Driving Tips and Techniques

Tips and strategies for actually completing the Jeep parking levels for those who don't just want to skip them.

Introduction

The Jeep parking game is one of the two major elements of Little Brother Jim, and it is a fully-fledged minigame that provide quite a bit of entertainment, as well as a reasonable challenge, if you choose to play these levels. They take a bit of patience and precision, but they are very possible. I think the driving sections took me about as long as it took me to complete the walking sections while actually reading all of the notes, or around an hour of my total playtime.

Controls

W/S: Forward/Reverse
A/D: Left/Right
E: Jump
Space: Hand brake
C: Lights (usually useless)
N: Skip level

Basic Driving Techniques

The thing to always keep in mind with the driving bits is slow and steady wins the race. You can only hit two obstacles without having to restart the level, and it is very easy to hit cones, barrels, and other things that will damage you even when you're trying to avoid them. Taking the time to not hit things is faster in the long run than having to restart each level several times.

You rarely want to be holding any single directional button. For forward movement, tapping W or pressing W in short bursts works best, while also pressing any other keys necessary to move where you need to go.

When you need to slow down, holding S is the normal go-to, while the handbrake is more for emergencies (or in cases described later).

Get used to doing point turns (turning one way forward, then backwards the other way, then the same way forward in short bursts) to make corners. For example, tapping WD then AS then WD might be necessary to make a right-hand turn. You can turn fairly tight when you are moving slowly, but you'll have to get used to backing up frequently (mostly in short bursts) to adjust yourself properly.

If you have to (or know you are going to) hit something, try to hit it head-on. Hitting things sideways can often lead to a multi-hit situation, which will quickly end in a restart.

Items and Obstacles

This section covers the items and obstacles in the game, besides things like the barrels and cones which don't really have any special strategy. I have tried to list items in the order that they appear within the game.

Parking Spot (Exit)

The ending of each level. You have to stop in the center of it for a few seconds (there is a blue meter that fills on the bottom of the screen) to finish each level. If the lights around it aren't lit up, you need to collect more coins. Don't approach these too quickly, as there are usually cones right behind them.

Coins

Sometimes you will have to collect coins to unlock the exit. If you do, the number of coins you still need to collect will display in the bottom-right corner of the screen. These coins will also sometimes open up paths blocked by cones, which will lead to the next part of the level.

Deer

If you hit a deer, it is an instant restart (although it usually looks cool). They can be tricky to spot, but they normally appear on the right side along a stretch of road with no other obstacles. Just drive close enough to trigger them and wait for them to pass.

Extra Hit

Collecting this will allow you to take an extra hit, if you've hit an obstacle without dying. Always worth grabbing.

Wait Panel

Another instant restart if you hit it. You have to drive over it while it is not lit up (as in the photo), which you will only want to do if you have waited next to it for the right cycle. Face it straight on, hold W when the light turns off, and immediately hold Space after you've cleared it. You can usually clear them from a standstill using this strategy.

Breakable Blocks

These won't damage your car, but they will cloud your view. On later levels, I suggest hitting them, stopping, and waiting for the particles to clear a bit before proceeding.

Invisibility Grids

These will make your car invisible while you are in close proximity. Thankfully, you can more or less gauge your current position from the camera angle, as it turns with your vehicle. Drive slow while invisible and you should be fine.

Jump Panel

Another instant restart if you hit it. These are always lit up, and you must jump over them using E. You need some speed to clear them, but not as much as you might think (~60% max speed). Back up a bit, face it straight on, hold W, press E, then immediately hold Space. You want to press E when the gap between the panel and your car is about twice as deep as the panel.

Speed Boost

While speed boosts are normally a power up, these act more like obstacles after the first couple levels that include them. The speed boost you receive is proportional to the speed you are going, so the faster you are going, the greater the boost (big boost equals less control). After the first couple levels, I suggest hitting them at a crawl (approach them while holding S) to despawn them before proceeding.

Video Showing Obstacles

This video includes all the obstacles described above.

Conclusion

I sincerely hope you have found this guide to be helpful; please leave a like and a favorite if you have. If anything in this guide is missing or incorrect, please leave a comment and I will update the guide. Thanks!

[papasmurph]

The most annoying aspect of driving was IMO the bars to jump over, as there's not much margin, and failure requires restart of the level. Speed boosts sometimes helped with that margin, but in other places I braked after speed boosts to avoid hitting something. Initially I also ran into deer a lot by driving too fast.