Welcome Players!
Since the game is in BETA and still being improved, we made a guide to help you understand the controls. While this is not required to learn the game, it will explain the simulation settings and advanced techniques in depth.
Proper tutorials will be put in the finished game once we finalize which parts to keep and which parts need improvement.
GAMEPLAY BASICS
Skiing vs Snowboarding
Standing Room VR
Ski Turning
Snowboard Turning
Carving
Moving Forward
Slowing Down
Sucking Up Bumps
Jumping
Landing
Grinding
Spinning
Flipping
Grab Tricks
Combos
Buttering
Skiing vs Snowboarding
Which to choose? Skiing is considered easier for beginners. Snowboarding is a little more awkward to start but if you’re familiar with board sports it can also be more rewarding and fun with practice.
Standing Room VR
Make sure you stay in the center of your play area! A circle marks the center point where you should be standing. There is no need to ever leave the center position in the game.
Ski Turning
When skiing, face forward: your skis will point in the direction you’re travelling. Plant your feet wider than normal and hold the controllers in front of you at waist-level. To turn, swivel your upper body in the direction you want to turn.
Imagine you’re holding handlebars to a bike. Steering a bike works the same way as steering your skis in Powder VR. Or better yet, imagine you’re using an old-timey divining rod.
Snowboard Turning
With snowboarding, you choose a stance: “Regular” if you’re right-handed and “Goofy” if you’re left-handed. The nose, or direction of your board will go in the opposite direction of your handedness. “Regular” riders will look over their left shoulder and point the left controller in the direction they want to travel and vice-versa.
The tilt of your controller does not matter, only the direction from your headset to your controller.
If you need to rotate your field of view, you can press left or right on your touchpad or joystick. By default, you will rotate 45 degrees but it can be adjusted to 90, 180, smooth, auto or off in the options menu under quick turn amount.
3dRudder tip: Auto is probably best when using the rudder. While auto should not require adjustment on most tracks, you can also smooth turn with the touchpad or joystick while it’s on auto.
Back to ListCarving
You can increase your traction by leaning into your turn and riding your edge. Practice your cornering and edge control by leaning to the same side as your turn.
Super stability is enabled by default in the options menu. If super stability is disabled, leaning to the outside of your turn will cause a fall.
3dRudder tip: Increase your traction by tilting the rudder into your turn while snowboarding and tilting outside your turn while skiing.
Back to ListMoving Forward
To move forward: you can jump, push off with your ski poles, or tick-tack with your snowboard.
Slowing Down
Super braking is enabled by default in the options menu. Dragging your ski poles in the snow will be super effective at slowing you down. Disabling super braking will make pole dragging less effective and more realistic.
The best way to slow down is to “speed check” or “slash” by turning perpendicular to the direction you’re moving. Doing so will cause you to powerslide and you can slow to a complete stop.
Back to ListSucking Up Bumps
When approaching bumps, you can air over them or you can suck them up. By ducking over bumps and into drops, you can increase your down-force and ride through instead of airing over.
Back to ListJumping
Jumping can be performed by pressing down and releasing the trigger button. The longer you hold the trigger, the higher you’ll jump. Tapping the trigger will cause a small hop.
Raise head to jump is disabled by default in the options menu. If enabled, you can jump by moving your headset above your calibration height. This can be achieved by tilting your head up, standing on your toes, or doing a small hop. Raise head to jump is very difficult and can cause disorientation and is not recommended for the average player.
3dRudder tip: If you are snowboarding, you can jump by performing an ollie motion. This can be done by pressing down on the tail and then pressing down on the nose in succession.
Back to ListLanding
When landing tricks, landing in the direction of travel will be considered stylish and will award you more points. Landing at the wrong angle will lower your points and negatively impact your speed.
Super stability is enabled by default in the options menu. If super stability is disabled, sloppy landings will cause a fall.
Back to ListGrinding
Grinding, also known as jibbing or sliding come in two flavors: objects that are wider than the player and objects that are thinner. Wider objects like boxes do not require balancing where thinner objects like rails do.
To balance on a rail, hold your controllers and arms out like you’re balancing on a tightrope. A bar will appear on the bottom with a sliding indicator. To move the slider right, lower the height of the right controller in relation to the left controller. To move the slider left, do the opposite. Try to keep the slider in the middle.
Balance grinds is enabled by default in the options menu. If balance grinds is disabled, thinner grind objects will also not require balancing.
Coming soon: Slides will be named when performing them: boardslides, lipslides, noseslides, tailslides, bluntslides, noseblunts and 50-50s.
Back to ListSpinning
Spinning in the air can be performed in two different ways. The easiest way to huck is by spinning the controllers around each other. Hold one controller still and orbit with the other like the moon on crack.
The realistic way to spin is to pre-wind and start spinning just before you leave the ground and then crouch down as soon as you’re in the air. While you’re crouched, you will spin at the same velocity as launch. Be sure to stand up and straighten yourself out before landing.
Slow spin is enabled by default in the options menu. While playing freestyle, this causes the game to go into slow motion if you crouch within the first second of going airborne and makes it easier to perform a grab trick before you start spinning.
Camera spin (hardcore mode) is disabled by default in the options menu. Normally when you spin, your field of view will not move and you will see the skis or snowboard spin. If enabled, your entire field of view will spin along with your skis or snowboard. Camera spin can cause motion sickness and disorientation and is not recommended for most players.
Back to ListFlipping
Flipping can be achieved by first enabling them in the options > simulation > menu. Once enabled, you can perform a flip by leaning forward or backward and crouching when you jump. The further you’re leaning, the faster you will rotate. Stand up when you want to stop flipping and land on your feet. Flipping is extremely difficult to perform and still in the experimental phase and is not recommended for most players.
Flipping can be combined with grabs and spinning to perform corks and other super-steezy combinations. Though not for casual gaming or the faint of heart- to get the full effect of flipping, enable camera spin and flipping! Having both enabled can be massively disorienting as you might find yourself upside down. Please be extra aware of your surroundings and make sure it’s only enabled when you want an extreme experience.
Grab Tricks
Grab tricks can be achieved by holding the controllers near your skis or snowboard while in the air. Press and hold the trigger when they highlight. Different tricks will depend on what part you grab. Additional points can be earned by holding tricks longer and by performing double grabs.
Slow-motion tricking is enabled by default in the options menu. When performing a grab, the game will go into slow motion.
Trick chart TBA
Back to ListCombos
Combos TBA
Back to ListButtering
Buttering TBA