SnowRunner vs. MudRunner, a love story

Fascinated and ravished by MudRunner, I also had an eye on SnowRunner soon - this game seemed to do almost everything better that was missing in its predecessor.
                                                                                               
And despite with more and more research it turned out to be rather the opposite, the game didn't let me go...
Did I still think I want to find something there, only to be disappointed afterwards? A good friend had to endure my displeasure again and again, and finally asked me - "Would you play the game if you'll get it as a gift?". The answer is still Yes... and I wish once I really could love this game. But this guide should enlight to make sure you know exactly what you are letting yourself in for.

Although unfortunately many discussions out there degenerate to the reader's chagrin and some badmouth the game because of the saling platform, this one in particular is not about mindlessly loyally joining one community and putting down the other, but taking a look at both games as objectively as possible.

Some people already performed pretty well by showing differences and pointing out strengths and weaknesses of both - so this shouldn't just be "another opinion", but more a comprehensive confrontation. The time I will make my own experience some things might be added/changed, but all in all this guide should already give a good overview.

I can't suggest the game at this point, nor would I dissuade from it. But sooner or later this guide should be practical and therefore reflect also my personal opinion and analysis with the game.

Introduction

Before comparison I would like to get rid of the following words and give them as context:

At the time of writing, I have neither owned nor played SnowRunner - however, I do my research very carefully, and I will update this guide as soon as I can incorporate my personal experience with the game. I don't compare it to Spintires, but exclusively to MudRunner, because the latter is clearly superior to the former in my opinion, with nearly identical content. Still, there are things that Spintires does better than MudRunner, already addressed here.

I rated things at a point of time, where SnowRunner still could get some updates, but MudRunner don't (even if SnowRunner, looking back, is not really tried to improve, apart from adding more content - but to be fair it also introduces many new, requested mechanics as well as a ton of content). Also in MudRunner, the modder scene seems to have already had its peak of activity, whereas in SnowRunner there is probably still a lot to come. Still, MudRunner has so much top-notch community content that you probably won't get bored for a lifetime, and therefore the whole package needs to be valued. In the case of SnowRunner, we cannot yet rule out the possibility that it might improve a little (and these little things could have a hugh impact).

But development of SnowRunner seems to be a bumpy road too, and for many (even more) ideas that would be more than contemporary by now (especially regarding the activity of the talented modding community) unfortunately it seems that the time has still not come.

Several poor technical peculiarities "by design" from MudRunner again find their way onto our screens with SnowRunner while some QoL improvements and ideas that would have been good for MudRunner unfortunately don't - both are pointed out here and thus they aren't included in a comparison.

Even though the successor SnowRunner (previously MudRunner 2) might be a downgrade in many kinds of aspects (so far), it seems that it doesn't want to be a direct successor at all (even if the similar designed logo and title talk us into thinking that), but its own game. And that's actually it - it's a different game, where many components have been substantially changed and which especially in comparison doesn't live up to its descriptions as a simulation, as "the next gen off-road experience" or as "the ultimate off-road experience" or as "the most advanced terrain simulation ever" - and where also MudRunner has its right to exist more than ever.

Both require patience and a certain affinity, but SnowRunner is close to push you to the limits of madness due to its unbalanced nature and instability, and might teach anti-virtures like rage or loss of faith... Both games obviously don't want to be a simulation and have many elements adapted for gameplay (in real life many of the vehicles don't have automatic gear shifting, in terms of tires standard all terrain tires would work even in plenty of mud, partly with AWD turned on). Although some elements do seem too pronounced (mud in SnowRunner feels like you're driving over super glue, even mud tires have a hard time driving through), ultimately the fun of the game is all that matters at the end of the day!

Comparison: general

setting	more American/Western (some Eastern DLCs/mods)	more Russian (even with mods), desolated, wilderness feels far more brutal
graphics	bright, colorful, fresh, everything shines strangely (different game engine)	gray, washed out, realistic, drab (too much?)
special effects	missing effects (e.g. steam from hot engine in water, mud sticking to wheels), probably static?	lots of cool immersion providers, procedural and unique to situation
music	relaxed American ambience music (too meditative, nice for map transitions), wish: radio stations/trucker music (gas stations when opened only)	only in main menu or reaching a lumber mill to complete a map (turn on own music/use radio stations to create atmosphere)
sound effects	no muddy, squishy sounds, no breaking wood or snapping plants sounds, engine sounds : plain, monotonous, no gurgle or hearty growl, almost all same, sound like chainsaws at high RPM, consist of 3-4 samples (interrupted, start again from beginning), don't relate to RPM, "vroom" on every engine when lightly touching throttle, going silent at partial throttle when spinning in mud	not perfect either, but seem to be better (personally I've no comparison with originals from reality, at least it feels authentic)
physics	far more arcade-like, partly strange (axle lifts with a load between axles), unexpected damage to wheels, engine, suspension, transmission when downshifting/on paved roads (hits randomly at (faster) reasonable speed/driving carefully), trailers difficult to pull up after tipping over (slide along turned on its side instead)	feel much better, hits randomly at fast speed
driving realism	more like arcade game, a lot simplifications, wonky at all speeds (effect of different game engine?), twitchy suspension (jelly axles when under heavy load)	stays reasonable unless going fast, more challenging, slowlier (unbalanced fast vehicle mods break physics)
collision system	often get caught by objects without an obstacle, sometimes go through - colliders not fitting their object, imprecise hit boxes that cause things meters away to get tossed in the air/knocked over , sometimes objects behave strangely (e.g. crashing into tree makes its top bending down as if being pulled like with a rope), roots stop trailers permanently, small trees seem of much harder material than a truck of steel and can stop an entire 20 ton but snap if you try to winch to them, construction barriers completely destroy vehicle driving through, branches (that no machine can break or bend to get through) stop vehicle more effectively than concrete bollards	better, but sometimes go through obstacles
camera	often annoying, disorienting at objects and events, often does what it wants, cumbersome when connecting winch onto right anchor point, one crane camera, no quick snap to frontal/rear view and back with Dpad left/right	takes time getting used to, partly useful, view quick snap-to front, back for both vehicle and trailer views possible, two crane views (operator and exterior - camera could be turned around with a little trick )
free cam/ photo mode	like a little scouting drone, range limited around vehicle, including extensive options for beautiful staging, real free cam with dev tools	only free cam (with SpintiresMod), hide HUD on screenshots (only)
feeling & experience	plays way differently, very different feel (not remotely similar), more arcade to appeal to a wider range of people, clunky, maybe better rewarding feeling?	simulates several things better, rather no rewarding feeling (unlocking garages/ watchpoints mostly needed, not even after damn hard situations, certainly sometimes by saving yourself from an almost hopeless situation - especially in teamwork)
progress/ replayability	a bit of a grind in the beginning (to unlock basic things/off-road tires, inadequate vehicles, lots of missions to carry out with road tires, more winching instead of driving), slow progress process in game due to high prices and delivery routes that repeat several times, gets stale single player, those who proof endurance get a lot more fun later on, in late game no use for XP you get after reaching max level, switch off everything pointlessly locked behind XP (starting rank set to 30 with "New Game +" mode), after completion only contests can be repeated - to replay a mission start the campaign all over again (at least different routes could be tried out then)	progression system: complete a certain number of maps (in any order) to unlock more maps/vehicles, maps don't offer as many tasks but offer required vehicles (to be found and repaired, if necessary) to complete mission, completing a map doesn't hinder replaying it again where everything in the area is reset, it's a much smaller game with easily accessible maps that feel like missions to be countlessly repeated with different routes at any time

