In our latest 1.41 update for Euro Truck Simulator 2 and American Truck Simulator, we introduced Convoy! Convoy is a new multiplayer game mode where players can set up and host their own private sessions (password optional) to drive with their friends or other fellow truckers. With synchronized AI traffic, time and weather, and the ability to take the same job as other players, lots of you have been enjoying trucking together.
However, we know that many of you still have questions about Convoy, which is why we are bringing this blog post with answers to the most frequently asked questions across our social media channels.
Will the maximum players limit be increased?
Eventually, yes. Convoy currently allows you to create and host an online session with up to 8 players. We expect to be able to raise the player limit in the future, however, we are keeping it small at this time due to its work-in-progress nature. There are important performance optimizations as well as better moderation tools under development that we would like to have in place first before increasing the limit.
Will there be MOD support in Convoy?
Eventually, yes. We are looking into supporting third-party modifications in Convoy multiplayer sessions. While it's not technically so difficult to connect players with an identical set of mods, there are many potential problems to handle when it comes to coming up with a safe and robust way to synchronize sessions of players joining in with different mods, and then back again when they wish to revert to the previous state to continue playing with their regular player profile.
How do I add someone to my friends that I enjoyed driving with?
You can add someone you played with recently on Convoy via the Steam client or overlay. Just click on the view tab (or view players in the Steam overlay), then on players. This will bring up a list of players you recently played with and a link to their profiles.
Another alternative way of adding them would be to ask for their Steam friend code, which allows you to add them with ease! Simply open your friends list and click on the 'Add Friend' located on the right-hand side of the top bar. This will take you to you a page that will show your unique Friend code and a space to enter another person's code, which will send them a friend request!
I can't see my friend's hosted session.
Make sure you are friends on Steam and that you both have the latest version of the game updated and that you are all set to online on your Steams friend list.
A possible reason you may not see a friend's hosted session is that you can only see sessions that are hosted in the same region as you. This means you may not be able to see a friend's hosted session if they live very far away from you. To join a distant friend's session, you may need to change your Steam download region to match theirs, which will allow you to view hosted sessions in that region. To do this, follow this handy guide!
If you know your friend's sessions name, you can search globally for the session by using the search bar found above the session list. This should bring up your friend's session no matter their region. Make sure to search for the session name exactly as it is written, including any symbols, numbers, punctuation, and abbreviations.
Additionally, you may not be able to see full sessions.
Dedicated servers, can we host them?
There is no option to host a dedicated server yet, however it is something we are looking into providing potentially in the future.
What about map DLCs, do all players need to own the same ones?!
No! Players do not need to own any DLC in order to join the Convoy multiplayer mode. However, just remember that you will not be able to see or drive in DLC map areas if you do not own them yourself.
Can I turn off the nametags of other players?
Yes! You can use the default hotkey of 'Z' to enable and disable nametags in Convoy! If you wish to change this hotkey, you can do so in the options found in your main menu. It even works when using the photo studio to take a group photo together!
Is there a speed limit in Convoy mode?
Convoy sessions have the option of setting a speed limit ON for the entire session by default. However, hosts have the option of turning this off, if they so wish to. In that case, the speed limiter will follow your local settings. Just remember that World of Trucks contracts enforce the speed limit on all jobs, regardless of the option set by the host.
Do I have to download the Convoy update if I am not planning on playing it?
Convoy is a game feature available since version 1.41, it is not a separate update line. Of course, it's totally up to you whether you use the feature or not.
There may be valid reasons for players to stay with an older version of the game, perhaps temporarily until a mod important to them catches up, and for this reason, we are providing branches of important previous updates of our games on Steam. By default, Steam updates the games automatically, so you may consider opting out of these automatic updates if this is a concern. However, please note that all further updates to both Euro Truck Simulator 2 and American Truck Simulator will contain the Convoy multiplayer feature. This means that if you do not plan on updating, you will not get any further updates, content, and fixes and that version 1.40 will be your final stop.
If you want to use and play on the Convoy multiplayer mode, you MUST be on the latest version of the game (1.41 or higher).
I am constantly having FPS problems in Convoy mode only.
The Convoy multiplayer mode is more demanding than single-player because it renders a higher number of player trucks. Because of this, it is normal to experience a lower frames per second (FPS). However, if your FPS numbers are suspiciously low, reach out to our support email at support@scssoft.com with a detailed description of your problem.
Our programmers are pursuing several lines of optimizations to improve performance overall and also in multiplayer-specific context, but it may take several more game updates until these code improvements are ready.
Does the session have to end if the hosting player leaves?
Yes, as soon as the host of the session leaves, the server will be closed and this will disconnect all players from the server. If this happens unexpectedly, do not panic, as you will be greeted with options to proceed with the progress you've made in the session, or to revert it if you so wish to (for reasons such as the loss of in-game currency, damage, or other progress reasons).
Note that if you accept the progress, you will remain wherever you were when the session ended, effectively finding yourself back in singleplayer mode. From there, you can once again create a new session and continue with either the same or a different group of people if you wish to do so.
How can I unban someone who I banned in the Convoy session?
If you wish to unban players, you need to go into your "profiles" folder in the respective ATS/ETS2 folders in documents, select the exact profile where the ban happened and find a text file called "banlist". Open the file with a text editor and remove the line with the banned user. You will have to restart the Convoy session afterward.
Is Convoy a form of peer-to-peer gaming?
