Driving a tow truck in snow in Nordic Recovery
In Nordic Recovery you drive a heavy tow truck on a winter road, so take it gently: brake early, steer with small taps and keep away from other cars. If you slide into the ditch, press R (Back on a controller, ↺ on touch) and the truck is put back on the road, for free.
Where do you drive?
You drive the E4, a big motorway in northern Sweden, plus country roads, gravel roads and a village. The real E4 road runs the whole length of Sweden. Road signs show the way: Workshop signs with the distance in km, Exit signs and side roads such as Lake Road and Forest Road. When you are on the way to a job, the sign for your turn lights up as you get close. Your home base is the yard of Norrvägens Bärgning, with a Recovery & Workshop sign.
The world stays in deep winter. The game's calendar runs from December to March and then starts again, so there is always snow.
Speeding up, braking and reversing
- Speed up with W, ↑, RT or ▲.
- Brake with S, ↓, LT or ▼.
- Reverse: stop the truck, then keep holding brake. After a moment the gear shows R and the truck backs up. To drive forward again, stop and press speed up.
- Handbrake with Space, X or P.
The speed shows in km/h, next to the gear: the gear number when you drive forward, R for reverse and N for neutral.
Steering without wobbling
The keys steer calmly. Tap A or D for a small turn and hold for a bigger one. The faster you go, the less the keys turn the wheel, so the truck does not swerve at motorway speed. Above about 50 km/h the truck also helps you keep straight when you let go. A controller's left stick gives finer steering.
Big trucks steer slower than small ones. In the shop each truck has a Steering bar: the 4x4 service pickup and the Wheel-lift pickup turn quickest, and the Rotator tow truck turns slowest. See Tow trucks and the shop.
How does the weather change the road?
Each shift has its own weather. Clear gives a dry road with the best grip. Wet and Fog make the road wet, and fog hides everything further than about a hundred metres. Snowfall turns the road to slush, and in a Blizzard it drifts over with snow. On packed snow and ice everything slides further: a car hit at motorway speed slides about 30 to 50 metres on asphalt or slush, but 55 to 80 metres on snow and ice. The full weather table is on Shifts, clock and weather.
Cameras
Press C (RB on a controller, 🎥 on touch) to switch between three views:
- Camera: behind, close behind the truck. Good for most driving.
- Camera: far behind, higher and further back. Good for seeing traffic and for parking.
- Camera: cab, from the driver's seat.
When you do recovery work, the game uses the work view, a camera that shows the truck and the vehicle together.
The minimap and the job line
The minimap sits in a corner, with N for north. It shows the road around you and a marker for where to go: the Accident site or the Workshop. Press M (D-pad up on a controller, 🗺 on touch) to zoom. There are three zoom levels, from close up to far out, and the map shows which one you are on.
The job line at the top always says what to do next and how far it is, for example "Drive to the accident site · 2.4 km". Some accidents are off the road, for example out on a frozen pond. Then the line adds drive off the road when you get close.
Traffic and crashes
The E4 has traffic, and lorries pass fast. Small taps below about 10 km/h leave no mark. Harder knocks dent your truck, and crashing into a car costs money: your firm pays from 1,500 to 6,000 SEK, and a very serious crash takes you off the job. If a car runs into you, the insurance pays. The details are on The workshop, pay and repairs.
Stuck? Get back on the road
Slid into a ditch or a snowbank? Press R (Back on a controller, ↺ on touch). The truck is lifted back onto the nearest road and you see "Truck recovered! Back on the road". It costs nothing and you can do it as often as you like.
Driving with a load
When a car is on your bed or wheel lift, your truck is heavier. It speeds up slower and needs longer to stop. Drive to the workshop steadily, and slow right down when you roll into the yard.
See also
- Controls: every key, controller and touch button.
- Tips for new drivers: more winter driving tips.
- Shifts, clock and weather: when it is dark, foggy or snowing.
- Like driving in the snow? Try the Night Plough guide.
- Get behind the wheel: play Nordic Recovery.
