18 Wheels of Steel: American Long Haul

[beefers1]

Hey, has anyone tried the new 18WoS game yet? I'm thinking of getting it, and if you think it's good, let me know. I'll get a demo of it as soon as my new parts come in.

[Jack.Sparrow]

That company and my computer don't seem to agree. I had 2 of their games (18WOS Overhaulin and Bus Driver) and they both crashed ... often, very often. Maybe it was my computer ....

[beefers1]

i had haulin' on my old computer and it worked perfectly, even below MINIMUM system requirements and with the graphics settings turned up. Like i said, it broke down, so i'll have to wait for my new parts to ship, then i'll get a demo of it. But i would still like to hear anyone else's experiences with the game. and: jack, it's Haulin', not Overhaulin'.

[kungen8547]

hey. Great game this one. But i have a problem with hiring other drivers to my fleet. I read the manual, and it tells me to drive to the nearest hotel\motel, and that i can hire drivers there. But i still cant figure it out! Anyone that can help me with this one?

[beefers1]

me neither. i got the full version, and in a hotel, the only option it gives is to advance time (sleep).

[cmorrow]

I believe you have to buy a truck before you can hire a driver. Don't forget that it'll take 24 hours to transport after you've bought it (not sure if you can hire driver within that 24 hour window or not). Once you've hired your first driver, seems to me that you must have delivered a minimum number of loads before hiring additional drivers, i.e., 3 was the default number of loads for Haulin' (and I suspect it's the same for ALH). Not sure about the role of the CB - talking with other drivers.

BOL - let us know what happens!

Chris

[beefers1]

dang. at my rate of delivery, i doubt i'll ever get enough money. plus the 65mph speed limit is aggravatingly slow (the last time i went across the border, down I-5, it was 75, and even then, everyone was driving at 80-90mph), and my truck can't even go that fast. Takes me 2 days in-game just to get from Vancouver to Seattle.

[kolevich]

I have played Hard Truck: 18 Wheels of Steel and 18 Wheels of Steel: Across America. I liked it but in some time it became boring. What's new in American Long Haul? Are there any changes in graphics? In scenario?
Or there are just new cities and some new trucks, nothing more?

[beefers1]

Well, the graphics are definitely improved. you can see drivers in their cars, and there are more vehicle models. Lampposts are now destructible, and if you knock them down they can create a serious traffic jam. Cars behave more realistically, and so are traffic laws. You no longer get penalized for running a yellow light, but i still wish that you can turn right through a red light (i'm pretty sure it's legal in most states and provinces).

[paul 1234]

can anyone help me i want to hire a driver but i cant seem to be able to in the hotels what am i doing wrong

[Face-LMT]

Originally Posted by paul 1234

can anyone help me i want to hire a driver but i cant seem to be able to in the hotels what am i doing wrong

I think it just happens after you get so far into the game. I was wondering that myself until I stopped in a hotel in Seattle after a delivery and I finally meet one and was able to hire him. But he does not have a truck so now I guess I need to make enough money now to buy him a truck.

[beefers1]

yep. But i'd rather do all the driving myself. much more scenic.

[kman2323]

i recently purchased 18 WoS long haul and i hooked up my steering wheel and pedals. Only problem is that i when i push disable on steering axis etc, it wont turn work so i go back to the settings and the disable icon comes on again.. is there a way to keep it off for good

[beefers1]

umm... this game is designed for keyboard control, as there really isn't any racing aspect to it that requires precision.

[rich.bronson]

The graphics are definitely better but I'm still not a huge fan of this game.

[Shlont]

Hey fellow truckers. This game can be a lot of fun. I love it to bits. But it does have some quirks. I don't really dig how traffic slows to 20mph as soon as you approach an exit or a service station, what-not. But, the graphics are still totally beautiful. Except, there seem to be less cloud formations in this version than earlier ones such as PTTM.

So, then. It appears that in order to hire a new driver, you have to deliver cargoes. So, when you get sick of waiting to deliver 3 or so cargoes between hiring, the best option to increase your hiring power is to hack your game file.

This is how to do it.

Go to the directory where your 18 WoS American Long Haul folder is at. Usually, this will be in My Documents. Else, proceed to run a search and track it down. Then enter this folder and locate the folder named "Save."

Enter this folder, and observe- there will be a bunch of folders, each with a number, representing each saved game. Enter the saved game folder representing the game you wish to "hack".

In my case, this is folder 1. (You can check to see which game is saved in the numbered folder by opening that folder, and then opening "info.sii". This file will show such information as

SiiNunit
{
save_container : _nameless.11CA.78A0 {
name: Mitchell
map_path: "/map/america4.mbd"
economy_path: "/home/save/3/game.sii"
time: 45203
file_time: 1207098928
}

}

The "name: Mitchell" line shows the name under which this particular game has been saved).

Alright, enough distractions.

To mod the game file (with no ill effects at all, just immediate hiring power), then open "game.sii" in the approriate saved game folder. (Open with any text editing program- such as notepad or Word). Then find the line that says:

"cargos_till_next_hire:"

there will be a space after the colon and then a number. This tells the game how many drops you have to make before being allowed to hire a new driver. Change this number to anything you want. 0 will allow you to hire a guy next time you stop at a hotel. As far as I know, you can only hire from hotels.

Make sure you have a truck purchased for your driver, and a trailer. If you don't have enough money to do that, why not give yourself a few million? In the file "game.sii" find the line that says "money_account:" change the value after the space to anything you want. I liked giving myself 50,000,000 (dollars) the other day, after prism crashed, and my game.sii file was corrupted.

While you're in the file, you can also cancel any loans you have. I haven't tested this yet, but you could probably reverse engineer loans so that you have a regular income coming to you!

Alright, so that takes care of hiring. Save your changes, and close the file and folders, and you're set to go.

Keypoints:

1. Make sure you CLOSE 18WoS before mod'ing the game.sii file.

2. Unless you want to really do some hacking, then you will have to repeat this process after each hire, because the "cargos_till_next_hire" field will be reset in the file. Still, hacking this file before you start up your game each time is better than driving hours and hours and wondering when you will cross a driver to hire. :0\

3. If you feel this spoils the natural flow of the game, then of course do not apply any changes. Just play on as per usual.

4. If you're little brother annoys you because he's always playing 18WoS when you want to, then you could hack his file, and make sure that "cargos_till_next_hire" for his saved game reads something like 36,000, or whatever value will still play. You can also alter his loans and stuff, and then he will be so jaded by the game, he won't want to play any more- giving you plenty more time at the wheel. ;-)

...Not that I'm talking from personal experience!

[beefers1]

Umm... I'm sure there're people here that want to do it WITHOUT cheating. Though it would be nice if someone found a way to change the highway speed limit to around 75mph, instead of the 65 it is now.

[volks]

How do we start i go in contract and i dont have any $ at the side of the companies.

thx

[beefers1]

i really don't know, sorry.

btw, i just learned that the limit for trucks in the U.S. actually IS 65mph. so i guess that would be realistic.

[lvsb]

hi
i have a problem whit american long haul,

when i want to pick up a new trailer after i accept the job, these trailers dont seem to fit on my truck, i cant get under it so i can connect it. maybe anyone know this problem

cya
lvsb