Guides › Beginner's guide

Beginner's guide: your first runs

Cyber Surfer is simple to pick up and hard to put down. This guide covers what you need for your first runs: how a run works, the six moves, what can and can't wreck you, and the habits that get you past your first kilometer.

How a run works

Your car drives forward on its own. You never steer or brake: the road curves, climbs and dips, and the three lanes follow it for you. All you decide is which lane to be in and when to leave the ground.

The car starts at about 94 km/h and gains speed every second you survive, reaching its top speed of about 194 km/h after roughly a minute and a half. The traffic gets denser for longer: rows of cars come closer together, more rows have two cars side by side, and tricky drivers who brake-check or cut across your lane start to show up. By about 2.6 kilometers the traffic is as dense as it gets, and the curves keep tightening until about 3.4 kilometers.

One crash ends the run, and your coins go to the bank. In the iPhone and iPad app you get one chance per run to continue by watching a short ad, which clears the road ahead and gives you three seconds of safety. The website doesn't show ads yet, so there a crash is game over.

The six moves

• 

  Dash

  Swipe left or right, or press ← → (A / D), to change lanes. It's quick, but not instant, so start your move a little before you need it.

• 

  Hop

  Swipe up, or press ↑, W or Space. A hop clears an ordinary car and lands you on the roof of a box truck, flatbed or garbage truck. Hop again in the air for a kickflip.

• 

  Slam

  Swipe down, or press ↓ or S, to drop out of the air fast. Slam onto a car and you stomp it instead of crashing into it.

• 

  Spin

  Tap while you're in the air, or press R, to spin (if you're holding a skill, a tap uses the skill instead). Every spin must be finished when you land or the jump's tricks don't count.

• 

  Skill

  Drive or hop through a glowing skill box to get a random skill, then tap (or press E or Enter) to use it.

• 

  Boost

  Green batteries fill your boost meter. Press the boost button (Shift or Q) to fire it: you go faster and smash through anything in your way.

Practice first: the tutorial

The Tutorial button on the start screen (also under How to play → Practice the controls) walks you through all six moves in order: dash, hop, slam, skill, spin and boost. The road slows to a crawl while it waits for you, you can't crash, the police stay away, and nothing is saved, so take your time. It hands you a skill and fills your boost meter so you can try both. When it says "You're ready!", you are.

What wrecks you, and what doesn't

Knowing what's actually dangerous takes a lot of the panic out of your first runs.

Note what's missing: the police can't arrest you. There's no "busted". Cops only end your run if you crash into one, so a chase is about keeping clear of them, not outrunning them.

Five habits for your first kilometer

1. Hop early, not late

At speed, squeezing between two cars is a gamble. A hop clears most of them, and if you're above a car when you come down you can always slam onto it. When in doubt, go up.

2. Use truck roofs as a safe lane

Box trucks, flatbeds and garbage trucks are the only traffic you can ride on, and they drive slower than cars. Sometimes several come nose to tail: hop on and ride the convoy above the traffic.

3. Read the warnings

Falling rocks, fallen trees and sandstorms all come with a warning first, and so do the first two ice patches each time you reach the Snowy Pass. No hazard sits inside a tunnel or right at its mouth, so the first moments of a new district are a good time to look around.

4. Don't hoard your skill

You can only hold one skill. If your slot is full, the next box only gives you 100 points instead of a new skill, so use what you have. Most skills also give you a speed kick and a short moment of invincibility when they end.

5. Keep your heat low

Each speed camera you drive under adds a star of police heat, and stars bring a helicopter, then cruisers, then roadblocks. Hop or ride a truck roof under a camera and it can't flash you. The police heat guide explains the whole system.

After the run

Every coin you picked up is added to your bank when the run ends. Spend them in the garage on paint, flames, trails and rims. Your best score goes on the all-time and weekly leaderboards under a nickname the game picks for you; see leaderboards and saves.

Ready for more? Learn how points really add up in the tricks and scoring guide, or read up on the nine skills.