Right. This is going to be an interesting, drama-filled, interstate nerd talk post. If you’re not into making sure game developers who do driving games to get U.S. Interstates exactly like they are in real life(or at least try to), this post isn’t for you.
Before I start, let’s see some emails. How many of you knew from the announcement of this game, knew this would come up after all of my SCS ranting about how they don’t do interstates right? How many? Because I’m sure a lot of you knew, this would happen. And… BOY did SCS fuck up with this one.
But I must also confess… I have no right to bitch about it. *GASP!!*, yes? Well, remember this blog post I made back in August 2014, how I felt “maybe I was wrong about SCS Software all of this time”? And how I said “they don’t live in the US”? … Yes. That’s why I can’t bitch.
When you don’t live in the US, you have very little resources to work with. You can only work with maps, or visual images of the US. This is why Euro Truck Simulator 2 was so popular, because they got the roads done right (because they live over there).
Because of this, I’m literally forced to forgive them for their “fuck ups”. Even though there’s one that is still making me go “WHAT. THE. FUCK?! I’m not playing this until it’s fixed! FFS!!!”
And that is seeing I-80 literally fragmented in two, having a north and south section between San Francisco and Sacramento, connected via I-5. Seeing two I-80’s on the game world, in two different sections. I…. I….
There is.. just so.. much.. I want to say to SCS right now. And all of them has NOTHING to do with offering them a pat on the back and saying “You did your best!”
I’ve been OK with I-80 being turned into a two-lane highway in the 18WoS series. I’ve been OK with I-75 in Atlanta stopping in the city instead of continuing. I’ve been OK with SCS having I-75 going through Louisville(because all of those times, I was able to fix these mistakes). ….BUT SEEING I-80 CHOPPED IN HALF between San Francisco and Sacramento, FOR NO FUCKING REASON?!?!?!?! I think I’m going to be sick.
This is purely lazy, shitty map building skills! COME..ON, SCS!! At least in the 18WoS series, you didn’t do this shit! They backpedaled.. AGAIN!!
What’s worse, I don’t know how to fix their fuckup! In the 18WoS series, I was able to learn and use their map builder/editor(as mentioned above). Assuming they have a similar editor (as modders can create their own maps in Euro Truck Simulator 2), yes, I can fix it. But as I just said, I don’t know how. Looking at it, I-80 would have to literally go parallel to I-5 to reach Sacramento.
WHY IN THE HOLY HELL DID THEY PUT SACRAMENTO SO FAR UP NORTH?!?!? … Why? And I can’t fix this fuckup. This is the first time that I can’t do anything. It’s too fucked up to fix on my own. It’s not like an interstate that I can redesign to make it more true to real life.
*I had to rewrite everything below this line after I pretty much lost it and went in a blinding rage… I needed some time to calm down*
There’s also other issues I noticed. I-80 doesn’t connect to I-5 until it reaches Sacramento. And this has it connecting after it turns into I-580 (after passing the Bay Bridge toll booths).
I can understand the I-80/I-580 change. And I… I feel it’s the same reason for this. Both issues were possibly related to how little space they had to work with of the game world. It’s… that simple.
Yes, it’s immersion-killing. It’s very immersion-killing. But this would require a team to fix. A team that has been there, and knows the correct placement of Sacramento (and can fix I-5 to move it away from I-80).
And also… I can’t help but give SCS some credit for at least trying once again. And comparing the area of California and Nevada from the 18WoS series versions? I say they did a pretty good job. They could had half-assed everything, but it looks like they really did try their best. They.. just didn’t get it right with the interstates.
And even though they messed up big, I only pray my “they just didn’t have enough space” theory is the reason, instead of “Meh… we don’t care”.