April 6, 2016 / admin / 0 Comments
For this edition of Trucker’s Logbook, we’re staying in American Truck Simulator and picking up where we left off in Trucker’s Logbook #5 down in Miami, Florida. Not wanting to stick around Miami any longer than we need to, (hurricanes, alligators and really BIG SNAKES) we quickly contacted our dispatch team and managed to find a load of Miller Lite that needed to be hauled up to Raleigh, NC. The job is only going to pay $20,065…but as we have over $650,000 in the bank…it really doesn’t matter. Of course, we running the Coast-to-Coast ATS map mod by Mantrid. This is version 1.5 which now includes I-10 from LA to Jacksonville and I-95 from Miami up the east coast. This 1.5 update also includes a portion of I-35 and I-45 which I’m hoping to discover as I make my way back to California.
As I previously indicated at the end of Trucker’s Logbook #5, it was my hope to haul a load of just about anything (except alligators and really BIG SNAKES) up the east coast. While I’m out here on the right side of the country, I’d like to go ahead and explore I-95. Not sure if I can find routes all the way up to NY or Boston, but going to give it a try. But one step at a time.
We’ve arrived at the trailer pickup point on Sunday, just after 6 AM.
The fog is thick as we head north along I-95 between Miami and Jacksonville, Florida.
The fog has burned off, but still cloudy as we hammer down to the Georgia state line.
Hello North Carolina….Not far now.
Rolling into Raleigh, NC.
Another on-time delivery.
Unfortunately, we backed into a hidden object when making our delivery. I checked the forums and it had already been reported and acknowledged to be repaired in the next release.
From here I plan to make my way back towards California. But I am looking to pickup a delivery that will either take me to Oklahoma City or San Antonio where I can drive between these two cities on I-35. I’ve driven this stretch of I-35 many, many times and while I know it’s not depicted with any accuracy on Mantrid’s Coast-to-Coast map, I still want to drive it.
Until next time…
Happy Trucking!!!
J
April 4, 2016 / admin / 0 Comments
I’ve been a HUGE fan of Courseplay and while I had heard about the AutoCombine mod, I really never had a need to use it. After all, on most of the maps I’ve played in the past…Courseplay worked mostly well. I say “mostly well” only because Courseplay is certainly not without issue. I wrote about some of the struggles we all face with using Courseplay here and here. One of the reasons for looking more closely at the AutoCombine mod was due to the fact that Courseplay is really challenged with fields which are not mostly square or rectangle shaped.
A few weeks ago I began playing the Coldborough Park Farm map. This is a wonderful map based on a real world farm in Herefordshire, England. If you haven’t played this map, you can download it here. This map consists of mostly small irregular shaped fields all bordered with fences and hedges. As previously stated, Courseplay really and truly works best when the fields are relatively large, square or rectangle and have plenty of room between the fields edge and any obstacles such as trees, hedges or fences.
For the most part, AutoCombine functions similar to the default “Hire a Worker” function of FS15 but is more customizable. Another way to look at the AutoCombine mod is it includes the features Giants left out of their default “Hire a Worker” function.
The GUI for AutoCombine is shown below.
I have found I really only use 6 of the buttons on the GUI. I’ll provide a brief description of each: 1. Start/Stop 2. Empty while driving or while stopped 3. Active Side Left 4. Active Side Right 5. Auto Combine or Standard Hire a Worker 6. Harvest mode (circles or up and down)
I typically will start my combine manually and get it into the field and headed in the direction I want it to go. I will then click button number 6 to select the circular option. The combine will continue to harvest in this method until you stop it. Keep a watchful eye on the combine during the first headland cut. If there are nearby obstacles (fences, hedges, trees) these may cause problems. But once the combine cuts the first headland (completes the first trip around the field), it will generally continue without issue as it will have enough room to turn without crashing into an obstacle. After the combine cuts 2-3 headlands, I may stop it and use button 6 again to start an up and down cut.
Possible Issues
Obstacles
Much like Courseplay, there are no guarantees that AutoCombine will automatically work without issues. Obstacles such as trees, fences, gates, other equipment etc. may cause AutoCombine to stop. Just like the real world, you will want to occasionally check on your hired workers. But I’ve found AutoCombine does seem to handle odd shaped fields a little better than Courseplay.
Crop Separation
AutoCombine will likely stop in the scenario below. In this scenario, we have separated our wheat crop. Once the combine harvests all the wheat in this smaller section, AutoCombine will most think it is done and shut down. You will then need to manually drive the combine back up to the large portion of un-harvested wheat and start it back up.
How can I get this mod?
The AutoCombine mod is available here. I have personally downloaded, installed and tested this mod. The mod works and I use it on all my maps.
How do I install this mod?
Please see my blog post “How to Install Mods in Farming Simulator 15” for complete instructions.
Until next time…
Happy Harvesting!!!
Jerry
