Welcome to the October 2024 Community Update! Here you can read the latest news about development - primarily what we've been working on recently; and what you can expect to see in upcoming patches. To join the discussion, as well as get more info direct from the development team, you can join us on Discord!

In Progress

This month has again been focused primarily on the Online Multiplayer and the UI Update - but one of the new cars is now nearing completion (see lower down this post for a sneak-peek).

Online Multiplayer - We've continued to run some test sessions, and improve upon the multiplayer experience, and we're pleased to say it's approaching a point where it will soon be ready for some wider testing. If you want to see a video of the multiplayer in action, see last month's post.
UI Update - The UI update is nearly complete. As well as the visual overhaul, it has much better performance, fixes a variety of bugs, and generally feels nicer to use.
AI Update - We're continuing to make improvements to the AI for the upcoming AI update.

Waiting for Next Update

Primarily, the updates we've been working on are waiting for the upcoming Multiplayer patch - however, we are likely to release a smaller patch update in the coming weeks. This will include a few features and fixes, including a feature that can help to drastically reduce GPU load during gameplay. Stay tuned for more information about the update!

Bonus - Monster Truck Reveal

Get those stunt and off-road tracks ready for some monster truck action! The next addition to the car lineup will be coming with the next patch. We've been testing it along with the multiplayer update, and I must say that it's one of the most fun and entertaining cars to drive with others. Unfortunately Steam won't let us show the 3D car render here, but you can find it on the developer blog. Topi has done a fantastic job on the model and texturing, as always, and Markku has tweaked the handling to be both unique and rewarding.

[ 2024-10-30 11:30:39 CET ] [ Original post ]

Community Update - September 2024

Welcome to the September 2024 Community Update! Here you can read the latest news about development - primarily what we've been working on recently; and what you can expect to see in upcoming patches. To join the discussion, as well as get more info direct from the development team, you can join us on Discord!

In Progress

We're always hard at work on different features and fixes - and here are a few of the things we've been working on this month, but aren't yet finished. As always, you can check out the roadmap for more information.

Online Multiplayer - Core functionality is complete. We are now focusing on fixes and UI. See below for a video of Online Multiplayer in action!

UI Update - We'll have more information on this in a separate blog post, soon!

AI Update - We're in the process of making the AI smarter and nicer to race against - early feedback from testers is good!

Next Cars - The next two cars are in progress at the moment - we'll have more news about them in the coming months.

Waiting for Next Update

Due to the work on multiplayer, and the recently-released patch, there's currently nothing waiting for the next update - but we're still hard at work!

Bonus - Online Multiplayer Test 1

Last Friday (20.9.2024) we conducted our first Online Multiplayer Test with a few GeneRally 2 community members. We were aiming to validate the work and testing we've been doing internally for several months now, and make sure that there were no obvious, major issues with the core multiplayer functionality. We were able to conduct about 20 different races, with players from the USA, Australia, UK and Finland - and the results were really positive! Below is a short video showing a few of our races. You may be able to notice a few small glitches (such as a flying road cone or two), but by-and-large it's running nicely. This video is recorded by the host, and performance on the clients can be a little different, depending upon latency! [previewyoutube=jNhXevbzAg4;full][/previewyoutube] We'll be conducting the next multiplayer test this week (27.9.2024), to test out fixes to those small problems. From there, we will aim to finish the multiplayer UI, and then move on to expanding the tests. Stay tuned on Discord for more information about that!

[ 2024-09-22 07:42:24 CET ] [ Original post ]

Update v0.5.c6c94c0

This update introduces some small new features, and fixes several smaller issues.

Gameplay & Performance

Completely rewrote the AI pit-decision logic to improve race strategies and pitting behaviour.
Adjusted several car colliders to improve car-to-car collisions.
FIXED: Follow camera no longer zooms out excessively on tracks with a very low camera height.

Track Editor

Automatically smooth height maps when importing from PNG.

User Interface

Added Japanese language localisation (thanks to Hiroshi Ashida).
Small improvements to main menu performance.
Fuel and tyre bars are now greyed out when they are set to 0% in the race settings.
Fixed decimal values in times not being localised correctly.
Moved the driver race blocks towards the top of the screen for increased visibility.

Known Issues

The main menu sometimes experiences distortions or other rendering issues - changing resolution, or restarting the game may rectify the issue.
Occasionally, when in Windowed mode, changing the language multiple times in quick succession can shrink the game window.

[ 2024-09-08 11:03:33 CET ] [ Original post ]

Community Update - August 2024

Welcome to the August 2024 Community Update! We'll be posting these regular, short-form posts with news and information about development - primarily what we've been working on recently; and what you can expect to see in upcoming patches. To join the discussion, as well as get more info direct from the development team, you can join us on Discord!

