Just like in real life, gas is not you're friend.

When you get to your first town, the first thing you should buy is the Air Intake. The 25% gas consumption will greatly help you.

And now for the saving grace in this game

GAS STATIONS.

Another easy to miss, but very important thing ingame are the Gas Stations. All you have to do is pull up beside them and park, and there you go, a free, fuel tank of gas! Do note that if you miss the Gas Station and have to back up, watch out for poles, as those sneaky bastards love to spawn right behind you. Also incoming traffic, as no one watches where thier driving in this game.

If you pull up your map you'll notice red gas pumps on the map. These are showing you what roads have Gas Stations.

Not everything you see on the road is out to kill you. These guys here just want a ride and will give you money for giving them one.

Hitchhikers are how you make money ingame, and they can be pretty easy to miss if your trying not to die.

The way you pick them up is drive up beside them and park [stop moving]. They will only get in if you are parked beside them. They won't come in if they are in view or are behind the car.

When you get to a town they will give you money.

NOTE:
There is a ingame Hallucination that happens were the Hitchhiker will randomly appear inside your car, regardless if you have stopped to pick one up or not. When this Hallucination happens your car lights will turn on and the Hitchhiker will tell you to turn them off. If you do not turn off your lights within a few seconds the Hallucination will kill you.

Stress is what causes the hallucinations [the supernatural stuff] you see ingame. The more scary stuff you see, the higher your stress gets, and the higher it gets, the more scary stuff you see, it never ends.

The reason you want to keep your stress down is because the hallucinations can make it very hard to drive. So if you have the spare money, buy either Quaaludes or Diazepam from the Pharmacy to keep it down. Don't waste money on the candy/soda from the Supermarket, for how little it restores sanity, it's best to just buy the drugs.



I've notice there's more scary stuff in the cities/towns, so the rural roads might be best to drive on if you're trying to keep your stress down, even if it's a longer drive.

The Golden rule for these three are: If you're well off, don't risk it.

Scratches:
The Scratches that you can buy at Convince Stores are in general a waste of money. Even if you do get a winner, the payoff is just not worth the risk. Yeah, it's only $5, but that could be the $5 you need to buy a candle with.

Dark Allys:
The same as the Scratches, just not worth the risk. If your low on gas or money, it just might save you, otherwise, just ignore.

Rest Area:
Rest Areas are one of those things that are easy to miss if your driving and trying not to die, but unlike the Hitchhikers and Gas Stations, their not really helpful. They act the same as Dark Allys.