Version 2.4

Welcome to Dr. Robotnik's Ring Racers Version 2.4!

Please see the official site for release notes.

Version 2.4 Release Candidate 9

Dr. Robotnik's Ring Racers version 2.4 is just on the horizon!

This is a Release Candidate version; the design and features are mostly final, but since there are a lot of changes in this release, we're making it available in a pending state to check for technical issues and critical bugs.

If you'd like to try out the newest features and fixes, and don't mind running into potential bugs, please give this version a try; let us know if you run into trouble via GitLab or on Discord.

Barring any severe issues, this is the last Release Candidate before final release.

If you're just arriving, please read the previous release candidate notes first! This page won't list any changes made in prior RC versions.

• RC1 patch notes
• RC2 patch notes
• RC3 patch notes
• RC4 patch notes
• RC5 patch notes
• RC6 patch notes
• RC7 patch notes
• RC8 patch notes

WARNING!

This is a Release Candidate build. You may encounter bugs, lose progress, or otherwise have weird stuff happen to you.

We recommend installing to a new location and backing up your save files (ringdata.dat, ringprofiles.prf, ringconfig.cfg). Installations upgraded to 2.4 cannot be reverted to 2.3; you MUST back up your data to do this.

BACK UP YOUR EXISTING INSTALLATION, OR YOU COULD IRREVERSIBLY LOSE EVERYTHING!

Developer note: There are no further planned changes to gameplay before the final release of version 2.4. 2.4's changes are "grouped up" because they all rely on each other; further balance improvements and fixes will be handled in smaller releases if necessary.

This testing period has allowed us to catch tons of issues before they go out to a wider audience. Thank you for your continued feedback and support!

Interface

• Added a warning when joining an online game with more than 8 players, or setting a game's Maximum Players above 8.
  • We've done our best to keep crowded lobbies playable, but Ring Racers plays better in smaller groups; higher playercounts lead to more last-minute scams or worse comeback chances, no matter how we tune things.
• Auto Gear now requires a higher average rating to transition to Gear 2.
  • If we had a quarter for every time we've heard an experienced player ask "wait, this is Gear 1?"...well, we'd have like two and a half dollars, but you get the idea. Gear 1's comeback driving is much more forgiving for new players; now that it's more fun for experts, too, we'd like Auto Gear rooms to accommodate new players more often.
• Adjusted the Spindash reminder prompt to only appear while in Ring Debt, and appear less often when traversing offroad.

Fixes

• Fixed an issue where players could skip checkpoints in certain orientations while lightsnaking very quickly.
  • Technical: This sucked
• Fixed whip hitlag being applied even when you failed to damage anything.
  • This could affect invulnerable map hazards like metal crates, or players who were already damaged from another source.
• Fixed an issue where the logo wasn't centered on the credits, and moved the musicdef to reduce obstruction.
• Fixed incorrect display of fades during attract/credits.
• Fixed/mitigated a crash during credits.

Course Changes

• Sonic Speedway
  • Performed visual cleanup around the sector-scenery monitors.
• Withering Chateau
  • Adjusted linedefs to prevent unintended skips - #339
• Rumble Ridge
  • Increased floor spike application to deter lawnmowering.
• Angel Island
  • Added additional blockplayers to parts of the cliffs before the ramp jump.
• Mirage Saloon
  • Fixed an issue where intended death pits didn't have a damage type associated with it - #339
• Gigapolis
  • Adjusted some Red Springs to improve visuals at the first jump.
• Azure City
  • Added one-way respawns to the toll-gate styled shortcuts.
• Hard-Boiled Stadium
  • Adjusted waypoints to mitigate crossover issues - #114
• Motobug Motorway
  • Fixed an issue where an Item Box was set to Permanent Ring Box.
• Nova Shore
  • Adjusted waypoints to mitigate crossover issues - #114
• Virtual Highway
  • Fixed an issue where intended death pits didn't have a damage type associated with it - #406
• Sunset Hill
  • Various bits of visual cleanup performed on the level.
• Azure Axiom
  • Added one-way respawn lines for the toll gate shortcut - #339
• Aerial Highlands
  • Fixed a visual issue with the windmills in the level.
• Voiddance Dimension
  • Adjusted a checkpoint line to mitigate linedef-crossing issues - #339
• Coastal Temple
  • Fixed an issue where a secret would crash - #178
• Mega Sandopolis
  • Added Tripwire to the first shortcut's exit due to the brevity of said shortcut.
  • Added more geometry to reduce the strength of going back for the Sneaker Panels near the end.
  • Added additional blockplayers to reduce the strength of Pogo Spring related shortcuts.

Version 2.4 Release Candidate 8

Dr. Robotnik's Ring Racers version 2.4 is just on the horizon!

This is a Release Candidate version; the design and features are mostly final, but since there are a lot of changes in this release, we're making it available in a pending state to check for technical issues and critical bugs.

If you'd like to try out the newest features and fixes, and don't mind running into potential bugs, please give this version a try; let us know if you run into trouble via GitLab or on Discord.

We want to thank all the dedicated players in our Discord server who have helped rigorously test these pre-release versions and provided valuable feedback so far, and to our community contributors who've helped fix issues reported by them. This testing period was an incredible success, and the game is all the better for it.

If you're just arriving, please read the previous release candidate notes first! This page won't list any changes made in prior RC versions.

• RC1 patch notes
• RC2 patch notes
• RC3 patch notes
• RC4 patch notes
• RC5 patch notes
• RC6 patch notes
• RC7 patch notes

Developer note: There are no further planned changes to gameplay before the final release of version 2.4. 2.4's changes are "grouped up" because they all rely on each other; further balance improvements and fixes will be handled in smaller releases if necessary.

This testing period has allowed us to catch tons of issues before they go out to a wider audience. Thank you for your continued feedback and support!

Core Gameplay

• Speed Assist now triggers faster in team Race, and even faster if your team is significantly behind.
  • Blocks of allied frontrunners are difficult to take on alone. This aims to help your team group up and push for overtakes when significantly behind.
• EXP is now awarded during tally when playing Battle mode or Duel Race mode with Mobiums disabled. - !69

Interface

• When "burning" rings from payout, the caltrop VFX will now despawn significantly faster.
  • The old look was nice, but a little cluttered and could hurt performance in large games.

Accessibility

• The Battle mode overtime barrier no longer flashes in Reduce VFX - !74

Fixes

• Fixed an issue where using Ring Bail after receiving an Eggman Mark would kill you, even if the Eggman Mark wasn't active.
• Mitigated game crashes when a player entered a Tripwire at low speed just before losing their Sonic Boom.
  • This actually caused players to travel so quickly that speed checks started doing invalid math. Oops.
• Fixed pause menu softlock introduced by chat input fixes - !70
• Fixed crash with cup queueing function when selecting an empty slot on the cup select - !71
• Fixed losing lives in Grand Prix when finishing a race with -20 rings - !76
• Fixed prevention of Stereo remapping in Lua so it actually works as intended - !75
• Fixed a crash when sending a long chat message - !68
• Fixed a crash when loading a demo with Lua scripts that store certain types of variables on a player. - !72
• Cup cachedlevels in Lua now returns the entire cup level list correctly, including NEXTMAP_INVALID entries - !73
• Fixed clients seeing a bot joining in the first node of a dedicated server that didn't actually exist. - !77
• Fixed Sonic Boom VFX colorization
• Fixed a crash in Battle Mode after viewing the level voting screen

Course Changes

• Adjusted tripwire offsets, size, and flags for Test Run, Sonic Speedway, Lucid Pass, Darkvile Castle 2, Route 1980, Sunsplashed Getaway, Espresso Lane, Lake Margorite, Endless Mine 2, Cyan Belltower, Haunted Ship, Chemical Facility, Blue Mountain Classic, and Angel Arrow Classic.

