Washington State ATS Development Thread

[NWbyNW]

WASHINGTON STATE ATS DEVELOPMENT THREAD

After reading a wonderful little topic about Oregon, I knew a topic should be started for Washington State since it is possibly coming in the nearer future then say . . . Maine.

As a Washington resident who frequents the entire Pacific Northwest region and am well studied in geography and demographics, I would be happy to help the developers learn about this great and diverse region which is filled with forests, mountains, rivers, lakes, plains, hills, snowy regions, canyons, and scrubland/desert. Most people just make the assumption all of Washington State is Evergreen tree’s and always wet. It isn’t, and I want this topic to help the developers on their quest to produce the very best American Truck Simulator they can make. Lets begin.

Since it is impossible to add all the towns and cities in Washington State, I narrowed the list down to include important key cities, and some cities for their importance to trucking, or just to have something in a more remote area.

STATE REGIONS & ENVIRONMENT

Click here for a Washington State Map[www.google.com]. Though Washington is broken up into 39 counties, most residents refer to the state being split into two main regions, Western Washington and Eastern Washington. Western WA is the green part that is heavily urbanized for the most part. Eastern Washington is far more rural, dry, and not as much trees. Sometimes a third region, Central Washington, is included. This area is a buffer zone when the thick and dense Evergreen tree’s from the western part of the state become more separated and turn into Ponderosa Pine type tree’s before disappearing all together in Eastern Washington. The Cascade Mountain Range separates Western Washington from Eastern Washington, and often Central Washington can claim some of this land as their own if we include them. I think for simplicity sake, we will just stick with the more common, Eastern and Western Washington.

Mountains are dense and snow covered within the Olympic Mountains and Cascade Mountains. The Olympics are on the Olympic Peninsula (the large peninsula at the western edge of the state that looks like a handle). The Olympics are densely forested, and not real roads penetrate the mountains. You have to drive around. It was one of the last places to be fully explored in the United States. Snow sits on these mountains year round most of the time.

The Cascade Mountains are the dense mountain range that split the state separated the west from the east. These mountains are densely forested and are snow filled year round a lot of the time. They are home to the infamous Mt. St. Helens, one of the tallest mountains in the country, Mount Rainier, and the well known, Mount Baker (snowiest/deepest snow depth in North America).

The Columbia is an important feature that cannot be overlooked as it winds through the state. It has several large dams along it, and is a stunning river as it goes through canyons and lowlands.

The northern portion of the map east of the Cascades is mostly mountainous and tree filled, with agricultural valleys along riverfront land. The trees are dense, but a more dry type of spruce/pine.

Below the northeastern part of the state is the Columbia Basin that is mostly agricultural and treeless. There are pockets of trees, but overall it is flat or hilly. It loses elevation as it heads south to the Oregon border or the Columbia River. This area is kept fertile for agriculture due to the Grand Coulee Dam on the Columbia River. Another area to research that is distinctly different to the rest of the Columbia Basin is the Palouse, which is a hilly region around Pullman, Washington.

A small pocket around Spokane is forested and hilly. Spokane is a well forested, and green city.

Western Washington is much easier and is mostly all green and forested. Small pockets are agricultural and they are north of Bellingham, around Mount Vernon, and Centralia. That is a very limited list, but would break up the forest.

Hood Canal and San Juan Islands. This is an area made up of islands, and the Hood Canal region is connected by bridges or main highways. Ferries are an important feature I will include in Transportion. I doubt the San Juan Islands will be included because you need to get to them by a ferry boat ride from the town of Anacortes, Washington.

Olympic Peninsula is heavily forested with the Olympic Mountains between them. And important road is Highway 101 which traverses around the peninsula and mountains.

The Pacific Coast is mostly rugged and forested. Washington State doesn’t have many coastal towns until you get to the south western part of the state. There are very important port towns in that region. The Washington Coast is known for scenic beaches or rock mixed with sand, rock arches and sea-stacks. Mountains need to be everywhere you look! Here is an image of Mt. Baker over Bellingham[www.flickr.com]. Mountains in Washington can be seen for very long distances. For example, Mt. Baker here can be seen from Everett.