In Progress

We're always hard at work on different features and fixes - and here are a few of the things we've been working on this month, but aren't yet finished. As always, you can check out the [roadmap](https://gene-rally2.com/roadmap/) for more information.

Online Multiplayer - Core functionality is complete. We are now focusing on fixes and UI.
UI Update - We'll have more information on this in a separate blog post, soon!
AI Update - We're in the process of making the AI smarter and nicer to race against.
Next Car - The next car is in the process of having its model finalised, and its textures tweaked.

Waiting for Next Update

These are things that we've been working on, and are either undergoing final testing or are "ready to release". We'll be including these in the next game update.

AI - The AI pitting logic has been completely rewritten and is significantly improved.
Physics - Changes have been made to open-wheel car colliders to make them more driveable.
UI - We made tweaks to the menu UI performance, and small changes to the in-race UI.
Height Map Import Smoothing - PNG height maps are now smoothed when imported.
Follow Camera - The follow camera no longer zooms out excessively at some tracks.
Japanese Localisation - Thanks to *Hiroshi Ashida*, the Japanese localisation is complete.

[ 2024-08-13 13:05:35 CET ] [ Original post ]

Update v0.5.bf6f65b

This update includes a variety of AI fixes, a few physics fixes, and some new objects and object variants!

Gameplay & Performance

AI now calculate the fuel they need to finish in a more "human-like" fashion.
Adjusted tyre wear calculation to reduce AI advantage.
Improved the low-speed turning behaviour of the Drift and Lightning.
FIXED: AI no longer drive through the pits on the last lap unnecessarily.
FIXED: Edges of bridge models now cause significantly less "bouncing".
FIXED: AI should no longer have a disadvantage in certain grid slots (hopefully).

Track Editor

Added new coloured variants of the various armco barriers.
Added a new Chain Link Fence object.

Known Issues

The main menu sometimes experiences distortions or other rendering issues - changing resolution, or restarting the game may rectify the issue.
Occasionally, when in Windowed mode, changing the language multiple times in quick succession can shrink the game window.

[ 2024-06-28 16:07:35 CET ] [ Original post ]

Update v0.5.a5c81a6

This update includes a new car, some new objects, and a variety of physics-related fixes. It's part one of the the two-part patch, which includes the new UI update.

Gameplay & Performance

Added a new car: Drift.
Added a new track: CherryDrifter.
Smoothed fuel and tyre wear calculations to help reduce any disadvantage from using keyboard input.
Separated throttle and brake inputs.
Speed limiter areas are now more aggressively enforced.
Adjusted the handling of the Lightning, to give it a more weighty feel.
Small adjustments to the General and Formula's colliders.
Small adjustments to the wheel behaviour when colliding with the terrain.
FIXED: Particles no longer remain on the terrain when moving to the next track in a Championship.
FIXED: Cones no longer slide down the terrain when restarting a race.
FIXED: AI no longer start slowly when they start off the racing line.
FIXED: Reverse grids now apply in the first race, too.

Track Editor

Added new snowy variants of the Birch tree and Hedge.
Added Cherry Blossom trees (in two colour variants).
FIXED: Bridges no longer cause a bump at the edges.

Known Issues

The main menu sometimes experiences distortions or other rendering issues - changing resolution, or restarting the game may rectify the issue.
Occasionally, when in Windowed mode, changing the language multiple times in quick succession can shrink the game window.

[ 2024-05-05 10:58:39 CET ] [ Original post ]

Progress Update - March 2024

Hello there It's time for an update about the work going on behind the scenes here at Curious Chicken Games! As many of you will be aware, we've been focussing on the GR2 Multiplayer update, but we've also been at work on a variety of other things, too. So, we'll start with talking about what you can expect from the next patch!

Next Patch

Despite all the work on the online multiplayer (more about that below), we've been making sure that we have time to work on some of the most-requested features, bug-fixes and new content. At the moment the next patch is still under development - and it could still be a couple of weeks away - but broadly you can expect to see: the new menu UI; a new car; some new objects; and a variety of small new features and fixes that have been requested by the community over the past weeks and months!

Multiplayer Update

Work on the online multiplayer is progressing well. At the moment, we only have a few more things to finish, before we're ready to start some invite-only beta testing (stay tuned on Discord for more information about that).

Fundamentally, the major things we have left are some UI work (to get the lobby screen, selection screens and in-game screens up-to-date with the new UI we're launching soon); synchronising the host's track files to the clients; and some validation/verification stuff (to ensure everyone in the server is running the same versions of everything). We want to make sure that we only release online multiplayer when it's stable and has all of the basic features needed for it to be fun to play with your friends (or strangers) online. We're still on target for our internal estimates for the release of online multiplayer - so, even though we've not had much to say about it in the past month or two, we're still moving ahead as planned!