• Test Track

  • One-way respawn line added for the second shortcut.

• Sonic Speedway

  • Fixed an issue where the geometry wouldn't let you take the first shortcut.

• Autumn Ring

  • Changed Red springs to Yellow on the big ramp jump section.
  • Adjusted waypoints for 2nd cut to help with waypoint calculations.

• Opulence

  • Additional blockplayers patching at the end of the waterski section to avoid a lengthy ledge adventure.

• Gigapolis

  • Small additional deathpit consideration onto the fof roof next to the first tripwire to avoid a sillier prolonged death.

• Hidden Palace

  • Capped some exposed tripwire ends.

• Zoned City

  • Added deathpitting to the entire exposed area above the midway tunnel entrance so bots and players cannot be temporarily stuck up there.

• Sunset Hill

  • Trimmed some starting blockplayers to match the driveable grass up ahead.

• Savannah Citadel

  • Changed scale of initial dash rings from 1.4 to 1.5 to save shrink players from flying away.
  • Added invisible bouncy fof behind the right-oriented dash rings to mitigate bad bump interactions from very close racers in the same dash ring.
  • Moved a waypoint up out of a pit.

• Chaos Chute

  • Amended lumpy geometry and missing linedef, changes should be real this time! One-way respawn at the charger panel exits.

• Dimension Disaster

  • Added extra walling around the second Tripwire to prevent people from taking it without a boosting item.

• Ice Paradise

  • Re-adjusted a tripwire and fence meeting to better ratio valid shortcut access instead of letting you cut into a pit.

• Lake Margorite

  • Removed an invisible plane protecting the final Tripwire.

• Blizzard Peaks

  • Added geometry to mitigate people taking the first halfpipe shortcut without a boosting item.
  • Respawn line over an early part of the course you could jump with first blood

• Barren Badlands

  • Adjusted the s-turn late into the circuit; the ramp no longer has Tripwire, but the ending fencing has been replaced with infinite height Tripwire.

• Lavender Shrine Classic

  • Deathpit cleanup/additions have been near the beginning and end of the circuit respesctively.

• Sunbeam Paradise Items

  • Fixed an issue where a handful of Sneaker Panels had mismatched heights with the rest of the nearby floor.

Contributors

These community contributors helped with this release. Thank you!

• FreakyMutantMan
• JugadorXEI
• skirlez
• zander3312

Version 2.4 Release Candidate 7

Dr. Robotnik's Ring Racers version 2.4 is just on the horizon!

This is a Release Candidate version; the design and features are mostly final, but since there are a lot of changes in this release, we're making it available in a pending state to check for technical issues and critical bugs.

If you'd like to try out the newest features and fixes, and don't mind running into potential bugs, please give this version a try; let us know if you run into trouble via GitLab or on Discord.

We want to thank all the dedicated players in our Discord server who have helped rigorously test these pre-release versions and provided valuable feedback so far, and to our community contributors who've helped fix issues reported by them. This testing period was an incredible success, and the game is all the better for it.

If you're just arriving, please read the previous release candidate notes first! This page won't list any changes made in prior RC versions.

• RC1 patch notes
• RC2 patch notes
• RC3 patch notes
• RC4 patch notes
• RC5 patch notes
• RC6 patch notes

NOTE: There are still more fixes coming! However, we've already made enough changes that we'd like to battle-test the latest stuff while we work.

Core Gameplay

• Tethering now immediately stops while holding a completed Insta-Whip charge (previously 4-second delay).
  • Heavyweights are more agile than ever, and their ability to make long-range slingshot overtakes is strong enough without also attaching a high-speed attack. This is meant to make Whip interactions a little more predictable by limiting the overall threat range.
• Activating Ring Bail while under the effect of Eggman Mark now detonates the Mark. (This will almost always kill you.)
• Moderately increased the top speed of players under the effect of Eggman Mark.
  • Now that leaders can no longer Mark themselves, we're free to sharpen the Eggman Mark's double-edge. Pass to the leader at your peril!
• Reduced bot rubberbanding while cornering.
• Adjusted the appearance of infinite height tripwires.
• Stone Shoe's chain distance has been shortened, and the shoe itself will now follow the player faster.
  • The link change from RC6 was erroneously a cosmetic change only; it has been properly adjusted now.
• You can no longer use items while on a Bungee.
• Fixed irregularities in stat-based amp payouts, and improved amp gains for lightweight speed characters.
  • Class C will be able to interact with Overdrive more regularly, and class G earns more speed for brawling.
• Fixed certain items sometimes paying out 0 amps in single-player modes.

Interface

• The chat window will not trigger bound actions on character keys, e.g. it will not take screenshots if screenshot is bound to the 'H' key. - !40
• When choosing a character or follower color in the player setup screen, the "Default" button will now also cycle in the profile's selected character or follower color in addition to the skin default and character-opposite colors. - !34
• In the Cup Select screen in Match Race and multiplayer, you can now queue a whole Cup into the level queue - !11
• The rewind button when viewing replays now rewinds 10 seconds backwards instead of 5.

Accessibility

• In Reduce VFX, the silver duration-based player sprite flashing during Invincibility is disabled.
• In Reduce VFX, the flashing barrier around the player (distinct from the Sonic Boom effect) no longer draws.
• In Reduce VFX, the Sonic Boom barrier when below 150% of the current Sonic Boom threshold is semitransparent instead of rapidly flashing.
• In Reduce VFX, electricity above stage 2 drift boost charge no longer rapidly flashes.

