Snowrunner (FKA Mudrunner, FKA Spintires)

[PESV]

Snowrunner will release april 28th.


Before you run off, let me explain. I have no interest in Truck Simulator, Farm simulator or what have you. If thats your thing, good for you and you probably already heard of Spintires and the lot. But for those that havent, just like me one year ago, allow me to explain why this game is different then mentioned and why you just might enjoy this as a surprising chemin de l’âne from your usual suspects.

So, a year ago my five year old son brought my attention to Mudrunner while browsing the playstation store.


Big machines plowing trough mud. On a discount and age apporiate. I knew i this one would be difficult to refuse him. To be honest, i was slightly curious myself, yet my expectations where low. You could also say i was being a bit snobbish.

Yet, seconds after driving away through a first puddle of mud i was quite impressed with the physics of this thing. It wasnt a half decent attempt to play around with a game engine. I felt an underlying passion and vision to make something coherent and at least a strive for perfecting the core gameplay mechanics.

There are little details in the way oil leaks in the water, the mud sticks to your tires and the surface deforms indefinately under the weight of your vehicle, that all bring a sense of immersion to the table i havent experience often in a game.

Then the sun sets and you find yourself driving all alone on a foggy sandroad deep inside some secluded russion forest with no one around just those eery trees that light up in the headlights of your jeep. It a genuinly gave me horror movie creeps and a smile at the same time.

I dont play this game weekly but i am very happy it sits on my playstation ready for those contemplative evenings where i just want to be alone with my thoughts, just getting from A to B, just plowing through the mud. Its rare these days that a game catches you by surprise and this one definately did for me. Looking forward to the 28th.

 

[PRO_TOO]

Snowrunner will release april 28th.


Before you run off, let me explain. I have no interest in Truck Simulator, Farm simulator or what have you. If thats your thing, good for you and you probably already heard of Spintires and the lot. But for those that havent, just like me one year ago, allow me to explain why this game is different then mentioned and why you just might enjoy this as a surprising chemin de l’âne from your usual suspects.

So, a year ago my five year old son brought my attention to Mudrunner while browsing the playstation store.


Big machines plowing trough mud. On a discount and age apporiate. I knew i this one would be difficult to refuse him. To be honest, i was slightly curious myself but to say my expectation where low is an understatement. You could also say i was being a bit snobbish.

Yet, seconds after driving away through a first puddle of mud i was quite impressed with the physics of this thing. It wasnt a half decent attempt to play around with a game engine. I felt an underlying passion and visio n to make something coherent and at least a strive for perfecting the core gameplay mechanicus.

There are little details in the way oil leaks in the water, the mud sticks to your tires and the surface deforms indefinately under the weight of your vehicle, that all bring a sense of immersion to the table i havent experience often in a game.

Then the sun sets and you find yourself driving all alone on a foggy sandroad deep inside some secluded russion forest with no one around just those eery trees that light up in the headlights of your jeep. It a genuinly gave me horror movie creeps and a smile at the same time.

I dont play this game weekly but i am very happy it sits on my playstation ready for those contemplative evenings where you just want to be alone with your thoughts, just getting from A to B, just plowing through the mud. Its rare these days that a game catches you by surpise and this one definately did for me. Looking forward to the 28th.

Good description, mate!

I have both titles on my wish list... guess I’m still waiting for the PSplus to drop it.

 

[jaygrim]

Thinking about getting this but the first felt a little awkward. I think it's a different team so I'm keeping my eyes open.

 

[PRO_TOO]

I played this the first time just yesterday. 6 hours straight. What can I say?!

It is a different breed of racing game and I like it a lot. Always had an eye on mud runner and spintires but never bought them. Now I did and so far it really is some fun.
It’s so nice and calm, so relaxing but the same time it gets my heart pumping fast when I’m in the mud! after getting out of a difficult situation after some 20 min... I felt exhausted (and happy I made it).

