Advice on setting up the game

[Suvoroff]

who can tell you how to adjust the stiffness of the cab, the stiffness of the suspension, the trailer and the torque of the gearbox to make the behavior of the truck more realistic

[AyMazingATS]

Can't adjust the torque in the game to what you want. Each different transmission has it's own torque rating. You can mod those of course to make something that you want.

As for adjusting the Cabin Stiffness and suspension those are in Options >> Gameplay.

[Texas_Jake]

Originally posted by Suvoroff:

who can tell you how to adjust the stiffness of the cab, the stiffness of the suspension, the trailer and the torque of the gearbox to make the behavior of the truck more realistic

To get the "twist" on acceleration crank driveshaft torque in your settings to 100% and engine resonance to about 15%. She'll be yanking and shaking all over the place.

Far as suspension I am running adjust variables to a modded truck physics file so I can't help there as my setting would be a little extreme without the mod.

[col273]

As an retired truck driver of around 35 years in Europe and UK the closes i can get to the actual feel of the trucks dynamic is as follows

Truck Stability 60%

Cabin Suspension 100%

Suspension Stiffness 55%

Drive Shaft Torque 65%

Braking Intensity 60%

Trailer Stability 65%

You can of course play around with the figures to find what suit's you best
Hope this points you in the right direction

[EggTBD]

Having read real-life American truckers who game with ATS, they unanimously say having ALL sliders to the right is the MOST realistic of all. Old veterans, young and upcoming and retired drivers all seem to agree on this one, both applying to non-conventional and conventional trucks here in America.

Now, ATS do not have the old-school American cabovers in the base game but some cabovers do exist as a mod. If you are going to be using those, and I suggest that you do coz they're fun to drive, I suggest setting:

Truck Stability to: 25%...which will also apply to the base game semi tractor trucks.

Now, braking in this game at its default is a little unrealistic even during rainy conditions. Having researched this myself, I found that most IRL drivers and gamers agree on setting braking intensity to between 60 and 75%. However, I have been running at 50% braking intensity and that to me felt more realistic as it really makes you pay more attention to your distance, speed and rounding those wavy and tight corner specially during heavy rains.

Furthermore, if you really want that "oh I'm driving a big-ahh truck...honk honk" feeling, I suggest turning uneven surface simulation to 200% and using one of the few "air ride seat" mods to simulate in-cabin motion and movement. I personally use "AirSeat Ride" from the workshop for that and you can either follow the mod author's in-game/in-truck camera settings suggestions (specifically the physical camera movement factor and interior camera horizon locking factor) in relation to his mod or you can adjust those settings accordingly to suit to your liking.

Going to the trailer stability, it must be set too default 100% as according to IRL drivers who play this game, trailers here in America are SUPER STABLE and having the slider all the way to the right/100% default is the most realistic.

I do personally suggest turning advanced trailer coupling to ON position for you to have that sense of satisfaction when sliding your fifth wheel up under the trailer to "catch" the kingpin.

Hope this helps!

ADDENDUM: set driveshaft torque all the to the right (maximum) to really see and feel that truck roll when pulling those non-empty trailers!

[AyMazingATS]

Originally posted by TPopBCornD:

Having read real-life American truckers who game with ATS, they unanimously say having ALL sliders to the right is the MOST realistic of all.

Nope, this is no longer the case. Actually this is not recommend at all.

Please see this post from SCS Developer/Coding Team Max:

Source Link: https://forum.scssoft.com/viewtopic.php?p=1623909#p1623909

ETA: The post linked is about all left but all right by your words would make the truck a brick with things so stable that you couldn't even roll the truck over, which of course is not realistic one bit.

[EggTBD]

Originally posted by AyMazingATS:

Originally posted by TPopBCornD:

Having read real-life American truckers who game with ATS, they unanimously say having ALL sliders to the right is the MOST realistic of all.

Nope, this is no longer the case. Actually this is not recommend at all.

Please see this post from SCS Developer/Coding Team Max:

Source Link: https://forum.scssoft.com/viewtopic.php?p=1623909#p1623909

ETA: The post linked is about all left but all right by your words would make the truck a brick with things so stable that you couldn't even roll the truck over, which of course is not realistic one bit.

You ever seen big rigs here in America? Those things are towering masses of stability. Even driver-gamers who have not been to accidents say that seeing fellow drivers tip over or jack-knife on the road even during inclement situations make them think "what the hell did this guy do?"

