Plan Your Day the Old Fashioned Way! - ATS without GPS!

Now I'm really truckin'!
Driving ATS with no GPS may seem frustrating at first, but put the time and prep in and you may have a unique and rewarding experience. Stop following that line and start following those signs! Pull over at a rest stop to check that big ol' paper map! Get lost! Literally, Get lost! Find something you didn't know was there! Now you're really truckin'!
SenseFM's Incredible Map: forum.scssoft.com/viewtopic.p...
Mods:
Immersive Icons: steamcommunity.com/sharedfile...
Smaller Dead End Barrier: steamcommunity.com/sharedfile...
Daniel's ATS Events: forum.scssoft.com/viewtopic.p...
No GPS Icon: forum.scssoft.com/viewtopic.p...
To purchase a cockpit set up
like mine or any other Next Level Racing® products, check out NextLevelRacing.com
Email - [e-mail]
Discord - / discord
Twitter - / gplapsjake
0:00 Intro
0:45 Explanation
7:25 Navigation Tips
12:08 Journey
54:09 Final Thoughts

[@oddforoddssake3751]

This makes me kinda want an ATS "Retro" mod. No gps, no real gadgets or anything, only old trucks and old-style cargo, nothing but glorious 70's and 80's trucking :)

[@H.EL-Othemany]

I don't like to equip my old trucks with a GPS. It feels weird.. I only rely on road signs

[@redline9082]

There is a mod on the SCS forums called Project USA 80's. It replaces billboards and some stores with 80's ones, along with a Classic Traffic and Classic truck packs that the author recommends to replace the standard AI traffic and trucks, it gets pretty close!

[@Streetrocker28]

I know ….. mmmm Mack superliner , would love to see that one ingame some day

[@nyftn]

On KZbin i've seen someone do this in ats

[@koczownik]

@@Streetrocker28 there is a mod, you can find it on scsforums

[@dinxsy8069]

Still remember the big plastic box full of paper book maps my dad had when he was a truck driver in the late 90s early 2000s, insane the amount needed when traveling in the EU

[@RTPJu]

When I take my driving license in 1997, to drive in São Paulo, we used a map book with some good hundreds of pages covering 136.000+ streets in the city. The first time I drove in Europe was a trip in 1998 between Chieti and Frankfurt... all done by maps and asking how. Good times that I can't miss because of GPS lol

[@dinxsy8069]

@@RTPJu Sounded like good times, traveling the world by paper maps 👍👍

[@nyftn]

lol i had 2 curver boxes full

[@robertjohansson1707]

Can confirm. I remember copying maps from the phone book (yes, I am that old) to find my way.

[@dinxsy8069]

@@nyftn Life savers literally, i remember a few books just covered bridge locations with their weight limit, max height etc.

[@Snake-M3]

The International 9900i was produced from 2000 to 2017, so it's not hard to imagine this as the early 2000's, when GPS in cars wasn't common yet.

[@shamaYahu8635]

Excellent point

[@Pizzonia123]

I often listen to radio-garden (a website with tons of radio channels from around the world) and put some random radio station, local to the state I'm driving in, on the background. Very relaxing. I'm actually from Europe, but I do enjoy American Truck Sim a bit more because of the big, open roads and places I'm not that familiar with.

[@vaudevillian7]

There’s a local radio plug in you can get that will change the available radio stations based on where you are, works for ETS and ATS - called ETS Local Radio

[@Pizzonia123]

@@vaudevillian7 Thanks, I'll check it out!

[@tropicalverktaki]

I love the fake companies in the game too, one of the reasons I never tried Real Companies mods. I think the devs and designers put a lot of effort into the companies featured in game, I think it adds a cool layer to the game universe.

[@cafepuschkin3955]

Watching ATS takes me back to 1978, watching Sam Peckinpah's "Convoy", and listening to C.W. McCall. Having CB Radio would be another way to find your way around if you got lost, and a way to avoid 'bears in the air"! I feel like a fortunate hitchhiker - cruising through beautiful scenery with Ol' GPLaps - A big 10-4, good buddy!

[@theCDGeffect]

I came to ATS from doing iRacing previously, so I had all the stuff already and ATS is so relaxing. I've also got the VR headset and it's just been a blast. I'll definitely try taking a route without gps some day for sure.