The car and landscape physics are really nice. different vehicles feel unique, the first person cam is nice (incl. the wheel animations).

Can’t wait to get home after work and play some more!! Anyone interested in some gameplay video or some coop action together?!

 

[Chris Davies]

Bought this (along with @jaygrim) and I really don't like the handling - or rather, the lack of feedback. The vehicles have such a lag between your response and their movement (which I appreciate is intentional) that I spend a whole journey scared to touch the analog stick, because even corrective steering is so delayed that you don't know when to stop counter-steering, and it's not something I got used to in the two hours I played the game for.

 

[PRO_TOO]

Bought this (along with @jaygrim) and I really don't like the handling - or rather, the lack of feedback. The vehicles have such a lag between your response and their movement (which I appreciate is intentional) that I spend a whole journey scared to touch the analog stick, because even corrective steering is so delayed that you don't know when to stop counter-steering, and it's not something I got used to in the two hours I played the game for.

Yeah. It drives like a truck. Beautifully delayed. And the steering animations in first person view add to that.
When I drive with speed, it’s so reward to drive correct curves. When plowing through mud, it gives me detailed angles.
I really like it. What can I say?!

 

[PESV]

Bought this (along with @jaygrim) and I really don't like the handling - or rather, the lack of feedback. The vehicles have such a lag between your response and their movement (which I appreciate is intentional) that I spend a whole journey scared to touch the analog stick, because even corrective steering is so delayed that you don't know when to stop counter-steering, and it's not something I got used to in the two hours I played the game for.

Was this during single- or multiplayer? I gather you already tried fiddling with the steering sensibility?
It also depends on the vehicle. i dont think they should've start people off with only a jeep as in most situations its not nearly as satisfying as handling a big truck. The upgrade system could make a difference as well, you are basically starting of with the worst handling.

Besides that, i does seem to me the framerate is a worse compared to mudrunner which makes the handling a bit more laggy and the experience more detached for me at times. This is on a PS4 pro. I do like the enhanced scenery and sun effects but ultimately i dont think its worth the tradeoff. Also not a fan of the little rocks and stuf popping into view when the camera gets closer. Hopefully with future patches they are able to increase the performance a bit and decrease the 'poppyness' because it breaks the immersion somewhat.

The team did state that due to covid-19 they had a smaller window for testing, hence for example steering wheel compatibility and 4k textures for PS4 pro (and perhaps other optimizations) are not in yet and will soon be added.

I played this the first time just yesterday. 6 hours straight. What can I say?!

It is a different breed of racing game and I like it a lot. Always had an eye on mud runner and spintires but never bought them. Now I did and so far it really is some fun.
It’s so nice and calm, so relaxing but the same time it gets my heart pumping fast when I’m in the mud! after getting out of a difficult situation after some 20 min... I felt exhausted (and happy I made it).

The car and landscape physics are really nice. different vehicles feel unique, the first person cam is nice (incl. the wheel animations).

Can’t wait to get home after work and play some more!! Anyone interested in some gameplay video or some coop action together?!

Glad you like it bro! Yea its very calming, perfect for unwinding at the end of the day. I put some music or podcast on in the background and am good to go.

 

[Stan]

In Michigan you find your first truck right at the beginning of the game. You have to repair the bridge in order to reach your garage. And in the garage there is a second truck.
But guess what, I simply lost my first truck. I have no idea where he is? Did I sell him without having any idea? Don’t know. Problem is that the other truck has no fuel. The last thing I did with the truck I lost was getting a trailer with fuel. He’s parked pretty close to the truck but not close enough. On top of that I damaged the Russian Jeep ( really loved that one). I refuse to restart the game, but at the moment I feel rather silly...

The steering is difficult, but imo the trucks (well at least the one I drove and lost) are easier to handle than the pick-up Chevrolet and the Russian Jeep...

God how on earth is it possible to loose a truck?

