Welcome to our Online Multiplayer Update Preview! As there's a lot of updates and changes coming with the launch of Online Multiplayer, we thought we'd start by giving you a bit of a look at what you can expect to see.

Online Multiplayer

It wouldn't be the "Online Multiplayer Update" without the addition of Online Multiplayer, now, would it? Over the past month we've been running a number of multiplayer tests, which some of you have even been a part of! We're now at the point where we are happy that the core of the Online Multiplayer is ready for release, and now we're finishing up things like localisations; the keyboard key rebinding system; and the like.
Creating an Online Multiplayer game will be quite familiar to anyone who's already played the game. Select your tracks, set up your race (and server) settings, start a lobby and wait for your friends (or complete strangers) to join. If you don't want to start a game yourself, you can join an existing game, too.
At launch, we'll have the ability for you to host games, join games, invite your friends, set up championships, configure all of the various race settings, etc. We support admin tools for kicking and blocking users, too!

New Car - GT

This one has been in the pipeline for a while, and has undergone a lot of testing and tweaking, but it's safe to say it's been worth the wait. The GT is fast, grippy and excellent fun racing online with your friends

Updated Default Tracks

Tuomo has gone through almost all of the default tracks, and has carefully upgraded them with new objects and new features that weren't available when the game originally launched! Only visual changes have been made, so your laptimes are all still valid.
Many thanks to Tuomo for his hard work on these - they look great

Steam Game Recording Support

Recently, Steam launched Steam Game Recording, which is a great new feature that allows background recording of gameplay footage, and provides easy tools to cut, edit and share clips.
As part of this, games can support adding different features to it, to allow users to find and enjoy their favourite moments. We have added basic initial support for Steam Game Recording's Timeline feature, which means that you'll be able to easily find important race events like race starts, pitstops, and the like - and we'll expand it in upcoming patches with more events. We look forward to seeing your various clips and interesting moments from online races, in the #pics-and-videos channel on Discord

Other Features & Fixes

• Added over-car names as an option for single player and multiplayer.
• Added driver flags to the race/championship results UI.
• Added an in-game console - this is currently used only for the Online Multiplayer, but will have other features further down the line.
• Fixed a bug with the menus on Steam Deck.
• A variety of under-the-hood improvements to support Online Multiplayer and future features.

In Conclusion

With all that said, we're really excited to start racing online with you all soon. Stay tuned for the precise release date - and don't forget to join us on Discord to discuss more about the update, and the game's development in general!

[ 2025-03-29 09:10:47 CET ] [ Original post ]

Welcome to the February 2025 Community Update! We have our regular update for you on the state of development - primarily what we've been working on recently; and what you can expect to see in the near future. To join the discussion, as well as get more info direct from the development team, you can join us on Discord!

Online Multiplayer & Testing

Online multiplayer implementation is feature-complete! It has been a long road, but we are now finally at the point where we can stop talking about "when it's finished" and start talking about release dates! We have selected the players to join us for the online multiplayer private beta test - please check your email inbox for an email from us over the next few days (as we decide on specific testing periods and dates). If you've been selected, you will likely be participating in a test sometime in the next 7-10 days. As long as those tests go smoothly - and no major bugs are found - we'll be on the final road to launch! If you haven't been selected, don't worry, it won't be long now until you're able to play GeneRally 2 online Below are a few questions we assume might be on your mind...

How will the testing work?

We'll be defining a couple of testing periods (roughly 1-2 hours each) on specific dates, where we (the developers) can try out all aspects of the online features with the selected players. We'll be looking for bugs and assessing if the network performance is acceptable. After these initial testing periods, we'll determine whether we need to do more testing (for example, to try out any fixes we make), or if the feature is ready for release.

Why wasn't I selected for testing?

Unfortunately, we can't select everyone - and we did receive a lot of applications Primarily, we've chosen people with a range of hardware specifications, and in groups that are located close enough to each other geographically that latency doesn't become a major issue in tests (for example, not mixing people from Oceania and Europe in a test group). We've preferred people who are regular players of the game and who are members of the GeneRally 2 Discord.

When will the Online Multiplayer be released?

Assuming the tests go well, and we find no new show-stopping bugs, we're most likely a maximum of a few weeks away from launch We have some other, related things to do before then (such as updating some of our Steam store page texts and images to announce the feature) but it's mostly "admin" work at that point!

Will there be a discount at the launch of Online Multiplayer?

Yes, we will be running our first discount for GeneRally 2 to coincide with the launch of the Online Multiplayer. This should make it a lot easier to convince your friends to join you for some races

What comes after Online Multiplayer?

