Product Details
 | 18 Wheels of Steel : American Long Haul |
| Price: | $39.99 |
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Product Description
You're the owner of your own trucking business and you call the shots. Build your empire one rig at a time to dominate the roadways and outbid the competition.Product Details
- Amazon Sales Rank: #4422 in Video Games
- Brand: ValuSoft
- Released on: 2007-12-17
- ESRB Rating: Everyone
- Platforms: Windows XP, Windows
- Format: CD
Features
- Start behind the wheel transporting 45+ types of cargo including livestock, chemicals and mobile homes
- Back up to loading docks, manage your fuel and maintain your trucks in peak condition
- Build your reputation coast to coast as you long haul across 48 states, Canada and Mexico
- Build your business and add rigs to your fleet. Own up to 37 mammoth machines and trailers
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
North America’s open roads await. You aren't working for the "Man" any
more. Play as the owner of your own trucking business and call the
shots. Build your empire one rig at a time to dominate the roadways and
outbid the competition. Can you handle the pressure? Your American Dream
starts behind the wheel of your own big rig.
Features:
- Bid-Do you take what the company is bidding for a job or do you move on and lose valuable time?
- Haul-Start behind the wheel transporting 45+ types of cargo including livestock, chemicals and mobile homes, cross country to bring in the big bucks.
- Handle-Back up to loading docks, manage your fuel and maintain your trucks in peak condition.
- Dominate-Build your reputation coast to coast as you long haul across 48 states, Canada and Mexico
- Grow-Build your business and add rigs to your fleet. Own up to 37 mammoth machines and trailers.
Customer Reviews
Great Trucking Game with Limitations
There are probably two types
of people out there interested in this game: people who've played one of
the 18 Wheels series and people who haven't.
If you have played
on of these games, skip down a bit.
If you haven't, depending on
what sort of simulations you're in to, this game may give you hours of
enjoyment or boredom.
The basic tack of the game is, as you'd
expect, you get some money, an entry-level rig and a lack of any
reputation. Your goal is to grab loads to haul and drive them across the
US and to some extent Canada and Mexico. As you haul loads, you'll make
more money for upgrades for your rig (or a whole new rig) and you'll
gain a reputation. Your success and your reputation lead to your ability
to hire on other drivers and expand your trucking empire.
To
counteract your success, you'll have to deal with long (and in some
cases boring) hauls, police (checking speed, general driving rules,
etc), and to some extent, the competition of your fellow truckers.
There's also traffic on the roads including other trucks. There used to
be a bug in older versions that made traffic hazardous (cars would just
randomly hit the brakes like they were trying to cause an accident) but
that's gone and traffic will even yield to your turn signal. But, to
compensate for this, the devs decided to throw in something else to
cause you grief. If you so much as stop one inch beyond the line at a
stop light, you'll be flagged as having run a red light (a fine worth up
to $9000 in the game!). This and people driving in obvious violation of
the law (well, at least in the states I've driven) where they're making
right turns across one or more lanes of traffic (thus colliding with
you and getting you in trouble with the law again) can mean you'll be
dishing out a lot to pay violations. Of course, the silver lining is
that you only really pay for violations if you pass within a certain
distance of a parked cop car.
The graphics are passable but
dated. The graphic engine won't show up on a video games award show any
time soon. Cities will have some hints at their landmarks and the like
but there is no real attempt to map out the city in anyway. The cities
are just small hubs where you'll find services and companies to grab
loads from. That said, it does what it needs to do and the rigs
themselves are pretty detailed. There are several cameras you can use to
check your rig out while driving plus a great top-down cam that's been
in the games of the series for a while and for good reason...nothing
beats using that to hitch and line up trailers. Even so, the camera can
be limited (you can only zoom out so far) and with a long enough
(double) trailer, you can't really see beyond about half way down the
second trailer. You'll have to rely on mirrors and other camera angles
to get that right.
The driving is okay but has the same
limitations as any other driving game. Ideally, you'll want to use a
wheel or joystick (or gamepad). I don't have any of those so I used the
keyboard. The keyboard works but driving can be challenging at times
given the lack of a way to "finesse" turns and the like. Even so, you'll
largely just be more worried about getting from point A to point B.
There are short cuts in places but you're largely constricted to a
couple of set highways to get from city to city. Still, you've got to
manage your speed (cops), your fuel (only so many gas stations), and
your route (watch for those short cuts) so there are things to keep you
busy even on a long haul.
Overall, the game can be fun but it's a
very specific fun. I personally like business sims and love the idea of
running and managing logistics and just trucking loads across America.
If you're looking for a fast-paced game or a complicated economic sim,
this is not the game for you. But, if you wanted to strap yourself into a
rig and drive around the country hauling loads, this is the game for
you. And, it also helps that the price is nice and low. This version
essentially rolls up all the various updates and changes made throughout
the 18 Wheels series so you're getting the best version of the
simulation (with the business side as well as the rigs and some of the
bug fixes).
