American Wilds - it's not what they did with it but what they didn't...

[iheartmyocd]

...that left me a bit disappointed. (To be fair, I've still not finished the second map YET. Got two more loads to deliver and then I'm done, but it's not exactly a challenge, I just had IRL stuff to do). It's a really weird DLC. Don't get me wrong - I'm happy with it, I don't regret spending the $10, and it's been pretty fun. That said, it is blatantly geared towards a certain section of the player base, of which I am not a member. For the smaller chunk of the base that includes me and mine, it's a bit tragic.

My niche is very specific - hundreds of hours playing ST (across all of the games including the original). Zero interest in MP, not even for the achievements. Players who enjoy a real challenge, and never play with the OP trucks. Prescision players, who are happiest playing with the weakest trucks on the hardest maps, beating personal challenges rather than the game's ones. The lovers and fans of the B-130 and the C-256, who know how to drive them, for whom hardcore isn't hard enough.

I've driven a B-130 across the Deluge, as well as a C-256 with a garage trailer attached and winched to another. I've 1 starred every map with a single 1 star truck. (Took ages, but I even managed the Volcano Redux with nothing but the 256). And that's where AW fell down imo. The best maps in this game make it just as fun and challenging to either plow over the top of them with massive 4 star trucks and a few friends as it is to slice through them like a scalpel with a single weak truck and a f**k-ton of skill. AW doesn't do that.

I knew I was in trouble on the truck selection screen - AW has 3 small trucks and the rest big, which is fine. Unfortunately all 3 of the small trucks are almost identical (the F-150 is slightly better than the rest), and not a single one of them can do ANYTHING apart from explore. No crane add-ons, no hauling wood or garage points, nothing. Then there's the big trucks which can actually do that stuff. Almost all of them are equally weak, which I love, but... they are ALL 2 star trucks, really? No single way to start a map and finish it with only the same truck? What a f**king nonsense.

Two more trucks - a small one that can load or haul lumber, and a big one rated one star so we can use it. Was that too much to ask?

Then there's the rest. It just felt rushed. In a perfect world, this DLC would have come with 6 achievements, 4 maps (two of them mostly swamp and mud), and 8 challenges rather than 2-2-2. And beautiful as the new maps are, they are nearly identical same of the sameness. Not challenging AT ALL (thank you for the "this truck is not suitable for off-roading" caveat in the menu screen right before I spend 99.99% of my run driving on pavement. Connect the two maps side by side and you couldn't tell when you went from one to the other. Two block posts and a beach are the only differences between them).

Do I regret dropping $10 on it? No. Do I regret the Devs ignoring the players like me who like actual challenges and using skill to overcome problems rather than power? Yes. Am I dissapointed in the maps or any of the new trucks? No. Am I dissapointed that to get ANY replay value out of the DLC I need to use the base game trucks because they didn't offer any new ones to fit my kind of play? Yes. Am I bummed that I bought it? No. Am I bummed that it's entirely geared towards new or multi players, and that 80% of the new maps for an "off-road" game involve driving on pavement? Yuppers. Do I regret the purchase? No. Do I regret that the devs will never read this wall of critical text, take it to heart, and start working on a new, massive DLC to unf**k it, including some new maps that aren't a f**king cake walk, A COUPLE OF ONE STAR TRUCKS THAT AREN'T S**T, and some motivation to play AW apart from being completionist? "Waitaminute... YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEES!"

Bonus points to anyone who gets the Mel Brooks reference there. Wake up devs. I've been playing ST since the early days, I am stupidly good at it, I've followed all of the drama, including having my game killed by Pavel's anti-pirate time bomb way back when. You want to stop getting accused of cash grabs, quit phoning this s**t in and fix it. Start working on a nice, fat patch for this DLC (WHICH, BTW, I PAID FOR RIGHT AFTER YOU ROLLED IT OUT). More maps, more challenges, and for the love of god a f**king 1 star truck I can actaully use to do s**t with.

I don't regret buying the expansion... I only regret how badly you've done it.

[Yoepie]

hahahah, the dlc is not created for the hard core.

[ca6]

I think €10 is worth it, we've already gotten two free DLCs (Maybe charging €3 each for them would've made more sense?). I'm happy to pay this, with the hope that more money will be spent on a sequel to Mud Runner

[WheatSnackBread]

I can't believe they didn't tailor this dlc just for you

[Linux_Maniac]

€10 is not worth it

this dlc my opinnion is worth 3-5 euro no more.

1- in 2-4 hours finish the 2 maps and that`s it.
2- no carrer
3- no other update mirror, no other cockpit

4- i have more beautiful mods map


On ps4 in my country mudrunner without/with dlc the difference on price is 4 euro

4 euro must be the real price for dlc no 10 euro

[Angus McFife]

i always thought, completing a map with just 1 star means to start with a jeep or what, and then get to the nearest better vehicle on the map and use what you can get ;) Although i did Deluge with a 256 too, havent tried the 130.
But i like the idea to just use the trucks, that you selected on the start screen. Does any1 know some maps with no additional trucks on it, but still some logging and garaging to do?

