Vehicles
Vehicles, as their name suggests, provide a means for the survivor to move around much faster than on foot and if equipped with a trunk or box; allow the survivor to store his or her belongings in them.
Unfortunately due to the loud noises their engines make, they can quickly turn into a death-trap should you cruise through a town because of the huge amount of zombies their loudness attracts. Because of acid rains and perhaps the neglect of their previous owners, most of the vehicles found in the streets are either damaged or broken, and this fact can quickly lead to the demise to the unlucky-enough driver of the car should his or her car break down in the middle of a horde.
Common Locations
Automobiles and other kinds of vehicles can be found in many places. Towns are filled with vehicles of all kinds blocking the streets, usually wrecked. Garages can spawn vehicles of various kinds, sometimes just chassis, but often drivable ones. Farms have a good chance of housing a flatbed truck in decent condition. Roads and highways contain large numbers of cars and trucks, and there's always wrecked cars next to gas stations. Sewage treatment plants have usually some vehicles in the parking area.
While the majority of vehicles you'll find won't be of too much use other than for spare parts, make a habit of checking all the ones you find, as there's always a few that you can drive.
The first thing you want to check when finding a new vehicle is the amount of gasoline or batteries left (unless it's a bicycle) and if it has enough wheels to move around. In addition, you should check that the vehicle's controls and engine are in working condition (any color other than gray). That information is displayed when examining the vehicle. With enough fuel and wheels you can start driving that vehicle as soon as you find it, so you can move it to a safer place to be able to enhance it, repair it, refill it, etc without the threat of zombies and other beasts.
Default Vehicles
This is a list of vehicles that you can find in the aforementioned locations:
| Bicycle | Motorcycle | Quad Bike |
|---|---|---|
| | # o |
o ^ # o |
o^o x#x oHo |
| Car | Flatbed Truck | Semi Truck |
| 0──0 │""│ +##+ +##+ │HH│ 0++0 |
O─^─O │"""│ +#o#+ └───┘ │HHH│ OHHHO |
┌=^^=┐ O─H#─O │""""│ +#oo#+ │──+─│ │#oo#│ └────┘ xH││Hx OO┼┼OO OO┼┼OO |
| Truck Trailer | Wagon | Beetle |
| ┌────┐ │─┼┼─│ │──#─│ │────│ │─HH─│ │────│ OO┼┼OO OO┼┼OO │────│ └─++─┘ |
HHH HHH HHH |
0HH0 │""│ +##+ 0┐┌0 |
| Bubble Car | Golf Cart | Scooter |
| x"""x ""#"" "###" +"H"+ x"""x |
oo ## oo |
o # o |
| Military Cargo Truck | Schoolbus | RV |
| ┌===┐ O─H─x │"""│ +###+ │"""│ │#─#│ O#─#O O#─#O │#─*│ |
O=^=O """0" "#H=+ "#H#" "#=#" "#H#" "#H#" "#=#" O#H#O "#H#" ""+"" |
O───O │"""│ +#=#+ │─+─│ │#H=+ │HHH│ │HHH│ │&H#│ └───┘ |
| Shopping Cart | ||
| o |
You can also find incomplete versions of some of those vehicles inside garages. In that case they'll be displayed as "<name of vehicle> Chassis".
Driving vehicles
Any character can drive a vehicle independently of his/her driving skill, although the lower the skill is the higher the chance of losing control of the vehicle while driving it.
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
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
r - Repair part
f - Refill fuel tank, battery storage, etc
o - Remove part
s - Siphon fuel
d - Drain water
c - Change tire
e - Rename vehicle
ESC to go back to browse other tiles or exit the vehicle examination screen
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 damage you. The damage is proportional to the current speed of the vehicle.
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.
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. Try to turn to restore control.
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.
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. Cruise control will be automatically disabled if your vehicle crashes into anything immobile, like walls or trees.
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 and can end up exploding. You'll also be warned by the engine emitting weird noises.
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. When totally full it's the F that is light red colored.
There are 4 fuel meters, gasoline, 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.
It's also the only way to exit a vehicle.
Cruise control usually deactivates after a serious collision, so when that happens remember to reactivate it again.