[@KayoMichiels]

Takes me back when i was playing 18 WoS Across America.. i wrote down the interstate numbers when i accepted a new job, and then followed it when driving.

[@h1fox874]

Oh yeah! ATS without gps is a really cool experience, sometimes I love to make such challenges for myself and I recommend it to everyone too And actually ets2 and ats earlier helps me with geography a lot :)

[@danort17]

Done something like that in ATS as well, without the GPS from Aberdeen down to Key West, Florida. Was awesome!

[@stanislavpavlov6311]

This is how we used to navigate in older SCS games , before German truck sim

[@artemkatelnytskyi]

I like driving without the satnav too! Also my notes are pretty much identical to yours. Signage in ATS is superb, especially on interstates. I like that there are signs in cities in major intersections directing you to highways, which I don't think I've seen in ETS2. Every road is marked, however some secondary route aren't, and it did catch me off guard once. But that's a part of fun!

[@JohnDoes620]

Great game but I’ll admit sometimes it’s extremely frustrating to get caught at red light after red light after getting home from work where the same thing happened on the drive home 😂

[@Nexus104]

Lmao Theres one unmarked city in the only dlc i have, wyoming, which has like 7 sets of lights i think

[@notnice94]

From what my grandfather has told me, being an international trucker in Europe before the days of GPS was an absolute nightmare. Maps only got you as far as the city you're going to, then you had to ask people for directions to the warehouse you're supposed to unload at because it was impossible to find it on your own.

[@roddydiaz1090]

This and train simulator are my go to when I get off work and just want to unwind with a beer. Also, a nice break from the intense races of GPL and RBR. Thanks for another great video GPLaps! You're the man.

[@thegamingmanatee6803]

Drinking and driving eh? 😂

[@finnfischtfrischefische]

I love these rather unusual videos on this Channel. Love to see you play non racing games or doing experiments. Especially when it's edited and narrated so well

[@VonBlade]

Legit chill video, and I love ATS. It's so much fun and so relaxing. Grab a few additional radio stations and you can't help but have a stress free experience.

[@jamesowen3186]

Great video. No BS, no ego, just a relaxing experience and so imformative. Thank you very much.

[@BioHazard7911]

"We're hauling some nuts...dunno what kind of nuts they are.." Deez nuts? 🤣 FR great video man, it's nice to go for a cruise every now and then as it's a nice change of pace from racing around a lot :)

[@nyftn]

driven without gps for 7 years in europe. what an adventure vs gps . the box under the bed was full. i can still drive very long trips without gps , only by looking at google maps at home.

[@deborahpriestley4739]

This sim captures the Pacific Northwest very well. I recognize this rout and they did a good job including notable landmarks and terrain.

[@tun04]

Pls more of this. Lovely trip.

[@rennwolfwolfgangkriegl]

Personally, I don't have any interest in trucking whatsoever, but I very much appreciate your narration throughout what is essentially a lovely scenic drive. Thank you and enjoy! 😀

[@Jett_Heller]

Great video! As a person aged in their 50s I can well and truly remember the days of driving with a map or Map Book that had numbered tabs attached to the relevant pages to flick to once you drive off the edge of a page. Driving with the book sitting in your lap and actually hoping to get the red light so you can quickly refer to the map to make sure you are heading in the right direction. Before the drive you would of course spend some time in planning these books with the tabs and memorising key turns... I don't know whether you could call these the 'good ol days' as GPS has made this task so much easily but I do sort of feel that society has become much more reliant on technology which is good and bad. I have only got into Truck Simulator and have been getting my experience done with ETS but have also purchased ATS and very much looking forward to trying out the 'old way' of doing things for a fun, relaxed time. Subscribed and looking forward to more of your videos.

[@Sundablakr]

I tried this on ETS2 and lost my mind lol, looks really fun though I hope to see more of these, earned a new subsscriber! Also as a Brit I vastly prefer ATS over ETS2, just something about the American interstate and highway system and the fact you can go a hundred miles between towns sometimes, gets my wanderlust going. My dream to spend a month road tripping across the states one day.

[@MatthewJohnCrittenden]

As a Brit who has played a fair amount of ETS2 but passed on ATS as “too similar” I may well take the recommendation, cheers!