After the Online Multiplayer feature is released, and we're content everything is in good order, we'll move back onto the other features on the road to v1.0. This includes things like replays and save games; time trial mode; photo mode; physics and AI improvements (including AI driver profiles); and more. We also have a long list of "minor" improvements to make to the Track Editor! As far as our set of Early Access development features, Online Multiplayer is the last major one - so we'll then definitely be heading towards the end of Early Access

Other In Progress Work

Alongside the Online Multiplayer, we've also had a few other things in progress:

• Control Rebinding - Work continues on this system, which we aim to have in place for the Online Multiplayer launch.
• Steam Deck Fixes - We've located and resolved a few issues with both the menu rendering and the default control profile.

[ 2025-02-28 19:56:36 CET ] [ Original post ]

Welcome to the January 2025 Community Update! It's a new year, and we have some updates for you on the state of development - primarily what we've been working on recently; and what you can expect to see in the near future. To join the discussion, as well as get more info direct from the development team, you can join us on Discord!

Online Multiplayer & Testing

As mentioned in the end-of-year update, we have been working on the last parts of the Online Multiplayer UI, with a view to starting testing very soon. We had hoped to have already started testing in January, but it looks like it'll still be a couple of weeks before we're ready to proceed with that due to some delays in getting the last bits of the UI finalised. At this point, though, we're really happy with the state of the netcode, and the general gameplay of Online Multiplayer, and we're looking forward to sharing that with you! After the testing has been completed, we'll be finishing up the controller-profile system (that allows you to rebind controls) and fixing any bugs that arise during the testing period. When that's done, we'll be ready for general release on Steam. Internally, we've broadly decided on a release schedule for multiplayer, so things are starting to fall into place (finally) - once we've finished the testing, we'll be able to start talking about the release date!

Other In Progress Work

Alongside the Online Multiplayer, we've also had a few other things in progress:

• Control Rebinding - As mentioned above, this is something that we hope to ship along with the Online Multiplayer feature.
• Car Physics Updates - Markku has been hard at work improving some of the car physics and car handling characteristics. This has been a fairly universal improvement across the board!
• Unity 6 Upgrade - We've been upgrading the game to allow us to take advantage of some of the new features offered by Unity 6. As with all upgrades, we've had to spend a little time fixing some things broken during that process.
• Next Car - The next car has been in testing for a while, and tweaks to its handling and performance are ongoing. It's been a lot of fun in testing
• Steam Deck Fixes - There are a few small problems with the menus (and controls) in the most recent updates, on Steam Deck, so we're trying to get to the bottom of those.

Community Choice Award

We'll have more about the Community Choice Award soon - and we'll be posting the back-dated results for the missing months as well!

[ 2025-02-01 18:06:56 CET ] [ Original post ]

This update fixes a small issue with achievements not unlocking properly.

Changes

• FIXED: Achivements can now be unlocked/incremented again.

[ 2025-01-02 14:19:46 CET ] [ Original post ]

Welcome to the End-of-Year 2024 Community Update! This one will be a little bit different to normal, and includes a little "mini-interview" with Markku, James and Topi! For those still wanting to know what we're working on, December (and particularly Christmas) has been a bit of a relaxation time for the team - but we're now in the final stages of work on the Online Multiplayer UI, along with the control rebinding. To join the discussion, as well as get more info direct from the development team, you can join us on Discord!

Markku

What was your favourite update for GR2 this year? Probably the latest one. The AI is a challenge to develop, and I had many great ideas for it that for one reason or another did not end up working in practice. But when you hit upon something good you get concretely rewarded by the little cars going around the track a bit faster. What are you most looking forward to in GR2 in 2025? Having more time to work on the AI. Seeing the multiplayer finally get out there, and how it will develop over the year. Do you have any plans for New Year's Eve tomorrow? I intend to enjoy my own company in peace (unless the latest patch has broken something that needs fixing). Anything else you'd like to add? Huge thanks to everyone who played the game and/or showed up in our Discord. I love game development, but it's even more motivating when you know there are people out there enjoying the game. Seeing the hundreds of tracks people have built for the game is quite humbling.

