It blows my mind that 18 Wheels of Steel American Long Haul as I write this is close to 15 years old! Ever since I got into Ice Road Truckers and Shipping Wars, games about being a truck driver have fascinated me. This is part of a series I completed ignored back when it first came out, but I was more than happy to load up and hit the open road.
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18 Wheels of Steel: American Long Haul (abbreviated as (18 WoS) ALH in this wiki) is a truck simulation game created by SCS Software and released by ValuSoft in December 2007. It is the 6th installment of the 18 Wheels of Steel series. 1 Gameplay 2 Map 3 Trucks 4 Companies 5 Gallery 6 See also The gameplay is very similar to the gameplay of Haulin', which was released a year before American.
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- 18 Wheels of Steel: Pedal to the Metal You’re not only a trucker, you’re a tycoon. Drive your rig to make it big as you build your business. Take your show on the road in the third installment of the 18 Wheels of Steel series!
- It blows my mind that 18 Wheels of Steel American Long Haul as I write this is close to 15 years old! Ever since I got into Ice Road Truckers and Shipping Wars, games about being a truck driver have fascinated me. This is part of a series I completed ignored back when it first came out, but I was more than happy to load up and hit the open road.
The point of the game is that you are no longer “working for the man” instead you are your own man (or lady) and you want to be the best damn trucker in the USA! You do this by hauling as many loads as you can, making your clients happy, and bringing in the big money! It is a game that on paper sounds very simple, but there is something so satisfying about 18 Wheels of Steel American Long Haul that I could not stop playing it.
A Sign Of The Times
As I said in the intro this is a game that is “old” by today’s standards. This is a title that was first released in 2007 and from a presentational point of view, it certainly feels like that. I have played some modern trucking games that are just full of detail and keeping your eyes on the road can be tough. This game lacks the finer details that you would find in a modern trucker game. I would not go as far as to say this is an ugly game, but it certainly is showing its age.
Shipping Wars!
I love the show, Shipping Wars and there is a bit of that at play in 18 Wheels of Steel American Long Haul. You are not just handed your hauls! Instead, you need to bid on them and prove your worth. You start off small, but eventually, if you are doing a good job, you will be getting all kinds of contracts to haul huge loads all over the USA.
There are many different kinds of loads for you to transport. This is not a racing game at all. Instead, you need to pay attention to the rules of the road, stop at weigh-ins, and not just get your load there on time, but in the best condition possible. In many ways, this is a very simple game, but it is also the kind of game I feel you can lose hours in because of its simplicity.
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I was not sure what to expect from 18 Wheels of Steel American Long Haul when I first started playing it. This is a trucking game from 2007 after all! However, I was very pleasantly surprised and while it may visually be a bit rough around the edges by today’s standards and a little on the simple side compared to trucking games we have now. I found this to be a very fun and relaxing experience and I actually put quite a few hours into it.
Pros:
- The whole game has a relaxing feel
- Tons of different areas to drive through
- Bidding on loads is fun
- The game is very addictive
You actually want to be the best trucker around!
Cons:
- The game shows its age in the visual department
- Maybe a tad basic for some compared to modern trucking games
18 Wheels of Steel is a series of truckingsimulators developed by SCS Software and published by ValuSoft from 2002 to 2011, as a spin-off of Hard Truck, with the first game becoming the third Hard Truck game released.
