ATS is great. Unlike Europe, which even now still NEEDS ProMods, ATS looks good right out of the box. But now ProMods is working on Canada there's still more reason to try it. I'd recommend starting off with the base game, Oregon and Washington... really nice mix of areas, and a direct link to Canada.
Fantasy freelancers
Okay, we're back in town with a fourth post from New Mexico. This time we're heading from Show Low back into NM, taking in Socorro, passing through Albuquerque and heading up to Farmington in the north west of the state.
Show Low morning.
Got bogged down with paperwork at Voltison. By the time we got out it was tipping down.
Didn't last long though. Soon the sky was clear again and we were off on another merry jaunt.
Interesting mix of scenery on the way to Socorro.
Ok, this looks more like NM.
Alright, back in Socorro. Dropped off the cars.
New cargo for Farmington. More heaviness.
On the way to Albuquerque.
Albu suburbs.
I'm sure a lot of effort went into sculpting those curves.
Road blocked on the way out of town. Thankfully it was enough to go up the hill and back down the other side.
Paranoia says hello... lucky I don't actually live anywhere.
Moving up north now, towards Farmington.
Oh, a new Freightliner in traffic. So many new trucks in ATS now, at last.
Stunning scenery abounds as we approach Farmington.
Here we are. Mmmm, tacos. Might have to pop in there later.
Okay, who wants a giant battery, or whatever this thing is. A toaster?
That's it for today!
Dan
Show Low morning.
Got bogged down with paperwork at Voltison. By the time we got out it was tipping down.
Didn't last long though. Soon the sky was clear again and we were off on another merry jaunt.
Interesting mix of scenery on the way to Socorro.
Ok, this looks more like NM.
Alright, back in Socorro. Dropped off the cars.
New cargo for Farmington. More heaviness.
On the way to Albuquerque.
Albu suburbs.
I'm sure a lot of effort went into sculpting those curves.
Road blocked on the way out of town. Thankfully it was enough to go up the hill and back down the other side.
Paranoia says hello... lucky I don't actually live anywhere.
Moving up north now, towards Farmington.
Oh, a new Freightliner in traffic. So many new trucks in ATS now, at last.
Stunning scenery abounds as we approach Farmington.
Here we are. Mmmm, tacos. Might have to pop in there later.
Okay, who wants a giant battery, or whatever this thing is. A toaster?
That's it for today!
Dan
One more trek down the New Mexico - Arizona border today, this time on the NM side. Starting off in Farmington and ending up in Albuquerque, where we attempted to find out what was there in the SCS version of the state's capital apart from that big intersection. Spoiler: more or less nothing.
Noooo. I hate spoilers. Why did you have to tell me that?
Off we go, resplendent in blue.
Farmington trailerpark.
Local landmark, I guess.
Travelling from Farmington to Gallup.
Heading southwards near the border.
Here's Gallup. Quite a nondescript place.
After Gallup we drove west across the border to Holbrook in Arizona.
Nearing Holbrook. We dropped off the cargo there, and made our way via an already featured route to Albuquerque, where we bought a garage.
Drove around Albuquerque trying to see if there was anything interesting to see because when passing through one gets the impression that there's not much there apart from the intersection. A lot of the cities in the base map are very nice - Las Vegas, Los Angeles, San Francisco and more. So how's the capital of ATS's first paid DLC?
Well...
Oh yeah, there was a spoiler right at the start of this post. Aside from a few piles of rubble and some suburban pueblo-style housing I didn't manage to find anything outside the obligatory clusters of jobsites.
There was the highway of course, which leads to the intersection.
And this architecturally interesting building, with a view of... the... intersection.
And then - oh look at that magnificent intersection.
Been here already, but those strange poles are cool.
Jobsites with train going through. I'm a big fan of SCS's work on ATS, and NM is a decent DLC, but there is a certain
word looming tall in my mind when it comes to Albuquerque. I'm not going to be so rude as to say it out loud, but it starts
with DIS and ends with MENT.