Live Events

As part of our focus on involving the community in the day-to-day development of GeneRally 2, we'll be trialling hosting some "live events" - initially on Discord. For the most part these will begin with some Q&As, and maybe even some patch previews - but after the launch of online multiplayer, we hope to be able to do some community races together with you! Be sure to join us on Discord, to be notified of when we're planning to host such an event!

Social Media Updates

We've had a number of requests to get GeneRally 2 on TikTok or Instagram - so we've decided to try that avenue out! You can now follow @GeneRally.Game on TikTok and, if all goes well with that, we may expand to Instagram at a later date. We're trying our hand at being a little more social media savvy

So, if you're interested in seeing some short-form GeneRally 2 video content on TikTok... follow us! Of course, being a small team and with a limited amount of time to dedicate to social media, we want to ensure that we're spending our time wisely. As a result, we'll be keeping updates on Facebook and X/Twitter to bigger announcements only. We'll continue to update regularly on Discord!

Roadmap Changes

Additionally, we've made some updates to the Roadmap page in order to make our objectives a bit clearer and to show a little more obviously what we're working on right now, and how it's going. As with the previous format of the Roadmap page, the contents are all subject to change, but we'll try to keep this broadly up-to-date even between these update posts!

Community Choice Award - January 2024

Finally, the Community Choice Award for January 2024 - which would normally have been announced by now - is also coming soon. We're going to be trialling featuring the tracks in short-form videos on social media, as well as making the announcement blog posts... so we were waiting to announce all of this stuff together. Stay tuned here, and on TikTok

[ 2024-03-15 11:05:29 CET ] [ Original post ]

Christmas Update - v0.5.532cae4

Summary

This update includes some new objects, as well as a new track. At the moment the team's focus is on the upcoming online multiplayer update, so this update is smaller than usual.

Gameplay & Performance

Added a new track: WinterTyme.
Snow tracks (Snoogy, Snorge and Polarius) got updated with the new snowy variants.

User Interface

Added some Christmas cheer to the Main Menu!

Track Editor

Added new snowy variants for Fir Tree, Pine Tree, and Bush.
Added static cars, vans, trucks and trailers.
Up and Down arrow keys can now be used to cycle variants in the New Object tool.
FIXED: Hay bales now correctly follow the terrain.
FIXED: Phantom AI lines no longer sometimes remain when loading a track.

Known Issues

The main menu sometimes experiences distortions or other rendering issues - changing resolution, or restarting the game may rectify the issue.
Occasionally, when in Windowed mode, changing the language multiple times in quick succession can shrink the game window.

[ 2023-12-22 19:50:35 CET ] [ Original post ]

Christmas Update & Online Multiplayer

Today's blog post is going to cover the upcoming Christmas Update, as well as talk a bit about our progress towards online multiplayer, and what you can expect from the next couple of months!

Christmas Update

Before Christmas, we'll be launching the GeneRally 2 Christmas Update. This update will include a variety of small features and fixes, but also some themed additions to help you celebrate the holiday season in style.

Most notably, we'll be adding a new track, and a selection of new objects (including static cars, vans and trucks) and some winter-themed variants of existing objects.

Online Multiplayer

Work continues on the online multiplayer feature, which is coming along nicely and is beginning to have all the features and functionality we envisioned it having at its initial release. At the moment it's possible to race with your friends (or complete strangers) in single races - or in championships - online. We still have some way to go and our focus at the moment is now particularly on the additional functionalities like synchronising tracks between players, and handling mid-race disconnections. After this, we'll have some UI finalisation to do - and then we hope to conduct a couple of invite-only tests before launching multiplayer sometime after the New Year! Stay tuned here, and on Discord, to find out more about the invite-only tests

What's Coming Next?

We're continuing to follow our roadmap and our plans for GeneRally 2's Early Access period - and we're on-track with where we expected to be at this point. It's our intention to launch out of Early Access within the first half of 2024 Still outstanding on our pathway towards a Version 1.0 release are the online multiplayer, a couple of cars, improvements to the AI, and a variety of smaller bug fixes and features. In the year leading up to the launch of Early Access (and for a couple of months afterwards), we were really lucky to be able to have such a large team working on GeneRally 2. Now, our team is much more modest in size (only three of us are working actively on the project) - a result of the basic realities of independent game development. However, as we saw the possibility of this from afar, we set our Early Access goals conservatively, to ensure we could reach them even with a smaller day-to-day team. What this means is that prioritisation becomes the most important factor for us in delivering content and feature updates. Right now, our focus is on delivering the online multiplayer, and then we'll be able to turn our attention to the other items on the list! Of course, this also makes now a great time for us to say thank you to the team members who have helped us along the route, but are no longer working with us on a daily basis: we are so grateful to you guys for your contributions to GeneRally 2 over the past couple of years

[ 2023-12-18 12:43:45 CET ] [ Original post ]

Update v0.4.f090d72

This update includes some performance improvements, as well as a few minor features and fixes. At the moment the teams focus is on the upcoming online multiplayer update, so this update is a little smaller than usual.

