Welcome to Dr. Robotnik’s Ring Racers version 2.4. 2.4 is a comprehensive retune and rebalance update, addressing tons of new player pain-points while delivering the sharpest core driving yet—plus a truckload of new features and quality-of-life improvements. This isn’t a content update; though we did throw in some extras from development that just happened to be done, at our own leisure. Our main focus was making all of our 200+ courses drive better than ever, whether you’re a novice or a maniac. If you’re new, this update is for you; if you’ve been here from the beginning, it’s for you and your friends, who can now get from setup to gameplay faster than ever! Your browser does not support native videos. > **NOTE:** These are some _long_ patch notes, for the benefit of the die-hards who have been playing since the beginning—but don’t sweat if this looks like a lot. You don’t need to know any of this to get driving; consult the Online Manual or in-game tutorials at your leisure. # Download links * Windows * macOS * Flatpak for Linux and Steam Deck * GitHub Release Page ### Compatibility Notice This is the last version of Ring Racers to officially support Windows 10 and 32-bit operating systems, due to flagging support for the supporting software we use. (Windows 10 will likely continue working fine, but no guarantees.) The next update will likely not include a 32-bit Windows version, though building for 32-bit may still be possible. We suggest users that cannot upgrade to Windows 11 nor use the Windows 10 Extended Security Updates program consider trying a Linux-based operating system. # What’s New Your browser does not support native videos. * 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 Item 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**! ## Get Amped! Your browser does not support native videos. * 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** , granting a brief shield and a longer boost to speed 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 massively speeds up your ringboost. Restock quickly to blast away! * Trailing players get more Amps for hitting leading players. * 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. * You now receive Amps for Ring Stinging a player charging Insta-Whip, or in Insta-Whip recovery. > Interrupting or punishing a Whip was usually neutral for the defender at best, and massively punishing at worst. Insta-Whip is a powerful tool, and should have proportional risk for the attacker! ## Ring Bail Your browser does not support native videos. * 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. Your browser does not support native videos. * While spinning out or tumbling, hold the Bail input for long enough and you’ll “Burst”, cancelling the damage into Ring Bail. * Ring Bail replaces the old Ring Shooter input. Ring Shooter is now deployed with Bail + E-Brake. ## Checkpoints Your browser does not support native videos. * 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 and Ring Box payouts for the rest of the race. > 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. * 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. > 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!) ## Duel Mode Your browser does not support native videos. * 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`. > **Servers:** We don’t want to catch you by surprise—be aware of the moderation risks of voice chat before turning it on. **Players:** Be kind to each other, please! * 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 be marked 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. * The “Input Noise Suppression” option will attempt to filter background noise from your microphone and is enabled by default. ## Team Play Your browser does not support native videos. * The “Teamplay” option 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 Your browser does not support native videos. * **“ 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 mode. > Players threaten vastly different areas of the course depending on their item. The best option was often to avoid them altogether—not very fun for either party. Now, it’s easier to get up close and personal, using blind-spots and deadzones to keep the pressure on. Your browser does not support native videos. * **“ Snatching”:** In Race modes, driving into your own missile or trap items now picks them up, placing them back in your item slot. When playing on a team, you can also pick up your teammates’ items. * Insta-Whipping a field item will also pick it up. * If your item slot is occupied, you’ll hold the item in “reserve” until it clears out. Picking up another allied item will drop your reserve slot as a paperitem. > This makes it less punishing to go for ambitious shots or trap your own line, and affects several intentional-hit momentum exploits. * After starting a sliptide, you can continue sliptiding in a straight line as long as you stay above 100% speed. To end your sliptide early, steer in the opposite direction or start a drift. > This is an input-fairness change for d-pad and keyboard users, allowing them to take the same lines and use the same boost-storage strategies as players using analog sticks. Wavedash charge rate is based on turn strength, so a straight-line sliptide won’t grant any credit, but it preserves the special handling state without requiring gate-riding analog inputs or an additional drift. * Reduced wavedash charge rate when sliptiding in both directions (“snaking”). > Technical: “Left” and “right” charge are now counted separately, and a penalty is applied to the lower value. This has the strongest effect on sliptides where your total turn magnitude is similar in both directions—in other words, when you’re sliptiding back and forth in a straight line—and has minimal effect on small angle-correction adjustments. We typically like to leave emergent handling techniques untouched (sliptiding itself is a “bug made feature”), but sliptide snaking was a high-input-intensity, latency-sensitive technique that short-circuited the opportunity cost of the wavedash, allowing players to gain bonus speed without ever losing it. While you can still lock a full wavedash from Sneaker Panels, you’ll typically need to pre-steer to do it. * Prepping a wavedash grants you a marginal speed and acceleration boost, as long as you can see the vortex behind you. A larger vortex grants a stronger boost. > Coming from other arcade racers, a surprising amount of people expected sliptiding to work this way, or assumed that it already did! This is a pretty marginal speed buff, but serves as a slight reward for something that was already just flat-out fun to do. Your browser does not support native videos. * When a Ring Box, Super Ring, or other track elements award Rings, you’ll now see your pending payout next to your Ring count. * As long as you’re getting paid, you can spend Rings from your pending payout at increased speed, awarding a stronger but significantly shorter boost. > We’d sometimes see people ask whether it was better to hold Item after picking up a Ring Box. The truth is, in prior versions of the game, it made almost no difference—Rings above your cap of 20 were (and still are) automatically spent to boost. Now there’s a real tradeoff. * You can no longer suffer Ring Sting immediately after ringboosting, while attracting Rings that would place you above 0, while charging a Spindash, or if the player stinging you is spun out or tumbling. > This should significantly reduce “surprise” Ring Sting, situations where you barely miss the chance to protect yourself, and situations where you’re repeatedly stung while recovering. Your browser does not support native videos. * **“ Acid Drop”:** After being launched from a wall transfer (like “quarter pipe” set-pieces), you’ll see a sparkle effect as you start to descend. If you fastfall while this spark is visible, you won’t bounce when you land, converting the speed of your descent into forward momentum. > Most wall-transfer areas were designed before the development of the Fastfall, and it was usually strictly better to take them with a fastfall-tridash combo, causing an awkward break in momentum. * The Item Roulette no longer uses fixed tables at fixed distance brackets. Your item odds will smoothly change as your position and distance changes, and most reels will have a more consistent level of power. * Most item reels are now signficantly shorter, and a new cue has been added to when a reel “loops”, allowing you to catch target items on the second go-around. > This is still a deterministic system, but you can no longer memorize specific reels to blind-guarantee specific items; instead, players will need to read their reel as it spins. Also, that reel that contained a single Double Jawz in a sea of Invincibility and Triple Sneakers? Gone. What was that even about? * When far away from other players, the Item Roulette will contain fewer attack-only items. > Attack items will still be present, but the reel will be weighted towards more impactful tools, like speed or trap items. * In lobbies with more racers, item odds become weaker; you’ll need to fall further behind before seeing strong items. > This was actually already in the game, but wasn’t impactful enough. This should give players time to breathe in larger games, and help thrill-seekers show off their skills on offense—plus, it makes life easier for engine class C, who often had to stay near the pack to keep their pace up. * Damage and respawning no longer reset Item Lockout. > Repeatedly overcharging a Spindash or tapping Ring Shooter could let players quickly combine power items or guzzle thousands of rings. Worse, the mechanic was an invisible knowledge check; when hit near an itemset, a novice player would simply drive forward, rather than reversing into the set to try again. In this case, it’s better to make the obvious play the right one. * If two players make contact with an Item Box at almost the same time, they’ll both receive an item. (Same for Ring Box!) > In cases where players are nearly tied for an Item Box, it can be hard to guess the outcome. This window of leniency is pretty small, but should reduce situations where a player’s reasonable push leaves them out in the cold. Your browser does not support native videos. * Ice physics now make slopes stronger, and mud physics make slopes weaker. > Ice in this game makes your top speed higher, so tall slopes were very easy to climb under ice. This change was especially targeted towards ice slalom sections, such as those in Blue Mountain and Blizzard Peaks Classic, which now guide your kart into the right direction, instead of it being easy to bump the walls. Downhill ice is also even faster now, which is just plain fun! * Reduced handling interference from stepping up/down (“stairjank”) when traveling at high speed. Your browser does not support native videos. * **“ Sonic Boom”:** Added new VFX and SFX for approaching the Tripwire speed threshold (“Subsonic”), and when you reach that speed (“Sonic Boom”). * Base Sonic Boom threshold increased to 225% (was 200%). * Offroad no longer increases the Sonic Boom threshold. * In Race modes, Sonic Boom threshold decreases as you fall behind, but increases as you approach the leader (look for red Subsonic lines). * In Race modes, the leader has a fixed threshold of 900%. > Seek employment. * Dramatically increased the minimum duration of Sonic Boom, making Tripwire crossing more reliable. * While affected by Sonic Boom, strong damage types (explosion, tumble) are downgraded, and weak damage types become a brief “stumble”. > Tripwire shortcuts can be crazy strong. Until now, there were tons of ways to take them from strong positons; this skewed up-front interactions that should be about driving skill and space control, and the tenuous balance meant we had to keep 1st place’s raw speed in careful check. This opens up some design space for things like the improved Super Ring, while keeping position play focused on fundamental racing. Your browser does not support native videos. * You can no longer jump over (most) Tripwires, and their visuals have been updated to reflect this. 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 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. * Sneaker Panels no longer grant inherent Tripwire access, but will extend Tripwire access from Sneaker items. > This lets mappers use them more freely without worrying about breaking their shortcuts, and makes races more visually readable near sections with lots of panels. Your browser does not support native videos. * **“ Stun”:** After taking damage, you become briefly “Stunned” and unable to collect Rings, indicated by circling Flybots over your head. * Stun lasts longer for lightweights. Stun is _much_ shorter if you’re far away from the pack or damaged by a map hazard. > Between emergency Spindash, checkpoint awards, and more prevalent Super Rings, it’s easier to stay out of Ring Debt than ever, and many damage events put the player back in control much quicker. That can be a bit of a problem for attack items; players with a high Ring count and a good opportunity to tether can go for “double attack” scenarios, immediately catching up to the player that just damaged them for another shot. Stun still lets you push for a counterattack, but puts you under pressure and weights the odds towards cautious play—but mostly towards the front, where offense is lower and every hit counts! * Slightly increased the damage radius of Insta-Whip. * If your Insta-Whip doesn’t make contact, ring pickup and Insta-Whip charge is disabled for a short period of time. > The “zero-ring berserker” playstyle was already strong in 2.3, but the standard of offense has raised a bit in 2.4. This aims to make Insta-Whip more forgiving, to match the bigger consequences for missing—and since Amps let you attack with it better, a big whiff should let the rest of the lobby breathe, too! * You can now punt “bumper” hazards away when you’re traveling at high speed or using Grow/Invincibility, like other map hazards. * Slightly improved steering response in Gear 3. > Like the rest of the game, Gear 3 has gotten faster, which became a bit of a problem for stat balance; improving baseline handling keeps heavyweights afloat. * Redistributed stat-based ringboost properties. Base ringboost duration has improved, bonus ringboost duration has decreased, and ringboost _speed_ now considers stats, adding a small bonus that favors class A. * Reduced the power of extreme Ring counts, like from successive Ring Box awards: * Super-strong ringboosts power down faster, even if you’re currently getting paid from a Ring Box or other award rings. * You now lose ringboost when falling off the track or lightsnaking, the same as if you’d taken damage. * Ring payouts now happen faster when you’re already under the effect of a strong ringboost. _(This decreases the time you spend in “payout mode”, which lowers ringboost decay; this is a nerf.)