Today, we are happy to share with you that the 1.44 Open Beta branch for Euro Truck Simulator 2 is now available to try and test out. Please keep in mind that this branch is a work-in-progress build. If you plan on participating in this Open Beta, you can contribute by reporting any bugs you may encounter in the appropriate section(s) of our official forums. Your feedback and reports are extremely valuable for our team and we thank you in advance for taking the time to help us out.
So, without further ado, let's take a look at what the 1.44 Open Beta has in store.

Austria Rework

We are excited to bring the highly anticipated Austria Rework as part of this free update for all owners of Euro Truck Simulator 2. Our rework team have been diligently working on updating this magnificent country and today we are excited for you to explore this beautiful country for yourselves.
The entire country of Austria has been reworked to bring it up to a true to life standard, as previously this was one of the older original areas of Euro Truck Simulator 2 when it released in 2012. All cities, surrounding areas, and road networks has been given a complete overhaul including the famous Alps!
We are sure drivers will face quite the challenge when trucking over these winding roads which travel along the valley.

Companies Logos Revision

As some of our eagled eye players might of noticed from some our previous blogposts and social media video clips; Some of our in-game companies logos featured in the base of game of Euro Truck Simulator 2 have received a rework! These new modern logos, still stay true with their colour schemes but bring a modern and fresh take on these old school companies. Keeping modern and up-to date is important for companies, even our virtual ones! We hope you enjoy spotting these new logos on company trailers and industries across Euro Truck Simulator 2 in the 1.44 update!

Mod Refund Feature

Since the introduction of third party modification support in our convoy mode, our team has been working to improve the mod support experience. In this update, we are happy to share a new feature which we hope will further improve players gameplay when playing with modifications. We like to call this new addition the 'Mod Refund' feature. In simple terms, after a player has downloaded a third party modification and used it on their truck, they may in the future want to remove it (or it even may have become incompatible). This new feature reads and recognises the data from the modification, even if it has been removed, and refunds the player the difference with the in-game currency. This removes the problem of players losing money after using a modification.
It works by recognising that a crucial part is missing (such as the chassis, engine etc) and replacing it with a default part. Players will be prompted with a pop-up containing information that some parts are being refunded and will be given the option to accept or reject this refund. If you decide to reject the refund and reactivate the mod instead, the truck will now revert to its former glory even if you have saved the game in the meantime. So, whether you're trucking with friends in a convoy session with mods, or you want to remove a certain modification after use, this new feature will make sure you won't go out of pocket!

Licensed vs Aftermarket Customization Options in UI

Players customising their truck or looking at new parts in the garage may see some new icons appearing in the list. In total we have added 4 new icons to represent what type of accessory it is. When you hover over them, they will show if they are classed as a:

• Factory part - A stock part sold by the manufacturer (including interiors)
• Licensed part - Anything that is officially licensed that is not produced by truck factory
• Aftermarket part - Any additional accessory that is not related to the brand.
• Unknown part - A part that is not recognised or in some cases, a third party modification

This should help drivers when it comes to customisation if they wish to keep it within the manufacturers customisation options, or tune their truck further with aftermarket parts. We hope you enjoy this small yet helpful feature!

Accurate Mileage System

Mileage signs are now present in Euro Truck Simulator 2, which add an extra layer of realism. They show the "in-game" distance to a displayed city or landmark. For cities this is normally a central location within the central business district (major intersection, city hall, post office etc).
They're particularly handy for players who turn the GPS off and like the challenge of following road signs for their destination. It also gives you an idea of when you should stop for fuel and/or rest breaks etc. We hope you enjoy this new addition to the roads of ETS2, we are sure many of you will find them useful and immersive on your travels!

Unmarked Roads Exploration

With the 1.44 update, we are bringing into ETS2 and ATS a new feature; once you drive onto an unmarked road, you will be notified about having done so with a message in the route advisor, and the explored road will appear on the map as an orange dashed line, with any unexplored part ahead of you shown in grey.
On one hand, this will ensure that you will immediately be aware of the fact that you have found something interesting, and on the other hand, if you ever decide to re-visit a hidden zone you will know where to go.
Map explorers, do not panic! These unmarked roads do not contribute to your map discovery percentage, but they do add a nice addition to your GPS if you do come across them. You can read more about this new feature here.

Force Feedback Upgrade

This update also includes a few new upgrades to the force feedback experience when playing ATS or ETS2. These changes have been made to represent a more realistic driving experience. These upgrades include:

• New gearbox grind effect simulating vibration of missed gear when using manual shifting.
• New understeer slip effect simulating tyre slip when vehicle is understeering
• Revisited power steering curves and pressure gain of self centering effect to improve steering feel.
• Revisited internal friction force giving better feedback depending on the speed of steering.

Since self centering and internal friction were updated, we highly recommend that you reset the FFB settings to their defaults again. Smart Sequential Shifting Smart Sequential Shifting is now available to truckers, if they wish to enable it via the options. So what does it do? In simple terms, when you shift up or down sequentially, it will automatically shift by more gears at once based on the current torque or speed.
For this to work, drivers will still need to trigger the shifting process, but once working, should require less input from the driver.

Interior Camera Horizontal Lock

This new option allows truckers driving in the first person view (in the cabin) to lock the camera view to the horizon, so that it moves moves more independently from the position of the cabin.
With the introduction of this new feature, players can find a slider in the options that defines the locking factor; with the slider being to the left disabling the locking and to the right, being the strongest locking option.

Adjustable Suspension Height

Sometimes, when you are driving a big rig, trailer picks up can be a bit tricky. Adjustable suspension height should help drivers eliminate the problem of hooking upto sometimes problematic trailers or in difficult pick up/delivery area.
Drivers now can lower the suspension of their truck to get the correct height for hooking up their trailer, without damaging it. Players will be able to find the inputs for this new adjustable suspension in the options. Its inputs are front up/down and rear up/down.
We have also included a new UI prompt which appears when the drivers are having trouble hooking up their trailers after a few attempts. We hope this makes picking up deliveries of any size easier in the future!

Changelog

Map

• Italian Tollgates Update
• Austria Rework
• Distance Signs with Accurate Mileage System
• Companies Logo Revisions
• Unmarked Road Exploration
• UI Road Numbers in Corsica/Sardinia
• Some older border crossings reworked in Beyond the Baltic Sea
• Other Map Improvements

Gameplay

• Mod Refund Feature
• Licensed vs Aftermarket UI in browsers
• Force Feedback Upgrade
• Adjustable Suspension Height
• Interior Camera Horizontal Lock
• Smart Sequential Shifting

Vehicles

• New 2022 Interior option for Renault T
• Exterior Interior Models reworked for Renault T

So enjoy all the new additions, but please remember: It's only an open beta, not a stable public version - so you may encounter bugs, instability, or crashes. It's completely okay if you want to wait for the final release. But if you're interested in helping us to get there faster, we'll appreciate all of your feedback on our forum and your bug reports in this section. Please check our modding wiki to get details pertaining to mods for the game. If you wish to participate in the open beta, you can find this version in the public_beta branch on Steam. The way to access it is as follows: Steam client LIBRARY right-click on Euro Truck Simulator 2 Properties Betas tab public_beta 1.44. No password required. Somtimes you have to restart your Steam client to see the correct branch name there.