Nice bridge and signage, with the intersection in the background.
Beautifully sculptured curves. It seems to me that a lot of effort went into the rescaling, and they just didn't have time to develop a fully fleshed out city in 2017. Or perhaps there just wasn't room for it. Well, never mind. NM has plenty to see anyhow.
This is nice.
And that's about it. Off to pick up a new job and get out of town.
Noooo. I hate spoilers. Why did you have to tell me that?
Off we go, resplendent in blue.
Farmington trailerpark.
Local landmark, I guess.
Travelling from Farmington to Gallup.
Heading southwards near the border.
Here's Gallup. Quite a nondescript place.
After Gallup we drove west across the border to Holbrook in Arizona.
Nearing Holbrook. We dropped off the cargo there, and made our way via an already featured route to Albuquerque, where we bought a garage.
Drove around Albuquerque trying to see if there was anything interesting to see because when passing through one gets the impression that there's not much there apart from the intersection. A lot of the cities in the base map are very nice - Las Vegas, Los Angeles, San Francisco and more. So how's the capital of ATS's first paid DLC?
Well...
Oh yeah, there was a spoiler right at the start of this post. Aside from a few piles of rubble and some suburban pueblo-style housing I didn't manage to find anything outside the obligatory clusters of jobsites.
There was the highway of course, which leads to the intersection.
And this architecturally interesting building, with a view of... the... intersection.
And then - oh look at that magnificent intersection.
Been here already, but those strange poles are cool.
Jobsites with train going through. I'm a big fan of SCS's work on ATS, and NM is a decent DLC, but there is a certain
word looming tall in my mind when it comes to Albuquerque. I'm not going to be so rude as to say it out loud, but it starts
with DIS and ends with MENT.
Nice bridge and signage, with the intersection in the background.
Beautifully sculptured curves. It seems to me that a lot of effort went into the rescaling, and they just didn't have time to develop a fully fleshed out city in 2017. Or perhaps there just wasn't room for it. Well, never mind. NM has plenty to see anyhow.
This is nice.
And that's about it. Off to pick up a new job and get out of town.
Okay! Today a short trip through the very centre of NM to Tucumcari near the eastern border.
Picking up the cargo in Albuquerque. I have a feeling we're going to be meeting an old friend pretty soon.
That van has an interesting design.
Ah! Here it is. The intersection.
It is awesome, I have to admit. And unique.
Out of town, heading east through typical NM countryside.
There's a nice rest stop as you get closer to Tucumcari.
Quite a green area too, refreshing.
Tucumcari is quite nice, in an understated kind of way.
Unique church building, I think.
We headed for the local freight yard to drop off the stuff.
There's a storm a-brewin'. Better go find a motel or something.
A lot of horses. When I zoomed closer most of them turned out to be 2D sprites. SCS - masters of illusion.
Here we are the next morning with a new cargo. Destination Hobbs, way down in the south east via Roswell and Artesia. But that's all for today.
Dan
Picking up the cargo in Albuquerque. I have a feeling we're going to be meeting an old friend pretty soon.
That van has an interesting design.
Ah! Here it is. The intersection.
It is awesome, I have to admit. And unique.
Out of town, heading east through typical NM countryside.
There's a nice rest stop as you get closer to Tucumcari.
Quite a green area too, refreshing.
Tucumcari is quite nice, in an understated kind of way.
Unique church building, I think.
We headed for the local freight yard to drop off the stuff.
There's a storm a-brewin'. Better go find a motel or something.
A lot of horses. When I zoomed closer most of them turned out to be 2D sprites. SCS - masters of illusion.
Here we are the next morning with a new cargo. Destination Hobbs, way down in the south east via Roswell and Artesia. But that's all for today.
Dan
Today we travel from Tucumcari down through Roswell to Artesia.
Off we go.
That rest stop again.
Looks like an abandoned village. Hope it's abandoned, anyhow.
The road SW to Roswell is very flat. A taste of what's to come to the east - in large parts of at least North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, Ohio...