Add deer! Deer jumping across the road in forested regions. Snow in the mountain passes would be lovely.

Make sure it is cloudy and raining more in this state then others. It doesn’t get over 70 degrees often.

CITIES & TOWNS

Below are some important towns with some smaller ones thrown in simply to add diversity for gas stations or rest stops. I placed them in alphabetical order. Secondary settlements don’t need to be designed as in-depth and can vary in important. And no, I don’t expect all these to make it. Just giving you ideas to use. Be sure to have some skyscrapers in cities that have them: Seattle, Tacoma, Spokane, Bellevue. All you can see from the freeway. These cities have mid rises you can at least see from the freeway: Vancouver, Everett, Yakima, kind of sort of Bellingham.

KEY SETTLEMENTS

- Aberdeen (Very important terminal that is used for the timber industry, new cars, and other heavy industry)
- Anacortes (A scenic town with a large oil refining depot and a port that specializes in ship building)
- Bellevue (Midsized city with skyscrapers, good for store shipping and computer/software stuff since close to Microsoft)
- Bellingham (Growing coastal city with a port and close to the Canadian border. Many refineries in the surrounding area for trucking and lots of farming too)
- Everett (Very important port city for businesses like Boeing and other aerospace businesses. A large deepwater port with industry)
- Longview (The first major port with heavy industry and grain terminals as ships come in from the Pacific Ocean. Very important port and tons of industry)
- Port Angeles (Fairly big port and hub or ships coming in from the Pacific. Would be a good reason to get truckers on the Peninsula)
- Seattle (In a constant battle for largest port in the state with Tacoma, Seattle has an immense scale of terminals and industry in the cities south end and around Harbor Island)
- Spokane (Home to industry, and the largest hub for industry in Eastern Washington, as well as the state’s second biggest city)
- Tacoma (Crazy not to include Tacoma with one of the largest ports on the west coast, considered one of the most advanced ports in North America with every type of shipping you can imagine from cars, goods, and more. Industrial city.)
- Vancouver (Very large port that rivals Portland’s and key for bulk ships and rail transport. Great location for trucks to stop)
- Tri-Cities (Is actually three cities, but all together. Pasco, Kennewick, Richland. Both Pasco and Kennewick have large river ports and large train yards for shipping of agricultural goods)
- Wenatchee (Lots of apples and agricultural shipping from this central Washington town).
- Yakima (Lots of agricultural transportation is hub bed in this central Washington city)

SECONDARY SETTLEMENTS

Bingen - Tiny town for gas/rest along the Columbia River. Breaks up the road with a settlement.
Bremerton - A city with a port, heavily navy, good for a city in the Hood Canal region.
Chehalis/Centralia - Two separate towns, but pretty key towns on I-5. I almost put them as key settlements, but don’t feel they need to be done super detailed. Agricultural and heavy industry with logging here as well. Good to have rest and gas here. Usually a stop for travelers in real life.
Colville - Small northern Washington town for gas/sleep.
Ellensburg - Gas/sleep and agricultural area.
Forks - Small town for gas/resting and logging on the Olympic Peninsula.
Kent - Industrial city of warehouses, a hub in the northwest for all things trucking, no joke.
Mount Vernon - Important agricultural city for western Washington. Gas/sleep.
Moses Lake - Midsize town with agriculture industry and high tech industry. Rest/ gas.
Neah Bay - Tiny town on the tip of the Olympic Peninsula. Small road to get there, challenge accepted!
Newport - Small town, but important timber and some industry as you head to Oregon.
Oak Harbor - Town on Whidbey Island which is connected by Deception Pass or ferry. Gas/rest.
Okanogan/Omak - Two small towns, choose one, for gas/sleep. Agricultural.
Olympia - I guess we should include the state capital. From I-5, you can see the capitols dome, and it is iconic and a landmark from the freeway. Doesn’t mean you need to do anything more then that and rest/gas is all for this city.
Pomeroy - Small town to break up the road driving for gas/rest.
Raymond - Small town for logging and a rest/gas station. Breaks up forest along the coast.
Renton - A city in the Seattle metro, very industrial.
Republic - Simply to add a town in northern Washington for gas and sleep.
Ritzville - Important landmark town along I-90 simply to break up the drive. Agricultural. Most people see it since it is the only town of size along this route for a good ways till you hit Spokane or Moses Lake.
Rosalia - Small town for has/rest. Agricultural.
Shelton - Small logging town with a port and good for sleep/gas.
Skykomish - Nothing more then for gas/sleep along Highway 2 over Stevens Pass.
Walla Walla - The name is fun, and it is a well known community. Agricultural and great for gas/rest.
Wilbur - Small town and agricultural hub. Sleep/gas.