James

What was your favourite update for GR2 this year? In terms of gameplay, I really enjoyed the Monster Truck update - it's a lot of fun to drive. And it's especially fun in multiplayer. It also has quite a sharp line between "everything's going okay" and "okay, now I'm on my side and going nowhere", which makes it fun in competition! What are you most looking forward to in GR2 in 2025? Online Multiplayer, without a doubt. We've had such fun in testing, and I really do think players are going to enjoy it a lot. It really is, for me, a "dream come true" as far as GeneRally is concerned. Do you have any plans for New Year's Eve tomorrow? Board games and fondue with some friends, and then fairly early to bed. A lot will depend on how our year-old puppy reacts to fireworks (which are very popular to set off in Finland on New Year's Eve) - hopefully he'll be fine! Anything else you'd like to add? I'd like to say a big thank you to the entire GeneRally community for their support, encouragement, feedback and just general awesomeness. Also to the feedback & testing team for their thorough and honest (sometimes brutally so) feedback. And, well, ultimately I'd just like to say that we're by no means done, and we have plenty of plans for 2025 and beyond!

Topi

What was your favourite update for GR2 this year? The stand outs for me were the addition of the new UI and the Monster Truck. Also love the new improved handling of the Drift. What are you most looking forward to in GR2 in 2025? Obviously the launch of the Multiplayer as it has been in the works for a long time. Do you have any plans for New Year's Eve tomorrow? No major plans this year. Decided to take it easy and chill at home for the most part. Will go out and check some local fireworks around midnight of course! Anything else you'd like to add? Just want to thank everybody in the community who's helped us develop GR2 this year. I think with all the help and feedback we've received, we've been able to improve the game significantly. --- With that, there's nothing left to say but a big thank you to you all for 2024, and Happy New Year from the GeneRally 2 Team!

[ 2024-12-30 18:22:18 CET ] [ Original post ]

A small update to push the upcoming AI updates in before the multiplayer patch! Happy New Year from all of us

Gameplay & Performance

• Significant updates to the AI logic, to make them faster (improvements to their overtaking ability will come later).
• Some further updates to the AI pitting logic.
• Made the "AI Skill" slider more accurately reflect the AI skill level.

User Interface

• FIXED: Going to Editor, and using the Up/W keys, no longer prevents you joining a race with those keys when returning to the race menu.

Known Issues

• None.

[ 2024-12-30 16:50:31 CET ] [ Original post ]

Welcome to the November 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 still working on the Online Multiplayer, which has taken up the majority of our time this month. We are expecting to announce a release date for Online Multiplayer soon!

• Online Multiplayer - All that's remaining before release is to finish the Online Multiplayer UI. We are now also accepting sign-ups for testing, please click here to sign up!
• Performance - Whilst we released some performance improvements in today's patch, we are continuing to work to make the game lighter and more efficient.
• Control Rebinding - Work on the control-rebinding has begun, and we're targeting this to release along with the Online Multiplayer.
• AI Update - We're continuing to make improvements to the AI for the upcoming AI update (which will arrive after the Online Multiplayer update).

Waiting for Next Update

Today we have released the last pre-multiplayer patch. You can find the patch notes here. Unless any significant bugs are found, the next update will be Online Multiplayer.

Community Choice Award

As we've been focused on getting the Online Multiplayer into a good state, we've got behind again on posting the results of the Community Choice Award. We'll be back on top of that soon

[ 2024-11-30 11:02:24 CET ] [ Original post ]

This update includes the new menu UI, a new car, some physics and AI updates, and many other general improvements. This is our last planned patch before the release of Online Multiplayer, and the patch includes a number of improvements made in preparation!

Gameplay & Performance

• Added a new car: Monster Truck.
• (Finally) added the option to end the current race immediately from the pause menu.
• Made various adjustments to car steering and suspension when the car is tilted at a high angle.
• Significantly improved the handling of the Drift.
• Reduced the friction of "worn" mud.
• Adjusted behaviour of all cars as they approach top speed to improve racing on longer tracks.
• Improved car reset logic.
• Improved ghost car appearance.
• Cars are now ghosted briefly after resetting.
• Various performance optimisations.
• Small adjustments to some car sounds.
• FIXED: Various memory leaks in menus and game have been patched.

User Interface

• Added Italian language localisation (thanks to Marcello Beretta, Amedeo Sorpreso and Riccardo Russo).
• Completely reworked main menu UI (with improved performance and visuals).
• Updates to the in-game UI to align more closely with the new main menu UI.
• Added a news panel to the game with latest information about the game (in English).

Known Issues

• None

[ 2024-11-30 11:01:26 CET ] [ Original post ]

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 ]

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 ]

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 ]

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 ]

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 ]

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 ]

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 ]

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 ]

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 ]

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 ]

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 ]

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 ]

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 ]

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 ]

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 ]

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 ]

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 ]

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 ]

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 ]

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 ]

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 ]

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 ]

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 ]

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 ]

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 ]

• 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 ]

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 ]