Live as a trucker driving powerful trucks across The Last Frontier, delivering cargo against all odds. Get your hands dirty with truck maintenance and strive for survival in the cold, harsh climate of the frozen north. Are you up to the challenge?
LIVING IN ALASKA
TAKING A JOB
At the beginning of the tutorial, you will be tasked with selecting your first job. Talk to the placeholder NPC standing nearby to select the ‘Metal Parts’ job. The in-game navigation system will automatically set your destination for you. From here, follow the tutorial to find your truck, hook up your trailer, and hit the road!
COOKING
In Alaskan Road Truckers, you will have to manage your character’s hunger. When hungry, you will get a notification on your UI indicating that you need food – fast. You can consume multiple meals throughout the game, from pre-packed food and microwavable meals you can prepare in the back of your cab to more complex meals that require a stove. We’ve placed some food in your truck to tide you over until you pick up more – check the rear of your cab to find your snacks!
STAYING WARM
Inside your cab, you will find a heater that you need to use to warm yourself up. Spending too much time outside in the cold will negatively impact your health. The tutorial will let you know how to turn on your heater. A simple press of the button on your dashboard will sort it out for you.
BUYING GOODS
At any point in your journey, you can resupply in fresh food, meals ready to heat, or tools at various locations like shops and gas stations. The world of Alaskan Road Truckers is alive with places for you to visit and items to buy.
Important: Store and Gas Station Design. The Gas Station design and Store design are a Work in Progress currently; final designs will be implemented at a later date.
SLEEPING
After being awake for a while, your character will need rest. There are motels to stay in, or if you don’t want to venture out of your truck, there’s a handy bed waiting for you in the back of your cab. Your energy levels will deplete when playing, keep an eye on your UI! The heart and apple icon set represents player health, strength, and energy from food. Your driver will lose energy during the day and become tired. In this build, game time will run faster than normal so your levels will deplete rapidly. Make sure to stock up your inventory [Key ‘I]’ with food and remember to eat it.
NOTE: We can provide console commands to help with these mechanics if needed.
Engine / Player Icons:
MAINTAINING YOUR TRUCK
COLLECTING TOOLS
Some of the basic tools are available immediately for you in your truck (in the storage back in the cab). The rest you will need to buy at various locations like shops or gas stations.
FUELING YOUR VEHICLE
After traveling for a while, you will notice that your fuel level is running low. The game will let you know when you’re low on fuel – find a gas station on your Map (accessible by clicking ESC on the keyboard or START on your gamepad) and set the route to the nearest gas station.
FIXING YOUR TRUCK
At some point in your first assignment, you will be notified you need to fill up the engine oil or refill the coolant (minigame). The tutorial will walk you through how to perform this task.
INTERACTING WITH YOUR TRUCK
The tutorial will teach you how to start the truck and release the handbrake, and experiment with your truck’s dashboard to turn on windscreen wipers, lights, and more!
HOOKING UP A TRAILER
After accepting your first assignment at the starting location, you will be instructed on how to hook up a trailer, including locking in the trailer, raising the dolly legs, and attaching cables.
NOTE: Pressing [C] will cycle you through different camera angles, making lining up your truck with your trailer easier. We have basic UI icons below the speedometer – if you crash your truck, you will take damage to your radiator, lights, engine, windshield, or coolant. The Icons will change color, and the truck’s performance will drop, or it can break down. This damage system is working, though the variety and percentage of damage are currently displayed in a more basic format than in the final product. If you damage your truck too much, you can exit the vehicle, open the hood and repair it. If unrepairable, ONLY in this pre-beta build, it may be easier to get back to your base, restart the mission, or call Road Assistance.
Important: Automatic / Manual Gearbox. If you want to try a manual gearbox, you can use [Left Shift] for gear up and [Control] for gear down. Currently, controllers only have partial support with certain interactions requiring a keyboard. Wheel support is mostly implemented with Thrustmaster or Logitech using Windows input.
Important: Some features require perks to be unlocked. Please note that in the current build some features are locked behind perks. For milestone purposes, use the “=” key, which will give you 5000 XP and in the Character tab you can unlock the necessary perks. The key can be used multiple times to help you progress through certain parts of the map. Fallen trees, avalanches, and a rock slide have been added. Some events have additional spawn conditions – for example, avalanches can only spawn in winter.
Alaskan Road Truckers – Further Development
We hope you’re enjoying your experience so far. We want to take a moment to inform you that while the game is playable, some features are still under development. Please note that some parts of the game, such as specific locations or mechanics, may need to be fully polished or optimized. Right now, our team is working on the following:
Snow and Ice, Surfaces and Grip, Ice Road Missions
Snow deformers/shaders and ice systems are in development and will be present in the final game. Tires and grip systems are currently in development – these features will be used in the ice road missions that will require a special license to complete. These missions are also under development and are not present in this game build.
Fallen Trees, Avalanches, and Rockslides
To ensure that Alaska will always surprise you, we are developing a system of random in-game events that will dynamically alter the game world when playing. Some events will have additional spawn conditions, for example, avalanches will only occur in winter. The basis of this system is already in the game. However, some features and balancing the number of events will change.
Please note: No animation exists for removing trees with the chainsaw. If you approach one of those roadblocks, exit your truck, open your inventory [I], choose a chainsaw, and remove the obstacle. Rock slide designs are being developed; they cannot be removed.
Lighting Bugs
We acknowledge that shadows update too frequently right now. Lighting is still under development with some minor visual issues present in the current build. Some setting options, like epic detail levels, still need to be configured and will be present in the game’s final version. Right now, we also know that lighting and reflections can give a flat appearance at present, and we are working on optimizing these systems. Other lighting bugs are being worked on at the moment.
Perks, Player Attributes, Skill System
Please note some placeholder art is present in the skill tree, and some jobs will require special licenses.
More Assignments and Destinations
We are also working on introducing a vast range of different assignments and destinations. In the final version of the game, you will be able to visit major Alaskan cities, and a broad number of well-known Points of Interest, and deliver cargo like tanks, houses, or heavy machinery.