Tried to keep the list small, but boy did it balloon. Just trying to make it so you don’t go through long stretches without something breaking up the possible nothingness.

TRANSPORTATION ROUTES AND STATE FERRIES

I did not make this super extensive or detailed.

In Washington State, ferries are an extension of the freeway/interstate system. Since we have so many islands, they connect places. It is up to you to implement them or not, since most people will just take a ferry from Seattle to Bremerton instead of driving around body of water known as the Puget Sound.

SR 2 - Important route from Everett to Spokane, goes over Cascade Mountains and the scenic Stevens Pass. Connects a few small towns mentioned in list above.
SR 8 - From I-5 it takes you to the coast and connects to US 101 at Aberdeen.
SR 9 - Alternative north/south route instead of I-5 past Everett. Good for agricultural/forested roads.
SR 11 - Whether industrial or not, this road is considered one of the best driving roads in North America and would present a challenge on it’s small, scenic cliffside route to Bellingham. It is known as Chuckanut Drive, is tree lined with classic stone arched retaining walls. Beautiful views.
SR 14 - Travels along the Columbia River along what is known as the Columbia Gorge. A scenic canyon for the most part and would connect Vancouver to Eastern Washington’s
Bingen and eventually Yakima or the Tri-Cities.
SR 20 - Highway that connects north eastern Washington towns like Republic, Colville to bigger routes and runs to US 97. Can continue to create the famous North Cascades Highway, a remote highway through the Cascade Mountain Ranger that eventually connects to Mount Vernon area and I-5. Eventually continues to Whidbey Island, goes over Deception Pass, and into the town of Oak Harbor.
US 12 - Alternative route across the Cascade Mountains to connect to Yakima. Then runs to Tri-Cities, to Walla Walla and onward to Idaho border.
US 97 - Goes from Wenatchee to Canadian border through Okanogan/Omak.
US 101 - Along the WA Coast and around the Olympic Peninsula and down the Hood Canal.
US 195 - Connects to US 12 and runs by Pullman to Spokane. Continues to Colville and Canadian border.
US 395 - Connects from Tri-Cities to Ritzville and runs through agricultural region.
I-5 - From Oregon to the Canadian border.
I-82 - Important from Ellensburg to Tri-Cities and connects into Oregon.
I-90 - From Seattle to the Idaho border. Goes over Cascades through Snoqualmie Pass.
I-405 - Loops around Lake Washington opposite of Seattle and runs through Renton and Belleve, connects with I-90 as well.

LAW ENFORCEMENT

Police cars don’t need to be black and white. As a matter of fact, each state should have different state police cars patrolling them, just an idea. In Washington State, I would use an SUV and a car to break it up. HERE[www.flickr.com] is what their cars look like. Update from the generic Ford Crown Victoria, they are starting to disappear for newer cars.

State speed limit in urban and built up areas for cars AND trucks is 60mph. Outside of these areas, the speed limit is 70mph for everyone. In some places, the truck speed limit is reduced to 60mph while cars are 70mph.