[@sexyplatoon4052]

ATS is soooo boring , i dont understand how people get satisfied by driving straight all the Times.

[@Sundablakr]

@@sexyplatoon4052 I don't understand how people can enjoy Tennis either, but that doesn't make it any less fun for the people that do. There is only one thing in this universe that is an absolute and ATS fun factor is not it.

[@sexyplatoon4052]

@@Sundablakr but you can not say , why you like diving in a straight line. Is that right? And i think there is a Big difference between Tennis and driving Straight for hours.

[@Sundablakr]

@@sexyplatoon4052 For me driving in the states is the best feeling, because I love the idea of being in the middle of nowhere, deep in the central Nevada desert for example where you can drive down a long straight highway for 50 miles and never encounter a town or anyone else but other trucks. To me that wide open space and vast horizons are something that I very much enjoy and is something that cannot be replicated here in Britain or continental Europe. Many other people also feel the same way. It's not that driving in a straight line is the main thing that appeals to use (but yes enjoying the scenery as you cruise is enjoyable), but all the factors of being especially in the American West combined. I'm not sure why you feel the need to argue against this, I'm not trying to bring you around or convince you of anything, we just like different things, end of story. It's okay to disagree my friend.

[@Megus_Degus]

This has been a truly wholesome 50 minutes, And i appreciate your take on a real journey through the game, Will for sure test this as i as many others use ETS and ATS for relaxing, Great video. Thank you!

[@DennisStrehlau]

Good evening sir! Just found your channel. Wow, i am thrilled. Such a cool way of driving and commenting in such a nice and calm way. Just found myself watching the whole 1 hour video after a long working day. I am a tax advisor from Germany and there is nothing cooler than relaxing with some ATS or ETS2. So much inspiration from your video. I also love to drive without GPS and just feel like I am actually trucking. I am playing with a sim rig, with moving seat, wheel and so on and I even built my own cabin. It’s awesome. Thank you so much for the great video. Keep it up man. Best Greetings from Germany, Dennis :)

[@tompettersson3814]

You should stream ats more often, this was soothing as hell. And i would definitely an ETS stream :)

[@lamarckian]

I'm glad this popped into my recommended videos. Really like your presentation style.

[@teethntoothbrush]

Is this going to become a series? I'd love that.

[@yusuf8a684]

I would love this being a series. Even if it's for once upon a month

[@athomasmay]

Definitely been using this video as a reference/guide for my ATS trucking. Took a break and had to refresh myself on No GPS navigation in game, plus, very glad you’ve got the map and your mods in the description. I’d watch more if you put it out! Well done!

[@DaStrobel]

Hey mate! Thank you for using my Icons! Mod! Have a good day, DaStrobel o7

[@GPLaps]

Thank you for making it!

[@bruins8282]

I stumbled upon this and as someone who plays ATS regularly, this idea is fantastic. I never thought to this, tried it and I’m sold. Thank you for the idea.

[@cmbaileytstc]

ATS is such a perfectly executed game. Controls and TrackIR work well and easily, fairly intuitive to figure out all functions. The only trouble is that highway trucking gets a little boring after you master handling the truck. Snowrunner is such an imperfectly executed thing from the standpoint of a sim driver, NO TrackIR support, poor wheel/controls support, no manual gears, menus are a head-scratcher. Getting force feedback working was literally trial and error guesswork with NO instructions in the game. Yet the task of trying to deliver loads off-road is so compelling. One could wish that ATS had more off-road/“Death Roads”, or that the SnowRunner team would buy a clue and learn about making good functionality in a game from great examples like ATS. Or BeamNG, or Assetto Corsa.

[@birdybutch]

ATS is good. SCS is bad. game need MUCH more

[@_Kolcki]

I worked on this game little over two years... made maps for Utah, Oregon and Colorado. Good times

[@MarcDupont]

Didn't think anyone else did this. Good job. Last week I did it in ETS but my rule included local delivery of fuel to all BP gas stations. I wish local multi drop was a thing. Subbed.

[@nikbear]

Excellent episode, would love to see more of this content, it was so relaxing to watch you drive, proper wind down 👍😀

[@andofthedrew5171]

Little mod for you to download GP it's called TRU mirror FOV. I use it on both ATS & ETS2. The base game mirrors FOV is too stretched or wide

[@GPLaps]

yup! i was running that here, its a good one

[@thqp]

Loved this super laid back mood! Would definitely want to see more videos like this from you!