...to be continued (due to character limit)

Comparison: general, part II

difficulty modes	hard mode is primarily a complication of (higher) costs (e.g. auto loading, recovery or repair in a garage - depending on type of vehicle, fuel - price differs on gas stations, vehicle deployment between regions (more expensive)/garages, 50% selling costs, trailers can't be sold - have no value although would be useful to drive back and return them/can be destroyed for no reason, DLC vehicles need to be bought/not already in garage) rather than more in-depth physics or mechanics (still hard mode feels more realistic, e.g. refueling in garage is disabled, fuel tanker empty when buying instead of filled, service trailers and addons can only be refilled in special zones which are available in hard mode only - and needs to be paid, in normal mode all zone markers and direction indicators displayed - not just next waypoint, some objective markers not precise, instead a yellow circle is displayed saying, things are somewhere over there - have fun burning fuel or find the goods on the map view!), some aspects in normal mode that MudRunner has only in "simulation" mode (such as diff-lock damage), "immersive mode" is just minimalizing HUD/UI, more limitation on campaign's contests (only 3 tries, but no need to complete time challenges anyway), configure/restrict/make even harder with "New Game +" mode, wishes: disabled auto winching, penalty for flipping cargo in hard mode	easy mode (the game calls it "casual"), difficult/realistic (called as "hardcore" or "simulation" - core element, real strength of the game), in hard mode: entering garage vehicles are still repaired and refueled automatically up to a certain fill level, diff-lock causes damage on hard surfaces and not possible on auto gear, auto loading disabled, only next waypoint for navigation route is displayed while driving (instead of whole line), a damaged vehicle affects driving behavior, steering is influenced by gravity, no instant rescue to unlocked garages possible, more fuel consumption than on easier difficulty
game speed	the title 'Runner' really fits (especially with phase/season 7, but you often wonder where the snow from the title has gone), game seems to be faster in actions (especially with fully loaded trucks), menus in UI for zones appear too early when vehicle isn't yet at a standstill	'Runner' doesn't do the game justice because it's very slow, quite slow (even in like 5th gear), might be boring - or relaxing, driving technique-driven
duration of day/night cycle	1h real time = 1 day in game time, SpintiresMod slows down to 1:1 or speeds up from 1/24 (normal) to 1 min (= 1/1440 - half of parameters incorrectly labeled ) or freezes, skip time in steps of morning/ afternoon/ evening/ night on easier difficulty in single player mode (without any penalty), options with "New Game +" mode: double daytime/ double night/ day only/ night only, adjust to your personal liking by editing save's configuration file with text editor [mod.io]	faster: a game day duration lasts 45 min (slight delay possible on slow PCs - 47 min 7 sec measured), stretchable up to 1:1 with SpintiresMod (settings incorrectly labeled: 1/32 =45 min, 1/16 =1.5h) or freezed, skip night on easier difficulty in single player mode (at a cost of fuel regardless of whether vehicle's engine is started)
gameplay/ mission design	varied, campaign mode, progression based gameplay, a lot to unlock, leveling up, getting XP, money, finding upgrades (to get better tires and small stuff and have to find gear boxes, engines, etc. out in the "wild" - more like an RPG), no relaxing sandbox mode (mods allowed in missions feels like cheating), early levels are more difficult than higher levels, as you then will have the right tool for the job, poor mission presentation/lack of logistical information (some make no sense, deliver several materials in specified order to unload), no statistics for used fuel/ watchpoints - instead: damage received (just boring number - wish: award, e.g. ''safe driver" or "daredevil" ), current stats can always be viewed	only sandbox with the goal to freight logs from A to B, more freedom, more laid back, no pressure for progression/upgrades/etc., nothing feels forced, more varied with mods, wish: would be nice to lock vehicle quick change option (many situations then would make more sense, finding vehicles instead of just changing after hitting watchpoints, driving back from lumber mills, overall game would be more challenging) , statistics for used fuel (burning fuel can be fun!)/ watchpoints - no stats for damage received, statistics only displayed after completing a map
UI	seems to be designed for gamepad (makes it cumbersome with keyboard), anchor points marked with a white icon (often on a white ground), not useful for reviewing/managing tasks and contracts (better use Steam overlay notes feature for what is required, where to go + always accept tasks as soon as you find them since there is no limit and activate contracts to complete them), time only displayed in map view, no information about distance traveled, fuel consumption with decimal point somewhat pointless/picture looks restless (something is constantly moving), mouse cursor with gamepad/steering wheel not displayed, option to hide whole HUD completely	menus illogical, HUD white colored (difficult in snowy landscapes), distance traveled by specific vehicle displayed while driving, time always displayed, mouse cursor always displayed (except while driving, minor flaw, doesn't bother)
localization	partly corrected based on MudRunner, partly strange, my personal favorite word for the German translation: "Holzaufhänger"	badly auto-translated (at least English and German, maybe coming from Russian language), game contains some languages officially not supported (日本語 / Japanese, 한국어 / Korean, 繁體中文 / Chinese Traditional - partly unfinished), corrected and improved versions explained here (coming soon!)
communication to user	not intuitive, at times imprecise messages confuse and mislead, messages (e.g. "Trailer too far away." too) inconspicuous on right edge of screen, some things no longer displayed (e.g. when refueled by another player)	far from intuitive, messages directly at the action or in the middle of screen, often displayed with an arrow as alignment hint