_ * Ring Box payouts increased by 25%. _(This is a partial buff to compensate for the prior nerfs.)_ > Stacked Ring Boxes were a powerful (and really goofy-looking) win condition on maps with tight item spacing (and they warped TA into something _very_ strange—stay tuned!). These changes aim to bring outlier stats a little closer to the center when it comes to ring awards, and keep the “guaranteed” speed of Ring Box in line with its risk and difficulty. * You can now Drop Dash even if you’re tumbling or spinning when lightsnake activates. * Increased the base speed of Gear 1, but slightly reduced the effect of boosts, and significantly reduced the effect of stacked boosts. > Gear 1 could be boring on simple layouts when playing well, but still really tough when playing from behind and using multiple boost items—the worst of both worlds! Ring Racers is at its toughest when your speed and handling properties suddenly change; less volatile boosts should make it easier for inexperienced players to stay in control. * While playing on Gear 1, reduced the lapcount of circuit maps above 3 laps. * **Speed Assist** : Players who have been _extremely_ behind for a while receive a small increase to base speed. This bonus speed reduces greatly when boosting, and disappears if they make forward progress. > This increase only starts if a player is substantially behind the bottom 25% of the race, when they fall extremely behind in Duel, or if their team is losing in teamplay. This is not usually intended to help with overtake progress directly, but helps players who are far away from **everyone** and struggling with items rejoin the race. * Increased Insta-Whip’s recovery, and further increased it when missing. * 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. * Slightly increased item distances per player in the race. > This has been a mechanic since 2.0, but needed a heavier touch with the new systems. * “Stumble” no longer removes ringboost. > This is a change mostly for Ring Bail, since things like Ballhog overcharge (see below!) 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.)_ * 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. * 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 start-line cross; adjust your strategy for next time! * You can no longer use items while on a Bungee. ## Items Your browser does not support native videos. * Added the Stone Shoe to Race mode! This leader-only trap looks like a dropped Sneaker, but chains the victim to a bouncing boulder, reducing their speed. * Bashing enemies with the Shoe (or tripping them with the chain) inflicts a low tumble, paying out Amps to the chained player _and_ the leader. * Holding Down when activating the Stone Shoe chains it to _yourself_ , instead of setting a trap. Your browser does not support native videos. * Added Toxomister to Race mode, a leader-only trap that covers passing enemies in clouds of smog. Touching one slows you down and drains your rings, while paying out Amps to the leader! * Toxic clouds can be blown away by reaching Tripwire speed, even if they’re already attached to you. * Toxomister can be destroyed with direct bumps or item shots. If it’s not destroyed, the leader can pick it up next lap and redeploy it! Your browser does not support native videos. * Ballhog has been completely redesigned, and is now a multi-function lobbed item. * Ballhog now starts with 7 shots instead of 5. * Instead of shooting missiles in a fan pattern, lobbed projectiles are tossed in a circle pattern. * Holding Up will throw the projectiles farther (similar to Proximity Mines), while holding Down will throw them closer to you. * While charging, a reticle will appear on the ground showing the expected flight path. These are visible to all players, not just you! * After holding Ballhog at a full charge for 2 seconds, you’ll consume your remaining shots to blow yourself up, launching forward in a low tumble. > Ballhog has been due for a rework for a while, and we’re finally making good on our promise from the 2.2 patch notes! This version is more flexible (and more potent at the right ranges), but no longer shuts down huge areas with little counterplay. Your browser does not support native videos. * At medium distances, stacks of Super Rings can appear in the Item Roulette. Using a stacked Super Ring pays out all the Rings at once, and pushes you in the direction you’re looking. > Amps made all the offensive “leader items” stronger, so Super Ring needed a tune-up—and inventive frontrunners will definitely get some mileage out of instant thrust! This also gives mid-pack players more options for pure speed, reducing item chaos in a distance bracket previously crammed with exclusively missiles. * Missile items now cause a brief “stumble” while orbiting, dropped, or thrown backwards, similar to Insta-Whip. Instead of being knocked away, you’ll keep traveling in the direction you were already moving. > Going for razor-thin overtakes versus orbital items is cool, and deserves to be less punishing when it doesn’t work out. This also gives dedicated trap items a better niche. Your browser does not support native videos. * Sneakers now travel significantly faster, and grant brief invulnerability when used. > In situations where strong Tripwire shortcuts weren’t available, Sneakers often felt pretty weak. In 2.4, they sorely needed a tune-up next to offensive items and their Amp rewards. Your browser does not support native videos. * The elemental shields have been graphically overhauled, and Bubble Shield is now much more visible from a distance. * When set as a trap, Bubble Shield is slightly larger. * Bubble Shield no longer pops in 1st place, but applies extra “air drag” until you reach a speed cap. This cap starts at 400% and decreases as you approach the leader, visually affecting the shield. > Arbitrary item cutoffs lead to weird player incentives, where people try to hang around near 2nd and time their overtakes. Applying a speed curve, like other high-impact items, means that players will have to make their own choices about when to toss their shield—and normalizes Bubble Shield on courses with steep drops or exploitable slopes. * Bubble Shield no longer drops as a trap if it’s used to boost. “Neutral set” (L + no direction) will drop it as a trap, and Down+L will immediately pop it and dash forward. > Bubble Shield’s neutral-set behavior was originally a bug, but we decided to keep it, since the boost provides a lot of linear speed that can sometimes ruin tight lines. This gives it its own niche, preserving Bubble Shield’s versatility but lowering its raw power. * 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. Your browser does not support native videos. * Dramatically improved handling while traveling at high speed under a Flame Shield boost. * Flame Shield’s “overheat” boost now thrusts you farther. Your browser does not support native videos. * Lightning Shield now has a “charge” window when activated, blocking most damage and map hazards, then exploding after a delay. While charging, you retain infinite tether range and gain tether speed twice as quickly; after exploding, you’ll zip forward. > Lightning Shield is infamously disruptive, and a mashed Lightning Shield would often decide up-front interactions, with no deadzone or weaknesses to exploit. The charge period gives frontrunners a brief window of complete safety, but also prevents them from hitting their pursuers before any reaction is possible. * Lightning Shield no longer hits players who are extremely far above or below you (bugfix). Your browser does not support native videos. * Players can no longer trigger their own Proximity Mines by stepping into the detection range. They’ll still be affected if another player triggers the mine. * Proximity Mine has a new visual for its activation range. > Did you know Proximity Mine has a higher activation range right as it arms? * Fixed an issue causing your own Shrink lasers to grant significantly more Grow time than intended. > Players can no longer stack a lap’s worth of Grow time from a single Item Box, and will almost always power down after making significant progress. Shrink is supposed to be strong, but was never meant to be this strong! Your browser does not support native videos. * Landmines can now be thrown forward, sliding along the ground and inflicting a softened Tumble. > Landmine has the weakest defensive profile vs. approaching attackers, so it deserved some bite versus confident overtakes. * You can no longer spindash while riding a Garden Top. * When throwing a Garden Top backwards, you’ll automatically fastfall. > Garden Top spindashing let players go from a standing start to an instant 400%+, which led to some goofy-looking skips when combined with sloped map geometry. * A “shaking” Garden Top (near 1st place) will take longer to stabilize when 1st pulls away. * When near 1st place, Grow and Invincibility decay at double speed. > This should make frontrunners safer from high-risk power overtakes—and prevent those overtakes from turning into an even worse frontrun. * Invincibility grants a brief period of Tripwire access after it ends, to make shortcuts more lenient. * Garden Top and Shrink now only appear for trailing players with high EXP. > Both items are intended to propel skilled players forward, but often disrupt the race for no reason if weak players fumble around with them. Players who are consistently struggling are better served by straightforward speed items. * Garden Top and Shrink no longer appear in Gear 1. > Shrink made several setpieces impossible to complete, and Garden Top is simply too volatile for a slower mode. * The Self-Propelled Bomb no longer hits players immediately after switching targets. * Significantly increased the Self-Propelled Bomb’s “seeking” speed (before the siren sounds). * Significantly increased the range at which the Self-Propelled Bomb enters “chase” mode. > This should put pressure on the frontrunner faster; with large enough gaps, they often ended the race before ever suffering ring lock. * Significantly increased Jawz speed and responsiveness when thrown backward. > 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? * 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! ## Battle * The location of the next Combat UFO, and the time until it spawns, is now displayed on the minimap. (blondedradio) > This was never meant to be purely random, but conveyance slipped away during the launch frenzy. With advance warning on the next UFO location, players have big incentives to group up and get fighting! * Players can no longer be hit during the visual “freeze” when grabbing a Power-Up. * Picking up a Power-Up grants longer invincibility, but that invincibility now depletes in the air. * In Battle, Bubble Shield has a 50% longer cooldown, and pops when it deals damage or triggers a clash. > Bubble Shield can still reflect an unlimited number of items…provided no one attacks you directly, or during the cooldown. * Players with an inflated Bubble Shield can no longer suffer Barrier Break. > This fixes a nasty anti-synergy with Mega Barrier. A non-inflated Bubble offers no protection, though! * You can now inflict Barrier Break on players using Grow, affected by S Monitor, or in other clash/invincibility states. > This previously caused a confusing state where players would appear to suffer Barrier Break, but take no damage. * If your Insta-Whip doesn’t make contact, Guard and Insta-Whip charge are disabled for a short period of time. > This previously used the standard “defense lockout” window of 7/10 seconds, but Insta-Whip’s half-second duration covered the majority of it, making it difficult to punish reckless whips. Since Whip now steals items on contact, it needed a more targeted weakness. * Last Chance now bounces you upward only once, but you regain control and bounce much further. > Fastfall quick and aim for a reversal, or hang out in the air and try to dodge the followup…? ## Time Attack ver.B Your browser does not support native videos. * All Time Attack times from prior versions have been invalidated. > Don’t worry, any medals you’ve earned will remain! * Several changes made to ringboost mechanics and “award rings”, to reduce runaway uncapped speed. See “Core Gameplay”. * Adjusted TA Ring Box payout values and stat scaling to favor heavyweights. > This affects only Time Attack, which already paid out variable amounts for different characters. * TA Ring Boxes pay out more with each checkpoint you cross. > Class-A characters often got to enjoy some dramatic pacing, where their speed would ramp up over the course of a run as they stacked up more and more ringboost. This was fun, so we wanted to give everyone a little of that rising tension. * Time Attack now starts timing the instant your character moves. * In Time Attack POSITION, added input leniency to Accel+Brake E-Braking, preventing three-button Spindash from accidentally moving early. * Time Attack POSITION time shortened slightly, but Spindash charges at 4x speed. * Crossing the starting line in Time Attack now grants the First Blood boost, minus the Amps. > No more rainbow driftboost starts! On the overwhelming majority of courses, a Spindash standing-start is now the fastest way to get going, reducing time spent between resets. You can still adjust your angle before you release, though. * The screen transition when restarting Time Attack is now faster. * After beating your best time, you can no longer quick-restart before reaching the intermission screen. > This prevents players from setting new best times, but exiting before the ghost can save. * Fixed an issue that could cause inputs to be carried over after a course restart. This was most likely to affect players with a higher-than-normal Minimum Input Delay. * _Perhaps, somewhere, a more powerful being exists …?