The folks over at Saber Interactive are currently attending an event being held by their main publishing partners, Focus Home Interactive. Various projects are being shown off to the press, including the upcoming Spintires: MudRunner 2. This has resulted in the official reveal of three new off-screen captures:
The developers are still keeping hush as to exactly what features MudRunner 2 is going to include, so we’re left to analyze the provided pictures to pick out details. Since these are off-screen shots taken from a distance, it’s not that easy to analyze, but there are a few things that can be seen.
Taking a deep dive
In the first shot, a brand-new truck is being shown off. The manufacturer is Ford (the emblem can be seen on the computer monitor at the bottom left). The truck carries the model number of what appears to be 8000 (or even 9000). This 3D garage set is also something that’s new, on top of the fact that this is a truck customization menu. The category is called ‘Visuals’ with various different parts being listed such as exhaust pipes, lights, fenders, and grills. This suggests that the customization will be fairly in-depth, similar to that of SCS Software’s American/Euro Truck Simulator. Truck customization was not a thing in the first MudRunner or the original Spintires, so this something completely new for the series.
The second screenshot shows off a proper gameplay session (with another new truck, on top of that, though the make and model is unclear). The HUD looks completely different from previous entries in the series. Notice the bottom left where the speedometer is. It’s surrounded by many different symbols, all of which resemble icons that you’d see on a real vehicle dashboard. The most prominent of these icons is a fuel icon, which shows that trucks will need to be refueled as you play. This is a returning feature, but hopefully, it doesn’t replace the cool effect of seeing the fuel slush around in the tanks. As for the remaining icons, maintenance may also now be a part of the gameplay experience. Though, this could also mean that specific parts of trucks will be damaged when the vehicle collides with objects. Regardless, it’s bound to add yet another layer of stress to the already tough nature of Spintires. As for what the elements at the bottom right mean, it’s not quite clear to me, though it could be either be the gear system or maybe even a mini-map.
Finally, the last shot gives us a look at the world map. Zooming in on the text confirms that locations in the USA will once again be represented in MudRunner 2, as this specific map shown in the screenshot is actually in the state of Michigan. It appears that the maps will also more formal names, as this one in the shot is called “Smithville Dam”. In previous entries, some maps would simply be called things like “Island”, so this adds some more character as was first introduced in the American Wilds DLC for the original MudRunner. As for the map itself, it’s easy to see that it’s now in full color rather than a black-and-white render. It also seems to be more detailed by showing a full 3D overhead view of the surroundings. Undiscovered areas are still obscured in black, however. Looking at the top left and top right, you’ll notice it says “Work for Old Sweat”; this is likely the name of the current mission that’s being played. The description mentions that “a local farmer is looking for a qualified driver for a (???) assignment.” The rest is too pixelated for me to further transcribe, but this does at least show that specific missions are making a return, and it seems like they’re being more fleshed out to include something more than just tasks related to logging.
A shot from the original MudRunner
Light on the horizon
That’s quite a bit of info that’s tucked away in three simple shots. There’s no telling how long before Saber finally comes out and properly reveals all these new things and more, but the team does promise that more news will be made available “in the coming weeks”. Hopefully that will include the announcement of a formal release date—which will also hopefully be sometime this year.
