Freebie Info - MudRunner [FINISHED]

[Chimpzy]

Salud. Today, for you:

MudRunner

MudRunner will be free at Epic Games Store until December 3rd at 5PM (your local time). As always, you can get the game through the link above, or straight from the Epic Games launcher. Either way, the game will be added directly to your Epic Games library. Keep in mind having 2FA active on your account is mandatory to nab giveaways on the Epic Store.

Spoiler: game description

MudRunner is the ultimate off-road experience, putting the players in the driver seat and daring them to take charge of incredible all-terrain vehicles, venturing across extreme Siberian landscapes with only a map and compass as guides!
Drive 19 powerful all-terrain vehicles, each with its own characteristics and attachable equipment. Complete your objectives and deliveries by enduring perilous conditions across wild, untamed landscapes in extreme conditions with dynamic day-night cycles. Explore an immersive sandbox environment, enhanced by improved graphics. Overcome muddy terrain, raging rivers and other obstacles that all realistically react to the weight and movement of your vehicle powered by the game's advanced physics engine.
With your map, compass, winch, and your driving skills as allies, go solo or join up to three others in the coop multiplayer.

Have a look if interested, and enjoy.

Next week's slated freebies on the Epic Store are Cave Story+ starting December 3rd.

 

[Dalisclock]

I'm gonna grab it because FREE but has anyone actually played this? I'm just curious because it sounds like the game is "Drive big trucks through incredibly awful terrain in bumfuck Siberia" which I can see how that would be challenging but I don't know anything about it beyond that.

 

[Chimpzy]

has anyone actually played this?

I know @CriticalGaming has. He didn't like it. But he's been summoned now, so if he wants, I'll let him do the talking.

 

[Dalisclock]

I know @CriticalGaming has. He didn't like it. But he's been summoned now, so if he wants, I'll let him do the talking.

As a red or white phantom?

Sorry, Dark Souls is living in my brain right now.

 

[XsjadoBlayde]

*meekly raises paw* I may have played this game. It is way more a physics game than your average driving game. Designed to fight the terrain, squishy mud, flowing water and a tragic lack of bears while getting cargo as smoothly from one place to another. It's not about speedy vehicles, but massive hulks of off-road machinery. Interesting machinery of which I assume are real. Most useful tool is the winch. It wants fastidious problem solving from the player, not sweet stylish drifting (unless it's accidentally sideways down a river as you tearfully watch nature snatch all your progress off you). Misguided expectations might be a common issue for going into this sort of game, it is a unique genre, subgenre, whatever. The main mode goes for a sandbox map approach, which was unexpected (or should I say "mudbox"? Tehe! Sorry) I wouldn't recommend playing it after downing like 6 strong coffees though.

 

[Dalisclock]

*meekly raises paw* I may have played this game. It is way more a physics game than your average driving game. Designed to fight the terrain, squishy mud, flowing water and a tragic lack of bears while getting cargo as smoothly from one place to another. It's not about speedy vehicles, but massive hulks of off-road machinery. Interesting machinery of which I assume are real. Most useful tool is the winch. It wants fastidious problem solving from the player, not sweet stylish drifting (unless it's accidentally sideways down a river as you tearfully watch nature snatch all your progress off you). Misguided expectations might be a common issue for going into this sort of game, it is a unique genre, subgenre, whatever. The main mode goes for a sandbox map approach, which was unexpected (or should I say "mudbox"? Tehe! Sorry) I wouldn't recommend playing it after downing like 6 strong coffees though.

If I say that sounds like the traversal sim aspects of Death Stranding but with a truck and without all the Kojima crazywank plot, would I be somewhat correct?

 

[XsjadoBlayde]

If I say that sounds like the traversal sim aspects of Death Stranding but with a truck and without all the Kojima crazywank plot, would I be somewhat correct?

I was thinking of that very game while typing, but chickened out of mentioning it. There's more a focus on the physics of the environment too, with fairly impressive mud and water displacement. But yes, it may well be the closest comparison available so far. No awkward product placement or weirdo celeb cameos either, unless the vehicles count as products. It looks to have some free DLC added since last I played too. Hmm...brb.

 

[CriticalGaming]

As a red or white phantom?

Sorry, Dark Souls is living in my brain right now.

I never played Mudrunner. But i did play the sequel and hated it.

It isnt a driving through shitty terrain sim. It's a pull you truck outta the fucking mud every 30 feet sim.

So if you are expecting to do much driving....make sure you know your driving through mud in a trunk not meant to drive in mud mechanics.

It is free though so...its not like you have anything to lose for trying it.

The invader has been vanquished.

 

[Elijin]

Xsjados input is interesting.

Criticals continues to be the misinformed nonsense of someone who rage quit before they got their head around it.

It IS ultra niche. But if it manages to strike a vibe with you, it's a weirdly zen mix of peaceful slogging and heartbreaking moments of error.

 

[Dalisclock]

I mean, I like shit like Kerbal Space Program where playing with the nitty gritty of aerospace physics with fully buildable and customizable air/space-craft is the entire point, so I can hypothetically see the appeal of a game like this, where the terrain and your equipment/skill is your enemy.

 

[XsjadoBlayde]

Yeah, it definitely aims for a niche, and to be fair I thought I wouldn't like it, but curiosity and a free PSnow trial got me to try it out and appreciated what it's going for a lot more than expected. It's a small file size for what it is too, like under 3 gigs for the PS4.
Not tried the later games though, like Snowrunner and that American truck version.

I mean, I like shit like Kerbal Space Program where playing with the nitty gritty of aerospace physics with fully buildable and customizable air/space-craft is the entire point, so I can hypothetically see the appeal of a game like this, where the terrain and your equipment/skill is your enemy.

Whilst your bringing Kerbal up (ooh, totally accidental pun), I've been eyeing that for some whiles now, but am a little afraid of whether it's worth the money or not, especially with the DLC they got. Is there a curve for beginners in there to get accustomed to at all? Or do they expect you to have the mathematics already down and sorted before building? I fear a wall of judgy equations greatly so.
The only other concern is console performance and controls beyond that. But is simpler to find out. If only demos were a thing still!

 

[Mister Mumbler]

I am also one of those crazy people who has played this (and also it's "prequel" Spintires and it's sequel Snowrunner), and yeah the whole "Death Stranding but with big chunky trucks instead of Lone Reedus and Baby" is fairly accurate. However, it's less of a walking simulator and more of a rock-climbing simulator; you have to study the road ahead and plan when to give it gas, how you have your wheels turned, and your winch to try and pull these huge vehicles through the wilderness.

Now, the problem is that I haven't actually played too much of this version, moreso Spintires, so I might be wrong with the rest of this. The game is pretty fun, but there isn't top much variety to the tasks you do in-game (mostly finding/repairing new vehicles, unlocking garages, and delivering loads of logs), while Snowrunner has that as well, it also has a bit more variety in the various tasks/cargo you drive around, with the added bonus of the map being more interactive (all the maps in Snowrunner have bridges out, or roads blocked off that you can deliver supplies to to have an easier route to drive some of the more difficult cargoes). It still is a lot of fun though, you can play it in co-op with friends, and the Russian trucks are a lot of fun to drive around (someone was wondering if they were real trucks and the answer is yes, they are real trucks but I believe they all have fake designations to avoid copy right), and get to do stuff like this;


And final thought on winches;