What's the best way to capture the spirit of Ireland? Hit the road, of course! In June, members of our Euro Truck Simulator 2 map team travelled across the Emerald Isle on a research trip for our upcoming Isle of Ireland DLC. With cameras in hand and thousands of kilometres ahead, they explored everything from lively cities and picturesque villages to rugged coastlines and breathtaking scenery, collecting the references that will help shape this exciting expansion. Here are some of their highlights from their journey. Five members of the SCS Software team took part on this trip, including Ivan, our World Map Design QA Lead, Josef from the Road Department, Kristian and Libor, Map Designers, and Honza, the Project Lead for the Isle of Ireland DLC.
However, that isn't all, as Alex, one of our Community Managers, and Cenda, one of our talented Videomakers, also joined the research trip to document the journey and give you a closer look behind the scenes. We can't wait to share more from this incredible adventure in a special future episode of SCS On The Road. Their journey began in Dublin, where the team came together before setting off on an ambitious road trip around much of Ireland. Their route took them from Dublin to Rosslare Harbour, Waterford, Cork, Killarney, Limerick, Galway, Westport, Sligo, Benbulbin, Londonderry, Bushmills, Giants Causway, Belfast, before finally returning to Dublin. So as you can imagine, the team got to see quite a lot! This trip wouldn't have been possible without the fantastic support of our friends at Škoda Ireland. A huge thank you to Raymond Leddy and the team for supplying us with two Škoda Octavias, which comfortably carried our crew across thousands of kilometres of Ireland's roads and became the perfect companions for this unforgettable research trip. We'd also like to extend our sincere thanks to JUDr. Pavel Vošalík and his team of the Czech Embassy in Ireland for helping arrange several special visits for our team, including a tour of a cement plant in Limerick. This provided invaluable first-hand insight into the industry's day-to-day operations, helping our team better understand how the facility functions and the vital role truck drivers play in loading, unloading, and transporting materials every day. So what did the team get up to during their trip? We spoke with several members of the team to hear about their favourite moments, the places that left the biggest impression, and the valuable references they have gathered to help bring Ireland to life in ETS2.
Honza:
"We recently went on our research trip to Ireland, and I have to say for me personally, it was a great experience. It always feels different to actually be at a place rather than to see it through references on your computer. No amount of photos or Street View can fully replicate the feeling of being there. Having walked and driven through the real landscape, I now have a much clearer picture of what the outcome should be, what the map should look like and, more importantly, what the general vibe should feel like. One thing we already knew going in was that vegetation would need special attention, but being there made us absolutely sure we need to give it great importance. And yes grass really is very green in Ireland. It's striking, and it has to come through in the map. We also discovered there are a lot of details we might have missed before. For example, once you're on the ground, you realise just how much art is on public display everywhere murals on walls, electrical boxes used as canvases for local artwork. These small touches add a lot of character and are exactly the kind of details that can make the map feel alive and authentic. As for personal highlights my favourite places were on the West Coast, the Caha Mountains, Killarney National Park, and Connemara. The Antrim coast was equally stunning. And from the cities, I really liked Galway."
Kristián:
"Ireland is the first DLC I am working on. I am so grateful to have been a part of this journey, to see everything with my own eyes and really soak up the atmosphere. I have visited almost all the places and roads I am working on designing from Waterford to Rosslare Harbour. They have undergone extensive renovations over the past two years, so I am happy to see their latest appearance, which you will not find even on Google Maps. I also visited the Custom Depot of the film studio in Belfast. This journey helped me to perceive important details and the specific atmospheres of the places there. My personal experience showed me huge differences compared to static online maps. I believe that this will help us take the realism of the environment to a higher level and create a truly immersive world for players. I managed to collect a lot of reference material, of which our entire team can then use to build a virtual Ireland in a much more believable way and depict even places that are completely missing from Street View."
Libor:
"I fell in love with Ireland right from the start of our work on the DLC, when I began exploring it through photos. So when I got the chance to visit Ireland in person, I was thrilled and started looking forward to it. My main goal for the trip was to explore the N71 running through Killarney National Park and its surroundings. The photos we had available before the trip were taken in overcast, rainy weather, but for a map designer’s work, it’s important to see the landscape in sunny weather to capture the correct colours. Fortunately, the weather turned out perfect, and I was able to gather the right references for my work. In addition to the colors, my visit helped me greatly in grasping the character of the landscape, the scale of the mountains, and the variety of vegetation. All of this is difficult to capture from photographs alone. Being in Ireland in person helped me a great deal not only in mapping the landscape and landmarks, but also in noting the small details regarding road traffic and the road network. These are the aspects that we pay close attention to at our company. Ireland is rich in diverse landscapes and numerous landmarks, and we’re working hard to deliver the best possible Irish experience."
Josef:
"I joined this trip as a representative of the road department. At SCS, I’m responsible for all right-hand drive prefabs for the Isle of Ireland DLC and the UK rework. These are essentially functional 3D models of all road intersections from simple crossroads to complex roundabouts. Both the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom have unique features in their road networks compared to the rest of Europe. Cats’ eyes (road studs) and box junctions were originally designed in the UK. Roundabouts are more common, sometimes even with traffic lights, of which there are plenty. And in case you didn’t know, people drive on the left side of the road. There are other specifics, but I won’t bore you with them.
That’s why I’m glad I had the opportunity to travel around Ireland and see the road networks of both countries, because I’m now tasked with finalizing and implementing these features into our road network. We’ve gathered a lot of references that will help us greatly with this. Since my work involves roads and intersections, I’m used to looking down at them. But that was a bit harder in Ireland, where there were breathtaking views and beautiful nature. And just when you’re admiring the view, you suddenly hear a sheep. It’s that feeling of perfection and peace. That’s what I love about Ireland. At the same time, during my four years at SCS, I had the opportunity for the first time to visit the landmark intersection I’d been working on, rather than just seeing it on a screen. It’s a strange feeling when you arrive at a place and, after a moment, realise that you actually know it a little bit there. Classic déjà vu."
Ivan:
"Getting to visit Ireland in person was hugely valuable for me. In QA, we work with reference photos, videos and Street View all day, but actually seeing the country with my own eyes was a different thing entirely. Honestly, the island won me over on day one. The atmosphere, how varied the landscapes are, the way each region has its own character. We covered a big part of Ireland on the trip, from busy cities to countryside roads where you barely meet another car. That's when the real scale of things sinks in. The road network, the vegetation, the architecture, all the small details you just can't pick up from online references. Some places felt nothing like they look on a static map, and experiencing that first-hand taught me a lot about what makes Ireland special. The trip is already paying off in my daily work. When I'm reviewing parts of the map now, I recognise places we visited, and they come with actual memories attached, the town we stayed in, a road we drove, the spot where we stopped for food. That kind of familiarity makes it much easier to judge whether the environment feels authentic and to catch details that would otherwise slip by. I really believe these impressions will help us fine-tune the Ireland DLC and make it a more immersive, believable experience for our players." We hope you enjoyed reading this insight of our team's research trip across Ireland. If you're excited about the upcoming Isle of Ireland DLC, don't forget to add it to your Steam Wishlist! You can also subscribe to our YouTube channel so you don't miss our upcoming SCS On The Road: Isle of Ireland Research Trip episode, where we'll take you even deeper into the journey. Until next time, keep on truckin'!