 

[PRO_TOO]

Was this during single- or multiplayer? I gather you already tried fiddling with the steering sensibility?
It also depends on the vehicle. i dont think they should've start people off with only a jeep as in most situations its not nearly as satisfying as handling a big truck. The upgrade system could make a difference as well, you are basically starting of with the worst handling.

Besides that, i does seem to me the framerate is a worse compared to mudrunner which makes the handling a bit more laggy and the experience more detached for me at times. This is on a PS4 pro. I do like the enhanced scenery and sun effects but ultimately i dont think its worth the tradeoff. Also not a fan of the little rocks and stuf popping into view when the camera gets closer. Hopefully with future patches they are able to increase the performance a bit and decrease the 'poppyness' because it breaks the immersion somewhat.

The team did state that due to covid-19 they had a smaller window for testing, hence for example steering wheel compatibility and 4k textures for PS4 pro (and perhaps other optimizations) are not in yet and will soon be added.



Glad you like it bro! Yea its very calming, perfect for unwinding at the end of the day. I put some music or podcast on in the background and am good to go.

I really do. Perfect for the last hour before bed time.
So far I am enjoying the ambient sounds but thought of listening to podcasts too.

I started with the small cheep. Got my first truck pretty fast. And next to the first garage is a better truck. Little tuning and upgrading... drives much better.

I did not change controller sensitive yet. Need to get adjusted to the game first before making changes.

I like the sound of rocks rolling, trees cracking and engines working. And i like how different the vehicles feel while driving.

the winch: oh boy, what a lovely and userfull tool. Can’t wait to winch in coop mode.

Can’t wait for the first update fixing some micro stutter in audio and video. I hope they fix some minor stuff as well (for example the transparency effect for vegetation).

 

[Stan]

I have trouble with the winch. How do you select your winching point?

 

[PESV]

I have trouble with the winch. How do you select your winching point?

A 'quick winch' with and will simply hook to the nearest point in view, the only control you have here is by moving the camera around. If you want to be more precise you will have to go into the options (arrow key up) and then select 'winch'. You can then use the left/right arrow keys to scroll through all the available points.

 

[PESV]

In Michigan you find your first truck right at the beginning of the game. You have to repair the bridge in order to reach your garage. And in the garage there is a second truck.
But guess what, I simply lost my first truck. I have no idea where he is? Did I sell him without having any idea? Don’t know. Problem is that the other truck has no fuel. The last thing I did with the truck I lost was getting a trailer with fuel. He’s parked pretty close to the truck but not close enough. On top of that I damaged the Russian Jeep ( really loved that one). I refuse to restart the game, but at the moment I feel rather silly...

The steering is difficult, but imo the trucks (well at least the one I drove and lost) are easier to handle than the pick-up Chevrolet and the Russian Jeep...

God how on earth is it possible to loose a truck?

Its not on the map? If you open the map, on the left side you have a list of your trucks. When you select one and hold X it will put you behind the wheel. Btw, the map opens by clicking the touchscreen thingy between the analog sticks...just in case

 

[PRO_TOO]

A 'quick winch' with and will simply hook to the nearest point in view, the only control you have here is by moving the camera around. If you want to be more precise you will have to go into the options (arrow key up) and then select 'winch'. You can then use the left/right arrow keys to scroll through all the available points.

That’s how it’s done. It’s such a nice tool.
I do prefer selecting my winch points myself from the menu (on car and object)!
So many possibilities with those physics involved.

Official tips might be helpful to you:

And here are some more unofficial tips for you:

Enjoy buddy. And why not try coop together with voice chat?! I’m looking forward to my first coop session!!

 

[PESV]

I really do. Perfect for the last hour before bed time.
So far I am enjoying the ambient sounds but thought of listening to podcasts too.

I started with the small cheep. Got my first truck pretty fast. And next to the first garage is a better truck. Little tuning and upgrading... drives much better.

I did not change controller sensitive yet. Need to get adjusted to the game first before making changes.