_ > Massive kudos to everyone who pushed Chao beyond the limits of speed, finesse, and human sanity; the summit of competition has been equal parts awe-inspiring and concerning. Sadly, that level of imbalance isn’t fair to those who want to play their favorites—but we’ve had a great time watching everyone pull together and break the game one tic at a time. Now let’s see what you’ve got! ## Interface * Added the “Button Display” option when mapping controls. This affects button prompts across the entire game, allowing you to select between modern responsive button prompts, profiles optimized for 6-button reproduction controllers, or 2.3’s “emulator” style control display. When using a keyboard, keyboard keys will be displayed by name where available. > Sadly, not everyone grew up playing emulated Genesis games—not everyone has a decade’s worth of muscle memory on which shoulder button they mapped “Y” to. This wasn’t easy to implement, but hopefully it can ease some growing pains in the game’s opening moments, or for players who frequently switch controllers. * During the Tutorial, the Pause screen now shows a control guide. * The Cup and Level Select screens now show more information about unlocked awards and pickups. * The Grand Prix podium screen now shows your difficulty level, and which maps you retried. * During a Tutorial, or in a certain encounter in Grand Prix, the true map name is now shown on the top right of the screen. * The Challenge Board now has subtle coloring to go with each tile’s category, to improve navigating through the mountain of rewards. * In Match Race (and Online as a server admin), pressing “Action” on the Level Select screen now allows you to queue multiple maps for continuous play. > This was already a feature via the Developer Console, but that basically meant it only existed for technical users. A UI like this was always meant to help tournaments and local play run smoothly! * The name of the chosen Follower color will always display when extra information is enabled, even when using Default, Opposite or Match - !106 * Added an on-screen control reminder for Spindash (and boost items) after taking hits with 0 rings, or moving slowly through offroad. > New players make Ring-management mistakes a lot, and when you’re panicking your way back onto the road, it’s easy to forget you’ve got options. * Fixed lapcount readouts above 9 displaying strangely. * 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). * Adjusted the display of signposts when players cross the finish line while about to die - !28 * 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! * The mouse cursor is now hidden when the game window is in focus! * 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 ## Single Player Your browser does not support native videos. * Instead of “tournament points”, Grand Prix is now scored by EXP. Play well throughout the race to take the gold! * EXP also replaces Lap Bonus, so Grand Prix ranking criteria has changed; maximum scores and rank thresholds are lower. * Adjusted Grand Prix CPU difficulty to rise slower for struggling players, but fall less when retrying. > Struggling players would often “fail forward” on higher difficulties, ping-ponging between “too easy” and “way too hard” as they advanced. Rise to the challenge, or train on a lower difficulty—no boring wars of attrition! * On Relaxed difficulty, Grand Prix no longer uses a lives system, and you can advance even when placing below 4th. You also won’t immediately explode if you’re guaranteed to place last. > Relaxed plays at “Gear 1” speed, which also received some changes to be more friendly to inexperienced racers: see “Core Gameplay”. * Master difficulty Grand Prix now disables players’ positive EXP modifiers, making human item odds worse. > Depending on who you asked, Vicious might have been **harder** than Master difficulty, since your Rival had an easier time catching up without other strong bots around. Master is a bragging-rights maniac mode for the most devoted players, and we’ve tuned it accordingly; with weaker catchup, you’ll need both finesse and consistency to win! * In Grand Prix, finishing while “ring locked” from a trailing Self-Propelled Bomb now awards 20 bonus points of Ring Bonus. * Improved CPU racer driving on technical layouts, and made them play more fairly on simple layouts. * CPUs inflict less knockback, and get bumped farther, when colliding at high speeds (bugfix). * CPUs slow down slightly on long straightaways. * CPUs tether to other CPUs at reduced speed. * Reduced CPU “slope resistance” (bugfix). > Sneaker Cup was infamous for a reason: CPUs love narrow maps with forgiving guardrails and simple turning. This should make their driving less disruptive. * Strong CPUs rubberband less effectively if they’re at low EXP. > CPUs get most of their speed from fast driving, not from item play. This change aims to make them feel more like human opponents, making it harder for them to disrupt you when they’re consistently struggling. * Removed CPU “turn confirmation” state, speeding up their turn response. > CPUs previously had an artificial delay added to their turning, to ensure they didn’t rapidly wiggle back and forth in a way that looked unnatural—but when approaching corners from a straightaway, the delayed steering would sometimes make it hard for them to take their preferred line, making them tough to tune. * “Map complexity” no longer affects CPU speed. > CPU driving is more competent and consistent than prior versions, so they don’t need a speed multiplier based on layout anymore. This could occasionally cause problems in addon courses with strange waypoints, and was part of the problem with Chemical Facility. * CPUs have increased grip when taking sharp corners. * When trying to stop the Item Roulette, CPUs target the Elemental Shields less often. > 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 issues with CPU bonus traction that could cause them to reach unusual speeds on certain maps, and adjusted their base speed to compensate. > These changes are meant to make CPU racers more consistent and engaging, not necessarily easier. Mid-cup difficulty spikes should be much less drastic, but high AI levels may perform significantly better than you remember. * CPUs are now slightly less effective at using Bubble Shield and Lightning Shield, even at Lv.MAX. > Against skilled human players, quick speed changes can bait them into whiffing their shields; this gives strong CPUs a similar weakness. * Improved overtake potential and pack breakaway for CPUs favored to win. Packs of CPU racers are more likely to spread out in all gamemodes. * Fixed an issue that could rarely cause CPU racers to reach impossibly high difficulty on Relaxed mode. * Significantly raised requirements to enter a certain encounter for the first time, and slightly increased requirements to enter after seeing it once. > Players shouldn’t feel pushed into difficult encounters before they’re totally comfortable with what’s on offer. Enjoy racing and hone your skills, without the shadow of a certain adversary—but when you’re ready…! * 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! * In a certain encounter, lowered the speed threshold required to deal damage or pass Tripwire. > This allows Super Ring to be used offensively, and opens up damage opportunities on a number of short inclines. * Changed the appearance of a certain foe as damage is inflicted. * When retrying a certain encounter, reduced “carryover damage” from repeated attempts. Carryover damage is disabled entirely on Master difficulty. > To some people, this might be a surprising nerf, but for everyone dumping Orbinauts on the first slope in A*******, you might have seen it coming. ## Online * Fixed an issue preventing players from accessing the Server Browser after disconnecting from a modded netgame. > You’ll still need to restart the game to join a new server, but rejoining the server you were just on should work fine. * In sessions where there are not enough player slots for all the players connected, the NO CONTESTed player will become a spectator and be replaced by one of the spectators. This is controlled by the cvar `shuffleloser` and is enabled by default. > Try setting “Max Players” to 2, then “Max Connections” to something higher, for a rotating lobby in the new Duel mode. * If you’ve been waiting for a while after finishing a round, the tally screen will transition to a spectator view if there are still players to watch. * Improved compatibility with certain VPN software or strange home networks. When you connect with an unusual IP, you’ll connect as a GUEST instead of crashing. > The RRID system checks the server’s IP to prevent certain kinds of impersonation. These checks are disabled on a physical LAN, but there’s no way to tell how weird VPN software will remap private IP space; this is the next best thing. * Removed the ability to join in-progress races during the first 20 seconds. > This caused replay desyncs we weren’t able to resolve, and is a nasty edge case for addon authors besides. Sorry! * Significantly improved the speed of file checks and the HTTP downloader, making it easier to join Modded games. (Hanicef, alufolie91, Indev) * Fixed “server verification failed” errors when waiting for a long time to join a full server. * The new “Mobiums” rating system replaces PWR.LV. This system is more forgiving at low ratings and less volatile in general. > PWR.LV is a zero-sum system: if you gain points, someone else has to lose points in return. This meant that a room’s maximum rating had a hard maximum: the number of players who had “donated” their starting 1000 PWR to stronger players. It’s now much harder to drain away all of your rating, and modestly successful players should sustain higher ratings, but the top end of the scale still demands consistency vs. strong players. Try the Auto Gear and Auto Encore settings to spice things up for high-rated rooms! * Players who disconnect or spectate mid-round will now forfeit some Mobiums (previously PWR.LV), unless they were in the lead. > Forfeit penalties have existed in the code since 2.0, but were never triggered thanks to a small oversight. Whoops. * Netplay servers can now send addons of up to 200MB by default, and the “max send” limit can be disabled. !14 * Added a warning when joining games with more than 8 players, or hosting a game with a Maximum Player count of more than 8. > crowded lobbies will always involve more last-minute scams or less forgiving catchup, no matter how we tune things. Ring Racers plays best with 8 or fewer players: please consider hosting and supporting smaller rooms! ## Challenges * A new challenge for a new unlockable character has been added! Sounds like trouble’s brewing… * Additional challenges for new unlockable followers have also been added! * An additional Battle Course has been added as a bonus for clearing the Tutorial Challenge. * Once you’ve collected every Spray Can, all uncollected locations will become “KKD Medals” available for bragging rights. > A common refrain among those who really got into finding Spray Cans is “It’s over already??” We always wanted a way to continue the hunt for those who loved the puzzle just as much as the reward, but it required a little extra engineering to put in place. With the luxury of post-launch support, this expanded exploration is finally here! * Adjusted some calculations for the at-a-glance info on the Challenge Board. * The brightness of each pixel in the scroll bar above the Board * The fill percentage of the Chao Medal in the top right * Pulseman’s unlock condition no longer requires being in Grand Prix, but now also requires an A rank. * In addition to its existing unlock condition, Test Run can now also be unlocked by loading an addon. * Removed a stray comma in Tridentz’ description. * Marble Foyer, Speed Highway, Cyber Arena, Chaos Chute, Daytona Speedway, Thunder Piston and Fae Falls have new unlockable Alternate Music tracks. * Added a password to unlock all Tutorials. ## Accessibility and Quality of Life * Added “CPU” indicators above CPU players. * Raised the chase camera on “flat” maps, like MEGA Cup, to improve forward visibility. * Looking backwards now adjusts the camera’s momentum and distance, making the effect instant and hopefully reducing motion sickness. - !45 * You can now skip through the SEGA logo (to the disclaimer) faster. - !26 * Votes are now logged to the server host’s chat, including the name of the calling player. This allows hosts to take action against players abusing the vote system. * Added the “Strict Fastfall” profile option. When enabled, the E-Brake button combo will never cause you to fastfall, requiring you to press your Spindash input instead. > This is normally the sort of control option we avoid, but in corner cases involving unexpected airtime or lag spikes, the input-overlap between brakedrifting and fastfalling could be hard to bear. * Added a 5-second rewind in Egg TV playback, for finer control than the “Restart” option. > The extremely granular Rewind option in SRB2Kart was devastatingly buggy and had to be disabled for Ring Racers’ launch, but it was pretty dull to get the exact clip you wanted with only a total restart for stepping back. Hopefully this coarse tool fills the need without any of the headache! * When playing alone, you can immeditely update the Character, Follower, or Color on your current Profile from the Challenge Board. * The game will now remember the last display it was on, and restores it on start-up. * Three similarily named Developer Console commands are now a suite of closely related utilities, accepting almost the same argument format and differing primarily in output. * `map` is for immediately switching to a Course. * As the standard-bearer, its parameters are largely unchanged. * `queuemap` is for interacting with the Round Queue, the active collection of Courses. * Added `-show`/`-s`. * Reveals the next Round in the queue via server shout message * Can be used manually, or with `automate` commands for tournament rulesets that permit foreknowledge of the next Round without requiring the host needing to constantly work off memory or document * `-clear` now also supports the partial parameter `-c` * `showmap` is for printing information about a Course. * Added the ability to provide partial names (or full lumpnames/IDs) to identify Courses without going to them. * `showmap