I just started playing a game that was released the other day called Star Trucker, and I have to say that as someone who loves trucking sims and also loves space games, this one’s right up my roadway.
The whole idea behind it is that you’re in the future, and you’re starting out as an independent cargo hauler. Along the way, you make friends who help you gain access to new star systems, new upgrades for your truck, and so on.
There are five game difficulty levels to try from “Custom” to “Driver” all the way up to “Hardcore.” I chose the recommended difficulty, and while I did well, the game threw some curve balls that felt like it was more a power and time management sim than a trucking simulator, so I restarted and chose “Custom,” lowering the need to constantly monitor energy levels and supplies.
The game itself was developed by a two person team called Monster and Monster, and published through RawFury.
It’s obviously an independent game, not a AAA title, but for what it is, you get a lot out of it. So far in my 7 hours of play, I’ve hauled trailers across several star systems, bought upgrades, used the CB to talk to other truckers, and had to visit the weigh station a few times. If you enjoy trucking sims, this will feel familiar.
Now, the recommended level of the game seems to focus just as heavily on energy management in the form of power cells, as well as maintenance management with air filters, and other parts that keep your truck running while you make your way through different solar systems.
For me, it was too heavy of a focus, and so I reduced the requirement to constantly replace parts, though I do love that if a piece of space debris hits my truck, I hope into my EV suit, exit the airlock, and float over to the hull breach and weld it back. THAT is fun!
One of the other nice things is so many of the controls in the truck are functional. You can close the shutters (to protect from solar bursts), use the CB, turn the lights on and off, switch the cameras out, turn on cruise control, honk the horn (YUSSS!) and turn on the radio.
Speaking of radio, the game comes with 20 original tracks and they really put you in the space trucking mood. Even if the game were a bust for me, those songs are excellent, and I recommend giving them a listen if you get the chance and try out the game.
There are still some bugs to work out in the game, but for the most part, the experience is very good, and I can see this game becoming quite popular among the trucking sim crowd once they get bugs ironed out and some promised features put in place.
In the meantime, I recommend having a look. You can download the demo here: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2380050/Star_Trucker/
Also, it seems to work just fine on Linux, so I say give it a shot. You may end up buying a trucker hat and wearing it every time you play, just like me.
10-10, good buddy.
.Red
