Early on we made a decision that shaped the whole game: the truck bed would not be an inventory menu. When you collect scrap, it goes into the bed as a real object that takes up real space and adds real weight. It's a harder way to build a hauling game, but it's the reason a good run feels earned. This post walks through how it works and where we're still fighting the physics.
Cargo that actually sits in the bed
The core rule is simple to state and tricky to enforce: the game counts cargo that is genuinely inside the bed. Items resting in the cargo area are your load; something balanced on the tailgate or wedged against a wheel is not securely yours. That single rule creates all the interesting decisions — how to stack, what fits, and when a bed is "full enough" to make the drive.
Weight you can feel
Because every item has mass, a loaded truck drives differently from an empty one. Stopping distances grow, acceleration softens, and corners want to roll. We didn't add this to punish players — we added it because it's the honest consequence of hauling, and it turns "drive back to the yard" into an active part of the game rather than a loading screen with a steering wheel.
The tuning problems we're still chewing on
Physical cargo is wonderful when it behaves and maddening when it doesn't. A few of the challenges currently on our desk:
- Bounce vs. stability. Loads need to react to bumps without flinging themselves onto the highway over a small pothole. Getting that threshold right is delicate.
- Contact edge cases. Odd-shaped items can occasionally read as "in the bed" when they're precariously perched, or vice versa. We're tightening the detection.
- Handling curve. Weight should matter, but a full truck shouldn't feel like driving through wet cement. We're tuning the falloff so heavy feels heavy, not broken.
- Performance of many objects. A bed full of individual physics objects is more expensive than a number in a menu, so we're optimizing to keep frame rates healthy.
How you can help
If a load behaves strangely — cargo popping out over nothing, an item that won't register in the bed, handling that feels wrong for the weight — that's genuinely useful. A short clip plus your browser and computer details helps us reproduce it fast. The Support page has the checklist.
Want the player-side version of all this? The Vehicle Guide turns these systems into practical loading and driving tips.