Gameplay & Performance

Improved performance related to skidmarks and terrain shading in race mode.
Adjusted wheel damage to be a bit less vicious.
FIXED: Tree stumps now behave correctly when colliding.
FIXED: Corrected several objects UV mappings.

User Interface

Added Polish language localisation (thanks to Salami/Scorpion).

Track Editor

Added new size variants for trees and bushes.
FIXED: UI models for the second house type are now displayed properly in the UI.

Known Issues

The main menu sometimes experiences distortions or other rendering issues - changing resolution, or restarting the game may rectify the issue.
Occasionally, when in Windowed mode, changing the language multiple times in quick succession can shrink the game window.

[ 2023-10-26 10:19:13 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hotfix v0.4.054a7a8

This update fixes an issue with terrain physics calculations.

Changes

FIXED: Terrain normals are now correctly calculated - and cars behave properly on slopes again.

[ 2023-09-08 09:42:13 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hotfix v0.4.b7942b7

This update fixes an issue with the Formula and General.

Changes

FIXED: Formula and General no longer pull to the side on banked tracks.

[ 2023-09-06 11:58:50 CET ] [ Original post ]

Online Multiplayer & Beyond

A couple of weeks ago, we launched the August Update, which included some significant improvements to different parts of the game, including the car physics, general game performance and some aspects of the AI. As many of you have noticed, the monthly updates so far have been quite a mixture of fixes, general improvements and new features - general updates, so to speak. Going forward, we'll be shifting focus to making these updates more specific to certain areas of the game and certain features.

What does this mean?

Fundamentally, we're going to be giving each of the upcoming updates between now and GeneRally 2's v1.0 release a particular theme or main feature focus. In addition to this, we want to make sure that we deliver smaller fixes and features more often than once per month. As a result, you can expect smaller patches, hotfixes and updates as-and-when they're ready to be launched, and the bigger features on a monthly basis. Today's update improving the AI and physics, is once such example of these smaller patches!

What feature updates do you have planned?

At the moment, we have four or five major feature updates planned (and many more thoughts about updates for the future). In this blog post, we'll briefly cover just a few of them...

September's Update - Objects, UI & Miscellaneous Features

September will be the last of the "a bit of everything" updates that we've had so far. It will be a little smaller and more concentrated than the July and August updates - but it will still contain some significant upgrades and improvements. You can expect to see:

The first round of the updated menu UI, making the game nicer to interact with, and fixing a bunch of small bugs that have crept up over time.
A bunch of new objects, to round out our "first batch" of additions.
Keyboard key rebinding.
Other small features, fixes and updates.

The September update will likely arrive towards the end of September.

Online Multiplayer Update

This is a big feature, and one that lots of people have been waiting for! We've been hard at work on this feature for months now. After the release of the August update, we've now moved more team members to focussing on this, so that we can bring it to the state where it's ready for you to play. We'll have more information about online multiplayer, and what the update will contain, closer to the time.

AI Update

Another big focus for us are the AI drivers. As many of you know, the AI are not yet as competitive as we'd want them to be - and we are planning to have a significant update to them in the coming months. This update will include improvements to their basic functions and skills, and will also see the introduction of the additional parameters and "profiles", which will allow you to customise their behaviour to suit you.

New Cars and Tracks

Of course, along with future updates will have new cars and tracks at regular intervals! Stay tuned for more information about these.

When will GeneRally 2 leave Early Access?

We haven't yet set an exact date for leaving Early Access and launching GeneRally 2 v1.0 - but we do have a set of features and updates in mind that we want to finish before we get there. Stay tuned for more information on this in the coming months! [hr][/hr] If you want to support us and the game's ongoing development, and purchase GeneRally 2 in Early Access, you can buy it here on Steam! https://store.steampowered.com/app/2104920/GeneRally_2/ If you've already purchased and would like to help us out, please consider leaving a review for GeneRally 2 on Steam!

[ 2023-09-05 12:34:20 CET ] [ Original post ]

Update v0.4.893dd8a

This update fixes a few issues with the AI. It also includes various optimisations for and improvements to game systems.

Changes

Improved AI's ability to handle slides and hairpins.
Adjusted how fuel consumption and tyre wear are calculated to make the system more equal between keyboard, controller and AI players.
AI now knows not to wait for a full tank at the pits if it's not needed to finish the race.
Various improvements and optimizations for faster and more stable car physics.
Various other optimizations.
Smoother car movement by extrapolating approximate car position at render time.
Small updates to French, Russian and English translations.
General now has a brake light.
Optimised the in-game UI's performance a bit.
FIXED: Heightmap no longer gets distorted when importing a GR1 track.
FIXED: Wheels no longer clip through the car body.
FIXED: In-game UI no longer has update delays under some circumstances.