Comparison: system

hardware requirements	20 times higher (not particularly optimized)	better graphical performance, very optimized (runs smoothly with highest details on 2012's machine)
screen resolutions	wide screens supported, HUD adjusted to the middle of ultrawide screens automatically (preferable on a 3 monitor/superwide setup?)	wide screens supported, HUD adjusted to the borders of screens automatically (kind of fisheye perspective on ultrawide screens)
input devices hardware support	bad (some steering wheel models supported ), no clutch/ shifter support , bad wheel support - you might be restricted to a gamepad or keyboard, only good with a gamepad, doesn't support multiple devices: impossible to use both wheel with custom pedals, modulation of gas pedal not very effective: tiniest pressure and the wheels start moving as if it's half depressed - by 1/4 way, it's full-power	better/mostly possible , H shifter useful
control convenience/ feedback	no improvements, mouse and keyboard control worsened, bad force feedback (no much feeling of driving a heavy truck), gear shifting N, A, H, R, L, L+, L- and clutch feels much better on number pad, using steering wheels you might have to come off to the keyboard for crane/some features (is just necessary, different from e.g. leaving the steering wheel off for the use of the crane, like in real life), auto reverse always on is irritating (instead of braking - good luck using your brake pedal - already patched?), possible steering input lags - pretty horrific when winding off lock after making a turn or when driving on muddy/icy roads and the back suddenly steps out	control not great either, no intuitive handling, good force feedback (depending on what device supports maybe limited - on gamepad feel heavy vehicle/terrain, on steering wheel: counter-steering)
technical system	its own (partly strange or senseless, still buggy, simplified or broken)	very based on Steam infrastructure (no multiplayer save possible in Epic Games Store version)
offline possibility	no	yes (at least connect from time to time if you are a Steam achievements hunter)
game settings	having options for: steering mode (re-center wheels automatically with option "steering wheel" instead of "controller" if button not pressed), hide driver's hands, hide KSIVA ( KSIVA code is an array of user-specific codes that allows [the devs] to get details regarding your setup and backend information to understand the reported case better. [support.saber.games] ), language selectable ingame directly, system of units (metric/liters or imperial units), more graphics options (including zoom limits), zone/objective markers visibility on/off, wish: color settings for e.g. waypoints	minimalistic, no audio settings
saves	only four/a limited amount of save slots (replaying the game without losing all the progress needs an additional save slot to the original one), for community maps 4 save slots feels very limited (+ hassle: start with level 1 and locked upgrades)	in single player mode 1 save slot per map/area, in multiplayer always only the last game at a time is saved (independent of the map/area and players, but there is a workaround for unlimited saves ), play unlimited amount of community maps
tutorial	getting started seems easier, tutorial only scratches the surface, the given introduction doesn't explain much, completion not clear (at some point leave the garage to finish the tutorial so that map shows all contracts!), additional information in menu - codex, nonetheless partly not clear what the game wants from you	not informative enough, but the so-called "challenges" extends the tutorial ( how to find your way around the game ), a self-made corrected and improved localization (coming soon!) tries to actually complete the lack of important information
challenges	so-called "trials" (directly from menu, not very motivating, unimaginative with time limits, not rewarding)	challenge yourself (not using map/vehicle quick change... Steam achievements indicate/inspire)
player mode	mostly single player - doing tasks in co-op would be more fun and enjoyable, but only host is credited with mission progress/ vehicle unlock in multiplayer mode (XP/ money/ unlocked upgrades also for other players, host is literally forced to buy helpers vehicles but that's (too) expensive, pointless, kind of forces to play solo - workaround: share savegame after each session!), additional PvP prototype game mode (accessible via mod "King of the Hill" by Nextej [mod.io] , 2 teams/ deliver things/ first done wins)	challenging alone, real potential in multiplayer mode (whereby map counts as completed for each player upon completion, progress transferred to single player mode)
multiplayer communication	no text/voice chat, only external solutions, not organized (= chaos ingame, difficult to meet), no way to communicate the route description (not even a ping where you are heading to or the direction of travel), not visible which task your team mates do at the moment, only the host sees the mission/task, players' names displayed on map view only (increases immersion) and current vehicle type (vague) next to avatar while driving	at least ingame chat, voice chat based on Steam infrastructure, fellow players' current vehicles' position displayed only (neither name of current selection nor fleet with possibly different vehicles or their position), see other players' (first) waypoints and their direction of travel as a different color, players' names displayed above vehicles while driving (would not be necessary or only if very close, too intrusive)

...to be continued (due to character limit)