robo` will preview you the Course `map robo` or `queuemap robo` would have resolved to! * Added `-gametype`/`-gt`/`-g`. * Matches the other two’s accepted parameters * Can be used for checking compatibility * All three now support `-random` (or `-r`). * Can be combined with `-gametype`/`-gt` in all contexts, otherwise uses the current active gametype (or fails on menu) * `randommap` has been deprecated, and will now only print the replacement instruction `map -random` > The Developer Console isn’t really intended for end users, but it’s essential for server management. Minor increases in utilities utility can go a long way in the right hands! * Level images are displayed again for Discord Rich Presence. > These were originally omitted because we ran out of image space on the Discord application, which was extremely unfortunate because it made the feature a lot less useful. But, we discovered that there’s an undocumented feature where you can self-host your own images instead to bypass said limits, so they’re back now! * “Reduce VFX” now removes: * Palette flashes - !48 * “Prize” flickering on the Cup select - !76 * Spray Can/Super Flicky flare flickering - !76 * Flashing on not-yet-unlocked Characters in replay playback - !138 * Ring Sting VFX jittering - !137 * Teleporter animations in Tutorial maps * Flashing on incoming-player “CHECK” warnings - !43 * Flashing on the character select cursor - !50 * Certain VFX overlays while under the effect of Invincibility or Sonic Boom * Flashing on the Battle overtime barrier - !74 * Flashing on the Ring counter while in debt - !6 * Texture animations can now be overridden for Reduce VFX using `RVFXANIM` lumps. These are considered non-modifying so they can be adjusted locally, like music - !135 * Several base-game animated textures known to be problematic for photosensitive players have either reduced or completely stopped animation speed with Reduce VFX enabled. * The flashing HUD elements in Prison Break flash more slowly when Reduce VFX is enabled. - !7 * Certain flashpal effects no longer flash the screen in Legacy GL when Reduce VFX is enabled. - !5 * Added a menu to modify display saturation, gamma, and color profile on a per-color basis. - !61 ## Fixes * Fixed a 1-tic delay in handling response when playing online or using the Minimum Input Delay option. * Fixed minor input pacing problems when your network delay was below your Minimum Input Delay. * Fixed mass desync during Battle overtime. * Fixed many unintuitive slope launches. This is a core physics fix that keeps the player grounded during shallow slope transitions. * Fixed sliptides failing to start in certain netgame conditions, or while turning with Lite Steer. * Fixed unusual respawn behavior when dying after faulting, or while affected by certain map gimmicks. * Fixed strange Eggmark pass behavior when passing to a player already rolling an Eggmark roulette. * Fixed “invisible shield” behavior when obtaining an elemental shield while buffering Ring usage. > In situations where you can grab a shield without pressing the Item button, like timing out a roulette or picking up an Item Capsule, you’ll still be able to buffer rings—but the shield won’t appear, and won’t protect you, until you release the button. Shields protect the holder from Ring Sting, and the holder could always react to pressure and reactivate the shield, so this tactic was difficult to play against! * Fixed turbines and ice cubes cutting certain boosts short. * Fixed clouds resetting your drift on contact. * Fixed unusual collision behavior when triggering a Ball Switch with an inflated Bubble Shield. * Fixed Flame Shield boost bar length on maps using a non-standard object scale. * Fixed Heavy Magician transforming into the same character as the previous lap. * Fixed many unwanted wallbonks while wall-transfering (like curved “quarter-pipe” setpieces). * Fixed strange high-velocity launches when making contact with the side of a Wall Spike. * Fixed unusual race results when respawning or taking fatal damage after crossing the finish line. * Fixed lingering sliptide and wavedash sounds when taking damage. * Fixed unusual player rotation when attaching to pulleys. * Fixed unusual character select behavior with more than 255 colors loaded - !67 * Fixed hang in character select with more than 255 followers loaded - !68 * Fixed modded skincolors corrupting the Spray Can cache. - !50 * Fixed netgame desyncs when using -file with add-ons with custom console variables. - !29 * Fixed alignment of “status line” messages (“Last Chance!”, “Crack the Combat UFO!”) in non-green resolution splitscreen. * Fixed some demo/replay crashes that could appear when restarting Time Attack quickly. * An issue with UDMF map parsing that affected certain processor architectures and build configurations was fixed, particularly on ARM processors. This issue lead to broken vertex configurations during loading caused by undefined behavior. - STJr/SRB2!2476 * Fixed ACS `CallFunc_SetThingProperty` only removing one object of a given TID at a time * Fixed various important visuals not displaying, or displaying improperly, when the player had their gravity flipped in certain levels. - !28 * Fixed Tricks failing instantly when performed under reverse gravity. - !28 * Fixed an error that prevented all TC_ `v.colormap` HUD effects from working in replays. - !37 * Fix reversed horizontal inputs in input display for Encore replays. - !30 * Music credits on Motobug Motorway, Mystic Cave, and Sky Sanctuary have been updated for oversights. * Fixed a crash when players are typing in-level under OpenGL. - !49 * Fixed opening Profile options during a game changing your skin and color. - !51 * Fixed the minimap dot being green when playing as a character with a different startcolor. - !50 * Fixed an issue where the game name was incorrectly displayed for Marble Foyer’s song credit. * Fixed a memory leak when joining netgames and resyncing. * Fixed volume cvars not being applied during the first wipe after launch, causing all volumes to be at 100% for a brief moment. > This mainly affected development workflow stuff, like the `-server` or `-warp` options. * Optimized memory allocation in level loading and level runtime. > Slower CPUs and CPUs with small caches are likely to see a more noticeable improvement here, especially in levels with precipitation. * Added arm64 macOS Gitlab CI build - !87 * Fixed undefined behavior on non-Apple AArch64 platforms in NodeToSplitPlayer - !82 * Fixed a misallocation that could result in crashes during SPB pathfinding - !83 * Fixed Legacy GL polygon batching comparison for fade_end property - !74 * Fixed an off-by-one error indexing the player list in signpost thinker - !78 * Fixed Legacy GL transparent FOF alpha values wrapping around incorrectly - !57 * First person/`chasecam off` fixes - !71 * The kart HUD overlay is hidden while dying badly (fixes #180) * Fixed camera roll/tilt (fixes #179) * Adjusted maximum camera tilt in first person, to make it easier to judge a safe landing * Fixed some issues preventing Clang 18 from compiling on Windows - !59 * Fixed Legacy GL chat window text rendering - !96 * Fixed `MF2_OBJECTFLIP` being applied incorrectly in `P_SpawnGhostMobj` - !98 * Fixed polyobjects carrying players due to code error - !97 * Fixed bopping Prison Eggs after the timer runs out incorrectly awarding points for the final Grand Prix result * Re-enabled Mumble positional audio link - !109 * Fixed infrequent crash related to third person camera - !105 * Fixed server ban storage (`srvbans.json`) rarely being corrupted and preventing server startup. * Fixed Challenge Board tiles briefly showing the incorrect side while flipping in interpolerated frames * Fixed an order-of-operations issue where your current Follower’s category wouldn’t be pre-selected when updating your Profile’s character * Fixed a theoretical attack for snooping on Round Queue commands from promoted players * Improved startup times by not hashing core files more than necessary * Fixed physics issues with loops oriented in certain directions, allowing loops in all directions - !132 * Map IDs are now properly included in PNG screenshot metadata - !118 * Fixed a potential crash when loading models.dat - !114 * Fixed a netsave bug loading SRB2 “Thwomp” thinkers - !116 * Battle monitors now disappear when they fall in pits - !124 * Exiting SPB Attack while the profile character select is open no longer causes the regular character select to become the profile character select screen - !119 * Lua: Fixed `displayplayers.iterate` causing a hang when multiple viewports view the same player - !127 * Fixed inconsistent sector special detection on dynslopes - !133 * Fixed banana dragging wrapping around and disabling the effect again when held for too long - !117 * Fixed Triangle Dash carrying you “upward” in reverse gravity. * Fixed Ring count and Ring Debt behaving strangely after using 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 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 an inconsistency in Lua number parsing between platforms. Integer parsing is now limited to a 32 bit integer clamped in all cases. - !9 * Added support for floorClip and RF_ALWAYSONTOP sprites in Legacy GL renderer. !8 * Follower color is now correctly written to replay files. * The Modded server list now refreshes properly instead of showing Core servers. * Fixed the level select while in a level unintentionally resetting some game variables, including Gear speed. * Dedicated servers no longer get stuck in permanent Duel Mode match when interrupted by players disconnecting. * 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. * Fixed Eggmark not affecting players in precisely timed hitlag. * Fixed non-damaging “stumble” removing Rings. * 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 * Fixed various crashes associated with using “local only” addons (like sound replacements) during netplay. * Fixed the delay indicator not reflecting your Minimum Input Delay during netplay. * Fixed strange screen-fade behavior when playing back replays. * Fixed players sometimes receiving an Item Roulette instead of a Casino Roulette when breaking a Ring Box at the same time. * Fixed an exploit regarding Time Attack challenges - !41 * Fixed an interaction between the POSITION! beam and the `freeze` debug command - !37 * Fixed a severe performance degradation on all Intel-compatible processors related to sound processing under specific circumstances - #283 * _Technical: Intel architecture CPUs implement correct IEEE 754 floating point number behavior with subnormal values (close to 0). When processing inaudibly-quiet sound, the game would faceplant instantly.Watch this video from LaurieWired if you’re curious._ * Followers will no longer phase below floor-over-floors when driving on them - !56 * Fixed a buffer overflow bug setting the names of bots from Lua - !38 * Corrected typo in Profile Edit menu’s Accessibility submenu description. * Significantly reduced the amount of memory used for certain internal image conversions. * Fixed issues with map voting in dedicated servers that have been running for a long time. - !60 * Non-dynamic tunes remapped in ACS during a level are now restored after level exit. !24 * Backup items are no longer moved into main item slot when an item is deployed. - !59 * Fixed overflows and underflows in item pickups - !51 * The record time in Record Attack for an unlockable encounter now displays the Encore time when Encore Mode is enabled. * Fixed inline `V_STRINGDANCE` texts having incorrect Y offset under certain circumstances - !65 * Replays are now correctly saved when changing maps for any reason other than a normal level exit - !63 * Fixed typo in Addons Case Sensitivity description - #172 * Fixed losing lives in Grand Prix when finishing a race with -20 rings - !76 * 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 * The title logo at the beginning of the credits sequence is now properly centered as intended. * The song credit toast no longer overlaps the title logo at the beginning of the credits. * Fixed an issue where a frame on both variants of the Charger Panels didn’t have a brightmap associated with it. ## Character Changes * Fixed Fang’s lookback/drift sprites having the incorrect tire shine in certain frames. * Fixed Flicky’s lookback/drift sprites having the incorrect tire shine in certain frames. * Fixed Whisper’s lookback/drift sprites having the incorrect tire shine in certain frames. * Fixed Orta’s lookback/drift sprites having the incorrect tire shine in certain frames. * Cleaned up Pulseman’s signpost. * Cleaned up Azusa’s sprites. * Adjusted rival lists for Rouge and Headdy. ## Course Changes > Nearly every Race level has had some degree of changes. General changes will be listed first, followed by course-specific changes. ### Layout Overhauls, Resizes and Replacements * Replaced the layouts of Chaos Chute, MEGA Aqua Lake, and Sky Babylon Zone. * Enlarged Sonic Speedway, Scarlet Gardens, Kodachrome Void, and Chemical Facility. * Dead Line has been removed; a new course, Hot Shelter, has taken its place. * Dead Line’s assets remain in the game files, so any maps that may have leveraged them do not need to account for this. ### Lapcount Adjustments > Maps in 2.4 tend to target a finish time of roughly 2:30-3:00 in Gear 2, so several levels have seen their lapcounts changed. * Avant Garden, Coastal Temple, Cyan Belltower, Operator’s Overspace, and Palmtree Panic raised to 3 laps. * Northern District, Lucid Pass, Darkvile Castle Act 2, Azure City, Skyscraper Leaps, Zoned City, Leaf Storm, Bigtime Breakdown, Cadillac Canyon Classic, Dragonspire Sewer Act 1+2, Daytona Speedway, Panic City, Roasted Ruins, Mysitc Cave and Gigapolis raised to 4 laps. * Robotnik Coaster, Joypolis, Hardhat Havoc, Trap Tower, and Dimension Disaster raised to 5 laps. * Scarlet Gardens, MEGA Bridge and MEGA Sandopolis raised to 6 laps. * MEGA Green Hill and Green Triangle raised to 7 laps. * Death Egg changed to 3 laps. ### Exploits & Trapped Areas * Adjusted map geometry (to prevent exploits) in Autumn Ring, Rumble Ridge, Azure Lake, Desert Palace, Hydrocity, Blue Mountain 1, Hot Shelter, Green Triangle, Turquoise Hill, Technology Tundra, Cloudtop Dimension, Voiddance Dimension, Blizzard Peaks, Chemical Facility, Monkey Mall, Las Vegas, Barren Badlands and Hidden Palace. * Adjusted out-of-bounds areas (to prevent