Course Changes

• Fixed issues relating to missing Midtexture Infinite Height flag for Gems Museum, Motobug Motorway, Death Egg's Eye and Angel Arrow Classic - #340
• The final shortcuts in Robotnik Coaster, Northern District, Cadillac Cascade, Gust Planet, 765 Stadium, Technology Tundra and Operator's Overspace will now automatically be disabled in Duels (when there are 2 players).
• Resolved finish line/checkpoint line issues in Gigapolis, Blue Mountain 1, Blue Mountain 2, Dark Fortress, Green Triangle, Zoned City, Turquoise Hill, Ice Paradise, Azure Axiom, Aerial Highlands, Crispy Canyon, Operator's Overspace, Gravtech Dimension, Quartz Quadrant, Water Palace, Blizzard Peaks, Las Vegas, Hot Crater, Blizzard Peaks Classic, Hidden Palace and Route 1980.
• Adjusted out-of-bounds areas (to prevent exploits) in Blue Mountain 1, Sky Sanctuary and Hot Shelter.
• Adjusted out-of-bounds areas (to prevent lost progress/trapped players) in Gigapolis, Spring Yard, Turquoise Hill, Ice Paradise, Aerial Highlands, Crispy Canyon, MEGA Bridge, Leaf Storm, Shuffle Square and Route 1980.
• Adjusted stray instant kill sectors in Roasted Ruins and Quartz Quadrant - #369

---

• Test Run
  • Fixed a typo in the Midtexture Infinite Height section - #343
• Panic City
  • Reverted first Tripwire to be a single texture.
• Sonic Speedway
  • Redrew the finish line area, pulling up the mountains and narrowing the shortcut slightly to reduce issues.
• Autumn Ring
  • Added blockplayers to match existing blockplayers walls around a Tripwire cut - #339
• Cadillac Cascade
  • Fixed music credit for the primary song - #367
• Gigapolis
  • Increased scale of first Dash Ring to remove gap.
  • Trimmed part of an invisible death FOF at the second spiral.
• Hill Top
  • Removed the Gray Spring near the start of the circuit.
• Marble Garden
  • Reduced number of Flame Shield capsules in the mud room.
• Hard-Boiled Stadium
  • Replaced items of the Sneaker and Bubble Shield capsules in the level.
• City Escape
  • Reduced the value of the 5x Banana capsule to 1x.
• Labyrinth
  • Replaced the items of the Sneaker and Invincibility capsules in the level.
• Sky Sanctuary
  • Fixed first and third Tripwire not being solid - #339
  • Blocked lightsnake from advancing through the second Spring Panel tower - #339
• Sunset Hill
  • Moved the Blue Dash Rings, a few aerial ring capsules, and the Spray Can based on in-bounds changes - #360
  • Fixed an issue where console prints were appearing because of an unused slope.
  • Added one-way respawn line to some Tripwire cut exits.
  • Changed charger panel to be three sneaker panel strips, trick upwards to reach the cut! Even the slowest Gear 1 warriors should make it.
  • Added ceiling spikes to mitigate skipping straight to the Dash Rings with certain items.
  • Boosted speed of later Dash Rings and adjusted the angle.
• Savannah Citadel
  • The infamous spring setpiece has been reworked into a set of Dash Rings that more consistently send you towards the back-to-back diagonal springs with far less error than before.
• Umbrella Rushwinds
  • Extended checkpoint linedefs.
• Avant Garden
  • Upper route after the first set of clouds has recieved a significant rework. The path ahead has been moved to the left and the set of grey diagonal springs has been Tripwired off to require the use of a sneaker - #339
  • Removed all stray Sneaker capsules.
• Vantablack Violet
  • Fixed issues with sectors incorrectly marked as death pits.
  • Adjusted geometry and shortcut setups to prevent exploits - #339
• Chaos Chute
  • Added one-way respawn lines to Tripwire cut exits - #339
• Dimension Disaster
  • Fixed an issue where the water wasn't animating correctly - #337
  • Walled off part of the area next to the second Tripwire to prevent taking the shortcut without an item.
• Daytona Speedway
  • Ending spiral has been given invisible wall FOFs, and the surrounding wall is no longer instant death.
• Weiss Waterway
  • Fixed issues with sectors incorrectly marked as death pits.
• Ice Paradise
  • Added fencing and slight blockplayers to the large slope slalom - #339
  • Adjusted some respawn lines being unfavorably one-way resulting in major lost progress - #339
• Sunsplashed Getaway
  • Added one-way respawn line to the Tripwire toll gate exits - [#339](https://...

Version 2.4 Release Candidate 6

Dr. Robotnik's Ring Racers version 2.4 is just on the horizon!

This is a Release Candidate version; the design and features are mostly final, but since there are a lot of changes in this release, we're making it available in a pending state to check for technical issues and critical bugs.

If you'd like to try out the newest features and fixes, and don't mind running into potential bugs, please give this version a try; let us know if you run into trouble via GitLab or on Discord.

We want to thank all the dedicated players in our Discord server who have helped rigorously test these pre-release versions and provided valuable feedback so far, and to our community contributors who've helped fix issues reported by them. This testing period was an incredible success, and the game is all the better for it.

If you're just arriving, please read the previous release candidate notes first! This page won't list any changes made in prior RC versions.

• RC1 patch notes
• RC2 patch notes
• RC3 patch notes
• RC4 patch notes
• RC5 patch notes

NOTE: There are still more fixes coming! However, we've already made enough changes that we'd like to battle-test the latest stuff while we work.

Core Gameplay

• Adjusted the boost received when spending Rings from a pending Ring payout. The resulting boost will decay much quicker, but reach a much higher peak speed.
  • New sounds and effects have been added when boosting from payout.
  • Earlier revisions of 2.4 added this ability, which was useful in a pinch but usually worse for overtaking—which was an unfortunate trap for players used to taping down their Ring button! This levels the uses a bit more; while letting a payout spend naturally will produce more total power, you can use on-demand speed to shake a pursuer or aim for a Sonic Boom.
• In Race gametypes, crossing the starting line quickly will award a small boost, even if you miss First Blood. You'll also see the timing of your startline cross; adjust your strategy for next time!
• You can no longer travel over (most) Tripwires. Players who don't meet the requirements will be knocked away, even if they're visually above the line.
  • This doesn't apply to some courses, where signposted and appropriate. Mappers can use the "Infinite Midtexture Height" flag (Flag 17) to toggle this.
  • To avoid exploits, more and more courses have needed distracting "Tripwire walls" or aggressive geometry changes. This lets us keep courses readable while keeping cuts honest; many of the offending "walls" can now be removed.

Items

• Reduced the prevalence of short Item Roulettes containing mostly Super Ring (bugfix).
  • We try not to give players attack items when they're too far from other players to use them, but this system was too sensitive in many situations, and often removed strong attacking items with secondary usage effects.
• A Jawz deployed behind you is significantly faster when it gets moving, and even adapts to your speed if you had been speeding beyond a threshold.
  • This was always meant to be the intended behavior, a trailing hitbox to ward off opponents! With Snatching added in for good measure, this defensive option's kind of come full circle, huh?
• Toxomister triggers Overdrive when draining you to 0 (bugfix).
• Toxomister now pays out fewer Amps.
  • Toxomister can affect more players than any leader item, which gave it disproportionate game-winning rewards if you were able to trap a large group.
• Stone Shoe's chain has been moderately shortened.
  • Driving around a Stone Shoe is tricky; the chained player has every incentive to steer into the nearest wall and cut you off. A shorter chain makes it easier to decisively pass, even on corners.
• When using Bubble Shield, making wall contact after a bubblebounce will stumble you and drop you out of the air.
  • This is mostly intended to prevent some strange infinite-speed situations when bubblebouncing into walltransfer setpieces.
• Significantly increased the range at which the Self-Propelled Bomb enters "chase" mode.
  • This should give it more time to decelerate when quickly hurtling towards the leader, reducing unreasonable hits.

