Essential mods recommendation

[Hem]

Hello guys,

Sorry for this very boring, cliche thread, you must have read thousands. I don't know much the vanilla game but I find it a bit bland, not very optimized and especially not great in terms of graphics. So I finally had the chance to get all the maps dlc, and I installed the game with Promods. What I am looking for as an experience is a very clean, realistic game, simulator like. That's why I installed promods, to get realistic maps (however I only tried 2 missions so far and... I did not see much change?).
Anyway: beside Promods, what would you recommend to enhance the game in a realistic way? I am not talking about little tweaking mods, mods that change your truck stickers or whatever, but more important, realistic, big mods. I don't want to install a dozen of them, just some.
What do you think are the MUST in terms of that? weather, road, map... mods that actually improve the game!

Thanks!

[maxcry]

In terms of map mods you have probably reached the maximum of what is currently available in terms of quality and size.
There are a couple of additions you can install like RusMap or the Middle East extension.
When you create the Def file for ProMods you will see these options.

Other map mods can be found here:
https://forum.scssoft.com/viewforum.php?f=32
(=> for different map mods use different profiles!)

Graphics is a matter of taste.
There is nothing that makes it look like a brand new AAA game.

I like the "Realistic Graphics Mod" from the workshop here.
It is kind of subtle and not a big "Wow!" once you've installed it but it is really nice.
Does the right things at the right places I would say.

There are also a couple of so called "ReShades".
You will find them in the Forum. Just use the search function or browse a bit.
https://forum.scssoft.com/viewforum.php?f=34

And there are Grimes Mods, for different seasons (not all on 1.39 so far):
https://grimesmods.wordpress.com/

There are also a couple of "realisitc company" mods around.
Have not tried any of them so far,
Workshop or Forum are good places to look at.
Read the descriptions! Make shure they work with 1.39 and with ProMods and other mods you are using.

Jazzycat has a couple of very nice cargo and traffic mods that can improve the game as well, at least in terms of varieaty. They are well maintained. Performance can be in issue when using to many of them.
http://jazzycat.ucoz.net/


There is no one big "does it all" mod around.
With ProMods you already have one of the biggest (if not THE biggest) mod package.

[SecretOne]

As you are using ProMods you have to also ensure that any mods you use are compatible with ProMods as well.

[Hypertext Eye]

Originally posted by SecretOne:

As you are using ProMods you have to also ensure that any mods you use are compatible with ProMods as well.

That's true for every mod, not just ProMods.

[Hem]

Hey guys, thank you for your help!

Maxcry, thanks a lot for all this info, danke schon. I think I will follow many of your advice, like for instance the RusMap and Middle East extension (I was stuck in Cyprus by realizing with sadness Turkey was not made yet). If you have time I would appreciate your follow up, mate, because I have a few questions and comments!

I have yet to understand the difference between promods and the main game, although as I said I don't know much the base game. What I mean is that I feel... disappointed? maybe, by promods, and I am not sure if I am right or mistaking. What I find a bit disappointing is that when you zoom in, I realize it is only the big axis / main roads that you can take. It mostly goes straight, not allowing you to turn or even see the roads on the right or left - the map is truncated, and when you drive you see xxxxx on the road. I find that it breaks immersion. Is there something I dont understand, is it the game?

Tell me about your way of playing, and your other mods maybe? I put the GPS mod, the most famous one by Sinagrit Baba, Im not sure what it really brings?

I also love music so I just use the radio player for local/internet radios. I like that, though I find it a bit not practical. Any recommendation?

How do you deal on intersections, to check left and right? roundabouts and all that? do you use a wheel? is there VR? or do you use mouse? or keyboard shortcuts? dual screen? I wonder! for me it feels not smooth at all, maybe I can't enjoy the game until I get a wheel I don't know.

Right now I'm up to a hundred thousand euros, what's the main objective, buying trucks and improve my company?