Outliers would be novice drivers who improperly secure open-air or tarped-over loads and all that stuff but me personally seeing those trucks go up and down the 710 here in L.A. (coming in and out of the Port of L.A. and L.B.), those big boys are super stable and you DO NOT see them swaying, swerving or jacking up and down with loose suspensions. Heck I drive in-game with the driveshaft torque maxed out to see my my truck roll while pulling those trailers and here in 'Murica you now only mostly see the roll happen during truck racing competitions.

If an ATS player wants to role-play as an independent owner/operator who does not wanna stick to any ounce of safety rule then he can go crazy with these settings all he wants but most trucking companies big or small would have safety and convenience standards that they adhere to.

[AyMazingATS]

Originally posted by TPopBCornD:

You ever seen big rigs here in America? Those things are towering masses of stability.

Former professional driver actually. A semi truck is a mass of stability? Actually no, they are not. Semi trucks are extremely top heavy. The suspension in them can be somewhat soft too, especially for the cabin itself. Leaf springs were rough. They threw the driver all over the place. Been there, done that.

Originally posted by TPopBCornD:

Outliers would be novice drivers who improperly secure open-air or tarped-over loads.

Not sure where you get it's just flatbeds that would have that issue. All trailers do.. Tankers carrying liquids can be very unstable, even if baffled. There is a thing called surge. Weight shifting around from front to back, side to side.

Originally posted by TPopBCornD:

I an ATS play wants to role-play as an independent owner/operator who does not wanna stick to any ounce of safety rule then he can go crazy with these settings all he wants.

You can definitely play the game you want but all right on suspension is not realistic one bit. All it takes is looking at videos to prove that statement wrong.

Originally posted by TPopBCornD:

most trucking companies big or small would have safety and convenience standards that they adhere to.

That is actually the case in the real word. I have no disagreement with that at all.

[Suvoroff]

Thanks everyone for the advice, the truck has become more lively. And I’m actually surprised that in this game there are people who, so to speak, set themselves a challenge and ride to make it interesting. In the Euro truck, for example, for myself, I differentiate between the type of chassis and the load weight permissible for them, but in the American truck, for now I choose the weight according to my feelings, since I noticed that these trucks behave a little differently.

[Greyhawke]

I use 12% stability settings for both truck and trailer (slider is almost all the way to the left), because it keeps me "honest" in the game (I can't just drive carelessly with abandon). Tight curves at speed or ramps with a grade will jump up and bite you in the arse real quick if you don't pay attention to your speed.

Have also tweaked the other settings to my liking, some farther to the right, some not so much. I think that col273 in reply #3 gives some good suggested settings to use as starting points to help create the "feel", that YOU like best.

There are other good suggestions and info in this thread too such as using advanced coupling and difficult parking (one of the most realistic things you can do IMO is maneuver from the interior view alone!). Combine interior view only with all the latest difficult and obstacle laiden parking / loading dock spots . . . /chef's kiss

The last thing I'd share, is that there is really no point in getting obsessed with realism. I've known plenty of long-standing and knowledgable flight sim players, who have asked me to take them up for a familiarization ride in a small, single-engine, GA aircraft - with them thinking they've got everything under control . . .

Then comes time to hold a constant altitude, speed, and heading in the pattern, or for the approach and landing . . . and usually if there is even just a small crosswind component or small crosswind gusts I have to take over. All this on a day with good conditions for VFR flying.

Much the same, this sim/game is never going to replace rw experience for training purposes. Like many things, laymen often just don't know, exactly how much they don't know; and it makes all the difference when you get behind the wheel (or yoke) of a vehicle for real.

So experiment and adjust the game so it "feels" and plays the way you like best, and worry about realism and rw trucking when you are driving a big rig irl.

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Ps FWIW, nice 'work' gents! Excellent thread. Very much appreciate the rw expertise shared with the rest of us trucker wannabes!

[col273]

Well said Greyhawke being an retired trucker and a very avid Flight sim player for the last 15 years or so I would not expect to jump into a small plane and know how to fly maybe have the basics of the cockpit layout and controls but that would be about it.

The same goes for anybody driving a truck or any other vehicle in a sim don't mean you know how to drive in real life.

Great thread really enjoyed it