Suitable for younger kids?

[Masaai_Warrior]

Not knowing too much about the in-game options or modes, thought it would be best to check here. Would a younger child be able to play this game with some assistance from an adult? Or is it "Sim" all the way with a very complex driving model without options for "free-drive" or simplified controls?

[Lone Wolf]

It is fairly complex for younger kids, but for an older kid or tenager or an adult, they will get some real driving fun out of this game. But if the little one just want to have fun. then set up a prfile and let them have at it.
Hope this helps.

[Masaai_Warrior]

Thanks for the reply :) I have downloaded the demo to give it a shot and will be checking it out with him. He happened to see it on the Autumn Sale and since he *loves* trucks and everything else with 4 wheels, was understandably excited by the game trailer. Looks like he would love it if he could get to grips with it (nearly 7 years old).

[Bonehead]

With assistance I'm sure he would get the hang of it no problem over time. I played 18 Wheels of Steel when I was younger.

[Bonehead]

And yes there is simplified driving controls.

[Nimir-Raj]

You can pretty much make the game only require the ability to move forward/back/left/right.

So long as they can use a keyboard/controller they will be able to play this game.

[Paul196UK]

Yes it would be suitable. I'd say kids will probably pick it up quicker than us adults lol

[mfg.Carlos]

He will be a better driver then you i bet.

[thebeeman123]

I bought it when i was young and i still enjoy playing it to this date. And yes there is a simplified gear mode which makes driving as simple as WASD (and getting into the habit of wide turns around corners). :) American Truck Simulator comes out in late Janurary so he might be interested in that too.

[Nixill]

If you would like I could put up the profile I use; you'll need to reset the controls and such (handily, the controls screens have "reset to defaults" buttons), but it's got a billion euros and all of the first 82 garages that were in the game (base game and east; no garages from Scandinavia, but I could easily change that if you want) so he can drive around without taking missions if he wants.

As for settings, I might recommend the following for him (all of these being what I use as well since I like to focus on the driving more than the simulation; if you take my profile, these will all be set as follows):
* Transmission type: Simple Automatic. This'll make it so that hitting forward or brake while you are stopped will switch between forward and reverse gear. In reverse gear, your brake/throttle controls are reversed as well, so that holding back moves you backwards and holding forward stops you.
* Fatigue simulation: Off. I've never actually played with it on, but I've seen some of the effects. It's one more thing to remember to do, and your kid might not know why those weird things are happening; having it off prevents ever *needing* sleep, but you're still *able* to sleep (to skip night for example) if you haven't slept too much recently.
* Air brake's simulation: Off. Having it on means waiting for your brake air pressure to go up if you use it too much.
* Route advisor speed limit: Show car limit. This way, it will match what the speed limit signs you pass say (in addition to completely disabling the speed limit on the Autobahn in Germany). Also of note is that this causes speed cameras to enforce *car* speed limits on you as opposed to *truck* speed limits.
* Rain probability: Low (I play around 20%). This makes it less rainy.

And I recommend looking at the following:
* Truck speed limiter: If on, your truck's transmission will never push your truck faster than 90 km/h (about 56 mph), though you can still gain additional speed from hills. If you don't want your kid going too fast, turn it on. I personally play with it off.
* Regional settings: Set it to units that are familiar to him. I personally play with English, Euros, 24-hour clock, miles, pounds (weight), and Celsius, as those (except the currency, but USD is not a choice :P) are the units I use in real life.

[Masaai_Warrior]

Nixill that is an amazingly generous offer! I would love the profile if you have no problem with sharing it. And thank you for all your tips and recommendations - extremely kind of you to take the time. I have purchased the base game now and he really really loves it so far, even if the controls will take some getting used to!

Thanks to all who have responded so far - it bodes well for the game and the genre to have such a supportive and engaged community :)

[Solo Kamen]

I was playing Hard truck: 18 wheels of steel when I was like 10 or 12. The basics are to attach truck and drive in the right lane so it can be handled at young age. Shame that I used pirated copy back then.