Spintires: Mudrunner/snowrunner

[zargdin]

Low saddle frame add-on. Flatbed semi trailer.

EDIT: I haven't drove that particular truck, but heads up if it's not got a solid front end, the front wheels may come up a bit occasionally and be tough to steer. It was wheelie central with my Fleetstar

Thanks for that mate. That did the trick. Quite a difficult mission. The weight of the drilling device did lift the front end of the cab at times making steering tricky. There was a quick route and a longer less complicated route to the site, and I chose the latter.

 

[kolio]

Thanks for that mate. That did the trick. Quite a difficult mission. The weight of the drilling device did lift the front end of the cab at times making steering tricky. There was a quick route and a longer less complicated route to the site, and I chose the latter.

Smart move, longer is better sometimes. I feel like that's probably true most of the time really. I thinks the devs have purposely made a few things aggravating.

Kinda how like I never got a hint for how to turn on my headlights. That's took a bit to figure out lol.

 

[zargdin]

You'd better believe it. In the same mission I was talking about - "It's not a Drill"- the final task is to tow that big construction trailer down to the site. I drove a succession of trucks up to it, first to be told that I needed to equip a saddle high, then after recovering to the garage to do so and driving all the way back, I was told "You can't attach this trailer". Why didn't they say this first? I couldn't understand what the problem was - none of the trucks would fit. Then I realised that I needed to lower the suspension. Again a little hint might have helped.

 

[icenl]

On the missions where i need to move those huge trailers with drilling equipment i try to get them to the site before any other tasks, because when i fail i can restart without doing the simple tasks again.

I really like the Fleetstar, but i have some more trucks now that i have done some of the dam and Alaska maps that i am now experimenting with using different trucks for different roles.

Here i am using it to transport my CAT to the mud fields to rescue a truck.

 

[Moglet]

I finally gave in and purchased SnowRunner and I'm glad I did, it's already challenging and the graphics are phenomenal. I love taking screenshots too but as others have said it definitely needs a photo mode.

​

 

[maxi25]

The trailers with the drill bits are annoying but manageable. It's the damn over-sized trailers that are my complaint. Hauling those around the map are no fun at all. I remember doing one in Michigan and got stuck a wonderful 5 or 6 times before making it to the site. My advice for others is to go to Russia and get one of those heavy trucks to use to haul the larger trailers around. Unless you want to suffer then get yourself some Advil or something beforehand.

 

[Morbid65]

The trailers with the drill bits are annoying but manageable. It's the damn over-sized trailers that are my complaint. Hauling those around the map are no fun at all. I remember doing one in Michigan and got stuck a wonderful 5 or 6 times before making it to the site. My advice for others is to go to Russia and get one of those heavy trucks to use to haul the larger trailers around. Unless you want to suffer then get yourself some Advil or something beforehand.

Strongly disagree. The bigger cargo is by far the most interesting stuff to move because you actually have to pick a smart route, and driving them through some areas is more technical as you have to really think about angles and how you are going to get around corners.

That being said, I've actually been disappointed with the difficulty of moving them so far. I've moved 4 of the extra large trailers, only one spot has given me any trouble (the Oil Rig thing on the first Alaska map) and it's only because there's a giant mudhole and I've been trying to stick to using the 6x6s for them instead of the big 8x8s.

I'd only recommend people jump to the 8x8s if they are really really struggling with them, otherwise I feel like you kinda rob yourself of the challenge since you can kinda "brain off throttle on" with them through nearly everything.

I also like using the TwinSteer for the same reason. There are much faster/easier ways to deliver 4 pieces of cargo, but the challenge of finding a working route for the big ol' thing and navigating it around is far more interesting than just driving whatever 6x6 and small trailer down the same route I've already taken several other times.

Pro tip for anyone struggling with the delivery of the "Construction Rig" trailer to the drilling site in Smithville Dam, take the next left after leaving tunnel and head down a muddy hill, then use the rocks to take it across the river. There is a mission called "Across the River" or something like that to go out to the island using the rocks, just do the same thing the opposite direction basically. If you are a bad driver it's slightly risky as you can dump the trailer into the water, but if you go slow it's super easy. It may sound crazy, but it's way shorter and far easier than going North across the dam and using either of those trails back to the drilling site.