Comparison: system, part II

multiplayer hurdles	no browser for public games, joining a random persons' game (Steam joining doesn't work), no lobby, randomly chosen map, without communication options noone has idea where help is needed (as co-op works like: players help the host), activate winch function in menu first! (otherwise winch suggestion rejected - but if activated no request needs to be confirmed and connects immediately), retain vehicles out of garages from single player mode first to make them available in multiplayer mode (store them back, could be lost in unexplored regions if such are joined!), 2021 still frequent crashes (bugs frustrate very quickly in multiplayer), search and connection errors in general, removal of Steam usage for multiplayer (requires a non-strict NAT type): constant IP and open NAT needed (other games work fine with strict NAT), VPN (out of the network) as an alternative, if not possible to join a friend on the same network, joining a session via code listed in host's menu, with mods first start map via custom scenarios and discover/hop into garage then start co-op from saved slot, everyone should have same mods installed, not fully synchronized (other than claimed in the official multiplayer video ): weather, blinking lights (strange, available on almost every vehicle, patched? ), [visible vehicle damage not seen so far/not tested], x-ray view of other player's tank (also of uncoupled trailers) is too much of a good thing, working (partly limited): dirt, water, tracks, engine noise and horn, driver, winch, smoke, destructible objects (highly simplified, e.g. trees that are torn down with the winch simply sink slowly into the ground for others), light (illuminate surroundings with other vehicles very helpful, but no shadows look strange, some lights appear later ), trailer (share with others, only model itself, no dynamic movements, e.g. drawbar or supports - very strange, immersion breaker), inactive vehicles of other players (can also be towed, shared fleet), vehicle shadow (also inactive vehicles, but not always), terrain deformation (but doesn't seem to be exact the same as for oneself, maybe not all layers), position of other players in map view with their actually active vehicle/trailer graphics, cargo visible to all and shared (bug where fell over trailer can be attached and load possibly will be doubled )	browser for public games but not many available (often played alone or with friends in private sessions, not/using SpintiresMod and/or different versions makes it impossible to join, only possible for Steam friends to join an ongoing session, otherwise meet in a public lobby before start of a session in a limited time frame, several hours to complete one map requires scheduling - forum threads of people looking for co-op partners, unclarified conditions and different gameplay expectations lead to leaving players), although any player in an ongoing session can be host the role isn't automatically transferred if connection to the host is lost, relies on Steam features heavily ( technical weaknesses can be fought ), lots of things not synchronized (very limited, e.g. only siluette placeholder of inactive vehicles/ trailers visible to others - immersion breaker, some things you have to struggle with, position of other players in map view only with standard vehicle/ trailer graphics, transfer cargo ownership before using - only siluette visible to others, sparks fly for other players when transporting loads), better synchronized: dynamic movements of trailers, blinking lights, headlights (with SpintiresMod, but no illumination possible)
unlock (!) multiplayer mode	start a single player campaign and follow the tutorial until you have found and unlocked the garage, each player must have completed the tutorial and have a savegame already in place	at least as a workaround with installed SpintiresMod you have to start and complete some challenge
modding support	Steam Workshop not supported (adding mods here would be very convenient), only mod.io (directly implemented, but separate account needed), when mod browser is shut down, downloaded mods can't be used, co-op with mods broken very often, update (Dec 2021): mods no longer available on multiplayer crossplay	makes use of Steam Workshop (absolutely comfortable and easy subscription/ installation), mods do make the game! (base game alone is too little)
modification ' SpintiresMod '	support for bigger maps (than 2x2km, height increased from 256m to 512m, also for co-op and mod editor), fixes bug in co-op mode on maps with high altitudes where other players' vehicles dive into ground (needs to be enabled or disabled for all, otherwise synchronization issues), additional types of constraints of vehicles' physical model supported, set time of day (via tray icon)/freeze, speed up/slow down daytime duration, fixes bug with game time in co-op (time jumps back at different intervals), fixes changing mod settings, ... (no further information/experience yet), same tool for Spintires/MudRunner/SnowRunner!	absolutely needed (light synchronization, addressing more memory, bigger maps than 1x1km, increases maximum height on maps from 64m to 4096m, requirement for many mods even on Steam Workshop, etc.), useful features such as mod manager (also for non-Steam Workshop mods), localization system for mods in different languages, daytime duration adjustment (no speed-up), dev tools for regular maps, winch options, etc.
modding community/ content	many crazy (overpowered) vehicles, low effort (barely high quality) maps so far - due to editor problems? time will show...	countless high quality mods - beyond dev content, very dedicated community & brilliant modmaking talents, great use of Steam Workshop (limited to vehicles/maps)

...to be continued (due to character limit)

Comparison: system, part III

mod/map editor	partly made progress/partly worsened (no import for Spintires and MudRunner mods), create custom maps, view your vehicle mods (their meshes, hierarchy of their bones, damage areas, collision objects, etc.) and ensure that they contain no errors - XML files, textures/FBX files created in other applications manually, good help from community [mod.io] ( full version [drive.google.com] )	Steam only, useful, but a nightmare, no clue where the map leaks, tons of errors (better with SpintiresMod), makes the game a masterpiece, Spintires mod import possible, good help and support from community
bugs (that greatly affect enjoyment)	some basic and reported issues remain unfixed so far, annoying bugs that still haven't been fixed yet (after already long development and long time since release) instead content only season passes are distributed	there might be a few, but in over 300 hours of play I haven't run into many, however there is one that really disappoints

