Vehicle Creation

So you want to create a vehicle, huh? Good thing, because you'll have to create quite a few if you want a chance at beating this game! You can create a vehicle at almost anytime, either by visiting Mumbo's Motors in Showdown Town, or simply clicking "Create Vehicle" before any mission. And luckily, the process is really quite easy and intuitive, but we're going to outline some tips to help you craft the perfect vehicle for whatever situation may arise.

The Basics

Your vehicle, regardless of whether it's land, water, or air based, needs at least three core components in order to function: A seat, engines, and fuel. Without those, your vehicle is more of an elaborate paperweight than anything else. But that's only the bare basics, depending on what type of vehicle you're creating, it will also need one of several other parts. If you're creating a land-based vehicle, such as a car, it will probably need wheels (there are actually a few other options available, but for most practical purposes, it's gonna need wheels). Building a boat? Slap some "floaters" on there so it doesn't sink like a rock. And if you want to build a vehicle that can fly, it's going to need either some wings, propellers, or strangely enough, even balloons.

But that's just the beginning! The missions in Nuts and Bolts often require more than just the ability of traveling from Point A to Point B. Other objectives include carrying objects, using weapons to destroy or defend something, taxing other passengers around, and more. But don't worry, there are parts for every objective, and experimentation is key in learning which parts do what.

Vehicle Tips

Although it won't work for every mission, we found building a "jack-of-all-trades" vehicle around the "Storage Tray" item to be the quickest and easiest method to completing most of the game's objectives. With just a few tweaks (and upgrades, as more parts become available), it can become your go-to vehicle for trying out most challenges. The undercarriage is a great place to throw the essentials: Engines, Fuel, Ammo (if you have weapons) and the like, since it doesn't much matter where those parts go, so long as they're connected to the vehicle in some way. Weapons can be installed on the front, and wings or propellers to the sides (for propellers, you'll have to add a "Cube" extension on either side on which the propellers can rest). The back of the vehicle is an ideal place for the seat, as well as propellers if building a boat or jets if constructing a plane.

But with so many parts, you might run into some weight-distribution issues. Specifically, if you have too much weight on one side your vehicle will tip in that direction, resulting in extremely poor handling. Luckily, each part is assigned a "weight value," which can be viewed by tapping the Right-Bumper whenever a part is selected. This should provide you with a good idea of where to place your objects. In general, heavier objects, like large engines and fuel tanks, should be confined to the center of the vehicle. If you're out of room and have to place a heavy object to the side, try counter-balancing it with either the same part, or one of equal weight value, on the opposite side to ensure your center-of-balance stays centered.

Now space is often a commodity on these vehicles, particularly when dealing with the smaller, more agile ones. Which is why it's important to go back and revise your blueprints whenever you unlock new parts. For instance, if you unlock a new fuel tank size, use it to replace the multiple smaller ones you're likely using. Also, try saving several different versions of the same vehicle, designed for different purposes. It doesn't make much sense to waste space on ammo and weapons if the mission's a simple race, for example. That room can instead be used for adding additional engines or fuel, both of which are crucial for races.

Whatever you end up building, try experimenting with different layouts and designs. There is no one way to win a mission, and half the fun of Nuts and Bolts is discovering for yourself what works and what doesn't. But if you do run into trouble, we've outlined specific vehicle tips for every one of this game's jiggy challenges, so keep an eye out for them as you read our walkthrough.