I like the concept of this dlc, since one is forced to do task sharing with the vehicles, because the majority of the new trucks cant do everything by themselves.
The base game felt a bit bland, because one would mostly go with a self-loading 4-log-points, 3-star truck (like the new Westernstar 6900XD).
But it would be nice, if there were more various tasks, and more specialized vehicles. At least no vehicles that only seperate from themselves just by their appearance (like Ford LTL9000 and Chevrolet bison 1978, or is there any?).
But the task sharing in this dlc is not well-thought-out: Getting the logs out of the mudpit with the skidder and bring it to the road? ok
But then one needs something with a crane, the Ford LTL9000 and Chevrolet bison 1978 are a bit useless therefore.
So why use the Skidder anyway, when one needs to use a truck, that can load itself? The Maz-538 can pull logs out of the swamp too, and it has a crane to load all trucks properly.

Using the skidder is cool, but what are the Ford LTL9000 and Chevrolet bison 1978 there for then? Unlocking Garages, that are next to the road? The Westernstar 6900XD and Freightliner FL120 (for just 2 balance points too) can do that too, even better.

It seems debating with logic leads us nowhere fellow swampdivers, this just about enthusiasm.

Alter some .xml files for yourself, and have it your way!

[Bobby]

Originally posted by Linux_Maniac:

€10 is not worth it

this dlc my opinnion is worth 3-5 euro no more.

1- in 2-4 hours finish the 2 maps and that`s it.
2- no carrer
3- no other update mirror, no other cockpit

4- i have more beautiful mods map


On ps4 in my country mudrunner without/with dlc the difference on price is 4 euro

4 euro must be the real price for dlc no 10 euro

What's this with the "finished in 5 minutes" bull.... No one gives a jot about how long people take to finish a map and certainly doubt it, since how do you get 2-4 hrs finish the maps. It's either 2-3 or 3-4? It's like saying; I work between 2-8 hours today.

As for the mirror rant, I posted the lead devs comments only today and a yesterday, why it ain't happening. Do a search, instead of "me,me,me...."

[NETSCAPE]

Nice blog OP. Next time go do some deadlifts instead.

[animalica]

The DLC is a total disappointment:

- Uncovering the map is wayyyyy too quick and easy
- no challenge or danger
- no need to make a plan how to master the map

In Mudrunner you need to uncover the map and scout the terrain.
Then you got to make a plan to get fuel, refuel another truck, pick up repair points, repair another truck, pickup wood, call another truck to get recovered etc.
What paths, fords, clearings can I use without getting stuck?

Logging in American Wilds is challenging and dangerous as driving to the next McDonalds drive-through and ordering a Coke and a Hamburger and drive back home in your suburb.

This DLC is only for people who don`t like Mudrunner, it`s the NFS of "Offroad". :(

I do appreciate the licensed vehicles but I miss a second offroad semi.

[Unleashed3k]

Originally posted by animalica:

The DLC is a total disappointment:

- Uncovering the map is wayyyyy too quick and easy
- no challenge or danger
- no need to make a plan how to master the map

In Mudrunner you need to uncover the map and scout the terrain.
Then you got to make a plan to get fuel, refuel another truck, pick up repair points, repair another truck, pickup wood, call another truck to get recovered etc.
What paths, fords, clearings can I use without getting stuck?

Logging in American Wilds is challenging and dangerous as driving to the next McDonalds drive-through and ordering a Coke and a Hamburger and drive back home in your suburb.

This DLC is only for people who don`t like Mudrunner, it`s the NFS of "Offroad". :(

I do appreciate the licensed vehicles but I miss a second offroad semi.

same post? serious? Next time be a bit more creative, instead of poor copy/paste?

[Linux_Maniac]

Originally posted by animalica:

The DLC is a total disappointment:

- Uncovering the map is wayyyyy too quick and easy
- no challenge or danger
- no need to make a plan how to master the map

In Mudrunner you need to uncover the map and scout the terrain.
Then you got to make a plan to get fuel, refuel another truck, pick up repair points, repair another truck, pickup wood, call another truck to get recovered etc.
What paths, fords, clearings can I use without getting stuck?

Logging in American Wilds is challenging and dangerous as driving to the next McDonalds drive-through and ordering a Coke and a Hamburger and drive back home in your suburb.

This DLC is only for people who don`t like Mudrunner, it`s the NFS of "Offroad". :(

I do appreciate the licensed vehicles but I miss a second offroad semi.

You are right!

[Seine Dudeheit]

Maybe the Future will bring more Challenge Maps for AW ? The Update is out for 2 Days. ;)

[loganjamesalex]

I see the DLC vehicles as filling out the roster. If you want to complete the new maps with a 1 star truck, that is already in the game. Why would he add another one that fills the same role? I also disagree with your statement that the F-150 is the best new scout, I find it gets stuck in deep mud worse than both the H1 and the Chevy. If they had just added "American" versions of the exact same trucks that are already in the vanilla game, how would that add anything at all to the gameplay? Like the Skidder being unable to load a trailer, these new vehicles force you to play in a new way.

