Setup Guide

Configure SimDuty for daily use, stable telemetry, and reliable operational behavior.

Overview

This page covers the settings required to run SimDuty reliably in ATS/ETS2 operations.

Use it after first install and any time you change game paths, profile locations, or UI behavior.

Estimated time: 6 minutes Priority: profile + custom delivery paths Output: stable startup and data sync
Required

Confirm active edition (Full or Lite) before validating missing features

Required

Custom Delivery roots (ATS/ETS2) + Effective paths

Required

HOS policy mode and active policy validation

Recommended

Always On Top, fullscreen behavior, and tray mode

Recommended

Support bundle tools for fast troubleshooting

Optional

Keybind and audio personalization

Minimum safe setup

Use this quick path when you want stable operation first and full personalization later.

  1. Confirm App Edition (Full or Lite) so expected modules are visible.
  2. Set ATS/ETS2 roots in Custom Delivery and verify Effective paths.
  3. Set HOS policy mode to Auto (or Manual if your league requires fixed policy).
  4. Save changes, restart SimDuty, and verify Home/HOS values update correctly.
  5. Only after baseline stability, configure appearance, keybinds, and audio preferences.
Priority rule: edition, paths, and policy are mandatory for reliability; cosmetic and comfort settings are optional until baseline is stable.

Where to find each option

This is the primary orientation map for Setup. Use it first when configuring or troubleshooting.

Settings > Preferences

  • Language, Start with Windows, Alert overlay, Inbox messages, Speed alerts
  • Friend messages, Units, HOS policy mode, manual policy selector

Settings > Custom Delivery

  • ATS/ETS2 roots via Browse, Effective path text
  • Yard Move speed limit and auto-disable behavior

Settings > Appearance

  • Theme mode, Always On Top, Suspend Topmost in Fullscreen
  • Minimize to tray, Software Render, resolution and scaling strategy

Settings > Support / Keybinds / Audio

  • Support mode, Include saves, Generate/Open/Copy support bundle path
  • Keybind capture fields and audio controls (volume, test, HOS mute options)

Edition mode (Full vs Lite)

  • Lite: focused on HOS workflows and HOS extension features.
  • Full: provides access to the full SimDuty feature set.
  • If Economy, Dispatch, Compliance, DVIR, or Debug views are missing, verify the active edition first.
  • You can switch edition from the top bar (near SDK/NET) or in Settings > App Edition.
  • After switching edition, validate visible tabs and restart SimDuty if interface state does not refresh immediately.
SimDuty interface highlighting edition switch in top bar near SDK and NET, and the App Edition option inside Settings
Edition switch points: top bar (near SDK/NET) and Settings > App Edition.
Recommended: use Lite for HOS-only operation. Use Full when you need complete operational modules.

Display modes (Tablet vs Phone)

  • SimDuty supports explicit layout modes: Tablet and Phone.
  • In compact layouts, some navigation entries may move under More.
  • If a tab seems missing, validate Layout mode, More menu, and App Edition together.
  • For phone layouts, verify scaling strategy and readability before long sessions.
Tablet layout showing wider navigation and dashboard cards in SimDuty
Tablet mode: recommended for primary operations and second-screen workflows.
Phone layout showing compact navigation and reduced-width content in SimDuty
Phone mode: compact navigation, optimized for quick checks and essential actions.

Mobile-ready checklist:

  • Selected layout mode matches your device and screen size.
  • Scaling mode (Overlay or Manual) is readable during driving.
  • Always On Top and fullscreen behavior are validated in your game mode.
  • Home shortcuts visibility is configured for your preferred layout behavior.

Profile and preferences

  • Set Driver Name for HOS identity and score records.
  • Review User ID, local Save path, and current app version.
  • In Preferences, configure language, start with Windows, and notification toggles.
  • Notification controls are split by channel: Alert overlay, Inbox messages, and Speed alerts.
  • Configure Friend messages (name, enable switch, and frequency).
  • Set Units (metric or imperial) and choose HOS policy mode (auto or manual).
  • When manual policy mode is active, choose the fixed policy in the policy selector.
Policy behavior: In Auto, SimDuty detects the active game (ATS/ETS2), switches policy automatically, and updates HOS metrics accordingly. In Manual, one fixed policy remains active regardless of the detected game.

Operational guidance:

  • Use Auto if you switch between ATS and ETS2 frequently.
  • Use Manual if your VTC/league requires one fixed compliance policy.
  • Before every trip, verify Policy mode, Active policy, and HOS limits shown in dashboard.