Between Olympia and Everett the speed limit is 60mph on the interstate/freeway. Outside of this region, minus entering towns, the speed limit is 70mph.

On city roads, the speed limit is often 35mph. (Do people think that is accurate?)

On rural highways in Western Washington, the speed limit is often 55mph. In Eastern Washington, the speed limit is higher.

LANDMARKS

- Cape Flattery, if in the game, should include the town of Neah Bay. Seastacks with a lighthouse, and rock arches over the Pacific ocean.
- Key mountains, Mt. Rainier, Mount Saint Helens, Mount Baker.
- Columbia River Gorge.
- Various Hydro dams along the Columbia River.
- In the hilly Palouse, include Steptoe Butte for kicks.

SPECIAL LOADS

- Automobiles from Asia come to ports in Washington like Tacoma, Aberdeen, and Longview.
- Wine / Beer from the Tri-Cities, Yakima, Walla Walla, and many other locations.
- Apples from Wenatchee and Yakima.
- Logging from coastal ports and towns.
- Aerospace parts, entire plane fuselages, especially around Everett, Washington.
- Wind turbines from Longview to Eastern Washington destinations.
- Military equipment, especially around Tacoma, Bremerton, and Yakima.

CHALLENGES

-One of the largest challenges for SCS when creating Washington State will be the Columbia River Gorge. Read more on that challenge HERE and why it will be so difficult.

CLOSING COMMENTS

Washington State ATS Concept Map[i66.tinypic.com] <--Click there to view my concept map of Washington State including all the locations listed above, perfect for an ideal Washington in American Truck Simulator.

Think beauty[www.flickr.com]. Both Washington State and Oregon are arguably the most scenic and beautiful states in North America. Go all out and do your absolute best to make that apparent. Have fun and be creative, and I would happily assist you in anything you may need help with. I take photos and got many you can use for reference too. As well, you got this amazing ATS Community to help too.

If you guys can think of more or less to add, changes, etc, comment below! Lets see this topic blossom into something grand! Oh my... I've been working on this for two hours.

Happy trucking!

RELATED TOPICS:

* Washington State ATS Development Thread (Steam)
* Washington State ATS Development Thread[forum.scssoft.com] (SCS Forum)
* Oregon State ATS Development Thread (Steam)

[NWbyNW]

I didn't expect this... but this new blog post got me more excited then ever. LOOK AT THE DETAIL! It's a discussion and showcase of some of the upcoming bridges in Washington State, and oh boy, does Washington State have a lot. They've mysteriously not shown the massive Tacoma Narrows Bridge, but they instead showed some incredibly detailed bridges with unique openings and expansion joints! This is a heck of an upcoming DLC boys.

https://blog.scssoft.com/2019/05/washington-bridges.html

We also learn that the Yellow Ribbon Highway is in the game as a minor alternative to I-5 in Everett, which will connect the city to possibly the upcoming International truck dealership, which is located in northern Everett. There is also industry there as it connects to the town of Marysville.

[Nite69]

This state is gonna be crazy..... its my home state too and they are adding so many details it sounds like, gonna be awesome

[Catratio]

Those are some nice bridges :)
I hope someday they can go back to California and update it with some of these cool features. Redding has the Sundial Bridge that would fit right in with these new Washington bridges.

[Robocop_001]

one of those bridges is right next to my house. this is going to be freaking awesome that they added aberdeen

[JohnnyBoythePilot]

I recognized those swivel bridges near Everett. :) Also there's a Peterbilt dealer/shop in Marysville, although I don't know if SCS would want two truck dealers in the same city, but that would be awesome! Anyone else hoping they add the Paccar test track in Mount Vernon as an Easter egg?

[NWbyNW]

Of course we are hoping for that test track. A few years prior to now, SCS did visit the test track. :)

[NWbyNW]

So here is a note. We can now safely say that Vancouver is a marked city on the map... it is possible they will make Longview a marked city.