Comparison: environment

size of maps	hugh (each a lot larger) - and connected (drive from map to map within a region and use garage to jump between regions, teleportation fields 50 m in front of tunnels instead inside)	small (bigger with mods)
quantity	many - one of the few things the devs deliver (with paid DLCs, although that's exactly what modders could do)	lots and lots of fantastic maps (e.g. via Steam Workshop)
mud	sometimes dead-stops a vehicle at high speed as if it hit a wall, digging in it clearly less attractive, feels more like glue destined to slow you down rather than real mud, no interactivity	feels significantly cooler, challenging
swampy regions	mostly smaller areas (mostly traps)	yes (almost everywhere)
snow	snow physics seem to work, but often also doesn't feel like snow (acts like mud, behaves differently in reality in terms of driving technique - not driving feel!)	only colored mud with mods (nevertheless fun and a nice change)
snowy landscapes	yes (not always as the title talks us into thinking that - you're faced with snow only later on)	yes (a few community maps)
water	looks beautiful, but behaves strangely sometimes, too many waves when driving through it, often not nice at the shore, flow direction and velocity often not matching to the bordering terrain	seems realistic, splashes to the sides etc., often murky, water depth in closer surroundings indicated in map view (rather uninteresting)
rivers	hardly no challenging rivers	serious obstacles, that really demand skill and are challenging
weather	more diversified (rain, fog, sun, cloudy, snow) - but no thunderstorms or conditions that would make you feel the force of nature - and neither affects the vehicle (doesn't get wet, no raining effect on windshield) or environment (no mud thickening, doesn't affect ground surface or conditions/passability) nor forces to use windshield wipers (don't work/don't turn on), during the rain everything is bright, beautiful and sunny	practically no (changes only very slightly and maximum cloudy), misty mood in evenings/ mornings well conveyed
level design	more roads and rock crawling, doesn't really make realistic sense a lot of times (deep mud for no reason, tracks that are worse than the ground either side of them, childish complexity/unrealistic scenario: with a 20-ton truck, even more so with a trailer, you slam into places as if they were a super-prepared off-road vehicle that would at least be close to overcome such an obstacle - but it's fun to haul an oversized load to places where not even a human in his right mind would hike - it just feels noticeably over the top), sometimes irrational placement of tasks and locations (e.g. a lumber mill you're supposed to deliver logs to but there's no path that a logging truck would actually take in real life), vast areas (seems to be adapted to 10x10 vehicles), deliberate traps in a lot of missions (hang-ups, gotchas, especially if it seems there's a straightforward way to the mission goal)	authentic, easy and difficult routes in every map, more roads in DLC American Wilds
mission/ route design	very predefined routes (might be less interesting, forces to play with its own designed way), huge list of repetitive open-world "drive from A to B" quests, bridge construction is an artificial complication (doesn't "widen" routes or shorten them for later tasks, only opens up main routes) - even after that still some safety barriers block, fixing blocked roads feels incomplete (rocks are left in the middle of the road), no use for highway tires/vehicles (taking time and repairing roads could have potential), only one-off roadblocks must be removed, whereas other things aren't saved by the game	often many different ways to reach the goal, mostly like a puzzle to be solved (although mission design is also just drive from A to B), mostly no reason for vehicle transportation (maps too small, no alternative long roads, too less fuel consumption - would be more fun), roadblocks that don't allow to pass with load (often illogically placed, mods much better), bridge construction (mods only) fits into scenario and often opens up a useful shortcut for later tasks
navigation	turquoise waypoint irritates in the already very colorful game (red dot/circle would be enough), direction indicators all over the screen while driving (small compass on map view only and not always displayed), detailed map view (colorful, easy to read, overwhelming with lots of information/signs - filter or display only certain things would be useful, shows every object, no waypoint limitation (sense?) and option to drag a new marker into existence by holding while hovering over a line in the route, distance as the crow flies to first waypoint displayed only, own or fellow player's direction of travel can't quickly be identified), gamepad cursor on map view has a circle (animated over objects)	marked waypoint less intrusive, but actually (in hard mode) not needed at all (then use of the compass would be even more effective), ship's compass feels good (not too easy) in practice, compass in map view overlapped by long vehicle list (even in combination with many lumber mills), map view very schematic (like a paper map, too gray and monotonous) and reduced to the necessary (length of total staked out route displayed, 15 waypoints are all you need, own and fellow player's direction of travel displayed as an arrow, vehicles/trailers displayed with dummy objects/not matching actual ones), gamepad cursor only a dot (difficult to find, although in the center of the screen)
garage	with a separate entrance/exit on opposite side of building (unfortunately no need to drive in, strangely placed when leaving - could be interesting if huge vehicles wouldn't fit through the entrance and you had to repair them another way), superior garage menu (but tedious to scroll through a long list of addon parts), cumbersome in long list in map view (tasks, buildings, etc. included - buildings should be above tasks, shortcut to garage through global map: open map > global map > region you want to enter the garage of)	somewhat loveless and simple ( open garage/car wash from DLC American Wilds with mods), usually no long list of addon parts (naming depends on mods too)
trailer store	separately - which provides more trailers, if no sadle is attached before! (and provides suitable sadle automatically)	included in garage, all addons/trailers (and their required attachments) displayed

...to be continued (due to character limit)

Comparison: environment, part II

gas stations	lots of - less refuel management, "speedy refuel stops" possible (drive in, keep the gas nailed then do a rapid combination of buttons), better should invite to linger (music, planning, etc.)	optically small stationary tanks fill up huge vehicle tanks limitlessly, hardly any reason to refuel less (weight, no costs), no problem as soon as there is a gas station nearby (small maps often easy)
interaction/ liveliness	levels lifeless, although environment would suggest otherwise (apparently has population and tourists, vehicles belonging to obvious residents - that's why it feels so empty), missing interaction (actually not enlivened), no NPCs, the world is empty - play with your own imagination (e.g. building lights on during night, electricity works, so - there might be some living, but maybe people are in quarantine due to a virus pandemic, and you are the only one going out for work... also a role play could be that each vehicle will have different drivers, so when passing other vehicles with empty seats, pretend the driver got back home and now it's your shift), strange 2D sprites (wolf, hunter, ...) doesn't really breathe life into it and fade out getting closer	just as lifeless, but more authentic - moody atmosphere (you are alone in the Russian wilds, yet more interaction would be nice sometimes), only wrecks that can't be used anyway
map selection	shows just a nice picture as a thumbnail with a brief description	shows map (not stylized, hugh spoiler!) even with starting point, where to find logs and bring them to (better try to skip that step immediately and not to concentrate on it - with bigger community maps it's much better, as it would be hard to immediately understand the map entirely just from that preview)
alteration	when entering (since traveling from one map to the next is a significant game element) or when loading the game basically everything is reset (roadblocks appear, objects respawning in exact same spot, also settings of AWD and diff-lock are reset and handbrake is applied - this prevents a smooth game flow), mud resets after leaving the immediate area/traveling just a short distance away, entire map remains almost unchanged - not a rewarding feeling for hard "work" (especially since in this game a lot is done on the maps)	tearing down trees at best, since traveling from one map to the next isn't possible at all resetting objects isn't that noticeable, mud resets on save load or by traveling far away for a longer time (essential because you visit the same areas many times - wish: persistent terrain deformation, even synchronized in multiplayer )
edge of map	strange one-way signs as a scrolling text tear you out of immersion, often designed with natural boundaries	same graphics at the border can be removed (coming soon!) easily and let you immerse yourself more in the virtual world, sometimes abrupt edges, hole in the void