HOS policy mode - high-impact notes:

  • Policy switch side effects: switching between Auto and Manual can change how Drive Left, Shift Left, and Cycle Left are calculated and displayed.
  • When to use each mode: use Auto for standard behavior per detected game; use Manual for fixed-policy operations (VTC/league requirements).
  • Pre-trip validation: confirm Game detected, Policy mode, Active policy, and visible HOS limits before departing.
  • Mismatch warning: if ATS is running while a manual Europe policy is selected, different limits are expected and intentional.
  • Recovery action: if HOS metrics look wrong after mode changes, review mode and policy, click Save changes, restart SimDuty, and re-check HOS dashboard values.

Custom Delivery and profile roots

This section is required for reliable freight sync and active job manipulation.

  1. Open More > Setup and scroll to the Custom Delivery block.
  2. Use Browse for ATS profiles folder and select the ATS save root.
  3. Use Browse for ETS2 profiles folder and select the ETS2 save root.
  4. Confirm the Effective: path text matches the expected location.
  5. Adjust Yard Move speed limit and Yard Move auto disable if required.
Select the profile root location used by your game installation. Do not point to random subfolders that do not contain active save data.
Critical prerequisite: Custom Jobs requires an offline profile (Steam Cloud disabled). Complete Offline Save Setup (ATS/ETS2) and then set these roots to the local Documents profile path.
Base Save selection: after setting roots, choose a numeric save slot folder that contains game.sii. Use the step guide in Economy - How to choose Base Save.

Appearance and window behavior

  • Choose theme mode (Light or Dark).
  • Enable Always On Top to keep SimDuty visible while driving.
  • Use Suspend Topmost in Fullscreen to avoid overlay issues in exclusive fullscreen.
  • Enable Minimize to tray for quick hide/restore behavior.
  • Use Software Render as a compatibility fallback when rendering is unstable (flicker, GPU-related glitches, or draw failures).
  • If Software Render causes higher CPU usage, stutter, or worse responsiveness, disable it and retest.
  • Set window resolution and scaling strategy (Overlay or Manual).
  • If manual scaling is used, adjust UI scale and use Reset Scale when needed.

Support tools and diagnostics

  • Enable Support mode to collect richer diagnostics when troubleshooting.
  • Enable Include saves only when support requests specifically require save data.
  • Use Generate support bundle to create a support package.
  • Use Open support folder and Copy support path for ticket sharing.
  • Key app folders are under %LOCALAPPDATA%\SimDuty (Logs, Saves, Config).

Keybinds and navigation

  • Review action-to-binding pairs in the keybind table.
  • Capture combinations directly in each binding field.
  • Use clear, non-conflicting shortcuts for tab navigation and HOS actions.

Audio controls

  • Enable or disable app sound globally.
  • Adjust output volume and use Test audio.
  • Configure HOS warning mute presets when noise reduction is needed.

Validation checkpoint

  • Active edition matches intended workflow (Lite for HOS-focused use, Full for complete modules).
  • Display mode and navigation behavior are validated (including compact mode and More menu).
  • Custom Delivery ATS/ETS2 roots are valid and saved.
  • HOS mode and unit system are set as intended.
  • Auto mode shows expected policy for the detected game (or manual policy is intentionally fixed).
  • Always On Top behavior works in your game display mode.
  • Keybinds and alerts behave as expected during a short test run.
  • Support bundle generation works without errors.
  • Save changes was executed after any edit, and post-change restart was performed when required.

Quick support

  • If a feature appears missing, check App Edition first (Lite hides non-HOS modules by design).
  • If navigation looks incomplete on small screens, check layout mode and open the More menu.
  • If Custom Jobs or active-delivery data does not update, re-check ATS/ETS2 root paths and click Save changes.
  • If Custom Jobs still fails after path check, verify profile cloud sync is disabled using Offline Save Setup.
  • If HOS metrics look inconsistent, verify HOS policy mode and the current active policy first.
  • If you recently switched Auto/Manual, save settings, restart SimDuty, and re-validate limits on Home/HOS.
  • If overlays do not stay visible, switch the game to borderless mode and verify topmost options.
  • If startup behavior is unstable, review minimize/tray and software render toggles, then restart SimDuty.
  • If unresolved, generate a support bundle and share it in Discord with screenshots of Setup sections.