Community Verdict

For a long time, mods were the area in which players usually shared new maps, vehicles, and functions with each other for free. However, so-called paid mods are now appearing more frequently: community projects that can only be downloaded or fully used after payment. Developers want to be paid for work that often takes months, while players expect reliable quality, support, and clear rights when making a purchase. Are paid mods therefore a fair evolution of modding or is an open community slowly becoming another shop?

A new entry sounds like progress at first. New features, new technology, new content, new attention. At the same time, many players in simulation gaming now ask themselves quite rightly: Does this really have to happen every year, or does it simply feel like a big update with a new name in the end? That is exactly what our Community Court #4 decides today: Is a yearly release for simulations useful – or rather pointless?

DLCs keep many simulations alive – but sometimes it also feels as if the next bill lands on the table immediately after the base game. €17.99 for a vehicle, €35.99 for an expert locomotive, bus passes, map DLCs, and additional packs: Is that fair because good content costs time, licenses, and work – or is the simulation world slowly tipping into a direction where players are expected to pay more and more often? In Community Court #3, you are once again sitting in the judge’s chair: Your verdict counts, because your personal limit is exactly what matters. At what point does a DLC have to deliver a lot for you – and when do you say: No, that is too much for me?

Some surveys end closely. This one does not. In Community Court #2 on the question of whether Euro Truck Simulator 2 really needs buses, the result is almost unanimous. The community apparently does not see the upcoming Coaches DLC as a danger to the truck simulator, but as an expansion with a lot of potential. But this clear yes is not automatically a blank check!

The first Community Verdict was about OMSI 2. Now the second case is on the table – and this time it is about a question where your opinion really matters: Does Euro Truck Simulator 2 actually need coaches, or should ETS2 clearly stay focused on trucking? You are the judge in this case. Cast your vote, explain your verdict and tell us whether coaches are a meaningful expansion for you – or whether SCS is moving too far away from the actual core of the game.

The first Community Court is closed, the votes have been counted – and honestly: You embraced this new format really strongly right away. Many virtual judges voted on our website, explained their verdicts, and showed why OMSI 2 is still a topic today that you cannot simply dismiss with a tired “old, done, next.” The result is not a flat yes or no, but almost a pretty clear wish for the future of bus simulations.

OMSI 2 is old, sometimes temperamental, and technically not exactly a wellness program for your PC. Still, many players say to this day: No modern bus simulator feels this real. But is that actually still true – or are we glorifying a classic because we have known it for years?