Driving

Guide created using an unknown version of Cataclysm DDA.
The information present here might not apply to the current version of CDDA.

Vehicles
Driving
Repairs
Installing and removing parts
Construction
Parts and components

The driving skill affects the chance to fumble with controls, chance to recover from or prevent a skid and accuracy of weapons fired during driving. Apart from that, any character is able to drive any vehicle, regardless of its driving skill.

Control keys

The directions mentioned in the table below are relative to the direction of your vehicle.

Driving

ACC. LEFT	ACCELERATE	ACC. RIGHT
7 or y	8 or k or UP	9 or u
TURN LEFT	KEEP MOVING	TURN RIGHT
4 or h or LEFT	5 or .	6 or l or RIGHT
DEC L/REV R	DEC/REV	DEC R/REV L
1 or b	2 or j or DOWN	3 or n

s - Handbrake

^ - Display vehicle controls

Interacting

e - Examine / Interact with vehicle parts, depending on certain conditions, you might get a menu with the following items:

• e Examine vehicle, displays the vehicle interaction window.
• v Control vehicle, displays the vehicle control menu, when the tile has the controls.
• h Use the hotplate, when the tile has a hotplate and the vehicle has a battery.
• g Get items, access the tile's storage.
• i Get items on the ground.
• c Fill a container with water, when the tile has a water tank and the vehicle has water.
• d Have a drink, when the tile has a water tank and the vehicle has water.
• w Use the welding rig, when the tile has a welding rig and the vehicle has a battery.
• p Use the water purifier, when the tile has a kitchen buddy and the vehicle has a battery.

o - Open door / curtain - In the experimental builds of the game, doors can construct vehicle curtains. From the outside you open both the door and the curtain at the same time. From the inside you first open the curtain, then the door.

c - Close door / curtain

G - Grab a nearby vehicle / Release vehicle

Examining

These actions are only available when examining a vehicle.

[Arrow keys] or [numeric pad keys] to navigate through the vehicle tiles or parts

ENTER to select a tile and browse through its parts

i - Install part. Requires part and tools. Some parts are assembled from components.

r - Repair part. Requires tools and components.

m - Mend part. Varies. May require tools and components.

f - Refill fuel tank, battery storage, etc. Requires fuel. Can also fill tanks with other liquids, like water.

o - Remove part. Requires tools and either a tool with enough lifting quality or enough strength.

s - Siphon fuel(requires a tool with siphoning, like a hose)

d - Drain water

c - Change tire

e - Rename vehicle

ESC to go back to browse other tiles or exit the vehicle examination screen

Repairing a part usually involves undoing damage to the part done by driving into things or being hit. Some parts cannot be repaired (like windshields) and must instead be replaced. Some parts can be faulty and require mending to fix the part. The ability to mend will not be shown until a fault is identified, usually through using the part. E.g. a faulty engine will only reveal its fault when the player attempts to start it.

To drive a vehicle move over a tile with both a seat and vehicle controls present, and press ^. To exit a vehicle press ^ and select "Let go of controls". Boarding and exiting a vehicle costs 200 movement points. Getting out of a moving vehicle with a speed greater than or equal to 1 MPH will fling you in the direction the vehicle was going. This will cause damage in a similar way to smash attack, with fling speed proportional to vehicle speed.

To control a vehicle you can use either the cursor keys or the numeric pad. Using the numeric pad has the advantage of allowing your vehicle to move diagonally, and forward without any other interaction than pressing 5 (or .) once your vehicle is in motion. Otherwise you'll need to either turn or increase/decrease your speed to update the current vehicle position.

Press s to use the handbrake. The handbrake is intended to bring the vehicle to a standstill, but if the vehicle is unstable (if it turned recently, for example), it can cause a skid.

Displays

When driving, the relevant information related to your vehicle will be displayed in the lower right side of the screen. These are the displays present there, from left to right:

Skidding

.0.