Games[edit]
| 2002 | Hard Truck: 18 Wheels of Steel |
|---|---|
| 2003 | 18 Wheels of Steel: Across America |
| 2004 | 18 Wheels of Steel: Pedal to the Metal |
| 2005 | 18 Wheels of Steel: Convoy |
| 2006 | 18 Wheels of Steel: Haulin' |
| 2007 | 18 Wheels of Steel: American Long Haul |
| 2008 | |
| 2009 | 18 Wheels of Steel: Extreme Trucker |
| 2010 | |
| 2011 | 18 Wheels of Steel: Extreme Trucker 2 |
Hard Truck: 18 Wheels of Steel[15 Aug 2002][edit]
The first installment in the series, released in 2002.[1]
18 Wheels of Steel: Across America[23 Sep 2003][edit]
This installment is very similar to Hard Truck: 18 Wheels of Steel except that the graphics were updated, more trucks and cargo were added, and a new map was created that enables users to travel across the entire continental U.S., through 30 cities. In this version, players can choose from 30 trucks and 40+ trailers. Time is made up of a total of 24 minutes in a day in the clock. This game focuses on the delivery of cargo. Players also go agains three AI drivers. Unlike Hard Truck: 18 Wheels of Steel, Across America does not feature a sleep timer. There is an improved traffic model as well as airplanes, helicopters, and trains with authentic sounds.[2]
18 Wheels of Steel: Pedal to the Metal[30 Aug 2004][edit]
In this installment, released in 2004, the user can travel across the entire continental US, and also through northern Mexico and southern Canada, through 30 cities. The sleep timer was brought back in this version. It has an improved traffic model. 18 Wheels of Steel: Pedal to the Metal requires OpenGL. It also has the fastest map to date besides Haulin' and is the first trucking game to feature more than one country.[3]
18 Wheels of Steel: Convoy[1 Sep 2005][edit]
In this updated installment, the player can travel through the United States, as well as southern Canada, though it differs from 18 Wheels of Steel: Pedal to the Metal in that Mexican cities are not present. The player can travel through 30+ cities and choose from 35+ rigs, 45+ cargoes and 47+ trailers. The player has to use the mouse to look outside of the cab at the mirrors. The graphics are also much improved in this version, and users can see drivers in other vehicles and when the trucks are 'lugged' under 1500 RPM, they emit black exhaust much like older non-computerized trucks do. However, other graphical features such as dynamic dashboard gauges were replaced with simple inanimate textures, although this and minor bugs were fixed with a patch released by SCS Software in 2008. Players can also buy things to protect themselves.[4]
18 Wheels of Steel: Haulin'[8 Dec 2006][edit]
This installment adds more cities and has more realistic graphics, but Mexico is gone from this installment, as in Convoy. The ability to use custom soundtracks and save games during deliveries was also added. Users can choose from 32 rigs, 45+ cargoes and 47+ trailers in the game, including double trailers. The game does not require a very powerful computer to operate properly since it can run on most older PCs. The game's engine, Prism3d, may not respond on older graphic cards resulting in a game crash on the game's start-up. Countries include the United States and Canada.[5]
18 Wheels of Steel: American Long Haul[3 Dec 2007][edit]
18 Wheels Of Steel Games
This installment of the game is very similar to and has the same gameplay as Haulin' but with renamed companies, 2 new trucks, and 3 cities in Mexico added. The previous 9 cities [Chihuahua, Guaymas, Monterrey, etc.] from 18 Wheels of Steel: Pedal to the Metal have returned but the map for each was slightly updated.[6]
18 Wheels Of Steel Pedal To The Metal
18 Wheels of Steel: Extreme Trucker[23 Sep 2009][edit]
18 Wheels Of Steel
Extreme Trucker lets the player deliver cargoes in any of the three main areas of the game: Yungas Road (also known as Road of Death), Tuktoyaktuk Winter Road, and the Australian Outback. This game is quite different from the previous installments as the whole concept was changed. The player can no longer drive around in free roam unless they decide to go around the map during a delivery, but they can only pick a job offer from the selection menu if users have met its requirements of having multiple new trucks and accomplished deliveries. The trucks and cars are modeled after real brands, although users can not own any vehicles through the game and are simply truck drivers seeking various jobs. Still, today's low to mediocre range computer will be able to run the game without getting low FPS. The game was mostly poorly received by critics. Game was criticised mostly for change of series concept, but was well received by players and some reviews were positive towards the game and praised the game for its graphics and gameplay.[7]
18 Wheels of Steel: Extreme Trucker 2[6 Jan 2011][edit]
Released in 2011, Extreme Trucker 2 is a sequel to 18 Wheels of Steel: Extreme Trucker. The game has two additional locations: Montana and Bangladesh, and a few new types of cargo.[8]
References[edit]
- ^'Hard Truck: 18 Wheels of Steel Critic Reviews for PC'. Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 1 June 2016.
- ^'18 Wheels of Steel: Across America Critic Reviews for PC'. Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 1 June 2016.
- ^'18 Wheels of Steel: Pedal to the Metal Critic Reviews for PC'. Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 1 June 2016.
- ^'18 Wheels of Steel: Convoy Critic Reviews for PC'. Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 1 June 2016.
- ^'18 Wheels of Steel: Haulin' Critic Reviews for PC'. Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 1 June 2016.
- ^'18 Wheels of Steel: American Long Haul Critic Reviews for PC'. Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 1 June 2016.
- ^'18 Wheels of Steel: Extreme Trucker Critic Reviews for PC'. Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 1 June 2016.
- ^'18 Wheels of Steel: Extreme Trucker 2 Critic Reviews for PC'. Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 1 June 2016.