Motor Town: Behind The Wheel | Ep. 18 – The Architect Assures Me the Bus Will Fit He’s Gone Home Now
We’re back behind the wheel in Motor Town, and this time somebody has apparently designed something with the absolute confidence that a bus will fit through it. The architect says it’ll be fine. The architect has also conveniently gone home. I suspect we’re about to discover why those two facts are connected.
Tonight’s stream was actually a change of plan. I had intended to play Deliverage, which is basically Motor Town with knuckle dusters, but I wasn’t in the mood for its dark, reflective graphics or that incredibly unstable van. Driving it can genuinely give me a headache. So, I decided we’d have a more relaxing evening in Motor Town: Behind The Wheel instead. At least, that was the idea!
🚗 About the Game
Motor Town: Behind The Wheel is an open-world driving simulator where you can earn money through cargo deliveries, driving buses and taxis, and taking on different transport jobs. You can purchase vehicles, upgrade their parts and even test your driving skills at the racetrack.
There’s also a substantial transport and logistics side to the game. You can build facilities, organise deliveries and set up automated vehicle routes. That’s where much of my attention has been lately, although there’s always something new to discover.
🗺️ Where We Are in the Journey
This is episode eighteen, and we haven’t played Motor Town properly for absolutely ages. Quite a few things have been added since our previous sessions, and I’ve been wanting to get back into it to see what’s changed.
One of my longer-term goals is to establish depots across the entire map. That way, vehicles travelling along my automated routes can replenish themselves without having to return to one central location.
We already had a construction project underway from some off-stream playing, so tonight was an opportunity to finish that facility and hopefully make progress on another.
🚚 What Happens in This Episode
We started pretty much where I’d apparently left off the last time I was playing Motor Town, already halfway through a delivery to a construction site on the southern island. I’d been working on this depot off stream, and we had a rather haphazard collection of cargo loaded onto the back of the wagon.
Because it was such a long journey, I’d tried to get as much onto the trailer as possible rather than making several trips. Unfortunately, getting everything into position with the crane hadn’t been particularly successful. One load was stretched almost completely across the width of the trailer, so I was hoping we wouldn’t encounter any particularly narrow roads, gates or entrances along the way.
What could possibly go wrong?
Fortunately, we made it through the rest of the journey without anything too disastrous happening. When we arrived and unloaded everything, I discovered that the planks were actually the final materials needed to complete the depot. That was a rather nice surprise, because I’d forgotten exactly how much work was left on that particular building.
With one depot finished, we had a look around the map to see where else we could build. I spotted another piece of land that I owned in one of the industrial areas towards the extreme south of the map. It seemed like a sensible place for another facility, especially with my longer-term plan of having depots available all over the island.
We beamed ourselves over to the architect, had a look at the available buildings and decided to go for one of the larger depots. There was a little uncertainty about whether everything would actually fit on the site, but we managed to get the blueprint placed down.
The architect seemed confident enough about it, anyway. Of course, he’d gone home by the time we had to start delivering things.
Looking at the construction requirements, the first thing we needed was H-beams. I knew there was a factory not too far away that supplied them, so that seemed like a reasonable place to start.
We headed off to collect the beams, which meant reacquainting myself with the crane controls. It had been quite a while since I’d used some of the equipment, and getting everything positioned properly took a bit of experimenting. We had to work out the winch controls, move the beams around and eventually make sure the cargo was strapped down.
Once everything was loaded, we set off towards the new depot.
During the journey, I noticed a coastal road that I didn’t remember seeing the last time we played. There have been quite a few changes to Motor Town, so I decided we’d have a little look and see where it went.
It turned into a considerably longer journey than I’d expected. The road took us around a substantial stretch of coastline, with some rather nice scenery, additional greenery and what appeared to be more places where we might eventually be able to build. It was interesting seeing how much of the map had changed, even if our route wasn’t getting us to the construction site particularly quickly.
We were also experiencing some unusual behaviour with the vehicles. There had been a few nasty lag spikes, and the Bang Bus didn’t seem quite as stable as I remembered. I wasn’t entirely sure whether this was down to a recent game update, the graphics drivers or something else.
Eventually, we arrived at the construction site, where getting the loaded vehicle through the entrance was another problem. The access wasn’t particularly generous, and we managed to get ourselves wedged while trying to manoeuvre into position.
After a bit of reversing and adjusting, we managed to get things sorted out and deliver the H-beams. It did make me wonder just how much thought had gone into the access arrangements for this supposedly suitable building.
The next requirement was sand, which was slightly amusing because we were already in the middle of a desert. Despite having sand practically everywhere around us, the game still required us to visit a construction site and collect it properly.
Thankfully, there was a supplier quite close to our new depot, so we didn’t have to travel halfway across the island again. We needed fifteen units, and fortunately we could carry the whole lot in one trip.