Performing actions while driving
While the vehicle is moving, you cannot perform some actions (sleeping, reading, construction). To perform these actions, the vehicle must be stopped and the character must disembark. Note that seats are almost as comfortable as beds when it comes to sleeping in a vehicle, making the typical vehicle a good place to spend the night. One-handed firearms can be used while driving a vehicle, although a penalty to accuracy (in the form of a constant addition to recoil) is suffered, with its severity depending on the speed of the vehicle. This penalty is reduced with a higher Driving skill. Non-obstructive parts of the vehicle, such as wheels, can only be hit by bullets if deliberately aimed at.
Terrain
Light and, particularly, two wheeled vehicles are better suited to highway or road types of terrain. In other types you have a chance of crashing against shrubs and other natural obstacles, which can make your vehicle stop and, in some cases, throw you into the air (and take damage once you collide). You can also risk getting your vehicle stuck, making its recovery extremely tricky.
Stuck vehicles
As mentioned before, 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 enough (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.
Vehicle Construction
While it is certainly possible to build your own vehicle, a great amount of materials are needed as well as the following tools:
- A powered welder or integrated toolset
- A wrench or integrated toolset
- A hacksaw (if removing parts)
In order to create a vehicle, in addition to the above tools, a steel frame is required for starting the process. (Access the construction menu * and select 'Start Vehicle Construction'.)
A functioning vehicle requires a minimum of:
- Two wheels
- One seat
- Vehicle controls
- Any engine
Note, that removing initial steel frame is impossible until you remove all other parts.
Many different vehicle designs can be created and optional accessories such as turrets and headlights can also be added. To install a headlight, press (i) to install it, press (enter), maneuver the pointer in the direction you want the light to point, and then press (enter) again.
Vehicles consist of parts, which can be damaged and, eventually, broken. Parts can be external, or internal (which are mounted inside the former). External parts are enclosed in [square brackets], internal parts in -dashes-.
Internal parts which are tagged as 'over' are a special case. They will be enclosed in (round brackets), override the color of the external part, and will function as armor — protecting other parts in this tile from damage (although not infallibly).
Vehicle tiles can be tagged as inside (marked as In) or outside (Out). Inside tiles protect from weather effects, while outside ones don't. To become an inside tile the tile must have a roof, and the adjacent tiles must have either roof or some impenetrable obstacle (like a closed door or windshield).
The mass, top and safe speed, acceleration, fuel consumption, noise and mobility of a vehicle is based on its composition. For example, safe speed is the speed at which engine can pull the mass easily.
You can also install multiple engines in a single vehicle, but you need pretty high mechanics skill to install more than one.
Modifying a vehicle
To modify a vehicle examine any of its tiles, so the vehicle screen shows up. From there you can navigate the different vehicle tiles and parts with the arrow keys or numeric pad, and selecting by pressing ENTER.
Characters will refuse to modify a vehicle if their morale is lower than -50.
Removing parts
Select the part you want to remove (by using the cursor keys) and remove it. You'll need a wrench and hack saw (or just an integrated toolset) in your inventory or nearby to do this. The removed components will be dropped on the ground, under the player.
Successfully removing a part grants 30 skill points to the mechanics skill. If a trunk with items inside is removed, the items will be placed under the player.
Installing parts
You'll need the required components, mechanics skill and tools (powered welder, welding goggles and wrench, or just an integrated toolset) to be able to install any part.
Select the area where you want to install something by using the arrow keys and then install it. A list of possible accessories will be displayed in the lower right area. Navigate the list until you find the one you want and press RETURN. Those greyed out are possible installations where you lack the required components.
New parts can be added only to passable non-diagonal adjacent squares. A successful installation grants [part difficulty] * 5 + 20 practice points to the mechanics skill.
Vehicle parts
A list of all the parts you can install in a vehicle, detailing their characteristics, the required components in order to install them and miscellaneous notes.
The Par column has different meanings depending on the type of part:
- power for engines (top speed) and solar panel (% of 1 fuel per turn, can be > 100)
- size for wheels (inches)
- capacity for fuel tanks and parts that allow storing cargo
- bonus for seatbelt (str) and muffler (%)
Steel frame, steel plating, as well as spiked plating and hard plating can be crafted with a welder by using lumps and chunks of steel.
