Finally! American Truck Simulator is getting openable truck windows

(Image credit: SCS Software)

Notice anything interesting about the screenshot above? That's right: The window is open. It is a little more than halfway open, which is one of the many states a truck's window can be in. But that is not a real truck. That is a truck in American Truck Simulator, which will be getting openable windows in update 1.37.

"Some may consider it a gimmick," wrote SCS Software, "but many of you have been calling us to introduce this feature for years." And with good reason. American Truck Simulator simulates trucks, and trucks have windows that can open.

I'm joking a little, but the way the Truck Simulator games render these little details seems to account for a lot of my enjoyment of them. Maybe as a species we just like pressing buttons that do things, and are necessarily disappointed when they don't work how we expect them to. I think it's a great addition.

The bigger change coming in update 1.37 is a new sound engine. Rather than hearing a different set of sound effects inside and outside of the truck, there'll be one audio set that's filtered according to your perspective. The video below demonstrates how much more believable the new audio is.

That new audio engine helped make openable windows possible, as it would feel off if opening a window didn't change the soundscape inside the cabin. I suspect that just mixing the outside and inside sound effects didn't provide good results, which is where the FMOD engine comes into play. It allows for "a continuum of sound levels between a well-insulated cabin with windows closed and the roaring traffic coming from the outside when you roll the windows all the way down," writes SCS Software. Put a fan on your desk for extra simulation power.

The patch isn't ready for a full roll out yet, but if you want to try it out in beta, you can download it now. Head to your Steam library, right click American Truck Simulator and select Properties, and then in the Betas tab, select 'Public Beta - 1.37 public beta' from the dropdown. The beta version of the patch will then automatically download.

For more on what's in update 1.37, head to SCS Software's announcement post.

Tyler grew up in Silicon Valley during the '80s and '90s, playing games like Zork and Arkanoid on early PCs. He was later captivated by Myst, SimCity, Civilization, Command & Conquer, all the shooters they call "boomer shooters" now, and PS1 classic Bushido Blade (that's right: he had Bleem!). Tyler joined PC Gamer in 2011, and today he's focused on the site's news coverage. His hobbies include amateur boxing and adding to his 1,200-plus hours in Rocket League.