You do not need a car to start. Bus stops get you around the city (see City and travel). A vehicle matters once you carry big loads, run delivery schedules or want to roam freely.
The Car Dealer
The Car Dealer is a business in the city. You need a registered company before you can buy a vehicle. If you do not have one yet, the game says "You need a registered company before you can buy a vehicle." Found your company first (see City and travel, Registration Office), then talk to the dealer to open the vehicle list.
For each vehicle the list shows:
- Fuel tank and Load, so you can compare vehicles;
- whether it is Owned or Rented;
- Level N required if you are not high enough yet, together with the line Reach Level N to unlock.
Vehicles open in a rough order: a basic passenger car first, then a van and small pickups, then a bigger pickup, then a truck, and then more passenger cars. Passenger cars have no cargo bed, so they cannot carry boxes. The Car Dealer shows exactly which vehicles are ready for you.
Buy or rent
The dealer's buttons are BUY, RENT, SELL and RELEASE.
- BUY and the vehicle is yours. A bought vehicle shows SELL if you want to get rid of it later.
- RENT and you pay a daily bill instead of buying (see Bank and bills). A rented vehicle shows RELEASE, which ends the rental.
- A rented vehicle works like your own: you can drive it, change its settings, see it on the map and tow it.
- You cannot sell or release a vehicle while someone is driving it: "You can't sell or release a car while someone is driving." Get out first.
Your vehicles show up on the Map (M) as moving pins and in the tablet's Shops app, under the towing service.
Getting in and driving
- Walk up to your vehicle and press E to get in.
- Drive with the keys below.
- Press E again to get out. F also works for getting out.
| Action | Key |
|---|---|
| Accelerate | W |
| Brake and reverse | S |
| Steer left / right | A / D |
| Handbrake | Space |
| Headlights | L |
| Horn | H |
| Zoom the camera in / out | Mouse wheel |
| Look around | Mouse |
| Switch cabin view on / off | C |
| Open or close cargo doors | R |
| Get out | E (or F) |
If you cannot get in, the game tells you why. "You don't own this car." means the vehicle is not yours. "The car has run out of fuel, you can tow it to the gas station." means the tank is empty (see Towing).
Camera and cabin view
Scroll the wheel to pick a chase camera distance. Zoom in past the closest chase view and you drop into the cabin view, the view from the driver's seat. Zoom out to leave it. You can also press C to jump straight between the cabin and the outside camera.
In Settings there is a Vehicle cabin view option: "Vehicles start with the view from the driver's seat." The game remembers your choice, and changing the camera while you drive updates it too.
Vehicle settings
Aim at your vehicle and press T to open Vehicle settings. You must be next to it and it must be yours (owned or rented). If it is not, the game says "You need to own this vehicle before you can customize it."
- Name: give the vehicle a name, then press Save. Cancel closes the window without changing anything.
- Order types: this section only shows for pickups. Choose which orders the pickup may carry: In-City Orders, Local Orders or International Orders.
You cannot change vehicle settings from the tablet, only when you stand next to the vehicle.
Cargo and doors
Pickups, vans and trucks have a cargo bed. Open the rear doors or tailgate first with R. The game shows Open tailgate on a pickup and Open rear doors on a van or truck, and Close when they are open. R works from beside the vehicle and from the driver's seat.
Closed doors block both loading and taking boxes out: "Open the rear doors or tailgate first."
Capacity comes in layers of boxes. More layers means more boxes per trip. Each model has its own maximum number of layers, so pickups, vans and trucks differ (see Car Mechanic).
Delivery schedules need your truck parked in the marked Pickup Parking Area: "To start a schedule, please park your truck in the parking area." The game checks again while the schedule runs. If the truck has left the area the step is skipped. If the tank is too low you get "The truck is low on fuel. Refuel at a gas station before continuing the delivery schedule."
Passengers
In co-op, a friend can ride with you. When another player is driving and the vehicle has a free passenger seat, look at the passenger side and you see Ride as passenger. Press E to sit in. Press E again to get out.
The Fuel Station
To fill up, take the nozzle to your vehicle first:
- Drive to the Fuel Station and stop beside a pump.
- Pick up the nozzle from the pump with F.
- Look at your vehicle and left click on Refuel to connect the nozzle. A vehicle can only have one nozzle connected: "There is already a pump installed in the vehicle."
- Go back to the pump and press E to open the fuel screen. If no vehicle is connected, it says "Connect a vehicle to the pump to refuel."
- Set the Amount with the slider or the plus and minus buttons. The screen shows Fuel (read only, it comes from your vehicle), Unit price, Total and the tank level.
- Press Fill. A Confirm fuel purchase window shows the total: "Pay {total} for {amount} {unit}?"
While it pumps you see Pumping. and a percentage, then Filling complete. You cannot change the amount while it pumps. A full tank says "The tank is full." If you pick zero, the screen says "Choose an amount to fill." Another player may be using the pump: "Pump is not available."
Put the nozzle back at its own station: "Pump must be returned to its own station only."
Car Mechanic
The Car Mechanic upgrades your vehicle. Park your vehicle in the marked spot first, otherwise you see "Park your car in the marked spot first." Each upgrade has levels.
| Upgrade | What it does |
|---|---|
| Load Capacity | Adds one more layer of boxes to the cargo bed (not every vehicle has it) |
| Fuel Capacity | A bigger tank, so you go farther without stopping |
| Motor Efficiency | Uses less fuel for the same distance |
To buy: pick the upgrade in the Upgrades list, then click Upgrade. When the selected upgrade is at its top level the mechanic says "Fully upgraded." The other upgrades may still have levels left.
Towing
Left a vehicle far away, or ran out of fuel? Press B for the tablet, open Shops, pick Towing, choose your vehicle and press Tow. You pay a Towing cost. The tow service looks for a free pump at a Fuel Station and parks your vehicle there. If every pump is busy you get "All gas stations are busy. Please empty gas stations first."
Towing does not add fuel. If the tank is empty, fill it before you drive away.
Parking and parking cost
- Park trucks on the Pickup Parking Area before you start a delivery schedule.
- Parking is not always free. A vehicle left parked where a parking meter applies collects a Parking Cost, which shows up as a bill (see Bank and bills).
- A vehicle that has tipped over and stays still gets set back on its wheels by itself after a while.
Stuck? The "I'm stuck" button
Open the pause menu and press I'm stuck. The game asks "Teleport to the start?" and explains that you can use it again after 120 seconds. This is for you, not for the vehicle. For a vehicle, use Tow.
Tips
- Refuel before a long trip, not after.
- Check Level N required at the Car Dealer before you save money for a vehicle.
- Do not forget to register your company before you visit the dealer.
- Open the cargo doors with R before you load.
- If you leave a rental parked in a metered spot, the Parking Cost keeps adding up.
- Passenger cars have no cargo bed, so pick a pickup, van or truck for deliveries.
Screenshots needed:
- Car Dealer vehicle list with Owned, Rented and Level required lines
- Vehicle settings window (Name, Order types on a pickup)
- Cabin view and chase view of the same vehicle
- Fuel screen with Amount, Unit price and Total
- Car Mechanic Upgrades list
- Tablet Shops, Towing, Tow button