. Most of the older fields have been moved elsewhere, keeping the edit UI straight forward and clutter-free.
Management UI/UX Improvements
SCS has also taken the time to redesign the company sub-screen on the desktop, driver, trailer, truck, and garage manager screen. This refresh now shows the company name, logo, and key statistics including a 7-day profit graph.
They’ve also added a new quality-of-life improvement to the relocation screen. When both a driver and their truck can be placed in the same garage slot, a checkbox now allows relocating them together in one step. They also state that to improve accessibility, the garage manager and driver manager are now unlocked from the very start of the game, rather than only after purchasing a first truck.
That’s a wrap!
And that wraps up all the new features in American Truck Simulator 1.56. The update is available now to all players via Steam. The full changelog for this update can be found below:
Changelog
Gameplay
- Dynamic cargo improvements
- Camera zoom – hold/toggle
Visual
- Height blend
UI
- Career creation – redesigned UI/UX and start-up flow
- Management UI/UX improvements
Other
- DLC browser – redesigned