Comparison: vehicles

quantity & quality	many ("Navistar 5000-MV" available as pre-order 'exclusively' or as extra-to-pay-content on Steam only), overall more "fancy", many unbalanced (using same vehicles over and over - boring, also in multiplayer, weaker American vehicles), some appear for offroad and don't perform as expected (e.g. "Hummer" unusable even after upgrades), find some upgrades in DLC maps only, overpowered separately to buy vehicles, mods mostly overpowered (taking away the challenge)	many with DLCs, pretty good balanced, no upgrades - everything feels complete, more rough, lots of with mods (some balanced, many unbalanced)
licences	American licensed (except: Aramatsu instead John Deere, Derry Longhorn: Oshkosh, ANK: AM General), Russian/European/Indian not licensed (except: Kirovets, Burlak, Tatra, Land Rover), no real names (fantasy names for unlicensed vehicles, e.g. ZiKZ instead MAZ, KOLOB: MZKT, FEMM: Yamal, Azov: KamAZ, TUZ: GAZ, DAN: BAZ, BOAR: TONAR, Step: ZiL, KRS: customized PAZ+ChTS+GAZ, Tayga: KrAZ, Voron: Ural, KHAN: UAZ, DON: AvtoVAZ, YAR: TREKOL, Gor: ZAZ, PLAD: Faun, Futom: Claas, Ankatra: Valmet, Royal: Scammell, AAC: UMM, Neo: Mahindra, MTB: Force), design modified, Soviet vehicles fictitious but recognizable	only within DLCs, not in base game (therefore slightly modified), correct type numbers of unlicensed vehicles, confusing
customization	very modifiable, tuning monotonous (same on most vehicles, rarely any unique upgrades - tuning comes down to adapting same things on everything, Soviet utility addon on American trucks damages atmosphere), color schemes (limited, no full color palette for painting), addons can't be colored (often don't match rest of vehicle - use mods ), wish: widen axles, make suspension more stiff	basically not existing (sometimes pre-defined in vehicle selection within mods)
ideas/variety	imitated community mods, crazy 10x10s, "Western Star 6900 TwinSteer" senseless for small goods (but a welcome challenge), real life amphibious models sink, some interesting concepts	a lot more with mods (boats and ships, even add amphibious functionality)
tracked vehicles	with SpintiresMod, could cause error in garage and through came-off chains, fit perfectly with snow, removed from official mods	with SpintiresMod, chains could come off, garage repairs demolished chains (if required repair feature in dev tools via SpintiresMod)
gearbox	low/high shifting (unrealistic/awkward), weird 3 speed gearbox actually limits power/speed, no throttling control (difficult with keyboard), feels like it downshifts to 1st gear as soon as releasing throttle, multiple gearboxes (working/ more complex transmission by progression, discover upgrade), no cruise control (need to press a key/button permanently)	H-shifting (useable with appropriate hardware), no true manual shifting, no clutch function, offers adjustment of throttling , problem with downshifting to 1st gear not that intense, relaxed driving on longer distances with cruise control feature (even if it accelerates rather than maintaining a constant speed)
mirror functionality	basically yes (not supported by all mods), but nearly useless - angles not adjustable, poorly aimed on most vanilla trucks, some vehicles have no rear view mirror	no (why?! once a Kickstarter funding goal and MudRunner VR (on Meta Quest) shows it's possible), modders deal creatively with the situation
retrieval	recover in garage, no scouts' recall	recover in garage only in easy mode, usefully recall scouts to a vehicle
changeable tires	yes (on towing vehicles, not possible with trailers), correct tire choices mandatory, but no reason to change once you have "best" tires, confusing amount of tires for every vehicle (limited availability with "New Game +" mode), some make no sense (tire chains with less traction in snow than same type of (off-road) tires without chains)	no (but with mods covered in vehicle selection via variants)
dirt on tires	no	sticks to wheels/stays longer on vehicle body, washable in water/ejects on asphalt
driving behavior	floating like hovercrafts, too lightweighted, too strong brakes, sliding (even highway trucks, drifting trailers), often flip over (bouncing/jumping vehicles, raised suspension, vehicles' center of gravity seems high in heaven), seems certain places pre-set the behavior (contrary to appearance and control)	much better (especially with lower speed), vehicle feel heavy (even more with load), asphalt feels like ice, seems every bump affects, each wheel calculates grip separately
starting the engine	without using the vehicle's function menu only possible by pressing [LB]+[A] / [L1]+[X] if using a gamepad	simply accelerate

...to be continued (due to character limit)