[ 2023-09-05 12:22:53 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hotfix v0.4.fc38262

This update fixes a few small issues relating to the Formula and the frame rate in the menus.

Changes

Formula's torque has been adjusted.
FIXED: Menu frame rate is no longer degraded.

[ 2023-08-25 06:55:54 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hotfix v0.4.74b380d

This update fixes a few small issues relating to car damage and GR1 imported tracks.

Changes

Car damage values have been adjusted slightly.
FIXED: Car damage is now applied correctly again.
FIXED: Invisible walls on GR1 tracks now import correctly again.

[ 2023-08-24 13:56:28 CET ] [ Original post ]

August Update - v0.4.d7636b3

Summary

This is our major Early Access update for August. It includes a variety of new game features and fixes.

Gameplay & Performance

Implemented shadow caching, which hopefully improves performance. The dynamic shadow mode will return later as a toggleable option.
Added a new car, "Truck".
Added two new tracks, "Rampster" and "Tachren".
Made changes to how the cars respond to steering inputs to improve their stability.
Adjusted the braking torque across all cars.
Adjusted the grip of cars on mud.
Lowered the General's centre of gravity.
Various small improvements have been made to the AI, particularly improving their ability to handle tight turns.
Driving through a bush now has a slowing effect.
Improved the way the AI handle pit-lanes and the AI pit line.
Improved the performance of the AI and car physics code.
Improved the feel of car collisions in a variety of situations.
Implemented some basic Steam Achievements.
Pit-crew will now start working on the car's tyres slightly more quickly.
The method of applying wheel damage has been updated to be more consistent.
Moderna has been updated slightly to improve the height map in Turn 2.
FIXED: Cars now have grip calculated correctly on steep slopes.
FIXED: Players who are "timed out" at the race end, now are correctly awarded points.
FIXED: Skidmarks now clear correctly when the end-of-race replay loops.
FIXED: The jack-man of the pit-crew no longer has a death wish.
FIXED: The game will no longer crash when leaving a skidmark against the top wall of the terrain.

User Interface

Implemented some prospective fixes for the default Steam Deck controller config.
Improved the functionality of the follow camera, including improving its "elasticity".
Added Russian language localisation (thanks to Paul Kozlovitch).
Added French language localisation (thanks to Aurlien Folley).
Adjusted the tyre wear and fuel usage scaling to range from 0-200%.
Re-enabled driver blocks showing for AI drivers. A toggle for this option will be coming in future.
FIXED: Characters in the Turkish translation should now all be rendered in the correct font.
FIXED: Driver block flags are now correct in all circumstances.

Track Editor

Added a new object, "Flagpole".
Added a new object, "Logs".
Added a new object, "Dead Tree".
Added a new object, "Container".
Added a new object, "Round Booth".
Added a new object, "House 2".
Added "tree stump" variants for all tree types.
Added the ability to force a Workshop upload to be made as a new track. **Please Note:** this will overwrite the Workshop ID stored in the track file, so you will not be able to update the previous track, unless you have saved a copy of the track beforehand.
FIXED: Object placement tool in "line" mode, no longer has variable spacing depending on drag speed.
FIXED: Multiple GR1-imported objects now import at their correct rotations.
FIXED: Blue cones in GR1 tracks, are now correctly imported as blue cones.
FIXED: AI line edge flags are now correctly generated on GR1 imports.
FIXED: The height maps of GR1 tracks now import more accurately.
FIXED: The rope parameter no longer applies to the single object rotation.
FIXED: An armco barrier no longer gets placed in the bottom-left corner of the track.
FIXED: The height map overlay no longer shows in screenshots if it was active when saving a track.

Known Issues

The main menu sometimes experiences distortions or other rendering issues - changing resolution, or restarting the game may rectify the issue.
Occasionally, when in Windowed mode, changing the language multiple times in quick succession can shrink the game window.

[ 2023-08-24 12:30:05 CET ] [ Original post ]

August Update Changes

As a small update to the August Update blog post, which previewed the features we're expecting to add to the game this month, we are unfortunately having to postpone the UI update and keyboard key rebinding to the September update. Due to a few delays in the development of the updated UI, as well as a few other unforeseen circumstances, we weren't able to get these new features to the quality we wanted in time to include, without delaying the update further. We have plenty of other features, updates and fixes we don't want to delay getting into your hands - so it made sense to release the update without these features. The August Update is scheduled to arrive next week, provided final testing of the update goes smoothly. [hr][/hr] If you want to support us and the game's ongoing development, and purchase GeneRally 2 in Early Access, you can buy it here on Steam! https://store.steampowered.com/app/2104920/GeneRally_2/ If you've already purchased and would like to help us out, please consider leaving a review for GeneRally 2 on Steam!

