To be honest, veteran players who have been using mobile phones since the Symbian era have really deep feelings for the simulated driving genre. Back then, I played Gameloft's "18-Wheeler" on the Nokia N95, and I had a lot of fun every time I passed a gas station. Although the screen at that time was only 2.4 inches and I could count the pixels clearly, the feeling of driving a heavy truck to a long distance was really addictive. Later, I played "Euro Truck Simulator 2" on the computer and used the steering wheel to drive long distances. It took two or three hours to drive. Now that I think about it, it was already ten years ago.
As I get older and busy, I have less and less time to sit in front of the computer and deal with the steering wheel. Instead, I am more willing to take out my mobile phone and run around on the subway or during my lunch break. I recently discovered the game "City Travel". I didn't have much hope at first, because there are too many reskinned advertisements in domestic truck simulation mobile games. Either the fee will be automatically deducted when you enter it, or three video ads will play in five minutes. The experience is too bad. But this time, it's free to download and has zero in-app purchases, which gave me, an old player, a high score.
Let's talk about its advantages first. What impressed me most was the choice of scenes - Mount Emei, Jiayuguan, Potala Palace, Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, and Crescent Spring, all are real landmarks in China. For domestic players, the sense of immersion is directly satisfying. If you look at the current mainstream mobile truck simulation games, they are either European and American country roads or fictional cities. No matter how beautiful they are, they lack a sense of belonging. Driving my truck around the foot of the Potala Palace or running around the Crescent Moon Spring makes me feel a little emotional. Although I may not be able to drive a truck to Tibet in my life, it's not bad to have fun in the game.
In terms of freedom, it does give players the right to choose: they are free to choose their destination, unlike many games of the same specification that have to take a fixed route to complete tasks. To be able to do this on the mobile phone, the developers have worked hard. But to be honest, after actually running it, the map range is not large, the transition between scenes is not seamless enough, and there are obvious loading black screens in some places. But fortunately, the distance between the scenic spots is not far. You can reach a new landmark in two or three minutes, which is more friendly than those games where you still end up in a cornfield after half an hour.
It's time to talk about shortcomings. Let's tell the truth without bragging. The image quality can only be said to be barely passable. The vehicle model has obvious edges and corners, and the texture details are also rough. Compared with the PC version of "Euro Truck Simulator", it spans two generations. The operating feel also needs to be adapted. The steering sensitivity is too high, and it is easy to drift when you turn the steering wheel slightly. I was driving the default truck, so I had to slow down early when turning, otherwise I would go straight onto the shoulder of the road. Optimization also needs to be improved. My phone is a mid-range phone, and it occasionally drops frames when turning on high-definition settings. The smoothness is not as smooth as those produced by major manufacturers.
Compare it horizontally with similar games. For example, the mobile port version of "European Truck Simulator" (although the game developer has not officially released it, there are some third-party versions), "City Travel" does not have the latter's complex financial system, trailer docking and other hard-core content. It is more focused on sightseeing and leisure. There's no need to compare it to racing games like “Hurricane Express”. This game doesn't pursue speed at all, it just lets you drive slowly and watch slowly. If you are like me and just want to drive a truck to see the great rivers and mountains of the motherland and kill a few minutes of fragmented time, then it is quite suitable. What's more important is that it's free, with no forced advertising and no in-app purchase traps. In a zero-yuan game, this developer is considered to have a conscience.
A final nostalgic moment. From the 2.4-inch pixel blocks in the Saipan era, to the red walls and golden domes of the Potala Palace that can now be seen on the mobile phone screen, the progress of game technology is really impressive. Although it is not perfect, it is quite satisfying to be able to drive a truck to visit the Crescent Lake and see the Tibetan Plateau while taking a break from squeezing the subway. I hope the developers will further optimize the image quality and add more urban routes, such as a long-distance route from Beijing to Lhasa, which would be more interesting. 😊
Not bragging, I recommend it to friends who like slow-paced simulated driving and want to see domestic scenery.