Build 25199767

This is the biggest update for NEODRIVE so far! It contains a giant new area, a completely new car, and new tracks for both the city area and the Lancier specifically.

3-1 Lancier Test Track

Depending on how much the community likes the Lancier, I may skew the rest of the campaign towards tracks for it instead of the muscle car.

Also new to this update is the base track area of Vapor City. Several new and existing tracks have been set in it. It contains two main islands (in different stages of completeness), moving trains, and many twisty streets.

3-14 Blossom Rush

I homogenized the driving model in edge cases, like where the car's front two wheels are off the ground. I'm cheating physics a bit in favor of the player and still applying steering traction as if all wheels are planted.

Another big change is to nitro gain. It's now harder to rush to third gear and farm nitro, and I may revisit this more before 1.0 depending on community feedback.

The demo has also received all the same optimizations and quality of life changes as the base game.

Now, on to all changes.

New Content

• Added a completely new car, the Lancier. Its physics are different from the muscle car (internally, the Exo-v2), so enjoy pushing it to its limits in new ways! It only has five forward gears, and is much less stable in a drift, but rewards clean driving at the edge of its tires’ grip.

• Added grip limit effects for the Lancier

• Added a new base area, Vapor City

• Added an optional voice for when the boost is ready

• Added a third-person replay camera, similar to the default third-person chase camera

• Added a new track, Lancier Skidpad

• Added a new track, Lancier 8

• Added a new track, Lancier Test Track

• Added a new track, Blossom Rush

• Added new default available wheels, Tokohama

• Added a new tow hook charm, 全村的希望 (unlockable via the Locally Hated achievement)

Driving Dynamics Changes

• Moved the Exo-v2’s peak power closer to the redline

• Improved car behavior on magnet tracks

• Standardized car behavior when the steering axle loses ground contact

• Only proc the Clean Landing effect if the car has performed a stunt that airtime

• Give nitro for stunts

• Made it easier to perform a burnout if holding handbrake

• Removed clutch kicks (holding handbrake to widen a drift is more controllable and reliable)

• Only give nitro while upshifting if the needle is within 500 RPM of the redline

• Only give nitro while downshifting if braking, or downshifting to a higher point in the power band

• Use a prop hitter proxy for the car to avoid minute slowdowns when hitting kickable prop objects with mass (e.g. cones)

• Disable automatic boost upshifting if the player downshifts before boost ends

• Standardized transmission behavior when boosting in reverse

• Increased Exo-v2 suspension travel distance

• Updated car turtling behavior to allow easier flipping back onto wheels

• Updated ground type-based handling changes at runtime

Track Updates

• Updated all tracks in the Docks area to be set in Vapor City

• Updated the Water 8 track

• Updated the Overhang track

• Updated the Hydroplane track

• Updated the Monument Loop track (track spline is unchanged, start was moved back, it’s a route track now)

• Updated the Rockfall Ring track

• Updated the Night Loops track

• Updated the S Bends track

• Updated the Water Snake I track

• Updated the Water Snake II track

• Updated the Halfpipe Route track

Bugfixes

• Fixed bugs with flying respawn

• Fix chase camera distance calculation when car is drifting sideways

• Fixed bugs with interactive tutorials

• Fixed black centerlines on orange tracks disappearing at low LODs

• Fixed some visual distance calculation issues with car suspension

• Fixed a bug where tire skid noises would play on replay pause

• Fixed ghost car and replay car brake lights not lighting up

Visual & Quality of Life Changes

• Added a logo fade when moving between any scene

• Render rings on stunts along with vapor trails

• Embedded handbrake data in replays

• Show speed/gear stats in replay

• Made the replay car play a shift noise when shifting

• Fade audio when moving between levels

• Added brake disc glow when holding handbrake

• Use real-time calculated suspension pose on replay cars

• Softened tire skid noise attack/decay on the replay car

• Only show replay brake/boost flares on the chase camera

• Updated the ocean water material

Optimizations

• Optimized wheel raycasts by 2x

• Optimized motion blur

• Optimized polycount and batching on black-border wall-less track pieces

• Optimized polycount and batching on red-rail metal grating track pieces

• Optimized polycount and batching on eight-lane street track pieces

• Optimized water in the docks area to not use real-time reflections

• Optimized shader for the dark tarmac track

Upcoming Price Increase

User feedback has unanimously priced this game at $15. I don't think NEODRIVE is there yet, but I will be increasing the game’s base price to $7.49 USD soon. Since the launch of Early Access in June, I’ve added:

• A completely new car

• A completely new area

• Over a dozen new tracks, with more on the way

• The ability to upload, download and race Steam leaderboard ghosts

The 1.0 launch will also have a decent launch discount.

Thanks for following this NEODRIVE’s development with me and providing so much feedback already. If you’ve still only played the demo and are thinking of picking up the full game, get it while it’s still under $5! Tell your friends etc.