It wasn’t entirely free of problems, with a few awkward turns and some traffic to negotiate, including one of my own vehicles getting in the way. But compared with the H-beam journey, the sand delivery was relatively straightforward.
We also checked how much we’d earned from the work. The H-beams had brought in £22,914, while the sand delivery earned another £3,585, giving us £26,499 altogether. Not a bad result for getting materials to a building we were constructing ourselves.
Along the way, we took the opportunity to investigate a café, which was another of the things I didn’t remember from our previous sessions.
It turns out you can buy coffee and doughnuts that give your character temporary bonuses, including increased stamina and resistance to slowing. We picked up some refreshments and even found somewhere to sit with a view towards the bridge.
Of course, the subject of coffee brought us back to the ongoing discussion about tea being the superior drink. Gary got AIDA involved, and she wasn’t particularly complimentary about coffee either. I certainly wasn’t going to argue with her about that.
Once the sand was delivered, we had to deal with the more complicated part of the project: cement and concrete.
This was always going to take a bit more organisation because we needed quite a lot of material, and the mixer trucks could only carry six units at a time. That meant several journeys between the concrete works and our new depot.
Normally, I would simply rent a mixer truck whenever I needed one. However, one of the things I’d learned about the more recent updates was that we could now purchase our own mixer trucks.
That seemed like a much better option, especially considering how often I intend to build facilities around the map.
We had a look at the available vehicles and bought a mixer truck of our own. We also had a hired mixer available, so the plan was to have an NPC driver transport one load while we took another down to the construction site ourselves.
Before getting everything moving, I purchased another property near the concrete works. Having somewhere convenient to fast-travel to should make future visits considerably easier, particularly when we’re working in that part of the map.
We then started setting up an automated delivery route for the NPC mixer truck. I wanted it to collect concrete, travel down to the building site and make the necessary return journeys without us having to drive backwards and forwards ourselves.
This involved arranging the waypoints and making sure the vehicle could stop at one of our existing depots to refuel along the way. It’s exactly the sort of thing I’m trying to achieve with the wider depot network, so it was useful to have another opportunity to work with the automation system.
It took a little adjusting to get the route how I wanted it, but eventually we had the NPC travelling between the locations.
Technically, we could probably have left the NPC to handle the concrete deliveries while we went off and collected some of the other materials. We still needed plastics and wood for the building, and we could have made a start on those.
However, we’d already rented and loaded the mixer truck I was driving, so I decided we might as well take that delivery ourselves rather than leave it sitting there.
The other complication was keeping the concrete works supplied.
We didn’t have a particularly large amount of cement available, and if we wanted the mixer trucks to keep collecting concrete, somebody would have to make sure more could be manufactured.
Mister Smith was extremely helpful with this. He’d been offering advice throughout the evening about the different vehicles, where to purchase them and which trailers were needed for transporting particular materials.
He also offered to help with supplies from his own game, although he was initially using a different testing version, which made transferring things between the two versions a potential problem.
Eventually, he managed to join us using another profile and started helping with the materials needed to manufacture more concrete. He was transporting cement and organising further production while I was dealing with the deliveries.
We also tried setting up another automated route to bring cement into the concrete works. Unfortunately, this didn’t work quite as intended.
I’d assigned an electric vehicle to the job, and although it was happily travelling around its route, when I checked what it was actually doing, it wasn’t carrying any cargo.
That rather defeated the purpose of sending it out in the first place.
After looking through the available options and trying to work out what was happening, it became clear that I’d need another suitable truck for that particular supply run. The dry-bulk trailer was also something we needed to take into account.
It’s another thing to add to the list for the next time we play.
There was also the question of hired vehicles and how long they remain available if you’re not actively using them. Mister Smith explained that they can disappear after a certain amount of time, so it was worth being careful about leaving rented equipment sitting around while we went looking for other trucks.
That was something useful to learn, especially after spending part of the evening searching through garages and vehicle options.
While the NPCs continued making their journeys, we had a chance to talk about a few other things with the people who were around.
Vvoornth had discovered another unusual game where the objective apparently involves eating everything in a supermarket, including the packaging and containers. That led to a discussion about what would actually happen if somebody attempted anything remotely like that.
There was also some discussion about other games, films and what everybody had been playing recently. EntertainJD mentioned the first Star Trek film, and we talked about how much it resembled 2001: A Space Odyssey.
Meanwhile, the Pokémon activities in chat were having mixed results. Mister Smith discovered that exploding pineapples weren’t particularly reliable when his attempt to deal with a Crocalor failed. Gary had better luck with his own encounters, managing to complete hunts using a bear trap and later a grapefruit grenade.
Mister Smith also used the jukebox to play “Respectfully Disrespectful”, dedicating it to Gary while we carried on with the deliveries.
Later in the evening, while the concrete trucks were making their way around the map, we got talking about Comic-Con and some of the arrangements for attending.
I opened up the browser, and we had a look at some of the guests, the prices being charged for autographs and photographs, and the different things people were offering.