Interface

• Subsonic + Sonic Boom sound effects no longer play when under the effect of Invincibility or Grow.
• Sonic Boom no longer appears while in lightsnake.
• Fixed a bug that could cause Subsonic visuals to tint red, as if you were too close to the leader, when actually at a normal distance.
• EXP collection sounds now only play for local players.
• Bottom-of-screen "CHECK" warnings appear for players who are significantly farther away.
  • Ring Racers is a fast game! Advance warning can help you plan for defending a slingshot overtake.
• When a player is charging Insta-Whip, their "CHECK" warning will flash white and black. If they're tethering you, their tether will glow white.
  • Confident players lean on slingshot Whip as a high-reward way to pass. Don't get caught off guard!
• When playing with Frantic Items, your EXP total will be shown next to a purple crystal.
  • EXP is significantly dampened in Frantic games; this is a quick reminder that you're using Frantic odds.
• Added a new Button Display profile for the 8BitDo M30 (original).

Misc Fixes

• Fixed an oversight preventing leading players from waterskiing.
• Fixed players receiving unusual EXP values on the final checkpoint.
  • This would often be unusually high, but could sometimes be zero if you were prevented from finishing.

Course Changes

• Adjusted checkpoints/finish line areas to adhere to mapping standards in Panic City, Green Hills, Autumn Ring, Roasted Ruins, Bronze Lake and Hydrocity.
• Updated various waypoints to adhere to mapping standards in Test Track, Robotnik Coaster, Northern District, Panic City, Sonic Speedway, Green Hills, Angel Island, Obsidian Oasis, Bronze Lake, Sub-Zero Peak, Frozen Production, Hydrocity, Diamond Dust, Blue Mountain 2, Lost Colony, Avant Garden, Bigtime Breakdown, Ice Paradise, Fae Falls, Crispy Canyon, Espresso Lane, Vermilion Vessel, Dragonspire Sewer 2, Coastal Temple, Ramp Park, Advent Angel, Hot Crater, Barren Badlands and Route 1980.
• Fixed Minimap offset issues for Haunted Ship and Abyss Garden.
• Updated block player and respawn player setups for Gigapolis, Star Light, Blue Mountain 2, Sunset Hill, Bigtime Breakdown, Turquoise Hill, Ice Paradise, Sunsplashed Getaway, Aerial Highlands, Crispy Canyon, Melty Manor, Haunted Ship, Robotnik Winter, Dragonspire Sewer 1, Blizzard Peaks, Dragonspire Sewer 2, Hot Crater, and Blizzard Peaks Classic.
• The last Item Boxes are now permanent Ring Boxes on Lucid Pass, Hydrocity, Aurora Atoll and Monkey Mall.

---

• Sunbeam Paradise, Rings - Fixed an issue where the incorrect button combination was being used for dialogue relating to Ring Shooter.
• Test Run
  • Added section for newly added Infinite Midtexture Height Flag.
  • Now is counted as a Section Race for testing purposes.
• Robotnik Coaster - The second shortcut is now disabled on the final lap, and some of the surrounding geometry has been adjusted.
• Green Hills - Adjusted out-of-bounds areas (to prevent exploits) - #144
• Autumn Ring - Adjusted out-of-bounds areas (to prevent stuck players/lost progress).
• Cadillac Cascade
  • Added additional one-way respawn lines to prevent unintended backtracking.
  • Adjusted and removed some Item Capsules.
• Obsidian Oasis
  • Removed stray Bubble/Flame Shield capsules.
  • Decreased size of the Dash Ring inside of the lilypad shortcut to 1.2x to prevent bypassing the tripwire.
  • Flattened out the sector heights and extended the road edges near the waterski section after the first checkpoint to prevent players from bonking the edge of the sector and falling. #26
  • Respawn line near the southern portion of the map has been pushed down to make it less likely for players to accidentally respawn themselves if they try to aim for the dash ring.
  • Extended first checkpoint linedef before the waterski section to the edge of the map and added further respawn lines to prevent the player from missing it.
• Regal Ruin
  • Replaced the Garden Top capsule.
  • Adjusted out-of-bounds areas (to prevent exploits).
• Gigapolis
  • Added extra Dash Rings to the first Tripwire cut to prevent any mistakes missing it.
  • Refurbished the tilting bridge and split path sections.
• Collision Chaos
  • Fixed a Ring Capsule being at an unintended height.
  • Adjusted out-of-bounds areas (to prevent stuck players/lost progress).
• Joypolis
  • Reduced the amount of sneakers in the trick balloon shortcut's capsules from 2 to 1.
  • Invisible wall has been added to the edge of the wall transfer shortcut to prevent it from being taken with air failsafe.
• Launch Base - Fixed an issue with death pit FOFs not being marked correctly.
• Endless Mine 1 - Adjusted checkpoints/finish lines.
• City Escape - Fixed a development texture being visible.
• Palmtree Panic - Adjusted out-of-bounds areas (to prevent stuck players/lost progress).
• Scarlet Gard...

Version 2.4 Release Candidate 5

Dr. Robotnik's Ring Racers version 2.4 is just on the horizon!

This is a Release Candidate version; the design and features are mostly final, but since there are a lot of changes in this release, we're making it available in a pending state to check for technical issues and critical bugs.

If you'd like to try out the newest features and fixes, and don't mind running into potential bugs, please give this version a try; let us know if you run into trouble via GitLab or on Discord.

If you're just arriving, please read the previous release candidate notes first! This page won't list any changes made in prior RC versions.

• RC1 patch notes
• RC2 patch notes
• RC3 patch notes
• RC4 patch notes

NOTE: There are still more fixes coming! However, we've already made enough changes that we'd like to battle-test the latest stuff while we work.

