Just wondering what was the point in having us start the game with highway trucks?

[Ivan]

They are practically useless on the first map and for the theme of the game which seems to be offroad trucking? Just sold the first two big trucks and grabbed the offroad truck and holy moly is the game so much better.

[SlowClick]

Thousands of players just use the limitations of the beginning game (low levels and restricted upgrades) as a learning experience. The beginning trucks encourage the player to learn how to read the road surface and to look for easier alternative often off-road routes.
The ANK will go more places more easily but it is also less stable than the 2 starter trucks.
The truck on the garage forecourt is quite capable when fitted with the upgrade found next to it.

[Player]

They're not useless if you learn to play. Fleetstar is a solid truck and GMC is one of the best trucks you can get for the first 3 regions. The point is for you to learn to play the game and get upgrades/progression. If you're driving through mud especially with the highway trucks, you are doing something wrong.

[DreamScape]

No two trucks are built the same lol.
When you hit lvl whatever is needed to buy bigger engines all trucks are good.
The Heavies are great.
If your doing a vanilla game keep all trucks for logistics. You will need fuel trucks along hard routs.
Like the GMC. Pop on the fuel container.
Use the Kenny 963 to tow it to any location your gonna get stuck pulling huge loads.
The Kenny 963 in vanilla is the true go to of the entire game till you get the Z605.
It can go anywhere. They both can.
If you do vanilla DLC... Mastadon and Navistar.
Build a fleet of just them lol

[max1195998]

Originally posted by ᲼:

They're not useless if you learn to play. Fleetstar is a solid truck and GMC is one of the best trucks you can get for the first 3 regions. The point is for you to learn to play the game and get upgrades/progression. If you're driving through mud especially with the highway trucks, you are doing something wrong.

I am a new player to this game, I bought all DLC from Winter sale, and I agree with snow lord, I am by no means an expert I am constantly struggling, but if I look at the map when planning a route, you can usually avoid the real bad areas. I have been stuck a quit a few times, but patience and the wench got me going again. I am enjoying trying to solve my way out of a bad situation. I am still in Michigan, I figured I would try to do those jobs first. Any tips would be appreciated Thanks.

[Shellbie]

Because those trucks are your training wheels that will teach you almost everything you'll face in Snowrunner.

[Rragar]

Originally posted by max1195998:

I am a new player to this game, [...] I am still in Michigan, I figured I would try to do those jobs first. Any tips would be appreciated Thanks.

- When you're driving a truck that is only rear wheel drive and/or with open differentials, ensure most of the combined mass of the truck (truck + accessories + cargo) sits upon the driving wheels. If you're carrying units of different cargo with different weights, place the lightest cargo closest to the truck cab and the heaviest over the driving wheels. If you're going to be using light cranes on a truck, favor trucks with AWD or that have wider front wheels.

- When you're driving with open differentials, your optimal throttle for a given terrain type is usually (but not always) whatever gear allows you to spin all of your wheels, most of the time.

- Observe how much debris your wheels are ejecting; optimal traction is achieved with little to no debris being ejected, whereas debris or splatter is an indicator that you're digging into the surface.

- Swap tires and gearboxes depending on what the environment or task demands, or what you need to be able to do with a truck.

- Study the terrain. ALWAYS study the terrain. Some routes are bad picks for some trucks, but not for others. Find the way to make ends meet by choosing the appropriate route and by learning how to operate every vehicle you use.

- Don't rely on highly specialized vehicles. Learn the disadvantages of keeping your differentials locked (severe traction loss at high speeds on solid surfaces, significantly deteriorated steering at any speed), and also AWD active (increased fuel consumption and steering oversensitivity at high speeds).



GEARBOXES:
++ Use Stock gearboxes to achieve the highest possible fuel efficiency when AWD is used permanently.
++ Use Highway gearboxes to achieve high speed, enhanced high gear output, highest possible fuel efficiency in rear wheel drive, and second best fuel efficiency in AWD mode.
++ Use Snowrunner/Offroad gearboxes for general-purpose offroading, or for technical rock crawling/technical climbs, or for assisting other vehicles.
++ Use Fine-Tune gearboxes for vehicles that will be permanently used in moderately deep to deep mud and snow, and to achieve the utmost control over vehicles that require very careful and measured throttle input in particularly challenging environments. Also provides low range reverse slider.

TIRES:
++ Use All-terrain tires when you expect you'll be using many paved roads or decently maintained dirt roads. They're fine for shallow mud/snow but they're best swapped for something else when you delve into particularly aggressive environments.
++ Use Offroad tires for general-purpose offroading and for maximum traction on dirt.
++ Use wide Mud Tires when you expect to be operating almost exclusively inside places like swamps and deep snow. Unlike all the previous types, these tires provide buoyancy instead of pressure concentration.

[Tenko]

Its called progression.

[Rragar]

Originally posted by Tenko:

Its called progression.

The Highway class GMC 9500 that you get for free during the tutorial, remains useful and relevant for pretty much every area that you might go into.

Also, the Highway class in general provides its own set of benefits. Many of these are particularly valuable in Hard Mode.

[max1195998]

Thanks Rragar for the info, I did not realize, until last night, that what you put on your vehicle truly does matter, I put an upgraded motor in my chevy truck and a upgraded snow something gear box ( I think it was a gearbox), and my truck drank fuel. The gearbox even warned me it would use more gas, but I thought can't be that bad.. I was wrong, I nearly run out of gas. Thanks again.

[Rragar]

Originally posted by max1195998:

Thanks Rragar for the info, I did not realize, until last night, that what you put on your vehicle truly does matter, I put an upgraded motor in my chevy truck and a upgraded snow something gear box ( I think it was a gearbox), and my truck drank fuel. The gearbox even warned me it would use more gas, but I thought can't be that bad.. I was wrong, I nearly run out of gas. Thanks again.

