18 Wheels of Steel

18 Wheels of Steel (sometimes abbreviated as 18 WoS) is a series of trucking simulators published by ValuSoft and developed by SCS Software. The series currently has 6 installments. Despite being released as budget games, the series has surprisingly high production values.

Versions

There are several versions of 18 Wheels Of Steel

18 Wheels of Steel Across America

This installment is very similar to "" except that the graphics were updated, more trucks and cargo were added, and a new map was created that enables users to travel across the entire continental U.S., through 20 cities. Choose from 17 rigs and 30+ trailers. The game uses it's clock in the minutes which is a total of 24 minutes, and it goes by rather quickly.

This game focuses on the delivery of cargo. Unlike in Hard Truck: 18 Wheels of Steel, the sleep timer was removed from the simulation. There is an improved traffic model as well as planes, helicopters, and trains with authentic sounds.

18 Wheels of Steel: Pedal to the Metal

In this installment, released in 2004, the user can travel across the entire continental US, and also northern Mexico and southern Canada, through 30 cities.

The sleep timer was brought back in this version. It has an improved traffic model. "18 Wheels of Steel: Pedal to the Metal" requires OpenGL.

18 Wheels of Steel: Convoy

the United States, as well as southern Canada, though it differs from "18 Wheels of Steel: Pedal to the Metal" in that Mexican cities are not present. You can travel through 30+ cities and choose from 35+ rigs, 45+ cargoes and 47+ trailers. You have to use your mouse to look outside of the cab for your mirrors. The graphics are also much improved in this version, and you can see drivers in other vehicles. However, other graphical features such as dynamic dashboard gauges were replaced with simple textures.

This installment adds more cities and has more realistic graphics, but Mexico is gone from this installment, as in Convoy. The ability to use custom soundtracks and save games during deliveries was added also. Choose from 32 rigs, 45+ cargoes and 47+ trailers.The game requires a very powerful computer to operate properly and it also requires an up-to-date graphics card. 18 Wheels of Steel: Haulin' may be one of the most realistic trucking games on the market. Prism 3D may not respond on older graphic cards resulting in a game crash on the game's startup.

18 Wheels of Steel: American Long Haul

In this installment, you can travel through the United States, southern Canada and northern Mexico. The game is the same as 18 Wheels of Steel Haulin' except for 2 new trucks, Interstate 90 Highway, and Northern Mexico to drive in.

18 Wheels of Steel: Euro Truck Simulator

The newest installment in the series was released in late summer 2008. The location has switched to continental Europe, and all trucks are of European origin.

Although the graphics have been improved slightly in this edition, and the concept of accomplishments introduced, many other things have been removed from the game. For example, it is no longer possible to hire drivers. The police model has also been changed. Instead of passing a waiting police car with a wanted meter, the game keeps track of your transgressions as you drive. Crashing into other verhicles automatically incurrs a fine, but speeding, dangerous driving etc are only reported if you pass a camera location.

A common complaint is that the road network is not dense enough, with only major highways included in a map that is somewhat smaller than some previous versions. However, as of September 2008, a patch has been announced that, when released, will provide several improvements including minor roads as well as the inclusion of the United Kingdom into the map.

This version of the game also allows the player to use DirectX rendering should they wish to do so, whereas earlier versions had been OpenGL only.

Modification

Much of the game's data is in a file named "base.scs". This file can be renamed to "base.zip" and then extracted with a variety of software. If the contents of the extracted folder (folders with the names "defs", "makes", and such) are placed in the game's "My Documents" directory, they are read instead of the original "base.scs". Within the new folders are most of the game textures, including terrain, truck skins, backgrounds, and others, as well as code for cities, trucks, and other ingame objects. The 3D models themselves are also in the folders, in a PSM format. While the game's publisher, ValuSoft, does not provide support on exactly how to "mod" the game, there are several communities and sites dedicated to that purpose.

External links

* [http://www.freewebs.com/18woshacks-radicalone/index.htm Downloadable mods]