Some of those prices were rather difficult to justify. There were people I’d quite like to meet or get an autograph from, but paying well over a hundred pounds or euros for somebody to sign something isn’t something I’m particularly enthusiastic about.
We also talked about tickets, when they were supposed to arrive, and some of the arrangements for travelling. That included a discussion about bags and what we’d actually be able to take with us.
It was a bit of a diversion from Motor Town, but the NPCs were still carrying on with their deliveries in the background, so at least the transport business was continuing to operate.
Eventually, the first concrete delivery reached the new construction site, and we were able to make some more progress on the building.
Mister Smith also confirmed that he’d dropped off cement and had more concrete being produced, which was extremely helpful. It meant we had the beginnings of a proper supply arrangement, even if there were still a few things to work out.
By that point, we’d finished one depot, started constructing another, delivered the H-beams and sand, and made progress on the concrete requirements.
There were still plastics and wood to collect, along with more concrete deliveries to complete, but I decided those could wait. I’ll probably spend a little time during the week working on them whenever I have half an hour or a couple of hours available.
I would like to get back into Motor Town properly, particularly because there are so many additions that we’ve not had the opportunity to explore yet. There’s obviously plenty more to do, both with the transport network and with the newer features.
Unfortunately, despite making reasonable progress in the game, it was a very quiet evening in chat.
I know there were a few people who came in and spoke to us, and I genuinely appreciated those conversations and the help we received. But there were also long periods when hardly anybody was talking, and I found that quite difficult.
One of the main reasons I stream is to be able to chat with people. I don’t really get the opportunity to talk to anybody during the day, so these livestreams are my main connection to the outside world.
When nobody is chatting, it can be rather depressing. At one point during the evening, I was actually considering turning the stream off early because I was feeling so down about the lack of conversation.
It’s not really about having large numbers of viewers. I’d much rather have a few people who want to join in and have a conversation than a larger number of people sitting silently. The interaction is the part of streaming that matters most to me.
We eventually reached the end of the evening and decided to wrap things up. Unfortunately, as soon as I announced that we were finishing, I noticed that everyone had disappeared from the viewer list.
That was particularly disappointing, and I thought it was rather bad-mannered for everybody to leave straight away. With nobody left to take along, there wasn’t much point in organising a raid, so we simply ended the stream.
Tomorrow night, we’re planning to return to Star Trek Online, which is something we’ve not played for quite a while because we’ve been distracted by other multiplayer games.
I’d like to bring it back into a more regular rotation. The plan for Tuesday multiplayer nights is to alternate between Star Trek Online, Dune: Awakening and Valheim, rather than concentrating on just one game all the time.
As for Motor Town, we still have a partly completed depot waiting for us, some materials to collect and another truck to purchase for the cement deliveries. At least we now have another working facility and a better idea of what needs to happen next.
Hopefully, the next time we get behind the wheel, we’ll be able to finish that larger depot and spend a little more time investigating all the new things that have been added.
And perhaps we’ll find out whether the architect was right about the bus fitting through the entrance after all.
▶️ Watch the Episode
If you missed the stream, you can catch the complete episode here:
Watch Motor Town: Behind The Wheel – Episode 18
You can also explore the Motor Town series playlist or visit my YouTube channel for more gameplay.
If you enjoy the episode, leave a like, let me know your thoughts in the comments and consider subscribing.
🔴 Join the Adventure Live
There’s still a lot of building to do, several vehicles to organise and an architect whose confidence I’d quite like to test again.
Come along and join us live on Twitch or YouTube. Whether you’re helping me work out the logistics, pointing out something I’ve missed or simply joining the conversation, it’s always good to have company.
Next up is a return to Star Trek Online. I’d like to bring it back more regularly, alongside Dune: Awakening and Valheim for our Tuesday multiplayer nights.
🌐 Community & Links
Whether you’re following our next delivery, catching up on the streams or exploring my other projects, you’ll find everything below.
Live — Come along for the next stream and help keep us on the right road:
Community — Keep the conversation going between streams:
Socials — Follow what I’m up to beyond the driver’s seat:
TikTok | Bluesky | Instagram | Facebook | Threads | X
Music — Something to listen to on those longer journeys:
Support — Help keep the channel and its projects moving:
More — Discover my other work away from the games:
Business Centre | Download the Brochure | About Me | Blog
🏗️ One Depot Finished, Another Still Needs Supplies
So we finished one depot, started another and made a reasonable amount of progress with the concrete deliveries. There are still materials to collect and a few transport arrangements to sort out, but the wider depot network is gradually coming together.
I’d definitely like to spend more time in Motor Town, particularly with all the additions we’ve missed. Hopefully, we’ll have a few more people around for a chat next time as well.
Thanks to everyone who joined us, especially Mister Smith for helping with the supplies. I’ll see you again soon.
— Dr Ravenholm
Discover more from Transparent-Aluminium.net
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
