It's time for a SANDPIT SHAKEDOWN! The latest update of NEXT CAR GAME is here, and it will see you transported right back to where it all started from: a good, old-fashioned sandpit! That's right folks, the update contains a new sandpit race track very much like the ones you've all learned to love from our previous games. The classic sandpit environment with its sweeping corners, hefty hillocks and treacherous sand banks is admittedly one of the greatest fan-favorites, and the latest incarnation, albeit still very much work-in-progress, is guaranteed to make a perfect setting for some serious, no-holds-barred racing.
The update also contains a new replay mode that makes it possible to watch the whole glorious race again from every imaginable perspective. Naturally we've also included all the usual goodies such as depth-of-field, slow motion and fast forward, target locking, selectable field-of-view, and so on. The user interface will see a complete rework later down the road, but even now there's no reason to make the best crashtastic video ever and share it with the whole world!
Other than that the update features two new derby stadiums as well as a number of improvements, many of which were done based on community feedback. One of the most significant additions is the support for more than one simultaneous controller, so now you can finally drive like a boss with separate wheels and pedals. Also, the suspension and tire physics have been enhanced, and as a result the handling feels more natural than ever. We've also increased the responsiveness of the gamepad controls, as requested by many.
Needless to say, the update also contains an ample amount of other improvements and fixes. Please see below for the most significant changes:
Tracks:
- New sandpit race track featuring both normal and reverse layouts, work-in-progress.
- New mudpit derby stadium, work-in-progress.
- New small derby stadium, work-in-progress.
Environment Art:
- Smoothed out track-sides and improved gravel race track readability.
- New work-in-progress spectator models - some previous ones remain.
- New concrete barriers, used in various derby stadiums.
Weathers:
- Two new weathers: stormy evening and misty evening.
- Weather can be now specified in the event setup.
Vehicles and Handling:
- New driver model, as of now simply static.
- Improved suspension and tire physics.
- More responsive handling with a game pad.
- Improved player vs. AI collision physics.
Damage:
- Improved deformation physics so that visual car damage is more accurate.
- Improved gameplay damage to prevent cars from getting too torn up and still going.
- Fixed a case where cars would get damaged and eventually destroyed from rubbing against a static barrier.
Replay:
- New replay mode with slow motion and fast forward time controls (-16.0x ... 4.0x), a number of different cameras, target locking & switching, depth-of-field and field-of-view settings.
User Interface:
- Race timer now correctly displays hundredths as well instead of random numbers.
- Game is no longer unpaused when exiting Steam overlay if the game was paused.
Input:
- Implemented multicontroller support (e.g. wheel and pedals in separate USB ports).
- Sensitivity & deadzone adjustments now take effect without a restart.
- Added saturation, sensitivity and dead zone settings for XInput controllers.
- Game now defaults to DirectInput for wheels, hopefully making some wheels behave better.
- The game now detects more than one XInput controllers that are connected simultaneously.
- Force feedback is disabled for Microsoft Sidewinder FF wheel in an attempt to work around buggy driver causing lag.
Audio:
- Increased AI engine volume.
- General improvements.
IMPORTANT: If you're experiencing controller issues such as being unable to correctly assign controls, please remove the user data generated by the previous build by navigating to [STEAM INSTALLATION FOLDER]/userdata/[USER ID]/228380/local and removing the folder labeled 'next car game pre-alpha'.
As always, have fun and don't forget to give feedback!