[@penguincamp]

This is absolutely the challenge I needed. Big on SCS truck sims, and I also love reading maps over GPS.

[@TheRealJohnMadden]

The one thing I would love from ATS is the introduction to big cities like Boston, New York City, Atlanta, LA, etc.. but to have the high population density. I'd love to get that stress of driving a big rig through a crowded city or cluster-f***ed highway or even having to make tight turns by there's barely any room to get by. Really stretching the boundaries.

[@catwhisperer4599]

Been trying this way for the last few days. So much to think about than following a route on a gps. Remember when my dad ( trucker for 40 years + ) used to get the map out on the dinning table. I also remember asking if he wanted a satnav, he just laughed.After all those years driving he didn't need one. This is a good idea thanks for posting it.

[@vincegrey3484]

I love playing ETS2 like this every now and then, look at in game Map to get some rough directions but turn the HUD GPS off, makes you pay attention more and not just following a red line

[@EcangNaGala]

This is what amazes me with my dad and other dads you know the dads that didn't grew up with phone tech and gps . If your dad has ever said to you or the whole family lets go to the beach or lets go fishing and he will just be lets go here and we all trusted his navigation skills to get there no GPS, no maps just my gut i love it

[@jdumbz1899]

with the 700 hours going on to 800 hours on ATS, I'm always finding ways to keep myself occupied to play. I'll be definitely trying this out once Texas comes out as I do plan to start fresh once again when it drops.

[@Streetrocker28]

Subbed , loved this kind of playstyle , I hope you do more of them , this reminds me of my early trucking days 20 years ago , before gps and automatic transmissions came into play 👍

[@wiegraf9009]

I grew up on the eastern side of the Coast Mountains in British Columbia and this does an awesome job of representing how the biomes change from West to East in this area. Very very cool!

[@BalooUriza]

I think the fact that both Oregon and Washington are more than half desert iRL and that's well-reflected in ATS catches a lot of people by surprise.

[@calirickbme325]

Good job! I enjoyed that. Your commentary is excellent.

[@lewisdavey4705]

Still use a map in my real truck these days. When i was playing ets2 years ago i played it so much that i knew how to get places without needing it. It forces you to look at your surroundings and not just go into autopilot.

[@rockerbuck967]

I just found this video, and Texas has been released. It's more interesting than you think. I know it amazed me. In real life, I drove thru Tyler, TX years ago. And in a few minutes of playing ATS, it immediately brought back all those memories in great detail, just because of how close it was to the real thing. This is a GREAT video as far as doing it "old school." I'm going to try it this way, just to see all things I'd normally miss. The game put all these routes in there for a reason.

[@thegodamnpope6340]

I've been playing these games for years, and you sir are a genius

[@JoshTheBassist]

I'd LOVE to play this in VR w/ no maps. But like Hell I'd be able to read the signs :).

[@MyGamingBacklog]

Great stuff! Would love to see you try this in ETS :)

[@lucadventures1278]

So satisfying to watch, makes me want to try !

[@simonrigby2776]

This is a great idea and exactly what I needed to rekindle my love for ATS/ETS. As you say .. no more 'follow the line'.

[@Juebar]

Very nice idea planning without GPS! I like it very much! Keep them coming... Greetings from Germany

[@KevladPlays]

Fantastic video, Loved the no GPS drive. Would love to see more.

[@justindavis3623]

Surprised there's not a 70's-80's mod for ATS, with no GPS or digital niceties.

[@death3443]

even in real life, it is a blast driving with my Motorcycle around Europe without the GPS. Its so pure, you interact with the enviroment even more + you can even ask folks and that kind of interaction is awesome :)

[@Kurtis.E]

Loved the video really want to see more, hope it becomes a series!

[@HarringtonMAH11]

I could watch you do this all day

[@Kinghauler2012]

Forgot to mention, love the commentary. Great video!

[@Corktip14]

"You could have the big map printed and fold it to the area you are going through". Yeah, no, we all know the area we need will be OVER a fold! That being said, I've been going back to ATS again lately, will have to give a try to one full delivery without GPS, looks like fun!