Core Gameplay

• Fixed a bug preventing EXP from affecting the Item Roulette, and improved overall item odds (and several tuning factors) to compensate.
  • Yes, really. EXP correctly affected a lot of things, like Top/Shrink availability, Ring Box payouts, and CPU rubberbanding...but did NOT directly affect the contents of your Item Roulette, giving all players flat odds regardless of their race performance. Congratulations to the players who were able to stage consistent comebacks—it wasn't EXP, you're just good at playing from behind!
• Reduced the prevalence of strong speed items when near 1st and far away from pursuers.
  • Sneakers are strong! This should prevent anticlimactic endings where 2nd place speeds ahead with a Tripwire cut.
• Dramatically improved the overall strength of Item Boxes when using Frantic Items (more comparable to 2.3).
• The final Checkpoint in a race now counts for significant extra EXP.
  • This rewards frontrunners who can hold their lead to the very end, or inventive racers who can find a last-minute comeback with poor odds. On the average 3-lap course, the finish line is worth about a bonus lap's worth of EXP.
• Moderately reduced base "stun" time for lightweight characters.
  • This adjustment actually applies to all characters below maximum weight, but is most effective on lightweight classes. Stun is also already reduced if you're far from the leader or hit by a map hazard.
• Ring Bail adjustments:
  • You can no longer Ring Bail while a Ring Bail is in progress.
  • If you respawn for any reason at -20 Rings, you explode (exception: Ring Shooter).
    - This is actually a buff; previously, high-value Ring Bails would leave you stuck in the Bail state with no accumulated ringboost—a death sentence!
  • Ring Bail now correctly removes Rocket Sneakers.
• "Stumble" no longer removes ringboost.
  • This is a change mostly for Bail, since things like Ballhog overcharge could leave you stuck without speed at certain death, but should also make some setpieces less punishing when navigating them under Ring Box effect.
• While impervious to damage, significantly reduced hitlag when making contact with hazards, and entirely removed hitlag versus damaging floors.
  • Player items inflict a longer, but standardized, amount of hitlag. (This is one of the main counterplay strategies vs. Invincibility / Grow.)
• Tripwire adjustments:
  • Base Tripwire threshold increased to 225%, but significantly increased the leniency period when reaching that speed ("Sonic Boom").
    • All of the following changes are meant to make Tripwire more readable and accessible from generic speed states, including Ring Box; this unavoidably improves comeback chances, and this compensation nerf is just meant to make attacking the pack (or attacking the lead!) less automatic.
  • In Race modes, 1st place has a fixed tripwire threshold of 900% speed.
    • Seek employment.
  • Offroad no longer increases tripwire threshold.
  • When very far from the leader, tripwire threshold moderately decreases (easier).
  • Adjusted VFX and SFX to provide clearer feedback when approaching and reaching tripwire threshold.
  • The "Subsonic" visuals when approaching tripwire threshold now tint red if your tripwire threshold is being raised (too close to leader).
• Player afterimages no longer appear when under the effect of only a single boost type.
  • Players are under near-constant ringboost when playing well, so this was a permanent fixture above a certain skill level and could make it harder to read in crowded areas.
• You can no longer suffer Ring Sting while you have Rings overhead from an active ringboost. (Reminder: In 2.4, you're also protected from Sting if you're currently attracting rings that would place you above 0, or if you're charging a spindash.)
  • This prevents frustrating edge-of-vulnerability Stings in the moments between boosting and collecting Rings from the track, or having potential boost wasted because of an unpredictable ricochet.

Items

• Stone Shoe slows the chained player down significantly more.
  • Hey, you're, uh. I think you're supposed to chain other people with it. Like it's not supposed to be an advantantage to be—are you listening
  • (This should make it easier to pass an aggressive chained player without getting wrecked.)
• While charging, Lightning Shield is immune to most damage and map hazards.
  • This brings its functionality in line with the other shields, and restores its defensive power without giving 1st unlimited protection or unreactable attacks.

Teamplay

• In Battle mode, items from broken Item Monitors can now be immediately grabbed by anyone on the breaker's team.
• In Battle mode, eliminating all members of the enemy team during Overtime will now immediately end the round.

Online Play

• Players now gain and lose Mobiums more gradually.
• Removed hidden Mobium adjustments for overall race placement.
  • The final Checkpoint now gives bonus EXP, so this is no longer necessary.
• Fixed Mobiums updating strangely in Battle mode.
• Raised the bitrate of voice chat (again).

Challenges

• Added a password to unlock all Tutorials.

Interface

• Adjusted the display of signposts when players cross the finish line while about to die - !28

Accessibility

• Reduce Effects now prevents the incoming-player "CHECK" warnings from flashing - !43

Misc Fixes

• Fixed major performance issues caused by voice chat - #234
• FIxed Eggmark not affecting players in precisely timed hitlag.
• Fixed non-damaging "stumble" removing Rings.
• Fixed damaging "stumble", like from orbital or backthrown items, not awarding Amps.
• Fixed stumble sectors and terrain occasionally softlocking the player in hell.
• Fixed the Flame Shield boost bar being minimum length in Tutorials.
• Fixed Ring Box payouts sometimes forcing other Ring payouts to maximum speed.
• Fixed GP placement unlock conditions misfiring entirely - #253
• Viewing a non-teamplay replay with teamplay turned on no longer erroneously assigns team colors to players in the replay
• Fixed various crashes associated with using "local only" addons (like sound replacements) during netplay.
• Fixed Duels crashing at 99 laps instead of forcibly ending.
• Fixed the delay indicator not reflecting your Minimum Input Delay during netplay.
• Fixed various input irregularities with Acid Drop and Acid Cancel, especially when using Kickstart Accel.
• Fixed strange behavior when loading replays with Teamplay enabled in your settings.
• Fixed strange screen-fade behavior when playing back replays.
• Fixed the debugitemodds command displaying incorrect odds.
• Fixed players sometimes receiving an Item Roulette instead of a Casino Roulette when breaking a Ring Box at the same time.
• Fixed players under Overshield effect getting hit multiple times by Insta-Whip.
• Fixed an exploit regarding Time Attack challenges - !41
• Fixed an interaction between the POSITION! beam and the freeze debug command - !37
• Fixed Ring Bail playing follower horns even when disabled in Sound Options - !45
• Narrowed Special Thanks to people the devs actually know more personally.

Course Changes

• Sunbeam Paradise, Rings - Adjusted dialogue to elaborate further on Ring usage mechanics and Sonic Boom (clearing Tripwire threshold).
• Sunbeam Paradise, Items - Adjusted dialogue to reflect updated terminology for Subsonic (approaching Tripwire thrsehold) and Sonic Boom (clearing Tripwire threshold).
• Panic City - Rasied the height of 1st tripwire cut - #144
• Emerald Coast - Added several blockplayers linedefs and respawn lines around the edges of the spiral and lighthouse sections to prevent major exploits. #144
• Cadillac Cascade - Further adjusted final shortcut to reduce unintended entry - ...

Version 2.4 Release Candidate 4

Dr. Robotnik's Ring Racers version 2.4 is just on the horizon!

This is a Release Candidate version; the design and features are mostly final, but since there are a lot of changes in this release, we're making it available in a pending state to check for technical issues and critical bugs.

If you'd like to try out the newest features and fixes, and don't mind running into potential bugs, please give this version a try; let us know if you run into trouble via GitLab or on Discord.

If you're just arriving, please read the previous release candidate notes first! This page won't list any changes made in prior RC versions.

• RC1 patch notes
• RC2 patch notes
• RC3 patch notes

NOTE: There are still more fixes coming! However, we've already made enough changes that we'd like to battle-test the latest stuff while we work.

Misc Fixes

• Fixed a bug that allowed players to underflow their Ring count and use Ring Bail for arbitrary amounts of speed.
  • "hopefully the last of major gameplay bugs" my ass
• Fixed a crash when players left the game while ringboosting.
• Fixed a crash that could occur when finishing a Grand Prix race with zero human players.
  • This normally couldn't be triggered without cheats.

Course Changes

• Northern District - A killplane now triggers on the final lap as the girder cut raises, to prevent people from using boost items on the edge of specific slopes and launching past the fence.
• Withering Chateau - Added respawn lines to the outer edges of the first U-turn to prevent Bubble Shield from being smuggled and used to boost past the garden wall.
• Umbrella Rushwinds - Added more block players lines across bridge and changed respawn FOF to solid invisible wall.
• Sky Babylon - Crumble FOFs shouldn't crush anymore, Waypoints are still moved out of way as an extra measure. Added an extra pillar on the last spiral to prevent unintended exploits/shortcuts.
• Autumn Ring - Added multiple Blockplayers linedefs.
• Lake Margorite - Extended death plane before the entrance to a cave to prevent exploits.