In the original plans, ABERDEEN was not a marked city though it is pretty clear in the picture we can see refineries and an Eddy's. Raymond has also been shown to have delivery locations. Is it possible we will have a lot more marked cities then SCS had originally planned? YES.

It seems like Aberdeen will probably be marked now instead of it just appearing as Olympia or something for a delivery joint. If so, that means we have at least TWO cities that weren't supposed to be marked cities now as marked cities. This is exciting because otherwise the nine planned marked cities in WA would be the least of all the states so far (even though it is the second most populace state) of all the states in ATS so far. Only second to California.

No word on which towns will on the Hood Canal. Hoodsport might be a scenery town, maybe Shelton, or maybe a silly named community like Duckabush.

Don't forget, there may be some routes that won't be included now and come in later. I am wondering if the Tacoma Narrows and the inside passage of the Hood Canal region will be no longer for this DLC, but come in an update. I could be totally wrong.

[Alex Monamochamuch]

I'm glad that Aberdeen is probably coming, and I do hope Hood Canal is in there.


it'd be stupid for them not to put the Tacoma Narrows at launch honestly, It's a very well know landmark here

I'm wondering if we're going to get some of the Interstate Cities east of the Cascades like
Ellensburg, Moses Lake, and Ritzville.


I think it could be good for Ellensburg to be an actual marked location because it's where I-84 ends, and the 97 goes up to Wenatchee

[Robocop_001]

Well one bridge in particular is in Hoquiam (picture #5) an one possibly going towards South Aberdeen (#10)

[NWbyNW]

There has been zero evidence of Moses Lake or Ritzville, Odessa, Othello, any other decent sizes/small town out in Eastern Washington. All we know of is the Tri-Cities conglomerate, Colville, Wenatchee, Yakima, and Spokane.

That means no Walla Walla, no Pullman, no Clarkston, no Bridgeport, no Newport, no Omak, Okanogan, Republic, Ellensburg, etc are marked towns as we know it so far.

Western Washington appears to be dense, as it is, and more so then any other state so far. Oregon was dense from Eugene to Portland/Astoria and The Dalles.

[NWbyNW]

Let me go in a bit more depth with this latest blog post by SCS. Image links work if you copy and paste them into the url box of your browser.

This latest bridge blog[blog.scssoft.com] post was great! I was surprised the Tacoma Narrows Bridge wasn't shown off, unless of course that isn't in the game. But overall, this looks superb!

[img]https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Icx_R_PkGK4/XOUdl4X-IHI/AAAAAAAADFs/e_EQ3V23Km4XFRkWJb3Ph_DUnhLLwqxJwCLcBGAs/s1600/001.jpg[/img]
Let me say how exciting it is to see this route in the game! It parallels I-5 for quite a distance and is a superb truck route into Everett and the Port! Thanks for listening to my and others ideas! :D I'm so happy you did this and I cannot wait to see these bridges in working action! It looks great already! Everett looks like it will be hugely detailed.

[img]https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hawJWjQrCIg/XOUdl1KTJdI/AAAAAAAADFw/-yoM78TfD40C7BMqMTIUMLsEaCUk3YHyACLcBGAs/s1600/003.jpg[/img]
Again! Thank you for listening to us! Mount Rainier looks beautiful in this shot as does the detail of the bridge! Seattle's unique floating bridges are a great addition to the game!

[img]https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Zp8dvJ7nNac/XOUeRn8Dm5I/AAAAAAAADGM/46pX9GFm1G0yiD8oAm1s7sULaulyulljQCLcBGAs/s1600/005.jpg[/img]
The rust on this and the overall bridge design is spot on! Looks great.

[img]https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PDHU2YUT0Rs/XOUe2r9WP3I/AAAAAAAADGk/334NJP5Lg_Q7ixoSDe_bT-ki0vmaE7xcgCLcBGAs/s1600/009.jpg[/img]
I know this view well as do 100,000 of thousands of drivers who traverse it! The I-5 bridge from here looks superb. I am curious if they will add the tiny Welcome to Washington/Oregon sign that sits above the rafters on this bridge. But nonetheless, the details are terrific.