Previous 18 Wheels Owners (Start here)
For
those of you that have tried an 18 Wheels game before you should know
the drill by now. The games are more of a minor evolution than a
revolution as you go from game to game. At this point, though, in the
series, you're getting all the enhancements that have come down the pike
(the more complicated business sim, the fix for the traffic issue, the
expanded map with all of North America, etc.). At the same time, if you
got Haulin', you likely got most of this anyway.
So, if you
haven't updated your original 18 Wheels (across america?) game, you
should probably just grab this sucker (it's nice and cheap anyway) and
get up to date.
If you got Haulin or are like me and got every
version in the series so far, this isn't going to be pushing the
envelope for you at all. Still, the map seems to be a bit different and I
noticed at least one thing that was fixed (that traffic bug...where
cars used to just hit the brakes all the time) and, as I mentioned, it's
dirt cheap (at least right now @9.99), it might be worth the pick up
just to get some of those minor enhancements. It's your money so you'll
know the best approach.
All in all, I like the series despite
it's issues. I, like a lot of other fans, keep holding out for that
graphics upgrade and some more sophisticated aspects to the business
part (and maybe an autopilot for those times when you really just don't
want to do that cross-country run again). Maybe one day...
Nothing New
Valusoft/SCS has created a
great series in 18 Wheels of Steel. They've constistantly kept the price
[...]) and have made great products. The 18WoS franchise has been a
great driving simulator and buisness sim as well as being pretty stable
(not counting Convoy).
Unfortunately it seems like the 18WoS series
is beginning to get stale and repetitive. The cities need to be lively!
Going into cities which seem so familiar and seeing no one walking or
people coming out of shops and office buildings just doesn't cut it
anymore. The traffic signals even look the same. Turning lanes would be a
nice addition because a accident is just waiting to happen, plus when
you wait for a clear path making a left turn, you are constantly being
honked at. Please, no more cardboard buildings.
In the latest
release by Valusoft/SCS American Long Haul has the same graphics as
Haulin as well as the same premise. You start off with a truck and haul
different types of cargo through the United States, Canada and now
Mexico (only a few cities). Mexico was added but it was previously in
18WoS: Pedal to the Medal only. The only thing different in 18WoS: ALH
is that you can bid on cargo and their are some shortcuts. There are a
few large truckstops but to me it's not a truckstop if you can't get out
of your truck, fill up the tank, go to the bathroom, talk to other
drivers, or relax in the resturant. You can also be your own boss and
hire other drivers just like in Haulin. I think the minor additions to
American Long Haul could of very well been a patch for Haulin.
When
I saw this on the SCS website, I was looking forward to a new chapter
in the 18WoS series however when I played the demo, it's exactly like
Haulin. I wasn't expecting American Long Haul to be almost the same as
Haulin. Very disappointing!
Sadly, the graphics are getting old
and the game itself is beginning to get stale. When you travel the
highways, there are barren areas and areas that you wish were barren.
The same setup for the cities is again in American Long Haul. What this
means is that the cities are devoid off people, the traffic lights are
strangely the same in every city, the buildings and scenery are bland
and look like pop up books or blocks of cardboard. The only pleasant
scenery is the water (bodies of water). What is inexusable are the
highways and streets throughout the United States, Mexico and Canada.
The developers should of at least done their homework on how the cities
are laid out as well as the routes to get to them. I was hoping for the
actual suspension bridges that lead to New York City as well as others.
What about the tunnels to go from Manhattan into New Jersey? The
Deleware River Gap Bridge when you drive on Interstate 80 through New
Jersey? I'm not just talking about the New York/New Jersey area, I'm
speaking for the whole area that is included in 18WoS: American Long
Haul. With games being manufactured on DVD's you can't tell me that
there isn't enough space on a DVD. If the budget was too tight maybe
split it into several expansions? Use Google Earth if you can't travel
all over the United States and take pictures. I also am wondering that
thoughout the game, how come there are absolutely no truck stops
anywhere. At truckstops, you can relax, have a meal (everyone, come on
you know the words....YMCA, gonna stay at the YMCA....sorry couldn't
help it! :-), maybe wash your rig, or buy acessories as well (Yes I saw
the History Channels Modern Marvels: Truck Stops). At some weigh
stations if you make the wrong turn to the parking lot before you "get
weighed, you get a ticket! It's also weird to see no one manning the
weigh stations. You can't even look through the building's window. What
I'm implying is that the realism factor has certainly gone down. The
first couple from the 18WoS series it's understandable and I have been
amazed as to how 18WoS first came out and matured into a surprising hit
as a driving simulation and business sim. If the cities are more
realistic instead of empty of any human activity, and the routes to get
to and from cities was more accurate, I think I would not mind to pay
extra if the coompany raised the price from [...] With todays computers
(dual core, quad core) and graphic cards, SCS/Valusoft can certainly put
together a 18WoS game that certainly can be deep and wow people.