Version 2.4 Release Candidate 3

Dr. Robotnik's Ring Racers version 2.4 is just on the horizon!

This is a Release Candidate version; the design and features are mostly final, but since there are a lot of changes in this release, we're making it available in a pending state to check for technical issues and critical bugs.

If you'd like to try out the newest features and fixes, and don't mind running into potential bugs, please give this version a try; let us know if you run into trouble via GitLab or on Discord.

If you're just arriving, please read the previous release candidate notes first! This page won't list any changes made in prior RC versions.

• RC1 patch notes
• RC2 patch notes

NOTE: There are still more fixes coming! However, we've already made enough changes that we'd like to battle-test the latest stuff while we work.

Core Gameplay

• Fixed a series of bugs that could cause your Ring count to desynchronize or function strangely when using Ring Bail, including preventing Ring pickup or Ring Bailing for unusual values.
  • Among other things, this caused rapid repeated Bails to boost you much faster than intended.
• You can no longer Bail while respawning, or while above 0 total rings with no item.
  • The above bugfix makes this generally a bad idea anyway.
• Holding Ring Bail in situations where you can't Bail no longer prevents all Ring attraction.
• Players using Ring Bail now intermittently flash dark, indicating that they're vulnerable.
• Increased Insta-Whip's recovery, and further increased it when missing.
• Using Ring Bail now places Insta-Whip on a brief recovery.
• You now receive amps for Ring Stinging a player charging Insta-Whip, or in Insta-Whip recovery.
  • These changes should make it easier to react to fast slingshot-pass Insta-Whips, and make it easier and more rewarding to exploit careless attacks. Insta-Whip was already strong in 2.3, and Ring Bail allows you to access it much quicker, with instant speed. It's highly competitive with regular driving even at close ranges, where the defender doesn't get their usual chance to preempt or avoid approaches. We're keeping an eye on this (and trying to play plenty of games!), but races seem healthier when Ring Bail is used for situational speed, not all-purpose overtake power.
• Starting Ring count in Race gametypes 20 → 10 (matching RC1, 2.3).
  • Most POSITION areas have enough Rings to stock up some extra safety; this change was a bit too cautious, and reduced the incentive for players to use POSITION at all.
• First Blood grants slightly fewer Amps.
  • Frontrunners are meant to have a cushion of safety, but the position is overall slightly too safe, and can leave a strong frontrunner multiple turns ahead even against equally strong competition.
• You now need to fall slightly further behind to receive Grow in the Item Roulette.
  • Grow appeared significantly earlier than other power items, and is better than ever with more sources of multiplicative speed.
• Slightly increased item distances per player in the race.
  • This has been a mechanic since 2.0, and has existed in its current form since RC1, but needed a heavier touch now that other compensation systems are working correctly.
• Increased the range that the Item Roulette considers you "close to" other players, and slightly decreased the compensation when considered "far away".
  • This should increase how often players under attack receive usable defensive/counterattack items. (This system is independent of leader distance, and can take effect anywhere from 2nd to 16th.)

This is a lot of changes for a single day's worth of play—that's what happens when large portions of the existing balance are based on bugs! We'll be tuning closer to the ideal over time, but RC2's balance was a significant overcorrection and led to tight, chaotic midpack scenarios with very low position stability. If "zero-ring berserking" is ever too strong, it can force nearby players into narrow play patterns and turn the game into rocket jousting; we'll be keeping an eye on this as we enter our final tuning passes (and hopefully the last of major gameplay bugs!)

Misc Fixes

• Fixed the Overdrive shield not protecting from certain "downgraded" sources of damage.
  • The damage system is full of tricky one-off rules and special exceptions. Please continue to report strange events on the GitLab!
• Fixed Acid Drop VFX flying away from the player.
• Fixed a memory bug introduced by a change in the netgame connection flow which would reliably crash on some Linux and macOS systems. - !20
• Fixed a crash starting dedicated servers also introduced by connection flow changes. - !22
• Some debugging commands for staff ghosts have slightly improved log messages. - !17
• Raised the voice bitrate significantly, from 10kbps to 28kbps. Oops. I definitely made that way lower than I thought.
• Speaking indicators are no longer displayed in several situations where you aren't actually able to speak.

Course Changes

Northern District

• Adjusted elements to prevent players from taking the last shortcut on the final lap, after the crane has been raised.

Sunset Hill

• Removed the lower section after the mandatory trick panel.

Hot Crater

• Removed the first shortcut.

Development

• Added initial support for building with clang-cl.exe with the Windows SDK.
  • We'll probably be moving to Windows Clang x64 builds in 2.5, but Eidolon wanted to get this into the tree so contributors can start messing with it.

Modding

• V_SPLITSCREEN now draws HUD elements in the proper viewport in splitscreen. - !18

Additional Contributors

These community contributors helped with this release. Thank you!

• frostu8
• hayaunderscore
• rypofalem

Version 2.4 Release Candidate 2

Dr. Robotnik's Ring Racers version 2.4 is just on the horizon!

This is a Release Candidate version; the design and features are mostly final, but since there are a lot of changes in this release, we're making it available in a pending state to check for technical issues and critical bugs.

If you'd like to try out the newest features and fixes, and don't mind running into potential bugs, please give this version a try; let us know if you run into trouble via GitLab or on Discord.

If you're just arriving, please read the RC1 patch notes first! This page won't list any changes made in prior RC versions.

NOTE: There are still more fixes coming! However, we've already made enough changes that we'd like to battle-test the latest stuff while we work.

Core Gameplay

• Moderately reduced Amp rewards when landing several hits in quick succession.
• Overdrive now reduces faster if you rapidly close in on the leader, like many other strong boosts.
• You can no longer Ring Burst to avoid death at -20 rings. During flight, you'll pass through players and most objects.
• You can now cancel Acid Drop into a normal Fast Fall by tapping the button again.
  • In halfpipe sections like Chaos Chute, this should help recover from extremely fast launches without immediately launching off the other side.
• When landing normally from Acid Drop, you'll receive a small boost in addition to any ramp or slope momentum, even if you land on flat ground.
• Speed Assist now triggers slightly quicker (closer to the pack).
  • Speed Assist is used to help unusual stragglers, not crash rear-pack into the mid-pack. This is intended to help struggling players stay with the race, not to force overtake pressure.
• You now start with 20 rings in Race (was 10).
• FAULTing now releases you after 1 second (was 3).
  • Since the opening checkpoint actually matters in 2.4, these changes should reduce how often players fall significantly behind for making simple mistakes.
• Slightly reduced EXP volatility for each player above 8.
  • This should make early mistakes in large races less immediately punishing. These environments still need to be carefully controlled—spacing players out is better than cramming them together—but a light touch here should hopefully soothe some first-checkpoint woes.
• Fixed certain attack and trap items appearing much too often when far from all enemies (bugfix).
• In teamplay, Smart Roulette no longer considers teammates valid attack-item targets. Tight groups of struggling allies should receive speed items more often.
• Adjusted the behavior of many objects and visual effects in flipped gravity.
  • This is a far-reaching set of changes and may have some regressions we don't know about, but several objects had strictly incorrect collision while flipped, introducing a lot of small inconsistencies. As always, please drop us a line on GitLab if something's acting up.