Final question, I was thinking most of the time the traffic is really... light? almost non existent. I don't necessarily want traffic jams (and why not, sometimes maybe?) but do you have a recommendation for that? or is it normal?

Cheers!

[Hypertext Eye]

Originally posted by Hem:

what's the main objective

Drive a truck. No, really, that's it. Anything beyond that is entirely up to you.

[maxcry]

@OP:
That's how the game is.

If you have not played the base game much, I would recommend to do that.
The base game has a lot to offer.
At the end there is no "must have" mod. It is all a matter of personal prefernces.

Basic game or ProMods. There is no Open World full map with every littel road.
The scale is 1:19 (1:15 in the UK) and 1:3 in the cites.
The cities are just a few roads with the companies. The map is more or less just the main roads.
ProMods just adds a bit more here and there and also expands the map in all directions.
You can only drive the roads you see on the map and the GPS. That's what these xxxxx things are for.
There are mods that remove these signs or make them invisible I think. (=> Workshop).
So you can drive somewhere outside the "official" roads but there is a risk you get stuck or fall into the void. There are only a few roads outside the map(GPS) that are meant to be driven or explored.

I personally have one profile with ProMods and one with the vanilla map.
I use the vanilla one for WOT (World of Trucks, see: www.worldoftrucks.com) and for the achievements.
They are both fun to play and I can enjoy both.

I mainly use a couple of truck an trailer mods and paintjobs.
Also the Realistic Graphics Mod and some smaller mods that tweak a few things.
Many mods = Many potential problems => keep the number low
Mine is not really low any more, but I think I somehow know what I am doing and able to fix things on my own. I use a few smaller private mods as well.

The radio player in the game is a bit broken atm as far as I know. (technical issues since the sound changed to FMOD) You can add your own stations but it is not very comfy to maintain and a bit of luck to find a working stream that the player can use.
So the easiest thing to do is start some radio stream outside ETS2.

The game supports VR and triple screen setup. I just use one screen.
I have a wheel and use the mouse to turn my head.
Default view (std-key "1") is set to my middle mouse button so I can easily center the view again.
A wheel is the best way to play the game of course. But a gamepad might also be a good alternative to mouse and keyboard.

With all your money in game you buy garages, trucks and drivers.
They will earn money for you.
Not much you can do wrong. The economy part of the game is everything else than challenging and you will have more money you can ever spend sooner or later.

The traffic density is not that high yes. Must be like driving in the 1950's or so... :)
You can increase it with a parameter in the config.cfg, but it will have a bigger impact on the performance.
I have never tried that.
It it one of the things I really enjoy about this game. IRL you are always stuck in the traffic no matter where you go and it is very frustrating. Nothing I need in a game.
Here I can finally enjoy driving again. I think this is what the developers had in mind as well, beside the performance maybe.

[SimmonsX63]

Hey buddy,

I was in the same shoes as you, base game is kinda blah. But here is a few of the mods that i recommend(I also use promods and have all the DLC so shouldnt be any conflicts)

Heads up Display(Best GPS Mod)
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2210111930

Better Engine Sound
https://forum.scssoft.com/viewtopic.php?f=211&t=287769

Sound fix
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=648591060

Route advisor on top(so you can still see your info since using Heads up display)
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2173243684

Realistic Rain
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1787041596

SiSL's Mega Pack
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=645553604

Then i use several different truck mods but truck mods arent for everyone and are personal taste. My favorite is Overfloater's K100-E

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1814887717

My setup is:

Asus Strix 450
Ryzen 2600X
16 GB Ram
Vega 56 flashed to 64
3 24 in 75 hz Monitors
Logitech G27 with H Shifter

I tried VR and didnt care for it much. I think it had alot to do with how unoptimized it is though.

[Hem]

Hey guys, thanks to both of you, I really appreciate the time you took. Noted for your advices, and I will look deeper into these mods. I still feel disappointed about the quantity of roads though. I'll see.