A number of big changes and experiments this week:
- Snazzy new car, the Sand Blaster is now available for your sand-blasting pleasure.
- Full Powerup customization added for quick events. You can toggle individual Powerups on/off, as well as whole groups. Create your own custom game mode like "No Shields" or "Ball ‘n’ Chain Only", or even no Powerups at all!
- You can now fire missiles backward! Hold back on the left analog stick or hold the left shoulder button (L1/LB) to use the look-back camera when you fire, and you can take out a pesky rival behind you. But watch out, the other drivers will be doing the same!
- In Championships, you now have the option to “Keep Last Round Powerups”, and start the next race with an extra edge.
- Tweaked some aspects of the Toughness stat to balance things out and give more importance to tough cars like the Machete, Chomper, or Interloper.
- Characters now have individual 1st place animations on Championship podiums (WIP).
We've made a number of other important changes to the way Powerups work:
- Further refinements to the “Balanced Powerups” setting.
- Powerup charge timers have been re-tuned to work with the “Balanced Powerups” setting.
- Persistent buffs like Shield and Power Vacuum now lock up your Powerup slot so you can’t fill it with another Powerup.
- Your own Hazard Powerups such as Jacks, Oil Slick, and Junk in the Trunk can now affect you on the next lap, so drive carefully!
- Special Powerup bubble types like Double (two bubbles stacked) and Fast (!) become more frequent as the race progresses.
And there are some specific Powerup changes:
- Hamster Ball and Ball ‘n’ Chain now have a bit of extra oomph.
- Power Vacuum no longer lasts until you crash. It has the same duration as the Trampoline.
- Cluck-nado Coop now creates its swarm of chickens when an explosion or missile breaks it.
As always, this Early Access game is a work in progress and we enthusiastically welcome your feedback. What do you think of the new customization options? How do you feel about the tuning changes we've made? Talk to us in the forums! We read them every day.