Developer note: Please don't get attached to any particular values or balance in an unreleased testing build. If these values are an overcorrection in practice, they will change: position stability is an important part of fair and engaging races, and we want to make sure that players who consistently drive well are consistently rewarded. If you and your play group want an experience more like 2.3, head to Gameplay Options > Item Toggles and try Frantic Items, which significantly dampens the effects of EXP—but only do this if you're prepared for a party game!

Items

• You can no longer collide with a Stone Shoe that is already chained to you.
  • This was, technically speaking, really funny, but also led to extremely punishing nonsense states any time you were hit or disrupted by something else. This should also make self-chaining with Down+Item less dangerous.
• Dashing with Bubble Shield (back+Item) no longer deletes snatched reserve items.
• Reduced the base launch speed of a foggy Bubble Shield (when near leader).
  • Bubble's air drag was meant to apply somewhat gradually, but it was possible to preserve launch speed while avoiding air drag if you could quickly engineer a bounceless landing, like with a Triangle Dash.
• Significantly increased the Self-Propelled Bomb's "seeking" speed (before the siren sounds). Chase speed is unchanged.
  • This should put pressure on the frontrunner faster; with large enough gaps, they often ended the race before ever suffering ring lock.

Single Player

• In a certain encounter, Bubble Shield will now always bounce at full speed - #13
• Reduced the likelihood for CPUs to target an Elemental Shield in their Item Roulette.
  • Shields are "all-purpose" items that the CPU considered quite valuable, but more item variety makes for a better race, especially now that Lightning Shield is less overwhelming.
• Fixed CPUs falling significantly behind by holding onto items for too long, especially Bubble Shield and Eggmark.
• Fixed the "First Blood" boost being shorter in Grand Prix.
• Fixed CPUs performing significantly better if they hadn't yet hit a wall on the current course.
• If you have ever attempted a certain encounter, the entry requirements drop significantly (slightly more than 2.3, much less than RC1).
• You can no longer lose rank for attempting a certain encounter, but gaining rank in that encounter is significantly more difficult.
  • Top rank is a pure bragging-rights reward, with zero benefits or unlockables—exclusively for arcade freaks. Give it your best!

Time Attack

• Time Attack is now restarted with Bail (previously Respawn) instead of Action.
• Fixed an issue that could cause inputs to be carried over after a course restart, incorrectly starting the timer. This was most likely to affect players with a higher-than-normal Minimum Input Delay.

Online Play

• Fixed Duel desyncs on dedicated servers when Margin Boost begins.
• Fixed server list voice indicator appearing for the wrong servers, or not appearing at all.
• Fixed strange EXP tally behavior when Mobiums are disabled in a team game - #8
• Added "Input Noise Suppression" option under Voice Settings to reduce the volume of non-speech noise. Enabled by default.
  • During play, the microphone icon in the corner will shake and light up when you're broadcasting. Wear headphones and move your mic away from your keyboard, or use push-to-talk!
• Fixed voice chat playing in flipped stereo during Encore Mode.
• Netplay servers can now send addons of up to 200MB by default, and the "max send" limit can be disabled. !14

Interface

• Added sounds for collecting EXP crystals.
• Mid-race splits now display slightly higher on the screen.
  • The old position was fine in Time Attack, since you're usually moving fast with a zoomed-out camera, but covered critical area at standard racing speeds.
• Splits will now longer display after crossing the finish line.
• Fixed the Acid Drop control prompt appearing while in loss-of-control states where Acid Drop is impossible.
• Fixed lapcount readouts above 9 displaying strangely.
• Disabled Spindash reminder text in Tutorial gametypes and POSITION.
• Added HUD behavior for the Ring counter during an ongoing Ring Bail.
  • This should make it a little clearer how long you're going to be stuck flinging Rings away. The more you burn, the longer you commit!
• Disabled team scoring widget during Team Battle.
  • This UI element was never really intended for "point limit" modes, and displayed misleading or broken information about scoring state. Trust the GOAL instead!
• The new lap animation, position bulbs, and the 3, 2, 1 GO/DUEL HUD items will be more transparent when using a high camera height (like in MEGA maps).
• Added a Mayflash Saturn adapter controller profile.

Accessibility

• The flashing HUD elements in Prison Break flash more slowly when Reduce VFX is enabled. - !7
• The Rings counter no longer flashes when in debt when Reduce VFX is enabled. - !6
• Certain flashpal effects no longer flash the screen in Legacy GL when Reduce VFX is enabled. - !5

Misc Fixes

• Fixed Triangle Dash carrying you "upward" in reverse gravity.
• Fixed Ring count and Ring Debt behaving strangely after using Ring Bail or Insta-Whip.
• Fixed midrace joins being impossible when bots occupy every player slot.
  • Known issue: Servers can still crash if bots occupy every connection slot. This is a tough one to fix, sorry!
• Fixed various circumstances that could cause players to appear with a "null skin" (green Eggman).
• Fixed teamplay friendly fire (from rare sources like Ballhog explosions or the SPB) allowing the player to be hit multiple times.
• Fixed backthrown Jawz reaching relativistic speeds in Battle, traveling the entire length of the map in 1 tic.
• Fixed a crash that could occur when dropping or back-throwing items that were immediately destroyed - #23
• Fixed Super Ring and Self-Propelled Bomb appearing in the Item Roulette even when disabled through the Item Toggles menu.
• Fixed Battle monitors ignoring item toggles entirely.
• Fixed the Item Toggle menu behaving strangely when playing online.
• Fixed item duplication when S...

Version 2.4 Release Candidate 1

Dr. Robotnik's Ring Racers version 2.4 is just on the horizon!

This is a Release Candidate version; the design and features are mostly final, but since there are a lot of changes in this release, we're making it available in a pending state to check for technical issues and critical bugs.

If you'd like to try out the newest features and fixes, and don't mind running into potential bugs, please give this version a try; let us know if you run into trouble via GitLab or on Discord.

WARNING!

This is a Release Candidate build. You may encounter bugs, lose progress, or otherwise have weird stuff happen to you.

We recommend installing to a new location and backing up your save files (ringdata.dat, ringprofiles.prf, ringconfig.cfg). Installations upgraded to 2.4 cannot be reverted to 2.3; you MUST back up your data to do this.

BACK UP YOUR EXISTING INSTALLATION, OR YOU COULD IRREVERSIBLY LOSE EVERYTHING!

The Flatpak release won't be updated for prerelease versions. Technical Linux/Deck users can compile from source: check out tag v2.4-rc1 and use the assets linked in the GitHub release.