exploits) in Emerald Coast, Autumn Ring, Withering Chateau, Rumble Ridge, Regal Ruin, Bronze Lake, Collision Chaos, Emerald Hill, Silvercloud Island, Press Garden, Darkvile Castle 2, Scarlet Gardens, Nova Shore, Hydrocity, Trap Tower, Diamond Dust, Blue Mountain 2, Speed Highway, Virtual Highway, Spring Yard, Hot Shelter, Sky Sanctuary, Death Egg, Skyscraper Leaps, Zoned City, Vantablack Violet, Dimension Disaster, Aurora Atoll, Weiss Waterway, Azure Axiom, Hanagumi Hall, Technology Tundra, MEGA Green Hill, Gravtech Dimension, Leaf Storm, Lake Margorite, Cyan Belltower, Abyss Garden, Monkey Mall, Lavender Shrine, Pestilence, Las Vegas, MEGA Sandopolis, Thunder Piston, Shuffle Square, Angel Arrow Classic, Cadillac Canyon Classic, Blizzard Peaks Classic and Launch Base Classic. * Adjusted out-of-bounds areas or waypoints (to prevent lost progress / trapped players) in Green Hills, Autumn Ring, Mirage Saloon, Zoned City, Savannah Citadel, Turquoise Hill, Ice Paradise, Fae Falls, Las Vegas, Emerald Coast, City Escape, Sunsplashed Getaway, Virtual Highway, Gigapolis, Obsidian Oasis, Collision Chaos, City Escape, Palmtree Panic, Blue Mountain 1, Blue Mountain 2, Scarlet Gardens, Aqueduct Crystal, Sky Sanctuary, Roasted Ruins, Spring Yard, Zoned City, Dimension Disaster, Vantablack Violet, Crispy Canyon, MEGA Green Hill, MEGA Bridge, Leaf Storm, Endless Mine 2, Quartz Quadrant, Water Palace, Robotnik Winter, Chemical Facility, Crimson Core, MEGA Collision Chaos, MEGA Aqua Lake, MEGA Flying Battery, and Barren Badlands. * Updated block player and respawn player setups for Autumn Ring, Opulence, Angel Island, Gigapolis, Star Light, Blue Mountain 2, Sunset Hill, Bigtime Breakdown, Chaos Chute, Turquoise Hill, Ice Paradise, Sunsplashed Getaway, Aerial Highlands, Crispy Canyon, Melty Manor, Haunted Ship, Robotnik Winter, Dragonspire Sewer 1, Blizzard Peaks, Operator’s Overspace, Dragonspire Sewer 2, Sky Babylon, Hot Crater, Shuffle Square and Blizzard Peaks Classic. > The majority of these all were reported under a few issues, namely #144 and #339. Thanks a ton to everyone who reported. ### Shortcuts * Added shortcuts to Sonic Speedway, Opulence, Azure Lake, Balloon Park, Robotnik Winter and Kodachrome Void. * The final shortcuts in Robotnik Coaster, Northern District, Cadillac Cascade, Gust Planet, 765 Stadium, Operator’s Overspace and Technology Tundra will now automatically be disabled in Duels (when there are 2 players). * Some (or all) shortcuts on Test Track, Cadillac Cascade, Azure City, Sunset Hill, Sunsplashed Getaway, Azure Axiom, Blizzard Peaks and Cadillac Canyon Classic have been given one-way respawns to prevent players from backtracking into them. ### Adjustments to Courses for Internal Standards, Miscellaneous Changes * Updated various finish lines to prevent issues in Panic City, Green Hills, Autumn Ring, Roasted Ruins, Bronze Lake, Mystic Cave, Marble Garden, Endless Mine 1, Scarlet Gardens, Hydrocity, Speed Highway, Green Triangle, Sunset Hill, Hanagumi Hall and Gravtech Dimension. * Adjusted erroneous Instakill sectors to be death pits or normal sectors in Sonic Speedway, Mirage Saloon, Azure City, Technology Tundra, Cloudtop Dimension and Quartz Quadrant. * Updated various waypoints to adhere to mapping standards in Test Track, Robotnik Coaster, Northern District, Panic City, Autumn Ring, 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, Cyan Belltower Vermilion Vessel, Dragonspire Sewer 2, Coastal Temple, Ramp Park, Advent Angel, Hot Crater, and Barren Badlands. * Adjusted waypoints and map geometry to improve CPU driving in Green Hills, Withering Chateau, Regal Ruin, Isolated Island, Gigapolis, Balloon Park, Metropolis, Trap Tower, Death Egg, MEGA Ice Cap, Haunted Ship and Las Vegas. * Added additional Rings to Sonic Speedway, Storm Rig, Withering Chateau, Opulence, Roasted Ruins, Gigapolis, Darkvile Castle 1, Marble Garden, Azure Lake, Balloon Park, Chrome Gadget, Desert Palace, Endless Mine 1, City Escape, Death Egg, Ice Paradise, Sunsplashed Getaway, Crispy Canyon, Technology Tundra, and Endless Mine 2. * Fixed various minimap issues for Test Track, Gigapolis, Sunset Hill, Haunted Ship, Abyss Garden and MEGA Aqua Lake. * The last Item Boxes are now permanent Ring Boxes on Lucid Pass, Gigapolis, Hydrocity, Aqua Tunnel, Aurora Atoll and Monkey Mall. ### Phantom Cup Adjustments > These changes apply to all levels in the Cup. * Blue Spheres now grant Rings, and the amount of them has been increased to accomodate the removal of normal Rings in these maps. * All Spikeballs have been increased in size. ### Miscellaneous Changes * Added Time Attack starts / “Fault Points” to Espresso Lane, Hill Top, Desert Palace, Virtual Highway, Crimson Core, Dragonspire Sewer Act 1, Advent Angel, Abyss Gate, Nova Shore, Pestilence, Collision Chaos and MEGA Scrap Brain. * Some maps have had their music appropriately marked as Content ID Unsafe: Abyss Garden (main music) and Thunder Piston (alternate music). * * * ### Course-Specific Changes * Sunbeam Paradise, Controls * Taking the shortcut will now automatically open the gate by the lighthouse, repairing access to some bonus material. * Sunbeam Paradise, Rings * Fixed an issue where the incorrect button combination was being used for dialogue relating to Ring Shooter. * Added extra dialogue and obstacles for a few new mechanics. * Fixed an incorrectly-tagged door, repairing access to some bonus material that broke before launch. * Improved directioning in the Spray Can Hall. * Adjusted dialogue to elaborate further on Ring usage mechanics and Sonic Boom (clearing Tripwire threshold). * Sunbeam Paradise, Brakes * Adjusted a setpiece to make it easier to traverse, and adjusted the dialogue accordingly. * Sunbeam Paradise, Drifting * Added an additional setpiece to showcase Sliptiding. * Adjusted texture-based directioning between the SPB and Sliptide segments. * Sunbeam Paradise, Springs * Fixed an issue where the incorrect control method for Tricks was being displayed in dialogue. * Test Run * Now is counted as a Section Race for testing purposes. * Added developer commentary radius actions to the render mode linedefs to better explain how each mode works. * Added new prompts and developer commentary for various new mechanics. * Test Track * Fixed an issue where the loop gates were off of the intended line by an extremely small value, which would occasionally cause desyncs. * Robotnik Coaster * The area around the second shortcut has had some of the surrounding geometry adjusted. * Northern District * The bridge jump has been made slightly shorter, and now lowers on the final lap. * The ending girder shortcut has been given Tripwire and taller fence. * Adjusted elements to prevent players from taking the last shortcut on the final lap, after the crane has been raised. * Sonic Speedway * Added more Sneaker Panels. * Removed some Springs in the course. * Redrew the ending section and opening Tripwire shortcut to mitigate finish line related issues. * Cleaned up some texture errors on the sector Monitors. * Green Hills * Corrected music credit (was adapted for SMPS by std282). * Added Sneaker Panels to the spike pit shortcut. * Added Tripwire to the wall transfer shortcut. * Adjusted the jump after the spiral turn to be more forgiving. * CD Special Stage 1 * The sky animation will be completely stopped with Reduce VFX on. * Emerald Coast * Widened the circular split in the middle of the lighthouse section. * Restored a missing part of the ramp before the lighthouse. * Storm Rig * Eliminated the sky flash from lighting when Reduce VFX is enabled. * Lucid Pass * Made the Dash Rings in the Tripwire shortcut stronger. * Autumn Ring * Swapped the Red Springs to Yellow Springs at the big ramp jump section. * 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. * Removed the first Sneaker Panel at the start, and added another Sneaker Panel to the Tripwire shortcut with a few 30 Ring Item Capsules to help make it faster than the main road. * Extended the ending walls further towards the sides and added trees to help guide/prevent players from taking the shortcut too early and triggering the deathpit failsafe by mistake. * Sundae Drive * Added Tripwire to the small center patch of offroad towards the end of the map. * Cadillac Cascade * Adjusted and removed several Item Capsules. * Added an additional item to the second itemset. * The final shortcut has been slightly redesigned to make it more consistent. Said shortcut is now disabled on the final lap. * Corrected the primary music track’s song title. * Rumble Ridge * Adjusted midtextures that were intended to be solid, but were not. * Moved an itemset’s location. * Opulence * Adjusted geometry to be easier to traverse in some areas. * Removed the last shortcut. * Increased the size of some Sneaker Panels. * Adjusted some visuals, including adding a finish line banner. * Roasted Ruins * Added an additonal itemset. * Obsidian Oasis * Removed stray Bubble/Flame Shield Item 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 newly checkpoint to prevent players from bonking the edge of the sector and falling - #26 * The 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. * Added further respawn lines to prevent the player from missing newly added checkpoints. * Lowered the fence midtexture near the spiral and added blockplayers to the linedefs to prevent shrink players from slipping underneath. * Regal Ruin * Replaced the Garden Top Item Capsule. * Fixed an issue where a sector alignment linedef was conflicting with a newly added checkpoint activator linedef - #120 * Isolated Island * Removed a large set of unintended Sneaker Panels in the c-turn. * The Bubble/Thunder Shield Item Capsules in the shortcut at the upper level have been removed, and the Item Boxes in said shortcut are now Ring Boxes. * Gigapolis * Enlarged the Dash Ring in the first Tripwire cut to prevent any mistakes missing it. * Refurbished the tilting bridge and split path sections. * The ending turn was changed to be much more approachable. * Fencing was added for the final section to improve player readability. * The upper route after the tumbling bridge is no longer blocked by Tripwire. * Replaced most Ring Item Capsules from the ending turn with normal Rings. * Removed the Item Boxes from the upper route after the tumbling bridge. * Removed the Sneaker Panel on the upper route after the tumbling bridge. * Reduced Dash Pad strength at the exit of the upper route. * Reoriented some red wall springs at the first spring jump. * Bronze Lake * Reduced the amount of Dash Rings when exiting the underwater section. * Collision Chaos * Fixed a Ring Capsule being at an unintended height. * Adjusted the underground section: The main path is wider, the shortcut is slimmer, and the maces have been adjusted to prevent players from getting stuck. * Removed the small blue spring shortcut, and replaced it with a smaller incentive. * Adjusted the waypoints and removed the deathpit in the middle of the spring elevator. * Fixed an issue where low speed stats weren’t able to take the wall transfer under certain conditions anymore at the start - #133 * Emerald Hill * Adjusted the placement of all itemsets. * Redesigned the tunnel shortcut to have an easier exit and be longer. * Adjusted spiral geometry to make them smoother to drive. * Added an additional set of Dash Rings to help redirect you on the first shortcut. * Azure City * Adjusted geometry such that the sidewalks would be too high on a specific slope, causing players to bump into it like a wall. * Joypolis * Reduced the amount of Sneakers in the trick balloon shortcut’s Item 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. * Replaced the ending shortcut’s SPB Item Capsule with a 60 Ring Item Capsule. * Resized Dash Ring near the ending spiral to prevent clipping through it by accident when driving near the edge. * Removed the Dash Ring wall transfer shortcut. * Reworked the ramp-into-Trick-Balloon shortcut near the spiral to just be a set of Trick Panels that lead into a Dash Ring. * Hill Top * Removed the Grey Spring near the start of the course. * Marble Garden * Reduced the amount of spikes in the course. * Adjusted the placement of several itemsets. * Adjusted the geometry in the mud area to make it easier to drive through when taking the intended route. * The downward spiraling turns at the end of the course were completely reworked to be wider and smoother to take. * The exit at the end of the course before the course loops has been reworked to no longer drop the player (it is still a vertical-wrap under the hood). * Adjusted some Item Capsules. * Silvercloud Island * The Invincibility Item Capsules on the second shortcut have been replaced with Ring Boxes. * Sub-Zero Peak * Added Tripwire to the first shortcut. * Extended the second shortcut’s Tripwire. * Launch Base * Fixed an issue with deathpit FOFs not being marked correctly. * Fixed an issue where the flamethrowers sometimes wouldn’t hit players. * Chrome Gadget * Fixed an issue where the button would not be unpressed, and added an incentive to take it. * Adjusted object placements. * Brightened the entire map’s light levels by 32 units. * The Blue Spring trap now respawns players. * Desert Palace * Adjusted itemsets and Item Capsule placements. * Adjusted texture usage to better improve clarity. * Endless Mine 1 * Moved the slope after the first spring jump down to avoid bumping the wall at higher speeds. * Adjusted texture alignment on all of the wooden beams. * Hard-Boiled Stadium * Increased the size of Asterons. * Adjusted several Item Capsules. * Adjusted waypoints to mitigate potential issues with crossover sections. * Press Garden * Adjusted Item Box and Ring placements. * Adjusted geometry near the end of the circuit. * City Escape * Adjusted a Banana Item Capsule to have a more reasonable amount of Bananas. * Palmtree Panic * Adjusted the Fault Point to have players start at the intended location when faulting out via deathpit or death in Position. * Adjusted the waypoints and removed the deathpit in the middle of the Spring to Dash Ring setpiece. * Scarlet Gardens * Fixed an issue where several slope linedef specials without an action were printing console warnings - #118 * Removed the water puddle in the U-turn and extended the Tripwire out to the edge of said turn. * Star Light * Switched Sneaker Item Capsules for Super Rings on the last shortcut. * Added wind