Reading a few reviews when the 18WoS franchise was first started showed
that it was a surprise hit and got better with each new release (again
not counting Convoy).
I only played the demo (and have AML when I
bought Big City Rigs) for a few minutes because it seemed like I was
playing Haulin all over again. I enjoy Haulin even though the graphics
are making me go blahhhh. If you feel the same way, stick with Haulin
because if you buy American Long Haul, its 99.9999999% the same and yes
if you don't own Haulin then American Long Haul would be the one to get.
It
would be nice if the next title in the 18WoS series would bring live
cities: people, more realistic buildings, bridges, traffic,
construction, accidents, and toll bridges. Maybe the developers can add
car washes and realistic gas and service stations. Can I get out of my
truck to pump my own gas? Can I check the oil and engine? Check my
tires? Can I buy a snack or a drink? Can I tell the mechanic (depending
on the time of the day to check the engine)? Replace the tires? What
about truck stops? What about after a long delivery, can I go to a Motel
or Hotel (again getting out of my truck) and rest? Talk to other
truckers in the lobby? Talk to other truckers in the truckstop? If I am
in Las Vegas, can I actually stop off at the casino? If my house is
nearby, can I go home and rest? It would be nice if I had a reason for
working as a trucker or owning my own business. If I had a house
somewhere in the cities or outlining suburbs-I have bills to pay. If I
own a company there is got to be other things to do than simply hiring
drivers and buying them rigs. How about building an office complete with
a truck yard? Take on multiple computer opponents. Finally, since when
do you deliver your cargo and there is no one to except it. It would be
nice to have a forklift and deliver the goods into the warehouse or
place of business that you are deliverying to. If you brought cars, you
should be able to drive the cars off your trailer and put them in the
dealers lot. Can you give bills/reciepts to show that you had reached
your destination. It's weird dropping off cargo and it all of a sidden
disapears when you press "T" and you get the money automatically into
your bank account. All the companies are completely devoid of people and
no other trucks come in but yours.
It's time to polish up the
graphics, extend throughout the farthest reaches of North America. Let
it become what the Simcity franchise has been known for----neverending
and without any "clear goals." You just need to balance your budget. The
game could end if you decide to retire, steal from the company and get
caught, get arrested and can't pay the court fees and fines and/or jail
time or cause such a horrific accident that your license it taken away
for good. A good lesson within the game would be if you are in a
resturant/bar on your night off or your down time and you drink to much,
the police WILL catch you and determine if you were under the
influence, arrest you, and this means game over. A realistic police
force (an intelligent AI) would be fantastic. Throwing a wrench in this
game would be to become the TOP TRUCKING COOMPANY that meets the demands
of "its" customers while balancing a budget. If you retire you can have
the option of buying an industry or a commerical business that trucking
companies do business with so you're still a part of the action if you
decide to "take a break." It would be great to have control of building
your own warehouse to store whatever your hauling and actually have
employees as well yourself removing the cargo. Again the cities in Long
Haul as well as the previous 18WoS, are so stale that it seems like no
one lives in these cities. All you see are cars and trucks. The wow
factor in this game and hopefully this won't be the last one is to
release it on a DVD(s) and restore this game as a model of beauty. I
think (and I'm not speaking for everyone) people will be willing to
shell out a little bit more if this game, company, and franchise go up a
level or two and take the Tycoon trophy.
An option for
multiplayer would be interesting. People can decide to be a trucker,
own, a truck dealership, drive in cars, become a police officer, a
customs official (goods coming from abroad and into your warehouse to
ship), own/build resturants, car washes, gas stations, industries, the
tools for trucks (pipes/hoses for gasoline trailers ect. You could drive
a gasoline trailer either to the gas companies refinery and/or the
actual gas station and fill up the stations gas tanks for its customers.
I
realized that the modest system requirements have allowed the 18WoS
franchise to bring a great level of playability and realism. I think
it's time to up the system requirements and completely change how a
simulation and a tycoon game can be created. With todays computers and
computer components as well as their prices, the game can reach another
level. I would love to see this game require dual core processors and at
least a NVidia 8800 and ATI x1950 or higher video card. Most systems if
not all of them out today are at least dual-core systems.
To
anyone who's never played the 18WoS games then this is the game for you.
For those people who own 18WoS: Haulin, it's pretty much the same game
and you might feel disappointed and think, "Hey, I just played this in
Haulin.", when you play the demo. I love the 18WoS series and hope new
content is added.
Great game , Bad price
this game is great! The price
is way too big though. 18 wheels of steel big city rigs has this game
plus 2 more cool games. Bad thing is 2 song jukebox
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