[ 2023-08-14 11:28:57 CET ] [ Original post ]

August Update Preview

It's time to take a look at what is coming up in the August update! As part of launching into Early Access, we said we'd be making one major update per month and this post will let you know some of what you can expect from August.
Please keep in mind that everything in this post is subject to change - we may find a bug or problem that prevents us from including certain features - but this is the broad set of things we're hoping to include.

Keyboard Key Rebinding

With this update, you'll be able to bind different sets of keyboard controls, to any set of valid keyboard keys. Grab your friends and huddle around the keyboard for some local multiplayer!

New Car

Next on the agenda, the first new car since the launch of Early Access: the Truck! This little guy is aimed at providing close racing and a heavier feel than some of the other vehicles in the line-up so far.

We're looking forward to seeing people go door-to-door in it when the update goes live, and we think it'll be a player favourite when online multiplayer launches in the coming months!

New Objects & Variants

We'll be continuing to build out the objects and variants available in the Track Editor with this update. A few of the things you can expect can be seen in this preview image - and you might find a few others scattered throughout the images we post on social media over the time leading up to the release date!

New Tracks

Once again, TuomoH will be working his magic and delivering a couple of new tracks to our default set. These tracks will be aimed at providing a fun racing experience with the Truck, but will be great additions to any championship!

Menu Rework - Part 1

The menus have been reworked, both to improve their visuals, and also to improve their underlying implementation. This will allow for further expansion in the future, and hopefully fix a few of the UI formatting bugs that have been reported.

This is the first part of our rework of the menus, and not many new features will be added with this patch. The second part of the rework will be aimed at incorporating keyboard and controller support in the menus, as well as improving a few other things, too!

New Localisations

Along with the update, we'll be shipping the Russian language (thanks to Paul Kozlovitch for contributing this localisation). In addition, localisations for Italian and Polish are in progress, and hopefully we'll be able to ship those in the upcoming update, too. We hope that this will allow more people to enjoy GeneRally 2. If you want to help us in translating GeneRally 2 into your native language, please get in touch with us!

Other Fixes and Changes

We'll also be fixing a variety of bugs, and implementing some other small changes and improvements - these will be included in the patch notes when the update goes live!

When is the August Update?

At the moment, all we can say is that the August update is coming at some point in August. We have quite a few changes that need thorough testing before they can be published, so please stay tuned for a more specific release date! [hr][/hr] If you want to support us and the game's ongoing development, and purchase GeneRally 2 in Early Access, you can buy it here on Steam! https://store.steampowered.com/app/2104920/GeneRally_2/ If you've already purchased and would like to help us out, please consider leaving a review for GeneRally 2 on Steam!

[ 2023-08-03 10:28:04 CET ] [ Original post ]

Update v0.3.28973f8

This update fixes a small issue with some Workshop tracks not appearing in-game, despite being subscribed to and downloaded to disk.

Changes

FIXED: All subscribed tracks should now be visible in-game again.

[ 2023-07-19 18:31:33 CET ] [ Original post ]

Update v0.3.0216910

This update is aimed at fixing a few small issues present with the previous update.

Changes

Added a small pop-up to highlight how to change objects in the Track Editor.
FIXED: Clouds should now cover the sky entirely in follow-camera mode.
FIXED: Invisible walls should now have their correct orientation again.

[ 2023-07-14 15:43:02 CET ] [ Original post ]

July Update - v0.3.211872a

Summary

This is our major Early Access update for July. It includes a variety of new game features, including support for importing tracks from GeneRally 1. PLEASE NOTE: The quality of imported GeneRally 1 tracks varies depending on a variety of factors including object count and usage, track design, land-map style, etc. In many cases, importing the track into the Track Editor and making suitable upgrades will be the best path forward!

Gameplay & Performance

Added support for loading GeneRally 1 tracks directly in-game, for play with 1-6 players (please note, tracks imported from GR1 will vary in quality, depending on a variety of factors).
Adjusted the friction of soft walls to make them more friendly.
Improved how the AI navigate to pit boxes.
Updated all default tracks to make use of the new objects and camera settings.
Implemented a zoomed "follow camera", with customisable distance, to assist users with vision problems.
Improved the steering behaviour of the Formula.
FIXED: Cars should no longer bounce weirdly when landing.

User Interface

Reworked the visual appearance of the in-game UI - offering two themes ("Light" and "Dark", selectable in the Options menu).
Added a "finished" flag to each driver that has crossed the line for the final time.
Added last lap, and fastest lap to each driver block.
Driver blocks now only show for players, not AI.
Improved the performance of the in-race UI in general.
When adding a driver to a race, it will use the same car type as the previous driver in the list.
Added localisation support, initially supporting: English, Finnish, Spanish, Portuguese and Turkish.
FIXED: Lapped cars crossing the finish line at the end of the race no longer have an incorrect position.