effects to the appropriate sectors. * Metropolis * Reworked the entrance to the first Tripwire shortcut so that it’s clear what portion of it is safe to Sneaker through. * Aqueduct Crystal * Removed the Springs at the start. * Nova Shore * Adjusted waypoints and took additional measures to mitigate potential issues with crossover sections. * Hydrocity * Added a failsafe to the ledge before the finish line to catch players going in with stacked speed. * Moved up the ledge before the final Tripwire shortcut to prevent players from going underneath with Voltage Drop. * Removed Yellow Spring right after the final Trick Panel section to prevent players from using Spring Grease to phase through the Tripwire with a Voltage Drop. * Diamond Dust * The Iceblower midtextures are now only solid from the axis that matches the direction they shoot in. * Tweaked the hitbox size of the bumpers. * Replaced Garden Top and Invincible Item Capsules. * Blue Mountain Act 1 * Changed the first set of Item Boxes to permanent Ring Boxes. * Adjusted Snowgang to balance offroad course turns. * Blue Mountain Act 2 * Fixed various midtexture issues, and some obstacle consistency issues. * Fixed visual issues in the final section. * Removed the Dash Rings in the final section. * Adjusted the second and third shortcut to prevent failure upon entry. * Speed Highway * Replaced the Banana Item Capsule before the tunnel with 5x Ballhog. * Removed erroneously-placed aerial Landmine Item Capsules. * Fixed an exploit where players could fastfall before the last section and skip the entire glass-breaking sequence. * Spread out the blockade objects in the final section to be closer to the edges of the road so players can’t just go all the way to the side and avoid the hazard. * Replaced the Sneaker Item Capsule behind the helipad’s Tripwire shortcut with a Double Jawz Item Capsules. * Carnival Night * Increased the pickup range in the turbine setpieces to allow for grow-state players to take them more consistently. * Virtual Highway * Moved a blockplayers linedef such that it wasn’t directly intersecting with the road. * Fixed an issue where an intended death pit FOF did not actually have the correct damage type. * Spring Yard * Removed a handful of hazards, namely after some turns. * Labyrinth * Made adjustments to allow low speed characters to progress in Gear 1 - #207 * Adjusted several Item Capsules. * Sky Sanctuary * Fixed erronous midtextures and increased power of Dash Rings extiting the second shortcut. * Music has been changed to the original Sonic & Knuckles version. * Added downwards facing Dash Rings to the end of the wind section. * Added an extra FOF to the wind section with stronger upward wind to help reduce wall bumping. * Blocked Lightsnake from climbing the second Spring Panel tower. * Death Egg * The map has been given a new music track. * Corrected waypoint coordinates for the first reverse gravity segment - #30 * Adjusted waypoint properties to mitigate visual issues appearing from skipping certain parts of the course - #113 * Added chainspikes to some parts of the level. * Fixed an issue where part of the floor was damaging players - #249 * Skyscraper Leaps * Adjusted the track geometry on the last set of turns to allow for players to take it easier. * Modified the track geometry throughout the level to reduce the amount of invisible walls used for when players overshoot jumps. * Adjusted the colormap. * Added textured fencing to various portions of the map. * Green Triangle * The Sneaker Item Capsule has been replaced. * Zoned City * The spiral turn with offroad near the beginning of the circuit has Tripwire on the first few parts of the turn. * Sunset Hill * Trimmed some starting blockplayers to match the driveable grass up ahead. * Removed the lower section after the mandatory Trick Panel. * Moved some blue Dash Rings, aerial Ring Item Capsules, and the Spray Can’s location. * Changed charger panel to be three Sneaker Panel strips. * Added ceiling spikes to mitigate using certain items to avoid the bungee. * Boosted speed of later Dash Rings to mitigate time saved from avoiding the last set of Dash Rings. * Removed an extra midtexture to allow sight backwards after the two moving block setpieces. * Adjusted waterfall texture and alpha blending values to match each other. * 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 * Removed a Sneaker Panel to prevent easy access to a shortcut. * Added more block players lines across bridge and changed respawn FOF to a solid invisible wall. * Avant Garden * The 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 blocked off with Tripwire. * Removed all stray Sneaker Item Capsules. * Vantablack Violet * Added Tripwire to the castle shortcut. * Adjusted Tripwire setup of the second shortcut. * Dimension Disaster * The Red Springs near the end have been surrounded by a set of floor spikes. * Moved the second itemset to be slightly further in the course. * Resolved sector draw error - #289 * Resolved an issue where the water wasn’t animated - #297 * Daytona Speedway * Removed stray Bubble Shield Item Capsule. * Added 45-degree linedef near the edge of the first spiral to prevent people from getting caught on the corner and to allow for smoother wall transfers. * Ending spiral has been given invisible wall FOFs. * Turquoise Hill * Added tons of banked turns to the higher sections of the circuit. * Added rings to the ending’s FOF turns. * Changed the final Sneaker Panel into a Dash Pad. * Widened the first indoors turn section. * Altered the Dash Ring placement of the final shortcut. * Fixed an issue where a console warning was occurring on level load. * Added fencing to a corner on the ending bridge. * Ice Paradise * Widened the intro slalom section. * Added Rings and Item Capsules to a couple of empty corners. * Modified the first Trick Panel shortcut to be more consistent. * Added fencing to the large ice slalom. * Sunsplashed Getaway * Removed an itemset, moving the second further into the map. * Added proper terrain visuals and removed the offroad particles. * Updated the fence & tree visuals. * Added a finish line banner. * Fae Falls * Removed the Dash Pad and adjusted the landing zone for the Spring jump. * Fixed an issue where a sector wasn’t sloped correctly - #254 * Azure Axiom * Removed Sneaker Panels that were too close to a shortcut. * All Trick Panel shortcuts are now gated by Tripwire, and have had their entry areas adjusted. * The first usable itemset in Race has been moved. * The itemset exiting the shortcut with a Trick Panel has been changed to be a permanent Ringbox. * The shortcut after the first newly added checkpoint has been buffed to save additional time. * Resolved a collision issue that let players step up a large height in a certain area - #268 * Hanagumi Hall * Increased the speed at which the starting gate goes down. * Tweaked the arrow texture to fix mild discoloration issues in encore mode. * Removed Item Capsules inside of the easter egg rooms, as players were using Landmines to consistently reach them. * Removed stray waypoint near the first Tripwire area and repositioned the start of the shortcut waypoints to behind the Tripwire to prevent proration inconsistency. - #213 * Fixed players being able to phase through the starting gate. #60 * Player starts are no longer 1 fracunit above the ground. * Fixed an incorrect number of Ballhogs in an Item Capsule. * Aerial Highlands * Fixed a small visual issue with decoration. * Crispy Canyon * Removed an itemset to reduce chaos from too many sets, moving the second further into the map. * Fixed waypoint issues with several shortcuts. * Removed a few cacti on the first S-turn. * Completely redid the first shortcut. * Changed Yellow Springs to Grey Springs after the Trick Panel section. * Technology Tundra * Extended the first shortcut to fix the placement calculation - #213 * Operator’s Overspace * Adjusted the first shortcut to better benefit players who try to enter it in the intended fashion and penalize players entering it via fastfalling. * The Garden Top Item Capsule has been replaced. * The Bubble/Thunder Shield Item Capsules have been replaced. * The Grow Item Capsule has been removed. * The last shortcut now is fenced off and has Tripwire. * MEGA Scrap Brain * Altered Position starts and area. * Nightfall Dimension * Added multiple Tripwires. * Voiddance Dimension * Added multiple Tripwires. * Altered geometry to make the track’s routing more consistent. * Altered the locations of itemsets. * Increased the size of the net texture on the floor. * Added more hazards to an inside offroad turn. * Some Item Capsules were replaced with Ring Item Capsules. * Espresso Lane * Removed the Invincibility Item Capsule. * Melty Manor * Adjusted several Item Capsules, namely removing stronger ones and adjusting placements where necessary. * Leaf Storm * Adjusted waypoints to make Self-Propelled Bomb chases more reasonable. * Fixed an issue with some visuals that was causing them to not display. * Cyan Belltower * Moved the Spray Can location. * Adjusted both Trick Panel areas to accomodate system-wide changes to Super Ring. * Quartz Quadrant * Removed the Grey Springs on the sides of the spiral turn. * Added an Ark Arrow for directioning assistance on the spiral turn. * Water Palace * Adjusted waypoints to prevent players from abusing lightsnake to skip too much of the course too quickly. * Final Fall * Adjusted the layout on the final section to fix erroneous stair-janking as well as a ramp into the Spring section. * Adjusted exit for first Spring section for Gear 3. * Adjusted the first shortcut to improve accessibility. * Haunted Ship * The slope transfers have been given fences at their entrances. * Modified the final shortcut to be easier to enter, and stronger in general. * Doubled the size of the fences. * Adjusted the area around the first shortcut and fenced it in. * Robotnik Winter * Lowered the pillars at the Spring jump to prevent bumping into them. * Added fencing near the third shortcut to prevent unintended entry. * Abyss Garden * Removed the Jawz Item Capsule near the beginning of the level. * Adjusted the sand pit early in the level to prevent unintended slope launches, and increased carrying speed. * Blizzard Peaks * Fixed the normal path ice bridge by shallowing out the slopes. * Moved the rings at the Trick Panel section so players can actually hit them. * Buffed the second shortcut’s speed, making it quicker and requiring a fastfall. * Modified the first Trick Panel shortcut to be more consistent. * Reduced the radius of the angled green trees’s hitboxes. * Abyss Gate * Fixed issues involving fence midtextures that were not marked as solid. * Fixed issues involving improper midtexture usage in the level. * Vermilion Vessel * Removed stray Bubble/Flame Shield Item Capsules. * Removed erroneously-placed deathpit near the offroad in the southernmost part of the map - #325 * Removed one wall Spring that could cause a softlock - [#339] (https://gitlab.com/kart-krew-dev/ring-racers/-/issues/339) * Chemical Facility * Adjusted the scenery in one of the u-turns in the outdoor section to increase visibility. * Adjusted several waypoints to reduce unintended jumps in CPU difficulty. * Coastal Temple * The ceilings in the tunnels have been raised. * Added fences to the bridge section. * Monkey Mall * Superseeded deathpit FOFs where nessesary to use Respawn Linedefs instead. * Ramp Park * Increased the size of the diagonal Springs that were attached to wall-transfer setpieces to more easily catch players under the effect of Grow or Shrink. * Removed the Yellow Springs after the double large wall transfer. * Adjusted the first shortcut’s Dash Rings to prevent entry without accessing the Tripwire. * Added a Sneaker Panel that extends to the edge of the final sloped u-turn before the finish to ensure players can take it more consistently. * Las Vegas * Removed the Flame Shield Item Capsule. * Adjusted waypoints at the end of the level to remove respawn related issues - #74 * Fixed issue with midtextures missing collision - #224 * Hydro Plant * Raised the height of the translucent surface of the floor pipes to be level with the surrounding slopes. * MEGA Star Light * Moved lamp posts away from the diagonal Springs. * MEGA Sandopolis * Removed an itemset. * A sand slide placed in the way of a large jump, deterring anyone but Pogo Spring users. Spraycan has been moved onto the slide. * Added additional geometry, Tripwire and blockplayers walls to reduce the strength of/prevent unintended shortcuts. * Kodachrome Void * Adjusted several Item Capsules. * Lavender Shrine * Removed stairjank sectors near the position area. * Added vertical Tripwire directly after the wall transfer for the spraycan to prevent it from being taken without a boost item. (Purposefully does not extend to the ceiling as to help direct the player where to aim for them to obtain the Spraycan.) - #144 * Thunder Piston * Adjusted the geometry of the Trick Panel setpiece to better prevent players from forward tricking without a boosting item. * Thunder Lab * Fixed an issue where several walls were assigned the wrong texture. * Barren Badlands * Added Tripwire to the extended U-turn section and removed most of the Robras in the middle of the sand. * 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. * Shuffle Square * Adjusted fencing in an area (to prevent unintended entry to a shortcut) - #144 * Removed the short ramp and Rings early on in the circuit - #308 * Fenced in much of the level to smooth out the general driving experience. * Cadillac Canyon Classic * Fixed music name to correctly denote English and European track listings. * The Dash Rings have been further moved out to reflect general system changes. * Blizzard Peaks Classic * Removed unnecessary Springs, including some that softlock players. * Completely changed the ending section. * Removed a spring set in the slalom section. * Moved springs near the first slalom section. * Added directional lighting. * Fixed an issue where the position room’s starting line was not extended properly. * Lavender Shrine Classic * Deathpit cleanup/additions have been near the beginning and end of the circuit respesctively. * Replaced the old spike hazards with the spears from the new version of the map so that players can observe and react to the cycles more quickly. * “S****s”, “S*****e” * Adjusted waypoints to improve the pathing