Comparison: vehicles, part II

equipment, attachments, addons, trailers	limited by money (with loss in value at resale in hard mode only), diversity very limited (even with different needs), no trailer for some vehicles with trailer hook, no crane at back of truck to reach coupled trailer, no foldable log carts (but with mods), short logging frame for rarely short logs, mods extend basic addons (how it should be), same addons for most vehicles (even Russian/American, better with mods), same addon size and standard trailer size for different sized trucks (weird!), unsuitable use ( spread axle semi-trailer for heavy weight without function to lift/lower or close axles - impractical turn radius, senseless on uneven terrain, tire damage), combinations mostly senseless (trucks with unused space tow trailers - feels inefficient, bed often too long/short, enough space on 10x10s but no frame addon, top of some trailers face through overhead wires, crane setups too high with not ground reaching anchors, inexplicably prevented trailer coupling, no driving curves with too long addons and trailers), reviewing/ selling upgrades only with appropriate vehicle in garage owning (sell upgrades in stock before selling vehicle, otherwise selling of unused upgrades not possible), size to capacity mismatch: small car vs. big truck addon = both 300 repair points, switchable beacons for most vehicles (feel wrong/too slow), used addons visually disappear rarely ( where it makes no sense - normally empty canisters not thrown away, empty placeholders annoying , addons don't disappear where it would make sense)	only limited by weight (hardly noticeable), different sizes adjusted to vehicles, mostly individual to specific vehicle (many exclusives), unique and special functionality (a lot via mods), vehicle size matters for addon size (then capacity is different too), separated to American/Russian, low number of addons much better used (everything in the right place), WesternStar with crane intruding into bridge from same DLC, beacons with mods (often feel wrong/too slow), some repair addons visually disappear when fully used, repairing with spare wheel feels strange when points can be used little by little, less faulty vehicles (no optical trailer hitch, point of trailer hitch incorrect and protrudes into unloaded semi-trailer, addons protrude into vehicle's tanks/parts of the vehicle, optical winch can't be used and protrudes into several addons, cabling of semi-trailer protrudes into addons or trailer, several addons minimally misplaced - hardly noticeable, for Chevrolet Bison combination of medium log trailer and fuel cistern only is possible if trailer is spawn before the attachment - no problem when coupled)
mechanisms	feels like they move too fast, simplification (at the expense of immersion) - only extend anchors (rest automatically)	feels realistic, anchors with separated functions extend and turn
damage system	damage of different parts of vehicle affects differently in each case (hardly perceptible, only if completely damaged, doesn't work properly, damage feels random), tire bursts (but no special sounds for more immersion)	not segmented, simplified to a total number of damage points (vehicle acts differently depending on certain amount of points), no tire burst possible
winch	alternatively autonomous (battery powered, separate equipment, hit against multiplayer), quick winch +removal (system changed, unfavorable), winch mechanics: always "drive" mode (no "pull" mode), speed limit, function aggravated: connect with only 1 action to most favorable winch point (handy on consoles, feels like spiderman, many useless anchor points), old fashioned way worsened: push & pull (uncomfortable, no camera control to look around), doesn't work from 1st person, when using winch as part of crane no winch can be used for vehicle, textured winch pulls rope to the object instead of the vehicle	winch doesn't work with engine stalled (battery powered and winch quick removal with SpintiresMod), winch mechanics: pulled vehicle saves fuel, no speed limit, untextured winch can be easily replaced, coming soon (seems to pull rope to object as well because segments divided evenly)
interior view	detailed, looks amazing, working gauges, wish: persistent dirt and use of windshield wipers	rudimentary (not that immersive), mods mostly good
driver	same design for American/Russian, alternative possible (accessible via mod "Hire Another Driver" by S-V.P.A.M. [mod.io] ), wish: a woman to choose (even in the loading screen there is wisdom about women )	different for American/Russian
switching vehicles/ availability	always available via scrollable list of vehicles ( dust cloud effect when teleporting back to garage + inconspicuous message to players), switching rules (via map view) optionally add costs (with "New Game +" mode) and therefore interesting complexity to gameplay, after having them in storage all vehicles always available in every map	always available directly on map (find vehicle at worst, if list of lumber mills/ vehicles/ trailers/ commands 'skip night' and 'recover in garage' reaches out of screen boundaries and isn't accessible entirely, no visual effect when teleporting back to garage - players simply leave without information), only a Steam achievement discourages from changing vehicles via map view, limited selection of vehicles per map (unlocked starting vehicles including mods can be selected, whereby they may not exceed the map balance)
service from trailers/ other vehicles	no repairing from service trailers without attaching, but refueling without hitched and changing to vehicle (then a tank trailer can be pulled along with the winch on every vehicle), refuelling straight from another vehicle's tank (without addons)	only from vehicle with hitched trailer, only from addons
fuel consumption	not realistic, adapted to game (significantly higher to use refueling, drive economically, turn off AWD/diff-lock, plan route), fuel consumption when stationary (turning off engine when studying the map or waiting un-paused necessary, gas burns off quickly, even when simply idling + even more when AWD is engaged (!), depending on (special) gearbox no increased fuel consumption with AWD at all), size to capacity mismatch: 2 fuel tanks = 400 L vs. 3 much bigger fuel tanks = 360 L vs. 2 significant smaller fuel tanks = 380 L vs. 2 comparable fuel tanks = 200 L	not realistic, adapted to game (still not close to exhaustion, better with bigger community maps), turning off engine not necessary (no idle fuel consumption at all), no effect when using crane (=more load on engine)

...to be continued (due to character limit)

Comparison: vehicles, part III

                            

                                                                                  

                                                                              

documentation

incomplete codex, no mention of special addons and their uses (find out yourself), vague vehicle stats (e.g. "off-road: excellent" with different types), engine names made up just to sound authentic (confuses)

hardly any status values, even figure out which logs to load, no technical data at all