Track Editor

Added support for importing GeneRally 1 tracks into the Editor.
Added a new "object variant" system, which allows for objects to have various, selectable appearances.
Reworked the object selection menu to be more compact and easy-to-navigate.
Updated the model for the Gate (and renamed it to Gantry).
Updated the model for the House (base colour adjustment).
Updated the models for the Flat Bridge and Humped Bridge.
Added a new object, "Gate".
Added a new object, "Ramp".
Added a new object, "Hay Bale (Round)" in two orientations.
Added variants for the following objects: all office blocks; sunk tyre; pedestrian bridge; road cone; soft wall; traffic sign; house; flat bridge; humped bridge; hay bale (round).
Added a new track property: "camera height".
FIXED: The person object no longer has a large selection radius that makes it difficult to select nearby objects.

Known Issues

The main menu sometimes experiences distortions or other rendering issues - changing resolution, or restarting the game may rectify the issue.
Shadows may flicker on certain systems when using the follow camera mode. This will be rectified in a future patch.
Some text in some places may not be localised.
Occasionally, when in Windowed mode, changing the language multiple times in quick succession can shrink the game window.

[ 2023-07-14 10:53:15 CET ] [ Original post ]

July Update Preview

The team has been hard at work on our July update. As part of launching into Early Access, we said we'd be making one major update per month and this post is to tell you a bit about what you can expect from July.
Please keep in mind that everything in this post is subject to change - we may find a bug or problem that prevents us from including certain features - but this is the broad set of things we're hoping to include.

In-Game UI

The in-game UI has been completely overhauled to provide a solid base for in-game UI updates going forward. There is now a live-updated leaderboard, as well as laptime and car condition information for each player in the race. Oh, and you can change between "dark mode" (default) and "light mode" in the options menu!

We'll be making further improvements and additions to the in-game UI as we go forward.

GR1 Track Importing

You read right - GR1 track importing is coming to GeneRally 2 with the July Update. Here you can see a couple of examples of GR1 tracks being played directly (with no modifications) in GeneRally 2.

Thanks to Crowella and TuomoH for providing these tracks! Obviously, importing tracks is far from perfect - and there will be some tracks that don't import as well as others - but this should give users the basis for updating and upgrading tracks from GR1 to GR2!

The "Object Variant" System

One of the features we're excited to introduce is the "Object Variant" system. This is, to put it simply, a quick way for you to change the appearance of an object. We'll be adding variants to many of the current in-game objects - and we'll start by adding some in the July update already! Typically, an "object variant" is a version of an object that differs mostly only visually. In the most basic case, this could be different colour versions of an object (for example the soft wall) - or it could be something more comprehensive, like a different building style.

Just some of the upcoming object variants.

AI Pit-Lane Improvements

It's not news to current players that the AI drivers have some gaps in their skill-set. At the moment they are most obviously challenged by the concept of the pit area, including both entering the pitlane and navigating around pit area without crashing into the other cars. The July update will include some improvements to the way AI drivers route to the pitlane and to individual pitboxes, to help with these issues.

Localisation Support

Along with the update, we'll be implementing localisation support. At launch, this will be limited to only one or two additional languages (as translating all the game's text to other languages takes time) - but more will be added in smaller patches over the coming weeks and months. We hope that this will allow more people to enjoy GeneRally 2. If you want to help us in translating GeneRally 2 into your native language, please get in touch with us!

Other Fixes and Changes

Of course, as with any update, we'll be fixing some bugs and implementing some small new features as we go along - expect to find out more about them when the update goes live.

What about Tracks and Cars?

At the start of Early Access, we said that our intention was to bring new tracks and cars with each major update. Due to the huge amount of feedback we've been receiving about the AI and car physics, we've chosen to focus on getting the current cars and AI to a stable state before adding more into the mix. The planned cars and tracks will arrive in a future update instead.

When is the July Update?

We're planning to get the July Update into your hands in the first couple of weeks of July. Stay tuned for a more specific release date! --- If you want to support us and the game's ongoing development, and purchase GeneRally 2 in Early Access, you can find our Steam Store page here. If you've already purchased and would like to help us out, please consider leaving a review for GeneRally 2 on Steam!

[ 2023-06-28 17:43:00 CET ] [ Original post ]

Update v0.2.38f4d3a

This update is aimed at fixing a few of the issues present with the previous update - as well as adding a few minor improvements to AI pitting logic. Changes:

Made a small optimisation change to (hopefully) improve performance on older machines.
Made a change to how the AI slow down to handle pit-lane and pit-box entry.
FIXED: Invisible walls no longer show in races.
FIXED: AI will no longer try to find pit-crews themselves, if a pit AI line is present.
FIXED: Hedges no longer render incorrectly.