of the catcher. * “G*****y” * Correctly tagged the finish line for consistent visual effects. ## Modding Please see the merge requests for details on new Lua functionality exposed; some are just too much to detail here! * Added the `MODINFO` lump. This is a standardized way for addon authors to add name, author info, external links, and required game version to their addon, as well as a (currently unused) icon. * The same KKD Medals that permit the Spray Can hunt to continue in base-game Race Courses will appear in custom ones where Spray Cans previously failed to appear. * `K_AddMessage`, `K_ClearPersistentMessages`, and their player-specific equivalents (as seen in Battle and Tutorial) are now exposed for Lua scripters’ use. - !9 * New function `V_ParseText` allows addon authors to display control prompts. This function is accessible from HUD hooks, and converts a string like “Press \<a> to trick” into a string containing the relevant player’s bound controls. * Lua A, Lua B, and Lua C have been renamed to Lua 1, Lua 2, and Lua 3, to make them easier to distinguish from main gamepad buttons. They also have new graphics for players using the “Emulator” Button Display option. These can be accessed from `V_ParseText` with “\<lua1>“, “\<lua2>” and “\<lua3>“. * Additional button flags (BT_) are now parsed by Lua. - !32 * `player.startboost` timer is now visible and mutable in Lua. - !32 * Added `v.splitscreen` to get rendering splitscreen in Lua HUD hooks. - !38 * Added `v.setClipRect` and `v.clearClipRect` to change the clipping rectangle in Lua HUD hooks. - !39 * Exposed several Music functions to Lua. - !41 * Exposed constants for `tripwirepass_t`, `trickstate_t`, items, kickstart, tripwires, tricks, and tumble to Lua - !66 * Exposed `player_t::whip` to Lua - !91 * Fixed an issue where the Terrain ID system could run into memory issues when adding new Terrain types mid-game, breaking all special texture behaviour for that play session. - !36 * Fixed a character or new-line being required after the last definition in TERRAIN and BRIGHT lumps, a common footgun as other lump types do not require this. - !35 * Fixed colormap functions not supporting more than 255 skincolors. - !50 * Fixed a copypaste error with player.lastpickupdistance, allowing it to be modified from Lua. - !44 * Fixed `hud_disable_options` missing the “names” element - !62 * Fixed `aizdriftstrat` named `aizdriftstraft` in the Lua `player_t` table getter - !65 * Previously, Lua’s `v.drawOnMinimap` was completely untouched from SRB2Kart. This function now matches the minimap in all cases - including alignment, custom minimap bounds, and not rendering when a certain encounter’s progression bar is active. - !40 * The `hurtme` cheat command now takes a damageflag argument instead of a damage value, for more easily testing damage types. * Added `spinout`, `wipeout`, `explode`, `stumble`, `whumble`, `tumble`, `sting`, and `kill` cheats for testing a specific damage type. * Fixed player-owned items losing their `target`s when the owner died or respawned. * Fixed an issue preventing players from rejoining modded netgames in DEVELOP builds, even when using direct IP. > This only happened in development setups, and is unrelated to the issue with the Server Browser screen—but that’s fixed, too. * Restored PlayerMsg Lua hook - !134 * Exposed structures related to loops as read-only userdata - !128 * Add ability to control the visibility of the Rings and Gametype hud elements from Lua - !126 * Exposed many visual and VFX functions to Lua from `k_kart.c` - !129 * Fixed `K_SpawnSparkleTrail` crashing when it is used on a non-player mobj - !129 * Added INLEVEL check to `K_DoInstashield` - !129 * Added a Lua hook to adjust Grand Prix rank point calculation - !122 * Exposed many Item Roulette-related functions from `k_roulette.c` (JugadorXEI). Documentation pending. * Exposed many gameplay helpers from `k_kart.c`, too many to list here individually. See MR - !130 * Adding the following global tables to Lua: `terrains`, `splashes`, `footsteps`, `overlays` - !103 * Exposed `terrain_t`, `t_splash_t`, `t_footstep_t`, `t_overlay_t` types to Lua (get only). * Exposed `player_t` members `stairjank` and `outrun` to Lua (get and set). * Exposed `mobj_t` member `terrain` to Lua (get and set). * Exposed `t_overlay_action_t` constants: `TOV_UNDEFINED`, `TOV_STILL`, `TOV_MOVING`, `TOV__MAX` * Exposed `terrain_flags_t` constants: `TRF_LIQUID`, `TRF_SNEAKERPANEL`, `TRF_STAIRJANK`, `TRF_TRIPWIRE`, `TRF_REMAP` * Exposed the following terrain-related functions to Lua: `K_GetDefaultTerrain`, `K_GetTerrainForTextureName`, `K_GetTerrainForTextureNum`, `K_ProcessTerrainEffect`, `K_SetDefaultFriction`, `K_SpawnSplashForMobj`, `K_HandleFootstepParticles`, `K_UpdateTerrainOverlay`, `K_TerrainHasAffect`. * Exposed the `botvars` member from `player_t`, as well as various functions related to bots. - !75 * Exposed the `botcontroller` member from `sector_t` (as well as being used as part of `K_GetBotController(mobj_t mobj)`) * Created new hook: `PlayerUsesBotMovement`: `function(player_t player)`. Return true to force bot movement, return false to force disable bot movement. * Created new hook: `BotJoin`: `function(player_t player)`. Triggers when a bot joins the game or gets replaced in Grand Prix. * Fixed a bot’s style not being preserved between deaths, as well as not being saved before for netgames. * Exposed several gameplay functions from `k_kart.c` to Lua - !131 * Exposed tripwirestate_t values: `TRIPSTATE_NONE`, `TRIPSTATE_PASSED` and `TRIPSTATE_BLOCKED` * Fixed `K_FindJawzTarget` so that it properly returns a `mobj_t`, and allow angle to be set. * Added respawns and waypoints library to Lua - !81 * Increased the skin limit to 1024 characters - !52 * Increased the sprite freeslot limit to 2048 - !70 * Added “baked” sprite offsets, allowing sprites to be displaced in world coordinates rather than relative to billboard facing angle - !63 * Added custom SPR2 gibs for characters - !89 * Fixed an issue with `highresscale` where custom skins would sometimes interact badly with `Linkdraw`, causing some items to display incorrectly. * The “Communication In Progress” message during tutorial dialogues can be disabled on a level-wide basis. - !10 * The latest kartmaker build is now included in the Windows installer package. * `V_SPLITSCREEN` now draws HUD elements in the proper viewport in splitscreen. - !18 * In Grand Prix, a bonus level in a cup which is both Battle and Race compatible will be added as a Prison Break round. - !49 * Many more player and skin variables are exposed to Lua. - !4 * Hidden ranking applies to all levels in the special round of a Grand Prix cup, rather than just those set as special-compatible - !31 * Several Grand Prix-related data structures are now accessible in Lua - !39 * Added ACS function `PlayerSkinRealName` (opcode 321) - !13 ## High Voltage Ring Version 3.1 High Voltage Ring has been updated to Version 3.1 alongside this release. A special thanks to Frostu8 for authoring many of these changes. * New implementation of Triangulate Sectors as a direct builder function - !56 * The UDB script still exists if needed * Stone Shoe and Toxomister added to Item Capsule dropdown - !61 * Many config updates to trim uneeded things and add missing things - !59 * Anchor slopes now render in visual mode - !55 * Added PlayerSkinRealName ACS function - !60 * Fixes to texture skewing in visual mode - !54 * Better rendering of flipped things - !57 * Fixed a crash involving an improperly named config file - !51 * Fixed a crash on Linux relating to a broken icon - !52 * Fixed mapthing number limit to match in game - !58 ## Development * Added support for building with clang-cl.exe with the Windows SDK. * _We ’ll be moving to Windows Clang x64 builds in 2.5. There will be notes shared in the `#hardcoding` channel on the Discord for compiling with the Windows SDK and LLVM._ ## Contributors These community contributors helped with this release. Thank you! * Alu Folie * blondedradio * Cheariisan * coatlessali * Craftyawesome * EeveeEuphoria * Freaky Mutant Man * FrivolousAqua * frostu8 * haya_underscore * Ibly * Indev * Jisk * JugadorXEI * Hanicef * Indev * king the memer * Kimberly * Lactozilla * Logan Arias * luigi budd * Nep2Disk * PencilVoid * rypofalem * skirlez * SMS Alfredo * Spring E. Thing * Superstarxalien * troy236 * wehrlia * WumboSpasm * zander3312

_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 ## Download links > ## 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!_ * Windows * macOS * Flatpak `org.kartkrew.RingRacers` is available under the Flathub Beta channel only for non-stable releases. * GitHub Release Page > **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 incorrect EXP/Ring totals during Relaxed Grand Prix. * Fixed “eliminate last” behavior still being enabled during Relaxed Grand Prix. * 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.

_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 ## Download links > ## 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!_ * Windows * Windows RC8 Hotfix EXE - **REQUIRED, DO NOT REPORT CRASHES WITHOUT USING THIS**. Linux users please compile rc8-hotfix branch. Sorry mac users * macOS * Flatpak `org.kartkrew.RingRacers` is available under the Flathub Beta channel only for non-stable releases. * GitHub Release Page > **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

_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 ## Download links > ## 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!_ * Windows * macOS * Flatpak `org.kartkrew.RingRacers` is available under the Flathub Beta channel only for non-stable releases. * GitHub Release Page > **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 * Technology Tundra * Attempted to fix first shortcut slope to prevent bumping on slope - #339 * Operator’s Overspace * Added blockplayers to a fence players could jump - #339 * MEGA Green Hill * Setup conditional deathplanes to mitigate lost progress issues. * Nightfall Dimension * Adjusted area around a Tripwire to prevent an unintended shortcut - #339 * Voiddance Dimension * Tweaked ring capsule payouts to deflate numbers. * Added spike hazards to patch offroad gap. * Cloudtop Dimension * Fixed issues with shortcut waypoints. * Gravtech Dimension * Flipped last checkpoints to be visible under normal gameplay. * Melty Manor * Fixed checkpoint presentation issues. * Adjusted multiple Item Capsules including removing several stronger capsules throughout the level. * Quartz Quadrant * Fixed issue with transparent textures being used in the wrong area. * Haunted Ship * Fenced around the area near the first Tripwire. * Abyss Garden * Adjusted level geometry to prevent unintended shortcuts - #339 * Abyss Gate * Fixed issues involving fence midtextures that were not marked as solid. * Fixed issues involving improper midtexture usage in the level. * Vermilion Vessel * Deleted one wall spring that could cause a softlock - #325 * Ramp Park * Fixed issue with transparent textures being used in the wrong area. * Added blockplayers linedefs to prevent checkpoints from being skipped. * MEGA Star Light * Moved lamp posts away from the diagonal springs. * MEGA Sandopolis * Sand slide now blocks off a large jump to anything but Pogo Spring users. Spraycan has been moved onto the slide. * MEGA Aqua Lake * Setup conditional deathplanes to mitigate lost progress issues. * Increased landing strip of the final jump - #339 * MEGA Flying Battery * Adjusted area around the checkpoint to mitigate lost progress issues. * Sky Babylon * Added one-way death line to prevent lost progress at start. * Added blockplayers to the FOF fence inside a Tripwire cut. * Kodachrome Void * Adjusted various Banana and Sneaker capsules to have different values and/or items. * Hot Crater * Adjusted the geometry for the slope launch after the double loops to mitigate high speed related issues. * Added more Red Springs and adjusted one of the walls at the spring elevator to mitigate high speed related issues. * Shuffle Square * A large amount of blockplayers and fencing has been taken to the level to smooth out racing on it - #339 * Cadillac Canyon Classic * Added one-way respawn line to all Tripwire cut exits - #339 * Route 1980 * Adjusted level geometry to prevent waypoint exploits - #339 ## Fixes * Players affected by Hyuudoro will no longer clash with other objects * Items reflected via Drop Target now change owner to the owner of the Drop Target, allowing them to hit their previous owner and award amps to the Drop Target owner * Orbinauts and Gachaboms can now waterski if their owner was capable of waterskiing at throw time * Amp collection sounds now play sourced from the collecting player * Amp awards will always be at least 1, fixing circumstances where they could be 0 * Fixed start line splits appearing during a certain encounter * Fixed issues with map voting in dedicated servers that have been running for a long time. - !60 * Non-dynamic tunes remapped in ACS during a level are now restored after level exit. !24 * In Grand Prix, bots that replace No Contested bots will no longer appear with negative EXP. - !61 * Backup items are no longer moved into main item slot when an item is deployed. - !59 * Fixed overflows and underflows in item pickups - !51 * Fixed 1-character named replays crashing - !64 * The record time in Record Attack for an unlockable encounter now displays the Encore time when Encore Mode is enabled * Sonic Boom sound effects no longer play when under the effect of Hyudoro * Fixed inline `V_STRINGDANCE` texts having incorrect Y offset under certain circumstances - !65 * Replays are now correctly saved when changing maps for any reason other than a normal level exit - !63 * Hitting spikes in certain configurations should no longer result in effectively soft-locking - #65 * Fixed `botscanvote` cheat being totally broken - #333 * Fixed checksum mismatch when loading an addon mid-level - #177 * Fixed typo in Addons Case Sensitivity description - #172 ## Modding * Several Grand Prix-related data structures are now accessible in Lua - !39 * Some Amps-related functions are now accessible in Lua - !66 * Added ACS function `PlayerSkinRealName` (opcode 321) - !13 ## Contributors These community contributors helped with this release. Thank you! * Eldog * FreakyMutantMan * FrivolousAqua * hayaunderscore * JugadorXEI * skirlez * Spring E. Thing * Superstarxalien * zander3312

