Creating the South Dakota DLC for American Truck Simulator involves more than tracing highways and placing towns on a scaled map. SCS Software’s development updates show that map designers also shape terrain, assemble industrial sites, manage assets and build small scenes that make each area feel connected to its surroundings.
That process is especially relevant in the Black Hills, where the team must combine mountain roads, forests, historic architecture and recognizable natural locations within the limited scale of the ATS world. Players who enjoy seeing how game worlds are extended and reshaped may recognize a similar appeal in lists of the Best CP2077 PC Mods, where changes to environments, systems and presentation can make familiar locations feel noticeably different.
Roads, terrain and towns
Map designer Evgeny described his work on South Dakota as a mix of regular map building and more specialized tasks. His responsibilities include constructing roads, shaping terrain and creating towns. These are the basic pieces that determine how a player moves through the state.
In a region such as the Black Hills, those elements need to work together. A road cannot be treated separately from the slope around it, the rock formations beside it or the trees that control what the player can see ahead.
Custom locations instead of repeated layouts
The South Dakota DLC map design also includes large industrial sites and depots assembled from different assets. Rather than relying only on standard prefabricated locations, designers can build sites that better match the businesses and industries found in the state.
Evgeny’s work includes managing the asset list and giving feedback on depot-related and other non-vegetation assets. This helps keep buildings, equipment and decorative objects useful across the project while still allowing individual locations to look different.
Small scenes fill the gaps
Not every memorable part of an ATS map is a city or delivery yard. Designers also create smaller scenes around depots and roads. These may be simple combinations of parked equipment, fencing, signs, roadside buildings or other details that explain how a place is used.
The Black Hills preview follows the same approach. Deadwood relies on recognizable architecture, while US-385 depends on terrain, tree cover and rock formations. Pactola Lake uses the reservoir and visitor center to establish a specific location along the road.
Building a state at ATS scale
The real South Dakota road network is far larger than anything that can fit inside the game. The map team therefore has to select roads and places that represent the state without making every route feel compressed into a list of landmarks.
The work shown so far suggests a mix of major connections, smaller settlements, industries and scenic roads. South Dakota still has no confirmed release date, and every preview remains subject to change. The development updates do, however, explain why even a short stretch of road can require work from map designers, asset teams and environment artists before it is ready to drive.