Turrets fire automatically at enemies as long as they have ammo. They can shoot at your own car.
| Name | Dm | Du | Par | Fuel | Req Comp | S | Flags | Note | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | * | seat | 60 | 300 | 0 | 0 | seat | 1 | over seat no_reinforce cargo | You need a seat and vehicle controls in the same tile to drive. |
| # | * | bed | 60 | 300 | 0 | 0 | seat | 1 | over bed no_reinforce cargo | |
| ┘┐┌└^ ┼│─=H | # | frame | 100 | 400 | 0 | 0 | steel frame | 1 | external mount_point mount_inner | |
| ^ | # | handle | 100 | 300 | 0 | 0 | steel frame | 1 | external mount_point mount_inner | It's just a decorative and weak frame variant. |
| ┘┐┌ └│─ | # | board | 100 | 1000 | 0 | 0 | steel plating | 1 | external mount_point mount_inner opaque obstacle | Like a frame, but blocks movement and vision. |
| =H | # | aisle | 100 | 400 | 0 | 0 | steel frame | 1 | internal over no_reinforce aisle | You can move faster through these than other car parts. |
| = | # | floor trunk | 100 | 400 | 0 | 0 | steel frame | 1 | internal over no_reinforce aisle cargo | You can move faster through these than other car parts. Also provides storage like a trunk or box. |
| # | # | roof | 100 | 1000 | 0 | 0 | steel plating | 1 | internal roof | Only provides protection from rain -acid and normal- when surrounded by other roofs, doors, boards or windshields |
| + | & | door | 80 | 200 | 0 | 0 | steel frame | 2 | external obstacle openable | It also provides limited visibility |
| + | & | opaque door | 80 | 200 | 0 | 0 | steel frame | 2 | external obstacle openable opaque | A door that blocks vision. |
| + | & | internal door | 75 | 75 | 0 | 0 | steel frame | 2 | external obstacle openable opaque roof no_reinforce | |
| " | 0 | windshield | 70 | 50 | 0 | 0 | sheet of glass | 1 | over obstacle no_reinforce | A part that blocks movement but allows vision. Relatively fragile. |
| - | x | blade | 250 | 100 | 0 | 0 | blade | 2 | external unmount_on_damage sharp no_reinforce | |
| | | x | blade | 350 | 100 | 0 | 0 | blade | 2 | external unmount_on_damage sharp no_reinforce | |
| . | x | spike | 300 | 100 | 0 | 0 | spike | 2 | external unmount_on_damage sharp no_reinforce | |
| 0 | x | wheel | 50 | 200 | 9 | 0 | wheel | 4 | external mount_over wheel mount_point variable_size | |
| O | x | wide wheel | 50 | 400 | 10 | 0 | wide wheel | 5 | external mount_over wheel mount_point variable_size | |
| | | x | bicycle wheel | 50 | 40 | 2 | 0 | bicycle wheel | 1 | external mount_over wheel mount_point variable_size | |
| o | x | motorbike wheel | 50 | 90 | 4 | 0 | motorbike wheel | 2 | external mount_over wheel mount_point variable_size | |
| o | x | small wheel | 50 | 70 | 6 | 0 | small wheel | 2 | external mount_over wheel mount_point variable_size | |
| * | # | 1-cylinder engine | 80 | 150 | 40 | gasoline | 1-cylinder engine | 2 | internal engine variable_size | |
| * | # | V-twin engine | 80 | 200 | 120 | gasoline | V-twin engine | 2 | internal engine variable_size | |
| * | # | Inline-4 engine | 80 | 300 | 300 | gasoline | Inline-4 engine | 3 | internal engine variable_size | |
| * | # | V6 engine | 80 | 400 | 800 | gasoline | V6 engine | 4 | internal engine variable_size | |
| * | # | V8 engine | 80 | 400 | 800 | gasoline | V8 engine | 4 | internal engine variable_size | |
| * | # | electric motor | 80 | 200 | 70 | batteries | electric motor | 3 | internal engine | |
| * | # | large electric motor | 80 | 400 | 350 | batteries | large electric motor | 4 | internal engine | |
| * | # | plasma engine | 80 | 250 | 400 | hydrogen | plasma engine | 6 | internal engine | |
| * | # | foot pedals | 50 | 50 | 70 | muscle | foot crank | 1 | internal engine | An engine that doesn't require any fuel source. |
| O | # | gasoline tank | 80 | 150 | 3000 | gasoline | metal tank | 1 | internal fuel_tank | |
| O | # | storage battery | 80 | 300 | 1000 | batteries | storage battery | 2 | internal fuel_tank | |
| O | # | minireactor | 80 | 700 | 10000 | plutonium | minireactor | 7 | internal fuel_tank | Provides electricity for electric engines. |