What's New

• Race and battle with proximity voice chat online.
• Play as a team in Race or Battle, or duel one-on-one in a new tug-of-war race.
• No more nervous guesswork: see your opponents' items, even in Race.
• Amps reward aggressive item hits with on-demand boost power.
• Ring Bail for a final push of do-or-die speed!
• Checkpoints and EXP boost comeback odds for early leaders.
• Sharper, more flexible handling, especially for heavyweights.
• No more self-damage! Snatch your items back for a second chance.
• Challenge all-new staff ghosts, with faster restarts, improved balance, and realtime splits.
• A fresh new offensive toolbox: rebalanced, redesigned, and all-new items.
• Get straight to online racing with skippable tutorials, or sharpen your skills with new tutorials and practice maps.
• Take a low-pressure drive in the redesigned Relaxed mode...or challenge brutal CPUs in the toughest Master mode yet!
• Rebalanced maps, from ring counts and capsule spots to brand new layouts.
• Countless fixes, refinements, and quality-of-life updates, including modern control prompts.
• Expanded addon capabilities and limits; load over 1000 addon characters at once!

---

Preliminary patch notes. May be incomplete.

Get Amped!

• In Race gametypes, dealing damage to other players grants Amps, a backup reserve of electric charge.
  • In a 4-player game, knocking a single person away can be a big deal: in a 16-player game, it hardly matters at all. Amps normalize the reward for good item play, and give defensive items a bump in power without making the race more chaotic.
• When you drop to 0 rings, you'll spend your Amps to enter Overdrive, briefly shielding you from damage and granting a bonus to top speed, acceleration, and handling.
  • When going for item hits in chaotic situations, you're often left defenseless afterwards—forced into a tougher situation than the racer you just hit! Overdrive lets you pull away from oncoming danger, and can protect you from combo hits even if your aggression doesn't work out.
• Overdrive also massively speeds up your ringboost; restock quickly to blast away!
• When you're far behind, hitting players close to the front pays out more Amps.
• First Blood (crossing the POSITION beam first) now pays out Amps in addition to the boost.
  • The First Blood boost already has a breakaway effect—it prevents other players from tethering off you—but in courses with early setpieces or tight opening corners, it was often difficult or impossible to apply. The Amp reward lets you get a second shot at dodging early offense, or start stockpiling your resources to hold the lead in the late-game—giving players a more compelling reason to play their POSITION proactively, and giving every race a public enemy #1!
• In Race, if your item hit sends a player out of bounds, you'll be rewarded with bonus Amps.

Ring Bail

• Tap a single button to spend all of your rings, drop your item, and rapidly boost forward—but reduce yourself to -20 rings!
  • Insta-Whip and Overdrive are both powerful tools, but needing to spend down to 0 rings often prevented players from accessing them when they were most useful. Ring Bail is a push-button way to unlock high speed and strong offense, making it a great way to push for a checkpoint or quickly course-correct—but at -20 Rings, a single misstep can instantly kill you!
• After using Ring Bail, you'll be unable to pick up rings for a long time, and any rings or items you had will be dropped behind you.
• While spinning out or tumbling, hold the Bail input for long enough and you'll "Burst", cancelling the damage into Ring Bail.
• Ring Bail is triggered with the "Y" button, previously mapped to Ring Shooter. Ring Shooter is now deployed with Bail + E-Brake.

Checkpoints

• Most race maps now contain Checkpoints, an extension of "Lap Bonus" that grades players midway through a lap.
• Strong items appear less often by default, but crossing a Checkpoint in high placements awards EXP, boosting your item odds for the rest of the race.
  • EXP also affects the payout values from Ring Box.
  • This makes it harder to intentionally play from behind, allows smaller gaps in skill to shine through more often, and limits the "crab bucket" effect where struggling players drag each other down. Explosive comebacks will be less common, and players who fall behind will need to work their way through the pack rather than relying on power items to immediately cover their mistakes.
  • Note: "Frantic Items" reduces the impact of EXP for struggling players. If you and your play group like roulette-style racing, toggle it on for item odds that are closer to 2.3. (Please only do this if you want a party game!)
• Item Boxes no longer spawn until you've crossed your first Checkpoint.
  • Everyone has one chance to earn EXP by pure driving, without items to worry about.
• Checkpoints pay out a small amount of Rings to keep struggling players moving.
• When crossing a Checkpoint, you'll see how many seconds ahead or behind you are, as well as whether you're gaining or losing time.
  • By default, this displays the leader in Race modes and the closest leading player in Time ATtack. This can be adjusted in HUD Options.

Duel Mode

• 2-player race matches are now a Checkpoint tug-of-war; take 4 more than your opponent to win!
  • 1v1 is most fun when you're dogfighting with your opponent, pushing each other through every corner—and not very fun when your opponent disappears at POSITION and out-drives you for three minutes. This mode aims to reward active play, reduce last-minute scams, and end the match quickly if someone makes an unrecoverable error.
• In Duels, the First Blood boost is disabled, but crossing the line first still pays out Amps.
• Duels have no maximum lap count; you'll keep racing until someone takes a decisive lead.
  • Race for long enough, and "Margin Boost" will kick in, speeding both players up until one of them falls behind.
• When playing online, Duel opponents strike maps to determine their next battlefield. Take turns banning maps; the last one standing is played.

Voice Chat

• Proximity voice chat is now available! This feature can be configured in the new Voice Options submenu.
• Voice chat is opt-in both as a client and for servers.
  • The server cvar to control voice chat is voice_servermute.
  • We don't want players or server operators to be caught by surprise, and believe that server operators need to understand the moderation risks of having voice chat active on their servers before turning it on. Be kind to eachother.
• Proximity effects are turned on by default, and controlled as a server cvar. Server operators may choose to turn off proximity effects if desired.
  • The server cvar for this is voice_proximity.
  • Proximity effects only apply while in a level.
  • Spectators can only talk outside of levels.
  • A 12-player netgame with several players excited and loud can quickly become overwhelming. Conversely, being able to hear your victims scream in stereo as you drive past them is funny. We think the latter is better as a default.
• Servers with voice chat enabled will show up with a microphone icon in the server list.
• It is possible to vote-mute a player. The player will remain muted until unmuted by the server.

Team Play

• The teamplay cvar enables team scoring in both Race and Battle!
  • In Race, earn 2 points for each player you pass and 1 tiebreaker point for 1st place.
  • In Battle, reach the Score Limit as a team and score a final KO!
• Bumping your teammates inflicts reduced knockback. In Race, they also won't be hurt by your items or attacks. See "Core Gameplay" for more!
• When using voice chat, you can hear your teammates from farther away.

Core Gameplay

• "Neutral Drift": You now lose less speed while drifting while not steering.
  • Every character's "neutral" arc is different. Take a smart entry line, and you'll be rewarded with a speedy exit, even without using Rings!
• The longer you drift, the sharper your inward drift becomes. This effect kicks in faster for characters that build drift sparks faster.
  • This lets heavyweights take better advantage of neutral drift and reduces their reliance on brakedrifting, especially on Gear 2. Try it out on the Joypolis spiral!
• Global Item Spy: You can now see a player's held item on their nametag, even outside of Battle...