[@MotoRide.]

great video. Thanks for using a head-tracker, it's the right way

[@rich90388]

This game is very relaxing and i like the internet radio stations

[@HansGurke44]

Very cool video, would be great to see more of this!

[@scottytissue73]

A nice middle ground is to leave the map zoomed all the way out. You still get a general idea, but still have to navigate the finer details which can still be a challenge.

[@MordecaiTheAwesomeBluejay]

Let's gooooo another ATS video from my boy GPLaps. Can't wait for Texas to come out

[@dominick253]

I hauled nuts before. For Snickers. I've driven billions of calories of candy in a trailer more times than I can count.

[@Knottypine79]

I have been away from ATS for over a year. With over 540 hours, I've spent so much time staring at the GPS following the route. I just got back in with the release of Texas and have started playing without using the GPS. What a difference. I play with several mods, and no HUD displayed on the screen, but actively not using the GPS Definitely feels much more immersive. One thing I'll say, signs are way more important and I've found a could of signage issues already. Thanks for the idea!

[@RichardEKranz]

Great vid. I still use my R Mack truck with Barn Find skin.

[@Streetw1s3r]

I always play as an Outlaw Trucker named Randy, but this looks like an interesting new way to play too. Nice.

[@Xantec]

I play both ATS and ETS, and when in the UK i turn the GPS off as most of the time I know pretty much where I am going, you can easily use the road signs to find places and once you get familiar with a route you find you actually ignore the GPS

[@purpletigerracing7087]

It'll be 14 years of driving of a big truck in May 2023. 48 states, every mile of interstate, most of tye mountains and every major city except Miami. That's how I started in 2009. With a road atlas, a legal pad and a truck stop guide. GPS for trucks had just become a thing. They were just like car GPS except bigger and more expensive. I still have my Garmin 465T. They were good for setting a general.route and keeping an eye on your time. We got instructions for local shippers and receivers via Qualcomm. The new windows based lcd Qualcomm's were just coming out. We were using 4-6 line Qualcomm's when I started. Those were the ones Werner used in the beginning. I'm eventually going to get this and ETS when I build a gaming computer and I'll probably get one of the 10 speed shifters for my TH8A. I'm guessing the ball cap peripheral and a 3 monitor setup would be useful. There's a button box someone made for these truck simulators that has options for Jake brake and a cb. In the event you and friends want to run a convoy and chat for extra immersion. Although personally I'd be using a Bluetooth headset like I do in real life. Very cool game, the details are amazing. Looking forward to having a trucker party and doing stuff like this with friends. Cool video.

[@DUBMANS]

Across America had a thing when you selected a job and hooked up to a trailer. It would show a written directions "freeways" on the bottom. Like 10W 5N

[@JoelBulger]

This was beautiful and awesome loved it

[@morgfarm1]

Running without GPS isn't as fun in VR since we have no way to see anything while driving. I'd like a means to 1) move the damn route advisor and 2) make manual directions notes for each area. Like, for VR, making the Route Advisor part of the laptop accessory and using that in the sleeper or passenger seat would be awesome. Same with manual notes. But the 9900i is THE BEST VR truck in my opinion. I also would like better in-city signage for the docks. We really can't use signs for those since nothing comes with named streets and actual addresses like the real world.

[@RTPJu]

You video remembered me 1991, when I had contact with Sierra's Red Baron WW1 air combat sim. The sim has no ingame maps, we must use some paper maps that come with the game to do all the navigation... that was pretty cool and a never again matched experience. I still do road notations as these you used on this video, specially when I go to a trip by bike. Use to memorize the course and eventually check the notes to remember something. GPS is not 100% trustable and even when it is, my smartphone that is not lol Cheers!

[@larryhaines7109]

Dang it Jake, every time I come here you got me wanting to reinstall some game I haven't played in forever. ....... aaand I just bought Wyoming DLC.

[@petermcgannon9699]

This is great I’d love to see more of this

[@wennjameshamtig1381]

You need to turn this into a series!

[@roloduarte3100]

Awesome idea, I like to navigate using old school methods in my flight sim, it is also more fun.

[@tylerc8273]

This is such a good idea. I gotta try this, i've driven every road in ats 10 times over so it shouldn't be difficult lol

[@EvilJason85]

I would have added a compass into the Cabin. But the challenge is quite a cool idea.