| O | # | hydrogene tank | 80 | 150 | 3000 | hydrogen | metal tank | 1 | internal fuel_tank | |
| O | # | water tank | 80 | 150 | 400 | water | metal tank | 1 | internal fuel_tank | Allows the storage of water for use by a kitchen unit |
| H | # | trunk | 80 | 300 | 400 | 0 | steel frame | 1 | over cargo | |
| o | # | box | 60 | 100 | 400 | 0 | steel frame | 1 | over cargo | |
| $ | $ | controls | 10 | 250 | 0 | 0 | vehicle controls | 3 | internal controls | Controls need to be on the same tile as a seat to be useable. |
| / | / | muffler | 10 | 150 | 40 | 0 | muffler | 2 | internal muffler | One per combustion engine to reduce noise. Additional mufflers do nothing. |
| , | , | seatbelt | 10 | 200 | 25 | 0 | rope - 6 ft | 1 | internal seatbelt | Reduces the chance of being thrown from your seat during a collision. |
| # | x | solar panel | 10 | 20 | 30 | 0 | solar panel | 6 | over solar_panel | Only charges during sunny skies |
| & | x | kitchen unit | 10 | 20 | 0 | 0 | RV kitchen unit | 4 | over cargo roof no_reinforce obstacle kitchen | To use it the vehicle also needs a storage battery (to power it) and, optionally, a water tank (to store water) |
| t | # | mounted M249 | 80 | 400 | 0 | .223 | M249 | 6 | over turret cargo | |
| t | # | mounted flamethrower | 80 | 400 | 0 | gasoline | flamethrower | 7 | over turret | |
| t | # | mounted plasma gun | 80 | 400 | 0 | hydrogen | Boeing XM-P Plasma Rifle | 7 | over turret | |
| ) | ) | steel plating | 100 | 1000 | 0 | 0 | steel plating | 3 | internal armor | |
| ) | ) | superalloy plating | 100 | 900 | 0 | 0 | superalloy plating | 4 | internal armor | Lighter than regular steel plating. |
| ) | ) | spiked plating | 150 | 900 | 0 | 0 | spiked plating | 3 | internal armor sharp | Parts covered with this armor inflict additional damage to what it hits. |
| ) | ) | hard plating | 100 | 2300 | 0 | 0 | hard plating | 4 | internal armor | 3 times as heavy as regular steel plating. |
| * | * | head light | 10 | 20 | 120 | 0 | flashlight | 1 | internal light | Does not need or use batteries. Fragile. |
Flags:
|
|
Vehicle Damage
Vehicles are damaged by colliding against obstacles, by environmental damage (such as acid rain and fire), by the type of terrain you're driving over or just by simple use.
As in real life, the damage suffered by your vehicle is locational. For example, by crashing the front right part of your vehicle against a building you would damage only the front right wheel, front right frame, and any accessories located in that area.
If the current speed exceeds the indicated safe speed (which you can check by examining your vehicle), the chance to damage the engine grows. You'll know if you're exceeding it if the current speed display turns yellow.
Note that you can still drive a vehicle with more than two wheels (such as a car) even if some of them are broken or missing. You can check its mobility status by examining it.
The damage of each part is displayed using a color code:
- Undamaged
- Slightly damaged
- Damaged
- Very damaged
- About to break
- Broken
Vehicle Repairs
To repair a vehicle you need a powered welder and a wrench (either in your inventory or nearby) or an integrated toolset, then examine the vehicle and select the part you want to repair by pressing the cursor keys. Once the part is selected you'll be able to repair it if your mechanics skill is equal or higher than the one required.
If a part is colored grey it means that it's broken and you'll need the specified spare part (in your inventory or nearby) in order to repair it.
Finishing a repair grants [part difficulty + 2] * 5 + 20 practice points to mechanics skill
Changing tires
Alternatively to repairing an installed wheel, you can simply change it with another one. For this you'll need the replacement wheel (any size, but the same size is preferred), a wrench and a jack, in your inventory or in a tile nearby. Then proceed to change the tire, select the type of wheel in the list displayed in the bottom right, and press RETURN.
Changing a tire doesn't require any mechanics skill and, better yet, doesn't waste any of your precious welder batteries.