Skidding can happen when a car collies with something heavy enough or the handbrake is pulled while driving at high speed. High driving skill decreases the chance of skidding and increases the chance to recover from it.

If the display shows .0., then the wheels are facing the same direction in which the vehicle is moving. If the display shows L.. or ..R, then the vehicle moves to the left or right of the direction it is facing. Aligning the car with the direction of the skid makes it much easier to recover from it.

Speed

Cruise control on

{mph 18> 30}

The blue number is the current vehicle speed. The green number is the desired one, and the only one you can directly modify by pressing the accelerate or decelerate keys. Your vehicle will always try to match its current speed with your desired one.

Note that cruise control will only work when the driver is at the controls. If you lower the cruise speed to 0 and immediately let go of the controls, the car will keep its full momentum.

Cruise control off

{mph 37}

The number displays the current vehicle speed. Without any input from the player, the vehicle will decelerate progressively. Maintaining a stable speed is therefore trickier than with cruise control on, requiring more attention from the player.

Safe speed

Safe: {mph 37}

Not safe: (mph 348}

If the current speed display turns yellow or light red you're currently going faster than the engine's recommended safe speed. While doing so your engine will be progressively damaged which decreases its power output (and increases fuel consumption to keep up the speed). You'll also be warned by the engine emitting weird noises. If the only engine breaks while driving at high speed, stopping may be very hard.

Going above safe speed also greatly increases fuel consumption. This is the case even with muscle engines.

Fuel

E.|.F

The vertical bar indicates how Empty or Full the gas tank or batteries are, by its proximity to each letter. A light red E means that the tank or batteries are totally empty or about to be exhausted. When totally full it's the F that is light red colored.

There are 5 fuel meters, gasoline, diesel, water, hydrogen and battery, designated by the indicated color.

Vehicle controls

Vehicle controls h Disable cruise control c Turn on headlights l Switch turrets to burst mode m Fold bicycle e Let go of controls   Do nothing

All vehicles have a built-in controls device (accessed via ^). This allows you to set the desired speed and, if installed, manage the activation of your vehicle's headlights and mounted turrets. For most vehicles these are called controls, but for bicycles they are foot pedals. A working method of control must be present to drive a vehicle.

It's also the only way to exit a vehicle.

Fumbling with controls

Fumbling with controls causes the vehicle to randomly steer to the left or to the right. This can happen at any speed. At higher speeds, it can happen multiple times in a turn (during every vehicle movement).

The chance of fumbling decreases linearly with the driving skill, reaching 0 at 4 skill.

Performing actions while driving

One-handed firearms can be used while driving a vehicle. The shots will be subjected to increased recoil, relative to the vehicle's speed. A high driving skill can help to mitigate this penalty. Non-obstructive parts of the vehicle, such as wheels, can only be hit by bullets if deliberately aimed at.

Actions such as sleeping, reading, construction, etc can't be performed while the vehicle is moving and you are in control of the vehicle.

Terrain

Light vehicles, such as bicycles, are better suited to highways or roads. In other terrain types you have a chance of crashing against shrubs and other natural obstacles. That can bring your vehicle to a stop and, in some cases, throw you into the air (and take damage once you collide). You also risk getting your vehicle stuck, which can make its recovery quite tricky.

The thinner and shorter the vehicle, the easier it is to maneuver it around obstacles. The heavier and more armored it is, the less it needs said maneuvers.

Stuck vehicles

Sometimes you'll get your vehicle stuck in the environment, be it after a collision or because of careless driving.

If your vehicle is light (shopping cart, bicycle, motorcycle...) you might be strong enough to either drag it with you or slowly push it away until it gets unstuck. To do so press G to grab the vehicle, select the direction your vehicle is, and move to the desired direction. Then press G again to release it. Repeat as necessary until your vehicle is freed. WARNING: This is only consistently possible with vehicles One tile in size. At two tiles things move weirdly, at three the game tends to crash and weirder thing happen, any larger and it rarely works and usually crashes. In short, save before even trying.