I like the sound of rocks rolling, trees cracking and engines working. And i like how different the vehicles feel while driving.

the winch: oh boy, what a lovely and userfull tool. Can’t wait to winch in coop mode.

Can’t wait for the first update fixing some micro stutter in audio and video. I hope they fix some minor stuff as well (for example the transparency effect for vegetation).

I am only a few hours in myself and got caught up with exploring and finding metal for this landslide mission and the one with the lost trailer that i did not get on with repairing the bridge yet. But there's no way around it anymore because i need to get my jeeps and truck to the garage, they are all spilling oil by now due to damage

That’s how it’s done. It’s such a nice tool.
I do prefer selecting my winch points myself from the menu (on car and object)!
So many possibilities with those physics involved.

Official tips might be helpful to you:

And here are some more unofficial tips for you:

Enjoy buddy. And why not try coop together with voice chat?! I’m looking forward to my first coop session!!

Haha lets do mate! My gamertag is in my signature, would be fun!

That second clip is pretty insightful, i didnt know you need to retain your vehicles that way to make them available for co-op. Guess i have to unlock that garage ASAP.

 

[PRO_TOO]

I am only a few hours in myself and got caught up with exploring and finding metal for this landslide mission and the one with the lost trailer that i did not get on with repairing the bridge yet. But there's no way around it anymore because i need to get my jeeps and truck to the garage, they are all spilling oil by now due to damage



Haha lets do mate! My gamertag is in my signature, would be fun!

That second clip is pretty insightful, i didnt know you need to retain your vehicles that way to make them available for co-op. Guess i have to unlock that garage ASAP.

That’s the first thing I did (around 10 hours in). Go to the garage. Getting set.
There is a free truck near the garage that is much better overall. Stronger than the beginners truck. I then followed the tutorial to Alaska once. But I switched right back to Michigan to uncover all watchtower (1 missing) and rebuild the main roads. That’s the main focus right now.

I’ll collect some cash and stars along the way; getting my driver level up and parts for customization unlocked.

When I’ve recovered that free 800 Jeep on the first map I plan to move to the second area (something “dam”).

 

[PRO_TOO]

Update 1.4 is out.

https://forums.focus-home.com/topic/48199/update-1-04

 

[Stan]

Hope they found my lost truck.

As much as i liked this game, i stopped playing it. I got literally sick from the camera in this game. Felt completely dizzy and thought i had severe stomach problems. I've had this once before with the first Red Dead Redemption game but not as bad as now. I literally had cold sweat and very annoying balance problems. Lasted 2 days. The first day was hell. Had to lie down...

 

[PRO_TOO]

Hope they found my lost truck.

As much as i liked this game, i stopped playing it. I got literally sick from the camera in this game. Felt completely dizzy and thought i had severe stomach problems. I've had this once before with the first Red Dead Redemption game but not as bad as now. I literally had cold sweat and very annoying balance problems. Lasted 2 days. The first day was hell. Had to lie down...

how do you mean you lost your truck!?
i dont understand!? what is the camera doing to you!? are we taling about the third person cam or first person?
cam movement could need some fine tuning but other then that... i'm good with it. hm.

 

[Stan]

I already mentioned here that i managed to loose a truck. Maybe i sold it without wanting to (seems hardly possible). But the truck is gone. Whatever i try i don't find him...

The camera causes me to have balance problems...i really felt sick, nauseaus... I don't exagerate...

When you start up you get a warning...

 

[PRO_TOO]

I already mentioned here that i managed to loose a truck. Maybe i sold it without wanting to (seems hardly possible). But the truck is gone. Whatever i try i don't find him...

The camera causes me to have balance problems...i really felt sick, nauseaus... I don't exagerate...

When you start up you get a warning...

Isn’t this a warning nearly every title gives out?! Epilepsy warning.

So your truck isn’t shown in the menu (map; left side)? It’s not stored in the local garage? It’s not in the “global garage” (retained)? It’s not in one of those places but on another part of a map? It’s not even in another part of a map of a new territory (Russia, Canada)?