[ 2023-06-20 09:49:27 CET ] [ Original post ]

Update v0.2.daceca4

This update is primarily aimed at addressing performance issues, but also includes a variety of smaller feature updates. Please let us know if you encounter issues! Please note: this update is not our monthly major update, that will be coming at the start of July. We'll have a blog post about what's coming in the update, soon!

Gameplay

Improved the visualisation of slopes and height changes - height differences should be easier to "read" now.
Optimised many aspects of the track loading procedure to improve load times.
Optimised mesh-generation in-game to improve performance.
Optimised how the people dodge cars, to improve performance.
Added more details to the Formula car's textures to bring it in line with the other cars.
Multiple physics tweaks to all cars to improve handling feeling.
Improved how cars behave when tyres lose contact with the road surface.
Adjusted gravity :)
Added a slipstreaming effect.
Pitcrews will now attempt to avoid vehicles!
Improved the AI logic relating to pitstops (in multiple ways - more improvements coming).
Slightly randomised the AI skill when adding a new AI driver.
Small updates to Beachville track to improve driveability.
200% render scale no longer available, due to an underlying Unity engine issue.
FIXED: Ghost car no longer remains visible after a race restart.
FIXED: Reversing is no longer broken when coasting backwards.
FIXED: A crowd of people can no longer throw a car into the air.
FIXED: AI should no longer ignore the first AI node at the start of a race.

Audio

Silenced engine sounds when the game is paused.
Silenced engine sounds when loading/restarting a track.

User Interface

FIXED: Damage and tyre wear bars can no longer exceed the maximum value.
FIXED: Pressing "refresh" in the Workshop list, no longer resets your tag selection.

Track Editor

FIXED: Objects no longer float when importing a height map from file.
FIXED: The colour map on exported land maps no longer references "Oil".
FIXED: StreetCircuit type tracks can now be saved and uploaded correctly.

[ 2023-06-19 15:08:58 CET ] [ Original post ]

Update v0.2.16a819a

Performance optimizations for AI and physics.
Added landmap and heightmap import/export.
Added Ctrl+S shortcut for the track editor.

Note: Because the heightmap resolution in the editor is higher than the PNG image format can support, some detail will be lost during export. See this page in the manual

[ 2023-06-02 20:21:11 CET ] [ Original post ]

Update v0.2.29c6163

This update should address a bunch of common issues as well as add a variety of small improvements. There will be further changes and improvements to the AI, physics, UI and other areas in future updates. Please let us know if you encounter issues!

Gameplay

AI has been improved somewhat - they now follow the racing line more confidently and take less avoiding action.
AI skill level is now more representative and accurate.
AI should no longer get "lost" after resetting.
AI should no longer pit on the last lap of a race in most cases.
Updated the Formula and the General to be less "floaty" and more driveable.
Increased the top speed of the Lightning.
Added a penalty for holding down the throttle whilst the lights go out.
Made the tyre wear rate depend on grip (lower wear on low-friction surfaces like ice).
Adjusted the colliders for the open-wheel cars, to allow them to race better side-by-side (and not get tangled in objects).
Small update to the Collisium track.
FIXED: Reverse should no longer enable when braking and drifting.
FIXED: Large world-size tracks no longer clip into the background.

Audio

Slightly adjusted the engine audio for the Lightning and the Classic.
Slightly adjusted default audio levels.
FIXED: Sound sliders should now appropriately control engine and car noises again.
FIXED: Player cars should no longer change audio level (or lose audio completely) when crossing the finish line.

User Interface

Adjusted how the colours are displayed in the Customise menu and added tooltips.
Updated the AI slider to show values and allow entering specific values.
Inverted the damage bar to increase with damage, rather than decrease.
Added an option to specify a frame-rate limit, in the Options menu (does not apply to menus).
Framerate in menu is always limited to 60fps to reduce GPU burden.
Updated the track list to be categorised by difficulty.
FIXED: The cursor no longer disappears when returning to the main menu from the "Press Any Key" screen before a race.
FIXED: Some minor misplaced UI.

Track Editor

Improved the way the pit AI line connects to the main AI line.
Added random track names to the track save dialog.
Narrowed the default width of the AI line gates to make placement easier.
Made it essential to have an AI line before a track can be uploaded to Steam Workshop.
Adjusted the default track zoom to be closer to the track.

[ 2023-06-01 14:09:55 CET ] [ Original post ]

GeneRally 2
Curious Chicken Games

Developer

Curious Chicken Games

Publisher

2023-05-30

Release

Action Indie Strategy Casual RPG Adventure Simulation F2P Sports MMO Racing Singleplayer Multiplayer Coop EA