If you need to economize fuel, try driving in High Gear as much as possible. That always helps.

[Ivan]

Originally posted by ᲼:

They're not useless if you learn to play. Fleetstar is a solid truck and GMC is one of the best trucks you can get for the first 3 regions. The point is for you to learn to play the game and get upgrades/progression. If you're driving through mud especially with the highway trucks, you are doing something wrong.

My brother in christ there is mud everywhere even the detours have some amount of mud. And trust me I do my best to avoid deep mud as much as possible even with the ANK

[Ivan]

Originally posted by ᲼:

They're not useless if you learn to play. Fleetstar is a solid truck and GMC is one of the best trucks you can get for the first 3 regions. The point is for you to learn to play the game and get upgrades/progression. If you're driving through mud especially with the highway trucks, you are doing something wrong.

I have been using them for sometime but I can barely navigate a shallow puddle without using the winch. It can barely even drive in the farm area and I almost couldnt get it out with the winch. I wouldnt mind wasting so much time if the contracts paid out a little bit more but they dont and I got tired of losing all my momentum just going down the main road from farm to the main town because half the road is mud for some reason. And I mean literally like one side of the road has a spot thats mud so my truck dips sideways

[SlowClick]

I found the farm area (recovering the scout task) to be real challenge. But it teaches the player some useful techniques - how to use a second truck to recover another in sticky conditions (winch a bit, winch, drive a little bit, winch some more, repeat until you get to firmer ground), and how not to get sucked into taking the direct route - the firm ground is on the far side of the stuck scout - away from the farm.

I must have done this 3-4 times or more - I've restarted hard mode 3 times for example, and only tried the indirect route the last time. I'm a slow learner I guess!

"going down the main road from farm to the main town because half the road is mud for some reason. And I mean literally like one side of the road has a spot thats mud so my truck dips sideways"

Welcome to Snowrunner - IMHO the game is not about driving trucks easily, it's about navigating the various problems and gotchas that the devs put in place. Sometime I have to laugh at their wickedness!

[Rragar]

Originally posted by Ivan:

I have been using them for sometime but I can barely navigate a shallow puddle without using the winch. It can barely even drive in the farm area and I almost couldnt get it out with the winch.

The stock version of the GMC comes with highway tires. You can get the locking differential in Smithville Dam. The AWD upgrade for it is in Kola.

All-terrain tires alone (preferably number 3 for this region, the dirt-bias version) plus the locking differential are going to make a big difference. I also recommend you install the largest possible tire in order to maximize your ground clearance.

Originally posted by Ivan:

I got tired of losing all my momentum just going down the main road from farm to the main town because half the road is mud for some reason. And I mean literally like one side of the road has a spot thats mud so my truck dips sideways

You need the Highway gearbox for this so you can set the truck in High Gear and maintain your momentum at high speed. You can get this gearbox in the second map in Alaska.

I'd also recommend you get the Royal BM17 from the first map in Alaska if you're gonna go there for the gearbox. It can equip 51 inch wheels, it steers really well, and comes with a very fuel-efficient engine.

[sealordking]

Originally posted by Rragar:

Originally posted by max1195998:

I am a new player to this game, [...] I am still in Michigan, I figured I would try to do those jobs first. Any tips would be appreciated Thanks.

- When you're driving a truck that is only rear wheel drive and/or with open differentials, ensure most of the combined mass of the truck (truck + accessories + cargo) sits upon the driving wheels. If you're carrying units of different cargo with different weights, place the lightest cargo closest to the truck cab and the heaviest over the driving wheels. If you're going to be using light cranes on a truck, favor trucks with AWD or that have wider front wheels.

- When you're driving with open differentials, your optimal throttle for a given terrain type is usually (but not always) whatever gear allows you to spin all of your wheels, most of the time.

- Observe how much debris your wheels are ejecting; optimal traction is achieved with little to no debris being ejected, whereas debris or splatter is an indicator that you're digging into the surface.

- Swap tires and gearboxes depending on what the environment or task demands, or what you need to be able to do with a truck.

- Study the terrain. ALWAYS study the terrain. Some routes are bad picks for some trucks, but not for others. Find the way to make ends meet by choosing the appropriate route and by learning how to operate every vehicle you use.

- Don't rely on highly specialized vehicles. Learn the disadvantages of keeping your differentials locked (severe traction loss at high speeds on solid surfaces, significantly deteriorated steering at any speed), and also AWD active (increased fuel consumption and steering oversensitivity at high speeds).



GEARBOXES:
++ Use Stock gearboxes to achieve the highest possible fuel efficiency when AWD is used permanently.
++ Use Highway gearboxes to achieve high speed, enhanced high gear output, highest possible fuel efficiency in rear wheel drive, and second best fuel efficiency in AWD mode.
++ Use Snowrunner/Offroad gearboxes for general-purpose offroading, or for technical rock crawling/technical climbs, or for assisting other vehicles.
++ Use Fine-Tune gearboxes for vehicles that will be permanently used in moderately deep to deep mud and snow, and to achieve the utmost control over vehicles that require very careful and measured throttle input in particularly challenging environments. Also provides low range reverse slider.

TIRES:
++ Use All-terrain tires when you expect you'll be using many paved roads or decently maintained dirt roads. They're fine for shallow mud/snow but they're best swapped for something else when you delve into particularly aggressive environments.
++ Use Offroad tires for general-purpose offroading and for maximum traction on dirt.
++ Use wide Mud Tires when you expect to be operating almost exclusively inside places like swamps and deep snow. Unlike all the previous types, these tires provide buoyancy instead of pressure concentration.

This article is real and solid stuff.