I can't help wondering what SCS is going to DO with the Midwest - are they really going to spend 4-6 years just producing 2 flat, bland states a year with almost nothing of interest in them besides a few cities, a bit of lakeside in a couple of cases, and just an endless grid of straight roads punctuated by nondescript towns whose only point of interest is a giant ball of string?
Have to say I am curious. If they stick to the current format, I'd like to see them push for the Atlantic coast with at least one of the states or groups of smaller states per year, and perhaps release two 'flyover' states at once as the other DLC.
Arriving in Roswell, we're greeted by the usual temples to consumerism.
Some unique buildings in Roswell. This is the Pearson Auditorium.
First UFO-themed buildings.
That must be the gun they used to shoot down the famous Roswell flying saucer all those years ago.
For some reason, in this area there are a bunch of statues of riders with bulls, each one a little different.
I wonder if SCS know about this. He may be the best map-maker ever, but he has yet to master the present perfect.
More tacky UFO themery. I thought there was a giant statue of an alien in the SCS version of Roswell, but I didn't manage to find it. Shame.
The light vanished, and it was time for another night at a motel.
Went for a walk before hitting the sack. Sadly the UFO Gallery was already closed.
Morning in Roswell. Slept uneasily, dreamt of lights and shadows at the window.
This shop sells things which might be alien spacecraft. But who knows?
Is that Russell's teapot? Or chamber-pot?
An extremely happy cow, and what appears to be an F-84 Thunderjet, on the way to Artesia.
It didn't take long for us to get there. This building is pretty nice.
First aliens and now zombies. How am I going to sleep tonight?
Just passing through Artesia this time on the way to Hobbs. Yet another railway crossing, always nice to see the local trains though.
Enough for now... Dan
Off we go.
That rest stop again.
Looks like an abandoned village. Hope it's abandoned, anyhow.
The road SW to Roswell is very flat. A taste of what's to come to the east - in large parts of at least North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, Ohio...
I can't help wondering what SCS is going to DO with the Midwest - are they really going to spend 4-6 years just producing 2 flat, bland states a year with almost nothing of interest in them besides a few cities, a bit of lakeside in a couple of cases, and just an endless grid of straight roads punctuated by nondescript towns whose only point of interest is a giant ball of string?
Have to say I am curious. If they stick to the current format, I'd like to see them push for the Atlantic coast with at least one of the states or groups of smaller states per year, and perhaps release two 'flyover' states at once as the other DLC.
Arriving in Roswell, we're greeted by the usual temples to consumerism.
Some unique buildings in Roswell. This is the Pearson Auditorium.
First UFO-themed buildings.
That must be the gun they used to shoot down the famous Roswell flying saucer all those years ago.
For some reason, in this area there are a bunch of statues of riders with bulls, each one a little different.
I wonder if SCS know about this. He may be the best map-maker ever, but he has yet to master the present perfect.
More tacky UFO themery. I thought there was a giant statue of an alien in the SCS version of Roswell, but I didn't manage to find it. Shame.
The light vanished, and it was time for another night at a motel.
Went for a walk before hitting the sack. Sadly the UFO Gallery was already closed.
Morning in Roswell. Slept uneasily, dreamt of lights and shadows at the window.
This shop sells things which might be alien spacecraft. But who knows?
Is that Russell's teapot? Or chamber-pot?
An extremely happy cow, and what appears to be an F-84 Thunderjet, on the way to Artesia.
It didn't take long for us to get there. This building is pretty nice.
First aliens and now zombies. How am I going to sleep tonight?
Just passing through Artesia this time on the way to Hobbs. Yet another railway crossing, always nice to see the local trains though.
Enough for now... Dan
Last edited by krigl on 11 Mar 2021 21:15, edited 1 time in total.
Today we're definitively crossing the halfway mark for this tour of New Mexico. We'll be checking out Hobbs and Carlsbad in the southeast corner of the state.
Leaving Artesia.
On the way to Hobbs.
