This is basically a "mod maker". It fetches base and DLC package files for both American Truck Simulator (ATS) or Euro Truck Simulator 2 (ETS2) and generate a local mod with all engine files changed to improve the respective game's clutch actuation performance when using a manual gearbox with clutch controller.
This mod makes little, no, or negative impact difference in the game if played with anything that does not employ an analog clutch pedal, such as keyuboar + mouse, xbox/ps2 controller, gamepad, steering wheels that employ only brake + gas pedals, and may also misbehave if you use automatic/sequential gearbox settings in the respective game.
Basically it builds a mod changing engine settings to employ higher torques at lower RPM intervals.
- Searches for Steam Installation
- From Steam installation, checks for each, ATS and ETS2 "installed" status
- For each installed game, searches the corresponding library path the game is installed at
- Prompts whether the mod for each game is to be built/refreshed
- Opens each game's executable to extract exact version information from
- Parses base.scs, def.scs and dlc_*.scs files for truck engine info files
- Extract files preserving path
- Adjusts torque curve with stronger values for low RPMs
- Adds custom torque information for engines that uses default curves
- Saves all files to the folder:
%USERPROFILE%\Documents\<game>\mod\ClutchImprovements - Creates mod manifest and description files
The mod simply employs a steeper engine torque curve in the low ends such that 45% torque is attained very early (~310rpm) then slowly approaching 50% at its idle speed.
With this, it becomes possible to "hold" the truck uphill if the clutch is partially released, like in real cars. It is also possible to actually take off without depressing the accelerator pedal in flat surfaces, just like it can be done in actual cars (provided you have good clutch control).
What's originally done here is actually the ability to dynamically parse all games and DLCs to extract every engine data available, and the clutch feature applied to ETS2 and all ATS engines.
The code to actually decode SCS files comes from sk-zk/TruckLib.HashFs project,
and several parts, especially CityHash class was reworked to include only
the minimally necessary code for this program's ends.
The mod is based in the "Engine Idle torque 'Fix'" mod in Steam workshop which only changes a limited number of engines in the game, but uses a more comprehensive methodology to determine changed torque values.
The mod has a backlog of game incompatibility between releases, which prompted for this automated program to process all engines and make it easier to build new releases, with hopefully a reduced chance to need changes in the actual mod building logic.
Among several modding.scsgames.com documentation files, the most relevant for this project is the engine definition documentation which, among other things, documents the default torque curve for engines, which needs to be checked in between upgrades to ensure the mod's modification over default values still makes sense.
So, credits on the knowledge about torque curves and the solution for several engines that didn't employ explicit torque curves are to SCS.
In short, this mod can be downloaded from Steam Workshop, so it's just a matter of subscribing to it in Steam. There's one for ATS and another for ETS2.
Probably easiest way, but may get outdated in time if I am not able to actively keep it up-to-date as SCS makes new releases.
This repository will keep releases and the respective mods will be attached as release assets. Unfortunately they can't be automagically generated as not only the game installation is required, but also in Windows OS's.
The mod can just be built on your side too.
To actually enable the local mod, it is needed to enable it in mod browser at profile selection screen, just right opening the game.
Just grab the file corresponding to the mod and game you like in the latest release in this GitHub repository.
Link will be available as soon as the first release is made.
Grab the actual Windows console application tool from the releases and run it.
The mod will be dumped right in your game's mod directory (created if it
does not exist). The tool will ask, for each detected game, whether to process
files and make the local mod.
This was built using Visual Studio 2022 but should work with the dotnet
CLI if you have .NET 6 SDK installed. Once built you can run the tool just
like the one downloaded from Releases. Perhaps as short as a dotnet run.
This mod shouldn't affect multiplayer (Convoys, TruckersMP) in any way, so it is marked as 'Optional' for whichever server considers optional mods actually "optional".
This mod creation tool has its limitations, and for the known ones:
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Doesn't support walking thru mods to fetch engine info and place them altogether. It means, no modded truck engine support; this mod won't apply to modded trucks unless they use engines from game's base and DLCs.
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The tool won't fully refresh the mod once the game is running. The game locks mod files when it loads the mod and only releases them on quit.
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The tool won't make a .zip (or .scs) file from the mod. The mod will be fully exposed in the mod folder (but within its own directory, without messing up things).
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Unfortunately, how it tries to attain a better-realistic clutch actuation implies in a surreal engine torque ratio for lower RPM. Still, to me at least, the overall experience in the game (using manual shifting) improved.
This mod is intended to work with a more "realistic" clutch actuation area. This much is possible in the game, by setting the clutch axis' deadzone at around, say, 10% of the slider, and the clutch range limit (the next slider) to ~40%. The clutch pedal's "height" can be adjusted by increasing/decreasing the deadzone; the higher the lower the clutch will be in the pedal.
The aim of this mod is to make the game more realistic. The way it works, without modifications, makes it so taking off from a standstill unrealistically difficult, even more if on a hill, loaded. There are some weird tricks, like "shaking" the clutch to make a heavy truck start in an uphill, which is simply not realistic.
This mod tries to make the clutch behave more like an actual car by giving it some more power, such that it still stalls if the clutch is released abruptly, yet, if held firm in the right bite position the truck could start moving without the need to smash the gas pedal like it does in stock game settings