Remember when SOEDESCO released Truck Driver to the Xbox One and PS4 worlds back in September 2019? While it offered much, if truth be known, it managed to deliver little, providing a buggy gameplay experience that was obviously released far too early. Credit where credit is due though and SOEDESCO have realised this, and together with their new development studio at Kokku are intent on upgrading the experience to one that truck enthusiasts can enjoy. And that starts with upgrades to the Visual Damage System, the AI System and the Unity Engine.
Announced today, SOEDESCO are looking to push on with Truck Driver on Xbox One and PS4, with several big updates that are a significant improvement to the game. With launch on PC and Nintendo Switch to come further down the line, the two teams are dedicated to further develop the trucking experience and that all kicks off with a completely new Visual Damage System, an entirely reworked AI System and the current game engine’s version is being updated.
Details of each are below, along with some rather lovely video explanations of how these will all work.
Visual Damage System – The new damage system in Truck Driver adds visual damage to the player’s trucks and AI vehicles. In the current version of Truck Driver, players see the damage their truck has sustained on the SatNav. There’s chassis damage, engine wear and tire wear. These damages have impact on gameplay as well. Tire wear increases the braking distance, chassis damage results in steering deviation and engine damage breaks the engine. The upcoming update visualizes damage in 3D, by showing scratches and dents at the exact spot the truck was hit. AI vehicles also display accurate visual damage.
New AI System – A completely new AI system in Truck Driver adds several significant improvements to the AI cars and pedestrian AI. This system introduces individual driver behavior types, such as aggressive drivers and cautious drivers. The pedestrians in Truck Driver now cross the streets and react to traffic. Additional types of AI vehicles, such as trucks and tractors are added and there’s a more realistic distribution of vehicle types and traffic throughout the map, with dense cities and quiet rural areas.
Unity Engine Upgrade – Truck Driver is currently running on Unity version 2017.4. This is upgraded to version 2019.2. The upgrade brings a better optimized game, which results in smoother frame rates, less stutters and, most importantly, the ability to add new features and content easier. It reduces file sizes for patches and brings an overall improvement in graphics with better shaders and textures.
The question surrounding Truck Driver though is whether or not these upgrades are too little too late, or whether SOEDESCO can draw back in the players after such a lukewarm initial launch. Let us know what you think though. Will you be looking to drive through a seamless open world in your new cab attempting to make most of the life of a truck driver, once these updates have been implemented? The comments section is down below.
And if you wish to pick the game up to try it for yourself, head on over to your favoured digital store – ours being the Xbox Store. You’ll find it available for £34.99.
Much needed