I want you to have you truck back! it can’t “just be gone”!! Or it was a ingame bug. Have you checked online for users with a similar problem?

 

[PRO_TOO]

Finally mirrors on consoles. Yes!!

Can’t wait for the 4K texture pack!!

 

[PESV]

Finally we have a date! Ive been holding off a bit waiting for this stuff.

Too bad wheel support wont be in yet but at least i hope when i comes, it will feature force feedback. I tried Mudrunner with a wheel on console but its just not the same without force feedback and proper shift support. For sure not getting my hopes up because this series is just not specifically geared towards the sim crowd currently and will probably play better with a controller because of this.

 

[PRO_TOO]

Mirrors, textures, save slots... they delivered!!

@PESV there is a new steering wheel section with sliders and toggles. Not sure if it works though. Look out for YouTube videos.

 

[PESV]

Mirrors, textures, save slots... they delivered!!

@PESV there is a new steering wheel section with sliders and toggles. Not sure if it works though. Look out for YouTube videos.

Really nice, seems to be a good update indeed! Mirrors surprisingly help a lot for the immersion and the 4k textures look very nice to me. Ill check wheel support over the weekend but i heard one youtuber say the force feedback is great.

 

[PRO_TOO]

Really nice, seems to be a good update indeed! Mirrors surprisingly help a lot for the immersion and the 4k textures look very nice to me. Ill check wheel support over the weekend but i heard one youtuber say the force feedback is great.

That’s good to hear. Let us know how you experienced it.

 

[PESV]

I only tried for 30 minutes or so but was pleasantly surprised about the force feedback. There is quite some stuf you can tweak so i am going to fiddle with that some more to get it perfect. Its cool and all and adds a new dimension to the game but i am still looking to get a bit of that same sense of grip that you get from a fully setup project cars ... hey i said - just a bit.

Atm its bit too much of everything and not enough information. Probably also has to do with the over active auto-centering of wheels since the latest patch, which a lot of people on reddit/focus forum are complaining about. Oh and headlights not working still :-). Seems Konami is not the only one struggling with their patches

On a side note, if they make the game compatible with and optimized for the PS5 it would be a good way to make up for all that, this is a typical game that could really benefit from the faster loading of those big texture files.

 

[Stan]

Lot of pop-up, but i love this game (yes, i tried it again).
I also found my lost truck (ridiculous, i know). It was in the garage...sometimes i'm really a noob...(the words of my 17 year old son).

 

[PRO_TOO]

Lot of pop-up, but i love this game (yes, i tried it again).
I also found my lost truck (ridiculous, i know). It was in the garage...sometimes i'm really a noob...(the words of my 17 year old son).

no truck gets left behind, man!
glad you found it. i had to go to several maps/garages as well to find i truck a was "missing" last week.

 

[Stan]

no truck gets left behind, man!
glad you found it. i had to go to several maps/garages as well to find i truck a was "missing" last week.

I'm glad i'm not the only one. Love the game, but i struggle. I sold a good truck (the one that is nearby the garage at the beginning of the game) and have only the Khan as scout and the first truck which is a bad one. I want 88.000 to buy a decent one. Have trouble earning that money. I'm not being very intelligent in this game...

 

[PRO_TOO]

I'm glad i'm not the only one. Love the game, but i struggle. I sold a good truck (the one that is nearby the garage at the beginning of the game) and have only the Khan as scout and the first truck which is a bad one. I want 88.000 to buy a decent one. Have trouble earning that money. I'm not being very intelligent in this game...

see, i like to collect whats available for free. that means, upgrades, huge trucks, scouting trucks... i did not spent one dime on a truck. i installed some upgrades and invested in autonomous wich for my scouter trucks. i have 3 big trucks now and 2 small jeeps for scouting.

i try to uncover the watch towers first. on the way i collect upgrades and try to make the big roads passable again. then i go for the assignments (bring stuff A to place B)!