ETS2 & ATS 1.54 Update to a Revamped Cargo System Coming!
With the release of update 1.54 for ETS2 and ATS, developers are unveiling a revamped cargo system. Previously, every cargo and trailer pairing was stored as a distinct model, but the new system dynamically assigns cargo to compatible trailers, creating a more efficient and adaptable structure. This innovation will streamline development, enhance in-game variety, and provide a more immersive transport experience.
Behind the Scenes: A New Cargo System
Today, we’re excited to bring you another deep dive Under the Hood! This time, we sit down with team members responsible for the upcoming overhaul of the cargo system in ETS2 and ATS, set to debut in update 1.54. Without further ado, let’s hear from the experts about how this system works and what it means for the game!
As the game world continues to expand, the number of cargo types and trailers has grown exponentially, making the old system increasingly difficult to manage. To understand why this change was necessary, it helps to examine how things worked before.
Until now, when cargo—such as a piece of machinery—appeared to be paired with a trailer, it was actually a manually created model, with each combination stored separately on disk. This approach required an extensive number of unique assets, making content additions more time-consuming and consuming significant storage space.
Programmer Simon, also known as 50keda, who has been involved in this project from the start, sheds more light on the subject:
"In our game world, every cargo must be connected to a trailer in some form. The way the cargo visually attaches to the trailer, including the loading model used, is managed by what we call the cargo system. This system determines how cargo models are assigned to trailers and plays a key role in the game’s economic mechanics. As the game evolved, the sheer number of cargo-trailer combinations became unmanageable. Keeping up with the growing list of combinations made development slower and affected the rollout of new cargo and trailers," he explains.
Senior Vehicle Artist Smety echoes this concern, emphasizing that the issue had been mounting for some time. "With the addition of new cargo and an increasing number of branded trailers, things were getting out of hand. Each cargo had to be manually linked to every trailer of that type. For example, if we had three flatbeds, we needed three separate cargo models—each with two or three visual variations. With branded trailers in the mix, the number of combinations exploded. I was tasked with reworking the trailer system."
Authors: SCS Software
