I am late to the party because of the negative reviews and rating, but a discount finally convinced me to give it a shot. I know that steering with KB can be really bad in some games, but IDK about this one because I've never tried. Based on my experience using a G923, the game is okay.
The steering tension and force feedback feel fine and are also adjustable. Steering is responsive and the return speed feels okay. Force feedback works, though it's not very descriptive of much other than road type.
We do need to manually bind every control for the Logitech, but whatever, took a few minutes and once and done. It is remiss, IMO, that there is not a wheel binding to toggle the virtual mirrors, but I use the mouse for looking around and would rather have head tracking if we are making changes.
It is fully controllable via manual shifting, including using range and splitter on my shifter attachment, but... it won't work like switches, but only buttons, and the clutch appears to bind and calibrate, and then it doesn't do anything in the game no matter what scaling setting. I assume it is a known issue because they made it where the truck doesn't stall even at a stop and a clutch isn't ever needed to manual shift.
On the negative side, there are a couple other things that don't work or maybe I don't understand, and other complaints I could make about missing QoL items. I've also needed to restart the save a couple times when a job that would not start, but I haven't had other major issues. There was that one time that an oncoming truck was part into my lane on a tight corner - I even saw it coming and moved further over to the side but I got fined for causing the accident in my lane that demolished my truck...
Unfortunately, it also has the typical Unreal Engine stutter and lag due to lack of optimization. They are not the biggest, but it is an immersion breaker and my hardware is too good and this game too small to excuse trouble loading shaders or textures. This is unacceptable, IMO, but it appears to be the industry standard with UE, to be fair.
However, there is a lot to like. I appreciate getting out of the truck - performing tasks such as connecting the trailer, refueling at stations, doing simple repairs, and talking to people, as well as going into your own service shop and office, etc. Your property and shop are upgradable, there are three skill trees to pursue, and there is a tiered system for new trucks and upgrades. Overall, it has an indie simulator vibe that I have a soft spot for.
I have hundreds of hours playing other trucking games and I just wanted to do something a little different. This is that, and although the driving physics aren't realistic, it feels good to drive with a wheel and I find the game is generally enjoyable.
As far as I am concerned, it's totally worth trying, at least if you have a steering wheel. I really can't say otherwise.