Comparison: cargo

quantity	different types, even at same time possible (cargo other than logs is pre-packed)	only logs in base game (with mods displayed as different types on vehicles), mods realize custom loads with a specific unloading point
fixing cargo	using vehicle's menu - part fixed, part not - first loosen, then everything fixing possible (cargo poorly strapped down when loaded and fixed, diagonally instead directly from side to side for max tension/safety)	option not available in vehicle's menu (only unfixing load to hand it over to another vehicle), modded custom loads can't be fixed (at least not on log addons)
transporation	so much to do, logging isn't focus of the game (despite missions that require just that - use mods to reduce number of necessary trips), also more often empty runs with attached hitch for trailer pick-up jobs	only logging, but takes this very seriously, log transporting specialists, empty runs with attached hitch only rarely on custom maps
loading crane (boom with wire rope)	yes, hardly any gentle movements possible, horrible to operate (simplified mechanics, acts like a winch, difficult to put onto trailers - sequoias behave like hollow plastic models)	no (at least with mods with a winch point)
log cranes	only 2 types, log loading is neglected, weak, rotation too fast and twitchy - unenjoyable, no guide line for grabber's position on plane, no lights to be turned on in the dark unlike regular crane, controls less intuitive (e.g. lift/lower on gamepad with LB/RB)	many different types, guide line for grabber to find log's middle for balanced lift, lights for cranes, controls with gamepad way more intuitive (left stick: movement on plane axes, right stick: height axis/grapple rotation)
logs	only 4 different sizes for vehicles (1 long/1 medium/1 short/1 medium vehicle exclusive), more intuitive to fix logs via vehicle's functions menu (not selecting green dots only), seem to be less animated	many different sizes depending on vehicle loaded with 1 of 3 (4 in theory) types, fixing logs "where it takes place" only (by selecting green dots)
logging units concept	every task has a particular log type, each pack of logs needs 3 logs and counts as 1 log unit (misleading message that some logs unevenly placed - instead of telling the number of missing logs for a whole load!, confusing when delivering - "Long Logs 0/x" (more than 1) refers to number of loads/log units, not logs!)	each pack of log types results in different load points depending on vehicle and consists of a certain number of logs also depending on vehicle (when fixing, number of logs required displayed), each lumber mill needs 8 load points
cargo spawn	not possible to generate cargo, if appropriate loading area on vehicle isn't available (not possible with crane only)	independent of vehicle
cargo information	sometimes wrong (e.g. CAT can't load industrial boiler), partly no information, e.g. how many slots a cargo type takes	insufficient information (displayed only in certain cases)
cargo crafting/ recipes	different by region (Don: 1 long logs = 2 wooden planks, 2 medium logs = 2 wooden planks / Wisconsin: 1 long logs = 4 wooden planks, 2 pkg. A = 1 concrete slab, 2 metal rolls = 1 metal beams / Amur: 1 short logs = 2 wooden planks, 1 pkg. A + 1 pkg. B + 1 pkg. C = 1 concrete slab, 2 metal rolls + 1 pkg. D = 2 metal beams)	no crafting
vehicles as load	vehicles as cargo can be fixed (but also in positions where it makes no sense)	at best, vehicles can be parked onto a trailer or similar or lifted on top of each other, but they kind of fall around (loosely parked), other players' vehicles are hardly possible - and one may not switch to another vehicle
bugs	cargo clipping through trailers when unpacked (could be fixed already, workaround: still use a crane to retrieve the cargo), cargo ( at least logs / also with crane ) is clipping through	logs are disappearing in certain situations (renewed freight needed then)

Closing words & credits

 
This guide is the result of a long (almost never ending) story. At this point I expressly like to thank the whole community for sharing so much useful information and experience about the games! Paired with what I've noticed and tested so far, I hereby want to make this available to everyone! Comments and feedback are always welcome!
If you have questions, it would make more sense to ask them in MudRunner's or SnowRunner's discussions, where they will be seen by more people, referring to the guide, if needed then.

Unfortunately, however, all comparisons with people incapable of discussion or supporters of one side degenerate too much to the reader's chagrin - one should therefore not take it too seriously!

This guide might be linked (to keep the ID) to a SnowRunner guide as soon as I own the game in my own Steam library.

[kalnon]

The terrible driving physics in Snowrunner is a big turnoff for me, the weird arcade style driving I do not like. When I play driving or racing games, I need the physics to be at least decent.

[Austin]

I got Snowrunner when it came out, wasted about half an hour trying to get wheel/pedals to work properly and refunded it.

Unless it's improved A LOT then it's not as good as Mudrunner, which I still play off and on.

[MRFJORD]

wait mudrunner has force feedback

[MRFJORD]

the wheel support is good now

[LeeQuid]

Well, from my point of view it was a purchasing aid for myself. And I'm just sharing my findings. When it comes to taste or creating certain feelings, you shouldn't rely on others anyway.

With certain things, it surely makes sense to try them out for yourself to get an idea of them, especially if you want to create a certain feeling - in this respect, anything other than your own experience would always be suboptimal. For certain things, however, someone else's experience may be sufficient :)

[Nullsy]

"At the time of writing, I have neither owned nor played SnowRunner." So, just to make it clear, what's represented is based on a 4th person breakdown of what you think based on 3rd person accounts.... rather than a 1st person account (maybe augmented with 3rd person accounts). Do you actually think that's appropriate given the format you're presenting? I mean, good job on the formatting and "research", but this isn't exactly makes me, "Oh, I should totally listen to this person." Imagine if a food critic never actually at the restaurants and relied on other people's accounts. What about movie critics? Book reviews? Et cetera. Just imagine that for a sec. This is, at it's core, your post.

[LeeQuid]

What is an endproduct and where exactly was the beginning... that often is the questions, and quite often the customer finds himself somewhere in between. In the end, these games are fun for people, and that's what counts :)

[ErnurWolf]

DiTch both of those POSERS and get back to the original Spintires . which new players cannot do beings it was removed from steam . but spintires is the Grand daddy of them all and cannot be touched by these lazy posers that try to take the games history away from spintires . I own them all have played them all and spintires is still #1 and will never stop being #1 .

[WaspIV]

So. I typed up this WHOLE reply... but apparently comments are limited to 1000 characters.
Rather than break it up into a bunch of comments, I'll just link a
google doc [docs.google.com]instead.

[LeeQuid]

Feel free to point out what of this has already been fixed or improved - I'm happy to read about it, and it helps others interested too! Each productive contribution helps to compare comprehensively and objectively :)