I'm hoping the "extreme cargo" mentioned in the season pass is more big and hopefully even heavier stuff to deliver. I want to actually need one of those 8x8s.

 

[maxi25]

Preferences and tips

I just find it annoying since some areas don't have enough room to maneuver trailers that big and wide. Running one in Alaska, I was grinding along the guardrail and the trailer was still getting stuck on the opposite guardrail across the road. I've hauled a few oversized loads in Euro Trucker so I have some experience on the matter but even with the Royal as my go to truck I was still having maneuvering issues. And you gotta love it when you somehow beach the trailer on an asphalt road. That's always fun.

 

[Joey D]

I'm kind of annoyed by the Twin Steer because the 6900, in real life, can be equipped with locking diffs and 8x8 instead of 8x4. It'd probably be more or less unstoppable though.

 

[kolio]

I'd rather drive blindfolded than drive anything with a ramped flatbed trailer.

 

[zargdin]

Strongly disagree. The bigger cargo is by far the most interesting stuff to move because you actually have to pick a smart route, and driving them through some areas is more technical as you have to really think about angles and how you are going to get around corners.

That being said, I've actually been disappointed with the difficulty of moving them so far. I've moved 4 of the extra large trailers, only one spot has given me any trouble (the Oil Rig thing on the first Alaska map) and it's only because there's a giant mudhole and I've been trying to stick to using the 6x6s for them instead of the big 8x8s.

I'd only recommend people jump to the 8x8s if they are really really struggling with them, otherwise I feel like you kinda rob yourself of the challenge since you can kinda "brain off throttle on" with them through nearly everything.

I also like using the TwinSteer for the same reason. There are much faster/easier ways to deliver 4 pieces of cargo, but the challenge of finding a working route for the big ol' thing and navigating it around is far more interesting than just driving whatever 6x6 and small trailer down the same route I've already taken several other times.

Pro tip for anyone struggling with the delivery of the "Construction Rig" trailer to the drilling site in Smithville Dam, take the next left after leaving tunnel and head down a muddy hill, then use the rocks to take it across the river. There is a mission called "Across the River" or something like that to go out to the island using the rocks, just do the same thing the opposite direction basically. If you are a bad driver it's slightly risky as you can dump the trailer into the water, but if you go slow it's super easy. It may sound crazy, but it's way shorter and far easier than going North across the dam and using either of those trails back to the drilling site.

I'm hoping the "extreme cargo" mentioned in the season pass is more big and hopefully even heavier stuff to deliver. I want to actually need one of those 8x8s.

I found that mission bringing the Construction Rig from Drummond island to Smithfield Dam drilling site a total ball-breaker. It took me two evenings.

I take your point about the challenge of finding a good route etc, but some of the turns in this mission seemed at first to be a geometrical impossibility. The worst one probably being the one shortly after you leave the port and cross that bridge and attempt that corner on top of the following hill. I used a Fleetstar for most of the route, but I needed that Pacific tractor to push and nudge that damn thing around those tight bends.

I considered that route you mention, but in the end decided on the longer route, which wasn't that bad once you get on to the dam. I swapped the Fleetstar for the Navistar and that made things a bit easier.

Tremendous sense of achievement though, when I eventually made it!

But I wouldn't fancy doing it again. And yeah, the Twinsteer is a lot of fun to drive.

 

[Moglet]

The fact you have to trigger the "drowned vehicle" missions using a trigger that is right on top of the drowned vehicle is infuriating when you're often winching said vehicle out from a distance for a reason.

In fact the UI could do with some tweaks to refine it in quite a few areas, things like B backing out of menus but also disconnecting your winch aren't ideal. It feels like they didn't have time to do much UX testing to provide them with good feedback.

 

[zargdin]

In fact the UI could do with some tweaks to refine it in quite a few areas, things like B backing out of menus but also disconnecting your winch aren't ideal. It feels like they didn't have time to do much UX testing to provide them with good feedback.

Yeah, and the B button serves not only for the winch release but also for the handbrake.

