American Truck Simulator

i am 77 years old and i spend all my days playing this game. More i play more it's interesting. Iplay on 3 screens with a logitech steering and paddles I choose auto transmission o both euro and american and I can say it's really nice

This is the first time I've ever left a review on Steam, but I had to.
Let me preface this by stating I am a CDL instructor.
While the game can't mimic certain real life situations, the amount this game has gotten accurate is nothing short of impressive. I have since hung up my keys and live my days retired from the life, but firing this up with some noise cancelling headphones and hearing the engine noises, the turn indicator, the traffic, the air brakes, all of it takes me back.
I'm not going to sit here and nitpick out everything it didn't quite get right, like how if you try to GTA it, you have increasing fines but IRL you flat out lose your license and face jail time lol. I'd rather focus on what it DID get right.
Speaking of fines, the way they increase really makes it so if you do try to GTA it, you'll eventually start spending more money in fines than what you get from the load. Making it so that your profit margin increases dramatically for safe driving.
I purposely tried three profiles up to about level 20 each. I drove like a bat out of hell on the first as a gag, quasi crazy the second one, and perfectly safe the third time. I noticed that I made more profit with fewer deliveries by driving safe. So while the game can't take away your CDL for constantly running red lights and scraping the side of a car, the fact you just simply can't make a profit unless you drive safe was a nifty implementation.
I could go on and on about this game and the nostalgia for the open road it gives me, but I'd rather be playing it right now. I tried the demo, immediately pulled in, bought it on sale, and once I really experienced it, I didn't even question buying all the available DLC and now anxiously awaiting the new states.
Quick mention about Wyoming and Texas:
I'm going to enjoy driving Wyoming in this game as driving it in real life was an absolute headache with how often I-80 has chain ups for ice and shut downs just for strong winds that could blow your trailer clean over. So that's a reason I'm GLAD it's not 100% realistic.
For Texas, make sure you put the entirety of Dallas under construction....forever. Make sure no one ever uses a blinker. And make sure any shippers in Laredo have trailer yards so small that even the most skilled driver/gamer can't park a damn thing in it because they just simply can't move.
.....I hated Laredo loads. Can't you tell?
I will be constantly throwing my money at this game. I hope this goes far. I hope the devs never lose their passion for it. I hope it stays alive long enough to see the entire continental 48. Hell, I hope -I- stay alive long enough to see that lol. I would love to hop I-40 from Barstow clear to Wilmington, NC. Or I-10 from Cali to Florida.
I can't say enough good things and most have tuned me out by now so I'll wrap up.
I can't thank you enough for this game. My only regret is I didn't get in it sooner.

I'm a disabled retired owner operator trucker who is unable to drive cross country now. I really enjoy the realism and opportunity travel virtually to places I can't go to. thanks SCS and Steam for all the hard work to bring this to us.

When I first picked up ATS's older brother, ETS, I got it heavily discounted while drunk, thinking "Might be fun to ram cars off the road." 5 or so years later, I got my Class A Commercial Drivers Licence because of these games. The first time one of my friends saw me playing this, he thought it looked boring as hell. I didn't think he was wrong, but I told him to try it for himself. He got his CDL before me.
This is a game that has the potential to inspire people, due to its deceptive, relaxing nature. This may be simply a game, but it's ramifications can be life changing.

i drive exclusively on the shoulder at full speed to avoid speeding tickets

I just like driving without having to spend real money on gas,

As a now disabled former OTR driver, I like to call this my driving therapy.