What About a MudRunner 2/MudRunner: Remastered?

[lacivert]

Since SnowRunner has been released for a more general public with less interest to physics and more into content and graphics, Why not make a game only for old players that like physics based gameplay in a more sandboxy matter?

a MudRunner game that has better mud physics and effects with some additional maps and trucks would be very cool. If he is still active and wanting to be part of, Getting Pavel in would make it much better since he was the main developer of the series (apart from SnowRunner) and skilled on doing stuff like this. I am aware that it might be hard to make it But i'm also pretty sure that MudRunner community will be very happy with it if done right.

[James]

As a social game, it may be interesting to keep this discussion going. Every once a year or so we usually dig into this topic. It's a community forum so it fits in nicely for everyone to express ideas, game potential and wishful thinking 😁.

As for "...some additional maps and trucks would be very cool.", I'd say modding community already exceeds that goal. "Better mud physics", yes, it can be developed and implemented, especially if coupled to (introducing new?) physical parameters such as air/soil temperature and water content. Effects would be freeze/thaw conditions. Weather could play a role in dynamic water levels due to heavy rain over time. Fog could decrease visibility etc. Cold weather could require a truck to star another truck. Battery mechanics - full, low, cold, warm etc. etc.?

A recap from last years brainstorming:
* Graphics update (general tech improvements) + even larger maps
* Possible new features:
- actual cutting trees and stacking logs in designated areas/around the kiosk
- marking of routes (spray paint on trees etc.)
- possibly more types of cargo (a'la MR mods)
- ability to actually clear road from obstacles (remove trees and rocks)
- new entity: gravel, to haul and to use for fixing muddy parts/river crossings
- limited free walk mode associated with fixing truck/cleaering path (chainsaw?)
- radio operations depending on topography (radioshadows etc.)
--> between vehicles (teleport/switch only within range etc)
--> activating/placing radio links to enable teleporting between locations/vehicles
- more various weather effects,
--> freeze/thaw (ground effects),
--> changing water levels over time (if raining...),
--> fog etc.
- battery mechanic, drained/cold etc.
- functional and "breakable" rear view mirrors?
* Scoring system beyond completing a map (sum of additional deliveries?)
* Expanded array of map making tools that better integrate GIS data into workflow
* Continued support for Track-IR
* VR support

Take it away!

[lacivert]

Those ideas are quite interesting. My favourites gotta be the rain effecting the terrain, freezing and fog. But i think walking is not a good idea for the game's style thinking it might advance to walking to areas you want to winch, which will slowdown the gameplay extremely.

What i would think it would be cool is adding Radio static to Voice Chats giving walkie-talkie experience and that static getting worse as you get far away from the player/go to rougher terrain. But this might get problematic for people who have a bad mic.

[lacivert]

Originally posted by James:

As for "...some additional maps and trucks would be very cool.", I'd say modding community already exceeds that goal.

But the problem is releasing the vanilla maps for third time would just disappoint the community again. Thinking when Mudrunner was first released, some people were complaining about the maps being same. Maybe even trucks too.

So what would be suitable is returning some of the interesting vanilla maps so people can compare it with Spintires and Original Mudrunner, changing the others with totally different ones and sprinkling one or two more new maps highering the overall map number.

For trucks, i believe keeping most of them and just remastering them would be enough. But i think adding one or two additional trucks would satisfy the community more.

(Just suggesting as a concept, i know how hard it is to just make one map or model one truck and spec-ing it. But that way it would be a banger of a game)

[James]

Yep, you are probably right that a limited walking feature (for whatever mechanics) would probably mess things up. Also, a few new vanilla maps is always good if there were to be a "new" product. I like your idea about radio-chat.

[HuskyDynamics]

One thing I'd like to see (and maybe SnowRunner did this, not sure) is better modding support. With MudRunner, modding options are basically "copy and edit files to swap around existing assets and change parameters" (the kind of thing I do), "use a deprecated file format (.x) and some funky mesh setups to mod in new vehicles", and "clunky, unintuitive map builder."

Now, people have done some really cool things with these, but the tools for modding are all just kind of... "meh" at best. I'd love for a remaster/sequel to have much more user-friendly mod support, since modding has become such a huge part of the game beyond the official maps and vehicles.

[James]

Originally posted by HuskyDynamics:

One thing I'd like to see (and maybe SnowRunner did this, not sure) is better modding support.

Yeah, that would be very useful and probably invite many that today find a high threshold to cross. I am particularly interested in map making and suggested (above) good support for import of GIS-data. That would make map-making really interesting.

[Bobby]

What i craved in MR and ST and never will get i decided to buy Farm Sim 22 for logging, specifically for the forest machinery aspect, walking, getting into/out of cabs and of course manual felling/marking. It certainly scratched my 'itch'.
As for mud pluggin', MR and ST will always be the king of that.

If SR had logging etc kept on it's HUGE single maps and not carried over to another 1 or 2 maps, it would have been a great game -obviously not superb on some of the terrain aspects, but never-the-less it would have been more palpable than it is.

The grinding having to drive across extra 1 map to get Short logs, the 2nd map map for long logs and all to go to charlie's house on map 3, just eventually bored me to death -especially when it got stuck/tipped over and it too you half the day to do it.
Then the forums would be full of cheats, rather than proper skill to do it.

Btw, MR and ST on a G29 and 6 speed are bloody sublime! (the torque from wheel slippage delivered to the wheel or inclines loading up one side, just genius) On the other hand, SR is totally backwards in comparison, working like a bodged job

[lacivert]

Originally posted by Bobby:

Btw, MR and ST on a G29 and 6 speed are bloody sublime! (the torque from wheel slippage delivered to the wheel or inclines loading up one side, just genius) On the other hand, SR is totally backwards in comparison, working like a bodged job

As a long time Mudrunner and Spintires player, after a while i decided to play SnowRunner, and even though some people i talked say it is not very different. I feel something is off with SnowRunner's physics system.

[Bobby]

Originally posted by lazersynth:

Originally posted by Bobby:

Btw, MR and ST on a G29 and 6 speed are bloody sublime! (the torque from wheel slippage delivered to the wheel or inclines loading up one side, just genius) On the other hand, SR is totally backwards in comparison, working like a bodged job

As a long time Mudrunner and Spintires player, after a while i decided to play SnowRunner, and even though some people i talked say it is not very different. I feel something is off with SnowRunner's physics system.

The front setup on the trucks is totally broken. (This is SR btw) The front tires judder and twist like the whole suspension is broken! They are also far too light at the front and of course topple very easily. The width needs changed to counteract the centre of gravity being too high.

They wheels also don’t drive on the terrain properly, float even,
Deflation of tyres would have helped like SpinTires. To be honest, SpinTires broke the mould and if it wasn’t for the idiot publisher then it would have had an excellent future. I would have bought more and more DLC - I have them all and play it regularly. It is a brill, chill sim.
MudRunner has the best gamepad control and instant winch, attach etc. but the both are superb on a G29 + 6 speed. Only ETS2 equals them in realism