So when I try to rescue a stuck vehicle, it's sometimes necessary to put on the handbrake first if the rescue vehicle is on a slope. Once the winch is connected I then want to engage the rescue vehicle's engine to assist the pulling power of the winch. This requires the release of the handbrake by pressing B, but this just releases the winch first.

 

[zargdin]

I'm still doing Michegan, and a bit of Alaska. Haven't touched the Russian areas yet.

I notice in the Truck Store that it says that many vehicles are "not available in USA". I was a bit annoyed at this restriction thinking that only certain vehicles could be used in certain areas.

But I see some posters here recommend going to Russia to acquire stronger vehicles to do Michegan tasks, so does the message "not available in USA" just mean not available to buy/discover or what? And that any vehicle, once acquired, can be used anywhere?

 

[Moglet]

Yeah, and the B button serves not only for the winch release but also for the handbrake.

So when I try to rescue a stuck vehicle, it's sometimes necessary to put on the handbrake first if the rescue vehicle is on a slope. Once the winch is connected I then want to engage the rescue vehicle's engine to assist the pulling power of the winch. This requires the release of the handbrake by pressing B, but this just releases the winch first.

Handbrake on an XB1 pad is assigned to RB by default, I've left it assigned to that and it seems to work well and avoids this clash.

I really wish they had kept the legacy camera controls on the d-pad though, I really want to be able to switch it around like I did on MudRunner.

 

[LOonIE]

@zargdin It means exactly this. Which is weird, as you can go anytime to Russia, buy and stow a truck and go back to the US with it.

The Russian trucks feel a little OP in Michigan, so you may want to keep them away for a while, though.

 

[Joey D]

But I see some posters here recommend going to Russia to acquire stronger vehicles to do Michegan tasks, so does the message "not available in USA" just mean not available to buy/discover or what? And that any vehicle, once acquired, can be used anywhere?

Once you buy the trucks you can use them anywhere. You just can't buy the Russian trucks in the US, nor the US truck in Russia.

 

[LM7325]

The Tayga with its 51 inch balloon tires towing a step-deck trailer is pretty much god mode. I actually restarted the game to avoid it for a bit this time. The step-deck is great practice for the contract trailers, it makes loads much harder to tip over, but really drags its belly through the mud.

 

[Moglet]

Now that I've had a bit of time to gather my thoughts on things I've noted a few suggestions that I think would really benefit the game:

The ability to auto skip night time
We already have a free time skip option so why not?

A rethink of how the missions system works
It's confusing and unclear with combinations of mission types that are never explained. So far I've come across all of the following:
- Drowned vehicle missions where you have to activate the mission at the vehicle collection point and drop it off somewhere else
- Lost vehicle missions where you have to activate the mission at the drop off point for the vehicle
- Roadblock missions where you have to activate the mission at the same point as the drop off
- Delivery missions where you have to activate the mission at the same point as the drop off
- Delivery missions where you have to activate the mission somewhere completely random
- Bridge repair missions where you don't have to activate the mission to complete it
- Bridge repair missions where you have to activate the mission away from the drop off
- Exploration missions where you have to activate the mission away from the exploration points, but can then be completed without going back to the activation point
- Vehicle missions where you activate the mission in front of the vehicle and then repair it
- Vehicle missions where you have to activate them near the vehicle then tow it back to your garage
- Main missions that are seemingly activated within the world OR within your map

My suggestion: Once you discover a portion of a mission whether it be the pickup zone or the drop off point it should be trigger-able from the map menu. This not only makes it clearer as you only get zones on the map for the actual mission points but also matches up with the missions you get from the various industries.

Reinstating the d-pad controls for legacy cameras
The legacy camera system worked really well in MudRunner and without these controls it feels very clunky in comparison. Even just adding a basic "look back" button would help as with how it stands currently you have to keep swinging the camera around like crazy.

Scenery should be made totally see-through when the camera moves through them
Currently when your camera moves through a tree (for example) you get a horrible blurring effect. This is really bad on the eyes and makes the fact the camera can move through them almost useless.