Here's Hobbs. Quite a nice place.
Here I'm about to make it slightly less nice.
Oops. Precision has never really been my thing. Lucky I'm not a real truck driver.
Flat but colourful.
Sunday Mass must be a lot of fun at that location.
Low key, but plenty to see, that's Hobbs.
They even have a seaplane landing area.
Well, after that riotous tour of the local sights, we got yet another new paintjob and picked up a huge slab of concrete to take to Las Cruces via Carlsbad, Artesia and Alamogordo.
Flat grassland, big sky.
Soon we were passing through Carlsbad. I wonder what he did?
Trains again.
A couple of buildings have that elegant spa air about them. Or had it, once.
And then we're out of there, and heading for Artesia once again.
Cheers, Dan
Leaving Artesia.
On the way to Hobbs.
Here's Hobbs. Quite a nice place.
Here I'm about to make it slightly less nice.
Oops. Precision has never really been my thing. Lucky I'm not a real truck driver.
Flat but colourful.
Sunday Mass must be a lot of fun at that location.
Low key, but plenty to see, that's Hobbs.
They even have a seaplane landing area.
Well, after that riotous tour of the local sights, we got yet another new paintjob and picked up a huge slab of concrete to take to Las Cruces via Carlsbad, Artesia and Alamogordo.
Flat grassland, big sky.
Soon we were passing through Carlsbad. I wonder what he did?
Trains again.
A couple of buildings have that elegant spa air about them. Or had it, once.
And then we're out of there, and heading for Artesia once again.
Cheers, Dan
This week we've made a big push to get over halfway through this tour of New Mexico. And so I'm posting again, this time with a leg extending along the southern border from Artesia up to Las Cruces. NM isn't the most spectacular of the ATS DLCs, but it has its moments. One of them is coming up shortly...
Another statue with a horseman and bulls, this time outside a gas station. I saw a few more on my travels. Mysterious.
Artesia. Named that way after an artesian well was found here which, I guess, made settlement possible or much easier in these arid climes.
Well, well, well - could this represent the historic moment when the well was drilled?
Otherwise it seemed a fairly standard place.
Heading west now.
The landscape is starting to get a bit more interesting.
So green, all of a sudden.
The small settlement of Mayhill.
Well hey there.
Oh! Something spectacular at last?
Niiice.
This short stretch from Artesia to Alamogordo is up with the best of SCS scenery.
All too soon, we reach Alamogordo. Nice lineup though.
Not that much in Alamogordo. Sun was setting as we set off for Las Cruces past White Sands National Park.
Stopped at the visitor center for a cuppa.
The sun setting over the rippling sands was a glorious sight.
Got to get to Las Cruces today, so took in the remainder of the sunset from the cab.
What a great trip this has been.
Entering Las Cruces. Didn't notice this church last time. Looks great at night.
That's it for today. Next time we cross the centre of the state to Clovis.
Dan
Another statue with a horseman and bulls, this time outside a gas station. I saw a few more on my travels. Mysterious.
Artesia. Named that way after an artesian well was found here which, I guess, made settlement possible or much easier in these arid climes.
Well, well, well - could this represent the historic moment when the well was drilled?
Otherwise it seemed a fairly standard place.
Heading west now.
The landscape is starting to get a bit more interesting.
So green, all of a sudden.
The small settlement of Mayhill.
Well hey there.
Oh! Something spectacular at last?
Niiice.
This short stretch from Artesia to Alamogordo is up with the best of SCS scenery.
All too soon, we reach Alamogordo. Nice lineup though.
Not that much in Alamogordo. Sun was setting as we set off for Las Cruces past White Sands National Park.
Stopped at the visitor center for a cuppa.
The sun setting over the rippling sands was a glorious sight.
Got to get to Las Cruces today, so took in the remainder of the sunset from the cab.
What a great trip this has been.
Entering Las Cruces. Didn't notice this church last time. Looks great at night.
That's it for today. Next time we cross the centre of the state to Clovis.
Dan
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