You say, "Players who enjoy a real challenge, and never play with the OP trucks. Prescision players, who are happiest playing with the weakest trucks on the hardest maps, beating personal challenges rather than the game's ones. The lovers and fans of the B-130 and the C-256, who know how to drive them, for whom hardcore isn't hard enough."

Yet you don't seem to understand that this game has never been about what score you end up with, it's about making your own challenge, with the freedom to do what you want in this sandbox. That's why there isn't leaderboards for the best times or whatever. Now we have the ability to haul vehicles on a flatdeck, now we have semis that really aren't suited for offroading at all, now we have scouts that feel like regular trucks instead of fancy jeeps.

Since all vehicles can be used on all maps, this now gives you the chance to make your own challenges. Maybe haul a vehicle on flatdeck through deluge? Complete the new maps with just the B-130? see how far the Western Star can make it on a map like deluge? Let alone all the chances to get stuck with the new vehicles and needing to get something out there to tow. The new vehicles are also more than fast enough to tip on the highway curves with a full load.

I just don't see why people are complaining that this is all stuff that mods could have added, then in the next breath complaining that the vehicles are not the same performance as the existing vehicles. If you want more of the existing vehicles THAT'S what the mods are for! The fact that they added new vehicles that don't handle the same should be a bonus for both players and modders. It gives modders a new idea where to make the performance if they add vehicles not suited for offroading and it gives players a new type of vehicle to work with that isn't already in the game.

[Psycho]

I have to say I'm not surprised and it's the reason I didn't buy it. It was pretty clear that SI was going towards a more casual (dare I say console peasant?), less grindy gamer demographic, you can see that in the previous DLC for MR.

Workshop is where hardcore lives in MR atm. Some of those terrible (underpowered, not badly made) trucks and ridikulos Russian maps make the default game look like tiny baby mode. I completed one of these recently, well over 20 hours to finish. Another, it's taken me over an hour just to find the garage and the parts I need to unlock it.

Props to you iheartmyocd, B130 over Deluge is hardcore extreme and favouring the C256, wow. I hate that thing. It seems so gutless for it's weight and it wants to get hung up on everything. It's the one vehicle in MR I disrespect, it doesn't seem to do anything right.

heh... while looking around at C256 challenges, I found this. Enjoy some more attention OP :)
https://steamcommunity.com/app/675010/discussions/0/♥♥♥♥866813764527921/

[iheartmyocd]

Originally posted by loganjamesalex:

You say, "Players who enjoy a real challenge, and never play with the OP trucks. Prescision players, who are happiest playing with the weakest trucks on the hardest maps, beating personal challenges rather than the game's ones. The lovers and fans of the B-130 and the C-256, who know how to drive them, for whom hardcore isn't hard enough."

Yet you don't seem to understand that this game has never been about what score you end up with, it's about making your own challenge, with the freedom to do what you want in this sandbox. That's why there isn't leaderboards for the best times or whatever. Now we have the ability to haul vehicles on a flatdeck, now we have semis that really aren't suited for offroading at all, now we have scouts that feel like regular trucks instead of fancy jeeps.

Okay, misunderstanding somewhere because I am actually with you there on "making your own challenge, with the freedom to do what you want in this sandbox." I also made it exceptionally clear that I really liked the DLC, I don't regret buying it, And I'm not unhappy with it.

What I am is disappointed. They were incredibly upfront about their intentions with this DLC, which was to give us the same experiences as the base game, only set in America with 'Murrican trucks. That's what I thought I was buying, and while I don't regret spending a single dime on it, (because what I got was happily playable), I find it saddening that they didn't deliver on that when it would have been incredibly easy to do. Instead of numerous trucks with different abilities to give us a variety of strategies they gave us some trucks, most of which are almost identical in ability and capability. Base game, every single map is distinct, different, challenging, and above all 90% wilderness. Expansion offers two maps, which are 90% paved, mostly flat, carbon copies of one another and offer no challenge whatsoever. Fuel stations are on the road. Garages are on the road. Bridge clearence (they missed a trick with that one) doesn't matter because there are no collision boxes on the cross bars. The two block posts are pointless and easily avoidable. The challenges are not challenging (really, drive along the beach for 20 minutes?) Even the checkpoints are right bloody there and take no effort.

I'm disappointed because there was a brilliant, hundreds of hours of gameplay for everyone expansion sitting right there waithing to happen, and the Devs just phoned it in. I shouldn't have to drag a Russian truck in from the base game to have any fun with it, any more than it doesn't have a single truck I could actually use in Russia. I have always had the most fun in the base game making my own challenges. The biggest disappointment of this? Unless I drag in assets from the base game, I don't have the tools or the maps to make my own challenges with the DLC assets. They could have given us chess, (like they did in the base game), and they didn't. They gave us tic-tac-toe.

[Seine Dudeheit]

I see the DLC as an Test where to look at in wich way Mudrunner should evolve. If Mass of People will prefer such an easy Gameplay it will come, but we still have Workshop. But on other Side i hope there will come more Maps/Trucks who will bring in some Challenge like in old Mudrunner.