Introduce separate hitchecks for the camera
When driving over bridges or near buildings the camera reacts to the object hitchecks and can go absolutely crazy, there should be a separate one set up for cameras to avoid this camera warping. It's especially bad on the dam.

Increase the snap-to area on the gearbox selection points
The nearest gear should be selected if you're roughly 75% of the way towards it, not the 90% that it feels like. This leaves room for error but doesn't feel as harsh for pad users.

Spend some time optimizing the UI
If I turn the UI off I can go from Medium to Ultra settings while maintaining a smooth framerate. The UI will always use up some performance but it shouldn't be this drastic on a game with such a minimal HUD.

 

[LM7325]

When you're stuck and only have little shrubs around, try gently pulsing the winch, you may get just enough help before it snaps that way. Pulsing seems to help out with rescue operations too.

 

[Moglet]

I have made a huge mistake. The trailer is wedged on the small mound of dirt and I can't go forwards or backwards. Tomorrow I'm going to attempt a rescue mission with some Scout vehicles with plenty of fuel on board I love this game

 

[JackRyanWMU]

I'm not into off-roading in general, and I was wondering if I was going to get into this game when I first started playing it. But as frustrating as it can be sometimes, I can't help but find myself coming back for long play sessions trying to scout new routes or complete a difficult mission. I've still got a long way to go, just now exploring the second area of Michigan.

 

[LM7325]

I have been trying out different tire setups in Zimnegorsk on the off-road truck class. I have seen the tire chart on Reddit, but as a GT veteran I know numbers don't always add up in real performance. So far I find the off-road duals to be only slightly inferior on deep mud, but quite a bit more stable. Stable trucks should probably just use the Mud tires, but Tippy trucks like the PayStar may be better on the off-road duals.

 

[zargdin]

I have made a huge mistake. The trailer is wedged on the small mound of dirt and I can't go forwards or backwards. Tomorrow I'm going to attempt a rescue mission with some Scout vehicles with plenty of fuel on board I love this game

You'll need something a bit stronger than scout vehicles to shift this thing. Try the Pacific tractor - that's got great winching power. If you haven't got it yet you'll find it in Drummond Island

 

[Joey D]

I have made a huge mistake. The trailer is wedged on the small mound of dirt and I can't go forwards or backwards. Tomorrow I'm going to attempt a rescue mission with some Scout vehicles with plenty of fuel on board I love this game

Use the heavy-duty crane and pick up the back of the trailer. That seemed to work the best for me.

 

[zargdin]

I've come across a problem with the crane missions - don't know if I'm doing anything wrong or not.

As an example: after lifting one load of fuel and getting it on to the bed of the truck and packing it, I proceed to do the same with the second load. Despite getting it securely in the second half of the bed, lowering it down nice an careful, the little mini crane menu won't give me the option to pack it. The game doesn't seem to recognise that I have loaded the second batch.

 

[LM7325]

Just unpack, then repack, that's what works on Xbox, I am still not able to load a second truck since the update though.

 

[MMX]

I am still not able to load a second truck since the update though.

That's been an issue for me too(ps4). I rolled and lost a load on a semi flatbed, brought a crane truck to load it back up, and it just ghost through the trailer. Definitely need that fixed.

 

[rexc]

I've come across a problem with the crane missions - don't know if I'm doing anything wrong or not.

As an example: after lifting one load of fuel and getting it on to the bed of the truck and packing it, I proceed to do the same with the second load. Despite getting it securely in the second half of the bed, lowering it down nice an careful, the little mini crane menu won't give me the option to pack it. The game doesn't seem to recognise that I have loaded the second batch.

Yes there is a bug that it doesn't let you pack a second load, so when you go to remove it at the destination it only takes one load off and won't recognise the second. You just need to move the second load lightly with the crane once you have removed the first, and it will now pack and then be able to be unloaded.

 

[LM7325]

I really enjoy driving the P16, yeah it's only rwd, but that usually doesn't matter. I find it to be best used as a rescue rig/swamp tugboat. It makes easy work of contract trailers, but I usually break out the Navistar on those. I have the big Cat, but rarely use it because P16 just does it better. Plus it has best horn in game hands down, it's like Godzilla just woke up every time it's needed