While the Convoy sessions are hosted by the players themselves, one player always works as a server and therefore acts as a junction for other players. Everyone else communicates with this particular server in the end. More specifically it is the usual client-server communication layout with all clients having authority over specific objects.
Eventually, yes. Convoy currently allows you to create and host an online session with up to 8 players. We expect to be able to raise the player limit in the future, however, we are keeping it small at this time due to its work-in-progress nature. There are important performance optimizations as well as better moderation tools under development that we would like to have in place first before increasing the limit.
Will there be MOD support in Convoy?
Eventually, yes. We are looking into supporting third-party modifications in Convoy multiplayer sessions. While it's not technically so difficult to connect players with an identical set of mods, there are many potential problems to handle when it comes to coming up with a safe and robust way to synchronize sessions of players joining in with different mods, and then back again when they wish to revert to the previous state to continue playing with their regular player profile.
How do I add someone to my friends that I enjoyed driving with?
You can add someone you played with recently on Convoy via the Steam client or overlay. Just click on the view tab (or view players in the Steam overlay), then on players. This will bring up a list of players you recently played with and a link to their profiles.
Another alternative way of adding them would be to ask for their Steam friend code, which allows you to add them with ease! Simply open your friends list and click on the 'Add Friend' located on the right-hand side of the top bar. This will take you to you a page that will show your unique Friend code and a space to enter another person's code, which will send them a friend request!
I can't see my friend's hosted session.
Make sure you are friends on Steam and that you both have the latest version of the game updated and that you are all set to online on your Steams friend list.
A possible reason you may not see a friend's hosted session is that you can only see sessions that are hosted in the same region as you. This means you may not be able to see a friend's hosted session if they live very far away from you. To join a distant friend's session, you may need to change your Steam download region to match theirs, which will allow you to view hosted sessions in that region. To do this, follow this handy guide!
If you know your friend's sessions name, you can search globally for the session by using the search bar found above the session list. This should bring up your friend's session no matter their region. Make sure to search for the session name exactly as it is written, including any symbols, numbers, punctuation, and abbreviations.
Additionally, you may not be able to see full sessions.
Dedicated servers, can we host them?
There is no option to host a dedicated server yet, however it is something we are looking into providing potentially in the future.
What about map DLCs, do all players need to own the same ones?!
No! Players do not need to own any DLC in order to join the Convoy multiplayer mode. However, just remember that you will not be able to see or drive in DLC map areas if you do not own them yourself.
Can I turn off the nametags of other players?
Yes! You can use the default hotkey of 'Z' to enable and disable nametags in Convoy! If you wish to change this hotkey, you can do so in the options found in your main menu. It even works when using the photo studio to take a group photo together!
Is there a speed limit in Convoy mode?
Convoy sessions have the option of setting a speed limit ON for the entire session by default. However, hosts have the option of turning this off, if they so wish to. In that case, the speed limiter will follow your local settings. Just remember that World of Trucks contracts enforce the speed limit on all jobs, regardless of the option set by the host.
Do I have to download the Convoy update if I am not planning on playing it?
Convoy is a game feature available since version 1.41, it is not a separate update line. Of course, it's totally up to you whether you use the feature or not.
There may be valid reasons for players to stay with an older version of the game, perhaps temporarily until a mod important to them catches up, and for this reason, we are providing branches of important previous updates of our games on Steam. By default, Steam updates the games automatically, so you may consider opting out of these automatic updates if this is a concern. However, please note that all further updates to both Euro Truck Simulator 2 and American Truck Simulator will contain the Convoy multiplayer feature. This means that if you do not plan on updating, you will not get any further updates, content, and fixes and that version 1.40 will be your final stop.
If you want to use and play on the Convoy multiplayer mode, you MUST be on the latest version of the game (1.41 or higher).
I am constantly having FPS problems in Convoy mode only.
The Convoy multiplayer mode is more demanding than single-player because it renders a higher number of player trucks. Because of this, it is normal to experience a lower frames per second (FPS). However, if your FPS numbers are suspiciously low, reach out to our support email at support@scssoft.com with a detailed description of your problem.
Our programmers are pursuing several lines of optimizations to improve performance overall and also in multiplayer-specific context, but it may take several more game updates until these code improvements are ready.
Does the session have to end if the hosting player leaves?
Yes, as soon as the host of the session leaves, the server will be closed and this will disconnect all players from the server. If this happens unexpectedly, do not panic, as you will be greeted with options to proceed with the progress you've made in the session, or to revert it if you so wish to (for reasons such as the loss of in-game currency, damage, or other progress reasons).
Note that if you accept the progress, you will remain wherever you were when the session ended, effectively finding yourself back in singleplayer mode. From there, you can once again create a new session and continue with either the same or a different group of people if you wish to do so.
How can I unban someone who I banned in the Convoy session?
If you wish to unban players, you need to go into your "profiles" folder in the respective ATS/ETS2 folders in documents, select the exact profile where the ban happened and find a text file called "banlist". Open the file with a text editor and remove the line with the banned user. You will have to restart the Convoy session afterward.
Is Convoy a form of peer-to-peer gaming?
While the Convoy sessions are hosted by the players themselves, one player always works as a server and therefore acts as a junction for other players. Everyone else communicates with this particular server in the end. More specifically it is the usual client-server communication layout with all clients having authority over specific objects.
We hope this answers the majority of the most frequently asked questions by our community about Convoy! We love seeing you drive and deliver together and we hope to see more of your photos & video content shared with us on our social media channels (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram). Happy Trucking!