Hey everyone,
I'm Gonzalo, the Game Director of RHL at EF Games
We're finally here, just a few hours until you can actually play RHL! We can't be more excited and terrified at the same time!
This is a special Dev Diary because this Alpha Demo marks the culmination of seven incredibly intense months of work by the amazing team at EF Games. During these months, we faced the huge challenge of transforming our promising vertical slice into a stable foundation capable of supporting thousands of players. And trust me, it wasn't easy.
Our vertical slice, the early build you usually prepare to pitch to publishers, already featured the 7 vehicles and 3 arenas you'll see in the demo. In fact, they looked pretty good. All our early trailers and private playtests used that build. The issue was that, behind the scenes, everything was barely held together with duct tape. Most systems had been hastily thrown together to get something playable as fast as possible. The netcode was smoke and mirrors. It seemed to work fine but in reality, vehicles passed right through each other, shots appeared differently for every player, and plenty of other "small" issues that were okay at that early stage but definitely not good enough for a proper public release.
So, instead of patching up that shaky version, we decided to rebuild everything PROPERLY. It wasn’t easy, and without the trust and support from Krafton, it would've been impossible. Seriously, what other partner lets you work for half a year, only for it to look like you're releasing the exact SAME game? 😅
But believe me, this is NOT the same game. While on the outside it might seem familiar, we've practically rebuilt everything from scratch, except models and textures. Imagine a reverse remake: you keep the visuals but redo everything else! To pull it off and ensure RHL can stand shoulder to shoulder with the big players, we had to choose the best possible tech solutions.
Since we're a pretty small team and RHL is a very ambitious game, we can't afford, and frankly don’t want, to waste time reinventing the wheel. Our goal is clear: focus 100% on making the best possible game, leveraging top, notch third, party technologies to build a stable, tested, and scalable foundation. So, over the last months, we’ve integrated several key technologies that now form the core of the demo you’re about to play:
■ Photon Quantum
This was by far the biggest change, in terms of time and impact. We needed a reliable networking solution with stable, proven servers worldwide, which also allowed us to keep our carefully crafted driving physics intact. After extensive research, we chose Photon Quantum, a deterministic game engine. Adopting Quantum meant rebuilding ALL gameplay elements from zero: physics, input, AI… literally everything. Thanks to their constant support, we not only matched the original driving feel but significantly IMPROVED and expanded it. Controls are now tighter and more responsive, hover mechanics have way more depth depending on activation and speed, and there are countless other subtle improvements. Thanks to Quantum, we finally have stable collisions between vehicles and, crucially, a future really powerful replay system. We really wanted to include replays and kill cams in this demo but ran out of time. After all, what's the fun in pulling off crazy moves if you can't replay or share them later?
■ 🆔 Krafton ID Login & User System
As we develop RHL, we know certain online features (matchmaking, friends, cross, platform identity, etc.) require a solid account system. That’s why we integrated Krafton ID, provided by our publishing partner. It was an easy choice, it solves tons of backend headaches, they can customize it to our needs and is totally free for us :D. Plus, this system enables cross, platform play and progression without extra work from us while also helping us navigate the complex realities of operating a global, cross-platform game. A definite win, win.
⚠️ IMPORTANT:
The first time you launch RHL, you'll need to log in or create your Krafton ID account. This links your Krafton ID to Steam, so future logins are automatic. It’s a quick process, but we know even minor extra steps can be annoying, so thanks in advance for your patience! Plus, your reward for playing the demo will be tied directly to your Krafton ID.
■ 🔊 Kinetic WWISE Audio
Audio is key to immersion, so choosing the industry, leading audio technology was a no, brainer. Although sound effects and music in this demo are still far from our final vision, the foundation is fully implemented and performing exceptionally well.
■ 🔳 Noesis GUI
Another crucial component is our game's UI. Every developer knows how tedious implementing dynamic UI can be. That’s why we chose Noesis GUI, also, their office is literally around the corner from ours! 😄 With Noesis (used by big AAA titles like Baldur's Gate 3 and most 2K games), our artists can directly implement UI, freeing developers to focus on what really matters, the gameplay. Our UI is still not finished, but this demo is powered by Noesis. And we’re just scratching the surface of what's possible with this powerful tool.
■ 🔒 Easy Anti-Cheat (EAC)
Since RHL is multiplayer, we knew from the start that we needed a reliable anti-cheat system. We integrated Easy Anti, Cheat (EAC), widely used in many popular games. It's effective, less invasive, and plays nicely with platforms like Steam Deck. Honestly, there weren’t any other good alternatives!
These past few months have been a true rollercoaster of intense work, rebuilding every system and adapting each one to the new technologies. I’ll be honest: the day we finally managed, after at least four months, to play a proper match together as a team, laughing and yelling like kids again… I almost cried. You make big decisions based on logic, prototypes, and trust, but you never really know if the pieces will click until they do. That moment when it just worked was a huge relief and one of the happiest points of this whole year. Every single tech decision we've made was about one thing: being able to build something solid and efficient that lives up to what you all deserve.
■ This is an in-development ALPHA DEMO
If you've taken part in early demos or playtests before, you’ll know the drill, there will be bugs, crashes, little oddities here and there. Hopefully nothing too serious! We’ve focused all our efforts on delivering a strong, fun gameplay experience: that feeling of flying at 200 km/h, hovering through a sharp turn, and taking out the rival behind you. And we truly believe we've nailed that part, better than ever, actually.
Everything around it is still temporary and very much in progress, but we hope you're having SO much fun mastering the controls and destroying each other that you’ll be happy to overlook the rough edges. That’s the main goal of this version: that you have a blast. And as a bonus goal? That you send us tons of feedback so we can keep making the best version of RHL possible. Like I always say: we’re in this together. Let’s make RHL the best game it can be!
Thank you again for being part of this journey with us, and see you in the arenas! 🚀🔥