Welcome to this week’s preview, which focuses on the Baltics. ProMods 2.50 sees the return of more pre-Baltic DLC areas that have been upgraded or even completely rebuilt, as well as changes to reflect road upgrades only recently carried out in the real world.
Estonia
Returning to Estonia is the island of Saaremaa and the connections to the existing road network on the mainland. Our Estonian developer martinusK is working hard to rebuild old ProMods areas in Estonia to today’s standards, so that they integrate well with the Baltic DLC content. He has this to say about the area:
“Estonia’s always stood firm by its naval heritage and what better example of it than the Western Estonian archipelago. Saaremaa, once home to our very own Vikings (Oeselians), has always had a distinct, although still strongly Estonian identity. Its people are tough and as history has shown, quite rebellious, surely being hardened by the Kaali meteorite strike in 1500BC. Saaremaa will have a total of six scenery or functional ports, and several companies are also navally oriented. The island will also have some of the smallest roads in Estonia, surrounded by typical thick pine forests – not that the Saaremaa-native reigning World Rally Champion would’ve been slowed down by that.
Personally: although I’ve lived my whole life on the mainland, Saaremaa will always be a special place for me. After all, I even get funny looks by my mates for speaking the dialect!”
Lithuania
Now on to Lithuania, where developer Horizon has been busy. Panevėžys, locally known as the capital of Aukštaitija, has recently upgraded the A17 highway, which acts as an international freight and travel corridor through the Baltic States as part of the E67 route between Prague and Helsinki. A majority of the work by SCS has been replaced to provide a more true-to-life rendition of the highway in the world of ETS2. As in the real world, configurations of 2+1 lanes were added (commonly seen in Sweden), as well as turbo roundabouts, of which there are only a few examples in the ProMods map. Lastly, the addition of three new companies to the city will enhance the game economy.
Also making a return is the Curonian Spit. Horizon provides the following details:
“The Curonian Spit: Lithuania’s most attractive tourist hotspot due to its nature, beaches and UNESCO World Heritage Site of fascinating sand-dunes that stretch across the thin landmass. In the world of ETS2, you will be able to drive across from the city of Klaipėda to traverse this piece of land and the coastal village of Juodkrantė.”
“The comeback of the Curonian spit will feature a mix of refurbished and brand-new sections built under new standards, in addition to completely changed ferry locations from past versions. On both sides of the ferry crossing, I have replicated the port as closely as possible to the real-world, for e.g. the current renovations, in addition to changing part of the city and its layout to get sophisticated results.”
Kaliningrad Oblast
Of course, the Curonian Spit is shared between Lithuania and the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad Oblast. Vladzz-G has upgraded the connection from the border to Kaliningrad, via the town of Zelenogradsk, with assets from the Baltic DLC, restoring another area that was originally released in ProMods 2.10.
As always, thanks for reading and sharing this preview. There is still plenty more to come, so keep your eyes peeled for the next one!