[img]https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-A56tLLAOmTo/XOUe2qZk9EI/AAAAAAAADGo/qwlkojdm4MEAhnd-XTnjNesnBX0uWvsmACLcBGAs/s1600/008.jpg[/img]
It is hard for me to complain when you've done so much right. But one thing that doesn't look right is Vancouver's downtown skyline. If there is time or if it is possible, I would highly recommend trying to make the skyline look more accurate. Maybe in a future update someday?
https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/washingtonstate/images/9/94/Ajmstudiosvancouverskyline10.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20100121043436 < Photo
https://thewaterfrontvancouverusa.com < Videos

[img]https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nLcDaT4nCFA/XOUe2rrfYvI/AAAAAAAADGs/kTp4e8attzYFHFe_hZobVUnjafg7B-l0ACLcBGAs/s1600/010.jpg[/img]
I-90 into Spokane looks awesome! Absolutely awesome! Can't wait to see those elevated trains moving around too! The pines and landscape look superb!

[img]https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-U_wI_4FSb5g/XOUe3mnCiBI/AAAAAAAADG0/AtKT4JSnKPE6GpKXadx0_JAtQh5jwIBPACLcBGAs/s1600/012.jpg[/img]
Deception Pass as one of the earliest things you revealed about Washington has only improved from the beginning! Amazing work and a great addition of more islands and waterways!

[img]https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qqErudtxUZE/XOUe32V0SkI/AAAAAAAADG4/Q8zLeIIRBMEW3lnyGZ4j7W80i5z3nRVpwCLcBGAs/s1600/013.jpg[/img]
Fantastic work here on this roadway. Fantastic detail in the environment!

[Alex Monamochamuch]

Първоначално публикувано от NWbyNW:

There has been zero evidence of Moses Lake or Ritzville, Odessa, Othello, any other decent sizes/small town out in Eastern Washington. All we know of is the Tri-Cities conglomerate, Colville, Wenatchee, Yakima, and Spokane.

That means no Walla Walla, no Pullman, no Clarkston, no Bridgeport, no Newport, no Omak, Okanogan, Republic, Ellensburg, etc are marked towns as we know it so far.

Western Washington appears to be dense, as it is, and more so then any other state so far. Oregon was dense from Eugene to Portland/Astoria and The Dalles.

That's true, kinda seems weird how they're just neglecting the south east, or not talking about it.

Thanks for going indepth on the bridges, speaking of Spokane and the train, it's going to be cool seeing the train line following US-2 from Wenatchee to Everett

I'm glad they're listening to this, and I do really want to see Everett, since there's the Boeing mega-factory south of it, SR 529 with the rotating bridges, the possibility of the International truck dealer right next to the bridge, SR 526/ I-5 Interchange, US-2/ I-5 Interchange, maybe even the single point interchange on 41st street?

[JohnnyBoythePilot]

Първоначално публикувано от NWbyNW:

There has been zero evidence of Moses Lake or Ritzville, Odessa, Othello, any other decent sizes/small town out in Eastern Washington. All we know of is the Tri-Cities conglomerate, Colville, Wenatchee, Yakima, and Spokane.

That means no Walla Walla, no Pullman, no Clarkston, no Bridgeport, no Newport, no Omak, Okanogan, Republic, Ellensburg, etc are marked towns as we know it so far.

Western Washington appears to be dense, as it is, and more so then any other state so far. Oregon was dense from Eugene to Portland/Astoria and The Dalles.

Actually I found signs referring to Pullman & Walla Walla in 1.35 OB in SE Washington if you cross the Columbia River from The Dalles or Pendleton, so I think those will be in the game, but I can't confirm whether or not they are mapped cities or just scenery cities/towns.

[NWbyNW]

Walla Walla would be good for agriculture, Walla Walla Sweet Onions and of course wine! Washington is the second biggest wine producer in the US and in the top five in the WORLD.

[Alex Monamochamuch]

True