Refilling a vehicle
All vehicles except bicycles (or custom vehicles with foot pedals) need some sort of combustible or power source in order to move. You can check how filled its gasoline tank or batteries are by looking at the fuel indicator. It's displayed as "E../F", where the slash indicates how Empty or Full the gas tank or batteries are (close to E, empty, close to F, full). While mounted you can check it on the lower right corner of the screen. While dismounted you have to examine the vehicle to check it.
Gasoline engines
Gasoline can be found in gas stations and some mines and can be used to fill the gas tank of your vehicle in two ways:
A) examine a gasoline pump. When prompted say Yes to start pumping and then No when asked if you want to pour it on the ground, then choose any empty container in your possession that is able to hold liquids. You can use anything for this purpose, from a plastic bottle (that only holds 400 units) to a plastic jerrycan (which can hold up to 8000 units of gasoline).
Once you have a recipient filled with gasoline examine your vehicle and search for its gasoline tank. You can find the tank by moving around the vehicle parts by using the cursor keys. Finally Refill it.
B) Move your vehicle next to the gas pump and examine it. When asked if you want to fill your vehicle say Yes, and then press the direction where your vehicle is. Now you can either say Yes to automatically refill the vehicle until its gas tank is full or say No and only fill it a bit. Whatever you decide depends on the situation, as filling a tank from empty to full can take a long time.
Electric engines
Require batteries and/or solar panels installed. Much more silent. Sound not affected by muffler.
You can refill car batteries by having normal batteries in your inventory and using the vehicle menu and refill it
Battery storage volume
Different storage batteries have different volumes. All can be refilled by either having a running engine with an alternator, solar panels, or by using a battery from inventory to refill the vehicle battery.
- Small storage battery - 1000
- Storage battery - 100000
- Motorbike battery - 12000
- Car battery - 30000
- Truck battery - 50000
Water Tanks
You are required to fill your water tank with clean water. The easiest way to do this is to fill a steel or plastic jerrycan with water and use a water purifier, it will clean the whole thing provided it has enough charge.
Draining and Siphoning
You can drain any existing fuel, but not batteries, from any vehicle, provided that you have a rubber hose and some kind of liquid container. If you have those items just approach a vehicle, examine it and then siphon it. Once done that, you'll be asked to pick a container for the gasoline.
This same procedure can be used to drain water from the water tank of a vehicle, if present.
Using Vehicle Storage
Stand next to the tile with Vehicle Storage and Drop items into it. You can use the examine key to look inside vehicle storage. Storage in a vehicle is per tile, not per vehicle. An empty tile does not show up as having storage.
You can store items in any seat, bed, box or trunk present in the vehicle. From all those, trunks and boxes are the ones which only purpose is to store cargo. While you can use the driver's seat for storage you won't be able to sit properly to drive your vehicle if it's too packed.
Once the part used for storage has reached its maximum capacity any further items you place there will be dropped on the ground (you'll be warned about it). To recover those objects you have use the examine key, and select 'collect items from ground'. Or use the examine key on the storage area and say No when prompted. The specific method depends on the version of the game you are playing. Remember that if you don't pick those objects up again they'll be left lying there once you drive away.
Storage volume
Cargo spaces have different allowed volumes, here is a list:
- Cargo Space / Cargo Carrier - 1000
- Trunk - 650
- Chemlab / Kitchen Buddy / RV Kitchen Unit / Welding Rig - 400
- Floor Trunk - 350
- Minifridge - 300
- Box - 275
- Stow Board - 250
- Shopping Cart Basket / Bed - 200
- Seat - 100
- Wire Basket - 60
- Table - 15
Floor Trunks and Cargo Spaces have the added benefit of not slowing you down as you pass over them, while the minifridge--if powered--keeps food fresh longer. Stow boards block LOS/Movement while also acting as storage space.
Grabbing and dragging vehicles
You are able to drag any vehicle behind you as long as you're strong enough to move it. To do so, position yourself besides the vehicle, press G and select the direction the vehicle is. To release it, press G again.
So far, only shopping carts, and some bikes can be dragged around without problems.
Other uses
The game mechanics behind vehicles are actually quite robust, and can be used for other purposes.
Assemble a few frames, some solar panels, some batteries and a minifridge. Leave it outside, and you have a solar powered fridge.
The same mechanics can be combined with gas tanks, engines, floodlights and other stuff, to create static base defences.
Changes
- - Allow saving while in a vehicle.
- - Fix solar panel power production on vehicles.
- - Cleanup tire changing activity.