[@matte-d349]

He has one on the dash.

[@homerdu29_]

Please do more no gps video, it's really cool ! 😀

[@hotel.colorado]

The International 9900I was produced from the 70s up until 2017. I put 15000 miles on that truck with my new no cheat profile. Loved the truck, just traded it for a entry level cascadia. I wanted more power and a little bit bigger sleeper. This game is amazing.

[@BryTheGTIGuy]

having lived in Washington my whole life (and never playing ATS, which I may be buying now) they did a really good job at making a scale model of Washington, so much so I could partially recognize a lot of the key landmarks, and some of the smaller stuff, like the I90 on and off ramps in Ellensburg. the bridges of the Yakima river into the city of Yakima are accurate. Though I wish I82 was longer. also another note, talking about how the state is so different depending is pretty accurate. there's a transactional zone between wet forest and desert, which is pretty much what you drove south on the entire way to Yakima. drive I82, the whole interstate should capture it, if its accurate.

[@MaunoKoivistoOfficial]

"Going back thirty years, to the 1980s" I definitely have the same perception of time...

[@WastdTrashPanda]

Backing tip from a real trucker - Come up to your parking space from the side, once your truck tandems reach the space, turn 90deg right, (if possible go forward about 5-10 feet), then 90deg left. That should have the trailer pointed at an angle directly to your spot. That's called setting it up, and it's the most important part of backing up.

[@fredscratchet1355]

Coincidence was playing this last night, the first time in months.

[@CA.papaBear]

Not gonna lie, I used to be a flatbed trucker and seeing this... it brings good memories and bad memories. But mostly good memories because I worked my ass off for my class A license, told CRST to go fuck themselves for trying to burn me when I received a better offer, and did flatbedding for another company. I worked for said "other company" for about 6-ish months and all I can say is that y'all are fuckin' crazy on the road. Ok, not all of you but a good handful of you lol.

[@draugnaustaunikunhymnphoo6978]

I gotta try this someday for sure.

[@realsimpilot8221]

Thank You for this, really interesting concept. I am very tempted to try it out myself. Great idea, great vid, kudos! :)

[@GPLaps]

I believe it is using this mod! steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2785242883&searchtext=9900i

[@KerboOnYT]

Hwy 20 is a beautiful drive. One mod I enjoy is the realistic economy mod. The amount of money you make in the base game is ludicrous and I like a challenge. Fun video!

[@musicsnob4226]

You voice reminds me of Bob Ross. Relaxing. Cool video man. 🌟👍

[@the_50_plus]

Latelly I've opted to drive a Mack R, a Freightliner FLB cabover and a Pete 359. This idea is a absolute crack to this kind of trucks. Gona do the same for sore.

[@ariannanightingale4054]

I've decided to try that out in ets 2 with mods. I did not remove the gps from my truck, I just turned off the function that makes the route for you. First thing that happened to me (aside from checking the map every stop i get because I'm nervous) is that I've met the sign telling me that I can only turn left. Being an intellectual I just turned the opposite way I've already used in that town according to the map only to learn that it was one way road. And that way wasn't mine. Next thing happened in that same town when I FINALLY found an escape route (more than half the roads were one way only so I had to go back to the way I came and take a different turn) where I had to go under a railroad bridge. 4,5m allowed height. And I remembered that last time I went under one my exhaust pipe scraped the ceiling. I remembered that only when I was already under it. Needless to say that I hauled a trailer full of SUVs which was certainly higher than my exhaust pipe and I was a couple cm away of breaking a front window on one of those. Best experience I've had in the game in a long time. The only thing that holds me from removing the device is that it shows current speed limit and because it's different for some countries and the signs could be for a normal vehicle instead of the truck I can get a ticket out of sheer luck.

[@dakedres]

There's also a bind to reset navigation info, so you can do this in any truck safe if you press that after receiving the delivery. Especially helps if you want to use the GPS as a minimap of sorts. Helps with being jinxed by roads that aren't actually in the game

[@erikwobst1831]

Kudos for pulling that trough....I own this game for years now and would not be able to get anywhere without the gps😅....hid the advisor permanently tho,cause it's really annoying "STOP HERE" on every scale and such....great Vid!