About Spintires: MudRunner

80lv: Could you tell us a little bit about the Spintires: MudRunner project? How did this project start and how is it different from the classical Spintires version?

Avenir Sniatkov:

Spintires was a game that nobody expected to be the hit that it was on Steam, and when we considered the idea to make a version of Spintires for consoles, we did now hesitate much. This was a great opportunity to build more solid gameplay experience for both console and PC players.

The main difference of the MudRunner game from the original Spintires is an introduction of “Challenges”. A challenge is a map with a specific task or a set of tasks for the player. For instance, to climb the mountain via the serpentine road using a scout vehicle. Or to reach a trailer using the paved road, then park it in a hard-to-reach spot. Each challenge is set up on a map designed for this particular challenge.

Along with the main task of the challenge, the player may try to complete secondary tasks in order to improve his score. For example, a player can try to complete the challenge at night or without using a winch. Introduction of the Challenge mode added gameplay goals that were not particularly clear in original Spintires.

We worked a lot to improve controls and fully support the gamepads and a selection of steering wheel accessories. Along with the Challenges mode, the list of major changes and new features includes the cabin view, ability to save a multiplayer game, convenient ability to call a light vehicle to help a truck that stuck in the mud, tutorial level for the newcomers, and so on.