Playtest Feedback - Fixes and Improvements
The Playtest has been running for a full month now, and I want to give a big thank you to everyone who participated, submitted feedback, and broke the game in ways I hadn’t even imagined.
From Discord discussions to private DMs, your feedback has been invaluable—and has already led to a wave of fixes and quality-of-life improvements:
- Even Faster Challenge Starts: The intro sequences are now snappier, and hazards (like laser traps) are properly synced with player movement from the very first second. No more unfair early deaths!
- Clearer Interactive Items: Jump pads, boost pads, and other special items now have visible meshes that match their trigger zones, making it way easier for players to predict interactions mid-run.
- Improved Collision on Containers: Container colliders have been updated to prevent tires from getting stuck on gaps, smoothing out the platforming segments.
- Garage and Leaderboard Fixes: Numerous backend tweaks and UI fixes to make customization and stat tracking more reliable and satisfying.
- Instant Photo Mode Access: A dedicated button has been added to jump straight into Photo Mode anytime during gameplay. Perfect for capturing those glorious (or hilarious) moments.
Of course, a few stubborn bugs are still lurking, but they’re already on the hit list for upcoming patches.
New Challenges – New Hazards, New Cars
Development on the singleplayer Challenges continued strong this month. Although I didn’t hit full completion yet as I wanted, progress is still going steady. Two new major areas have been added, each introducing fresh gameplay twists:
- New hazards such as wrecking balls that are timed to swing and timed gates that force players to either speed up or time their approach perfectly to avoid being crushed.
- New cars as the SUV that you will be driving in the Wild West, or drifting your Sports Car in Ancient Japan.
As always, the handling, weight distribution, and unique physics quirks of each car will challenge players to adapt fast.
Optimizations for Low-End Hardware
I've been heavily optimizing the game to make sure it runs well not just on PC, but on lower-end devices like the Nintendo Switch. Some of the updates I have done are:
- Texture Streaming and Compression: Improved asset loading and reduced memory footprint without sacrificing too much visual fidelity.
- LOD Adjustments: Smarter Level of Detail (LOD) swapping for distant objects to improve framerate stability.
- Mobile Test Builds: I even ran experimental mobile builds! While they’re functional and surprisingly fun, there are currently no plans for a mobile release, mostly due to the difficulty of finding a monetization model that fits the game's design without compromising the experience.
Still, it’s reassuring to know that scalability is there if needed for future expansions.
Minigames Mode – A New Focus
Here's the big shift this month... instead of finishing all the singleplayer challenges first, I shifted gears (pun intended) and focused on setting up the Minigames game modes.
Setting up the minigames has been way more complex than expected:
- Custom Car Selection: Players can now pick their ride for specific minigames.
- Cross-Level Compatibility: Ensuring all minigames work across every multiplayer level.
- Balancing: Each mode needs to feel fair whether you're driving a lightweight coupe or a hulking pickup.
There are five distinct minigames planned, offering a big change of pace compared to the main challenges. While they aren’t ready to be shown yet, getting them into a working, testable state ismy new top priority. This is because...
Playtest Ends, Demo Incoming!
The playtest is dead! Long live the demo!
Thanks to all the feedback, I’ve decided to retire the playtest with a full public demo coming early May.
The demo will include:
- A slice of the Challenge mode.
- Several vehicles to try.
- (Hopefully) at least a couple of Minigames, if they’re ready in time.
If the minigames don't make the initial demo launch, they’ll be added in a follow-up update shortly after. The goal is to give new players a real taste of the full game’s chaos, variety, and (sometimes painful) challenge.
Summary
While I didn’t finish everything I set out to do (mainly due to shifting priorities), I’m happy with the progress made and, more importantly, I’m setting up the game for a strong public reveal next month.
In May, I will be focusing on finalizing the first batch of minigames, wrapping up the remaining Challenges, and polishing the demo based on early feedback.
Thank you again for your patience, support, and feedback. It’s been amazing seeing players engage with the game already—and I can’t wait to show you even more soon.
Until next time, happy gaming!