_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 ## Download links > ## 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!_ * Windows * macOS * Flatpak `org.kartkrew.RingRacers` is available under the Flathub Beta channel only for non-stable releases. * GitHub Release Page > **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! * First Blood no longer has “port priority”. Players who cross on the same tic will both receive the same rewards. * 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 Gardens * Adjusted out-of-bounds areas (to prevent stuck players/lost progress). * Adjusted checkpoints/finish lines. * Star Light * Switched Sneaker capsules for Super Ring capsules on the last shortcut. * Frozen Production - Reverted final shortcut nerfs due to system changes. * Aqueduct Crystal - Adjusted out-of-bounds areas (to prevent stuck players/lost progress). * Trap Tower - Adjusted out-of-bounds areas (to prevent exploits) - #144 * Blue Mountain 2 - Fixed various midtexture issues, and some obstacle consistency issues. * Speed Highway * Extended Checkpoint linedef in the helipad section to the right side of the map to prevent players from missing it. * Replaced Banana capsule before the tunnel with 5x Ballhog. * Removed erroneously-placed aerial Landmine capsule. * Sky Sanctuary - Added more death planes near start to prevent lost progress, Fixed erronous midtextures and increased power of dash rings extiting 2nd shortcut. * Skyscraper Leaps * Added textured fencing to various portions of the map. * Adjusted out-of-bounds areas (to prevent exploits) - #144 * Zoned City - The spiral turn with offroad near the beginning of the circuit has Tripwire on the first few parts of the turn. * Dimension Disaster * Resolved sector draw error - #289 * Resolved an issue where the water wasn’t animated correctly - #297 * Daytona Speedway * Removed stray Bubble Shield capsule. * Added 45-degree linedef near the edge of the first spiral to prevent people from getting caught on the corner and to allow for smoother wall transfers. * Weiss Waterway - Adjusted out-of-bounds areas (to prevent exploits) - #144 * Hanagumi Hall - Fixed incorrect number of Ballhogs in an Item Capsule. * Aerial Badlands - Fixed a small visual issue with decoration. * Operator’s Overspace - Replaced and reduced some Item Capsules. * Espresso Lane - Removed the Invincible Capsule. * Cyan Belltower - Fixed an issue with a waypoint’s properties and height being setup incorrectly. * Blizzard Peaks - _Actually_ nerfed the Green Trees this time, and added respawn lines for the opening shortcuts for players that try to enter them backwards. * The actual script/maps changes were mistakenly not added into RC5. Whoops. * Vermilion Vessel * Removed stray Bubble/Flame Shield capsules. * Removed erroneously-placed deathpit near the offroad in the southernmost part of the map - #325 * Monkey Mall - Adjusted out-of-bounds areas (to prevent exploits). * Sky Babylon - Fixed a ring in the depths and attempted to fix strange bot behavior on bottom path - #319 * Barren Badlands * Adjusted geometry to mitigate unintended shortcuts. * Added tripwire to the extended U-turn section and removed the Robras in the middle of the sand. * Shuffle Square - Removed the short ramp and Rings early on in the circuit - #308 ## Modding * In Grand Prix, a bonus level in a cup which is both Battle and Race compatible will be added as a Prison Break round. - !49 * Many more player and skin variables are exposed to Lua. - !4 * Hidden ranking applies to all levels in the special round of a Grand Prix cup, rather than just those set as special-compatible - !31 ## Accessibility * Disabled flashing cursor animations on the character select screen when Reduce VFX is on - !50 ## Fixes / Miscellaneous * Fixed a severe performance degradation on all Intel-compatible processors when in netgames under specific circumstances - #283 * _Technical: Intel architecture CPUs implement correct IEEE 754 floating point number behavior with subnormal values (close to 0). The CPU degrades to effectively software-emulating floating point math, causing an enormous performance hit. In essence, if the OS provided very very quiet microphone data to the game, the game would faceplant instantly. This is the default behavior on x86/amd64 and the application must explicitly turn on the “Denormals Are Zero” and “Flush To Zero” CPU flags to instead just treat those numbers as zero. Watch this video from LaurieWired if you’re curious._ * Followers will no longer phase below floor-over-floors when driving on them - !56 * If a player switches to spectator mode in a multiplayer Duel Race, the other player will now win the match instead of forcing them to spectate as well - !52 * Extra options for the “hear tabbed-out” (background audio) setting are added to mute voice playback and transmission out-of-focus - !44 * The pause menu now shows if Frantic Items is turned on in the current match - !55 * Fixed a buffer overflow bug setting the names of bots from Lua - !38 * Corrected typo in Profile Edit menu’s Accessibility submenu description * Significantly reduced the amount of memory used for certain internal image conversions ## Additional Contributors These community contributors helped with this release. Thank you! * Freaky Mutant Man * JugadorXEI * skirlez * WumboSpasm * zander3312

_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 ## Download links > ## 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!_ * Windows * macOS * Flatpak `org.kartkrew.RingRacers` is available under the Flathub Beta channel only for non-stable releases. * GitHub Release Page > **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: * The terminology for both approaching “TripwireOK” and actually reaching it are now called “Subsonic” and “Sonic Boom” respectively. * Base Sonic Boom threshold increased to 225%. * _All of the following changes are meant to make getting a Sonic Boom 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._ * _Significantly_ increased the leniency period when losing a Sonic Boom after already reaching it. * In Race modes, 1st place has a fixed Sonic Boom threshold of 900% speed. * _Seek employment._ * Offroad no longer increases the Sonic Boom threshold. * When very far from the leader, the Sonic Boom threshold moderately decreases (easier). * Adjusted VFX and added SFX to provide clearer feedback when approaching and reaching the Sonic Boom threshold. * The Subsonic visuals when approaching tripwire threshold now tint red if your Sonic Boom 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 advantage 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 threshold) 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 - #144 * Rumble Ridge - Adjusted out-of-bounds areas (to prevent exploits) - #144 * Gigapolis * Adjusted out-of-bounds areas (to prevent exploits/trapped players) - #144 * Changed item boxes after the tumbling bridge to permanent ring boxes. * Removed item boxes from the upper route after the tumbling bridge. * Removed sneaker panel on the upper route after the tumbling bridge. * Reduced dash panel strength at the exit of the upper route. * The upper route after the tumbling bridge is no longer blocked by tripwire. * Bronze Lake - Adjusted out-of-bounds areas (to prevent exploits) - #144 * Collision Chaos - Added Fault Point for Time Attack. Fixed an issue where low speed stats weren’t able to take the wall transfer under certain conditions anymore at the start - #133 * Emerald Hill - Adjusted out-of-bounds areas (to prevent exploits) - #144. Added an additional set of Dash rings to help redirect you on 1st shortcut. * Silvercloud Island - Adjusted out-of-bounds areas (to prevent exploits) - #144. Added an additional set of Dash rings to help redirect you on 1st shortcut. * Desert Palace - Adjusted a shortcut and the surrounding area (to prevent exploits) - #144 * Press Garden - Adjusted out-of-bounds areas (to prevent exploits) - #144 * City Escape - Adjusted out-of-bounds areas (to prevent lost progress / trapped players) - #144 * Palmtree Panic - Adjusted the waypoints and removed the deathpit in the middle of the Spring to Dash Ring setpiece. * Frozen Production - Nerfed the final shortcut to use two Sneaker Panels as opposed to a Charger Panel. * Hydro City * Adjusted out-of-bounds areas (to prevent exploits) - #144 * Ending tripwire has been given a fence to prevent players from triangle-dashing underneath it. - #144 * Diamond Dust - Adjusted out-of-bounds areas (to prevent exploits). Replaced Garden Top and Invincible capsules - #144 * Blue Mountain, Act 1 * Changed the first set of item boxes to permanent ring boxes. * Adjusted geometry at the first shortcut (to prevent exploits) - #144 * Adjusted Snowgang to balance offroad course turns * Blue Mountain, Act 2 * Adjusted out-of-bounds areas (to prevent exploits) - #144 * Adjusted the second shortcut to prevent failure upon entry * Adjusted the third shortcut to prevent failure upon entry * Speed Highway - Adjusted out-of-bounds areas (to prevent exploits) - #144 * Virtual Highway - Adjusted out-of-bounds areas (to prevent exploits) - #144 * Labyrinth - Made adjustments to allow low speed characters to progress in Gear 1 - #207 * Hot Shelter - Additional geometry added to prevent overpowering shortcuts without accessing tripwire - #144 * Death Egg * Adjusted out-of-bounds areas (to prevent exploits) - #144 * Fixed an issue where part of the floor was damaging players - #249 * Skyscraper Leaps - Adjusted out-of-bounds areas (to prevent exploits) - #144 * Green Triangle - The Sneaker Capsule has been replaced. * Zoned City - Adjusted out-of-bounds areas (to prevent lost progress / trapped players) - #144 * Vantablack Violet - Adjusted out-of-bounds areas (to prevent exploits) - #144 * Dimension Disaster - Adjusted out-of-bound and boundary areas (to prevent exploits, lost progress / trapped players) - #144 * Aurora Atoll - Adjusted out-of-bounds areas (to prevent exploits) - #144 * Fae Falls - Fixed an issue where a sector wasn’t sloped correctly - #254 * Azure Axiom * All Trick Panel shortcuts are now gated by Tripwire, and have had their entry areas adjusted. * The first usable itemset in Race has been moved to be just after the first checkpoint. * The itemset exiting the shortcut with a Trick Panel has been changed to be a permanent Ringbox. * The shortcut after the first checkpoint has been buffed to save additional time. * Resolved a collision issue that let players step up a large height in a certain area - #268 * Hanagumi Hall * Removed stray waypoint near the first tripwire area and repositioned the start of the shortcut waypoints to behind the tripwire to prevent proration inconsistency. - #213 * Fixed players being able to phase through the starting gate. #60 * Player starts are no longer 1 fracunit above the ground. * Fixed Finish line waypoint not being on the proper linedef. - #60 * Technology Tundra - Adjusted out-of-bounds areas (to prevent exploits) - #144. Extended the 1st shortcut to fix the placement calculation - #213 * Operator’s Overspace - Both shield capsules have been replaced. The last shortcut now is fenced off, has tripwire and is blocked on the final lap. * Mega Green Hill - Adjusted out-of-bounds areas (to prevent exploits) - #231 * Mega Scrap Brain - Altered Position starts and area. * Nightfall Dimension * Added multiple Tripwires. * Edited geometry to prevent unintended skips. * Voiddance Dimension * Added multiple Tripwires. * Added block players walls to prevent unintended skips. * Altered geometry to make the tracks routing more consistent. * Item Box locations altered. * Increased the size of the net texture on the floor. * Cloudtop Dimension - Adjusted shortcut areas (to prevent exploits) - #144 * Lake Margorite - Fixed oversight where you could skip tripwire - #144 * Endless Mine 2 - Fixed issue where respawn line wasn’t extending through the entire area in a part of the course - #144 * Aqua Tunnel - The final set of item boxes are now permanent ring boxes. * Robotnik Winter - Adjusted out-of-bounds areas (to prevent lost progress / trapped players) - #144 * Blizzard Peaks - Reduced size of angled, green trees - #187 * Chemical Facility - Adjusted out-of-bounds areas (to prevent exploits) - #144 * Monkey Mall - Adjusted out-of-bounds areas (to prevent exploits) - #144 * Ramp Park * Removed yellow springs after the double large wall transfer. * Adjusted the first shortcut’s dash rings to prevent entry without accessing the tripwire * Added a sneaker panel that extends to the edge of the final sloped U-turn before the finish to ensure players can take it more consistently. * Pestilence - Adjusted out-of-bounds areas (to prevent exploits) - #144 * Crimson Core - Adjusted out-of-bounds areas (to prevent exploits / lost progress) - #144 * Las Vegas * Fixed issue with midtextures missing collision - #224 * Adjusted out-of-bounds areas (to prevent exploits) and waypoints to prevents difficult recoveries near the end of the race - #144 * Mega Collision Chaos - Adjusted out-of-bounds areas or waypoints (to prevent lost progress / trapped players) - #211 * Mega Sandopolis - Adjusted out-of-bounds areas (to prevent unintended skips). - #144 * Sky Babylon - Improved directioning on 1st spiral - #188 * Lavender Shrine * Added invisible wall sectors and blockplayers linedefs to just before the first wall transfer to prevent waypoint-related exploits. #144 * Added vertical tripwire directly after the wall transfer for the spraycan to prevent it from being taken without a boost item. (Purposefully does not extend to the ceiling as to help direct the player where to aim for them to obtain the spraycan.) - #144 * Barren Badlands - Adjusted out-of-bounds areas (to prevent lost progress / trapped players) - #144 * Shuffle Square - Adjusted fencing in an area (to prevent unintended entry to a shortcut) - #144 * Angel Arrow Classic - Adjusted out-of-bounds areas (to prevent exploits). * Launch Base Classic- Hidden Palace - Adjusted a shortcut and the surrounding area (to prevent exploits) - #144 * Test Track - Fixed minimap having transparent pixels - #247 ## Additional Contributors These community contributors helped with this release. Thank you! * Freaky Mutant Man * JugadorXEI * zander3312

_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 ## Download links > ## 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!_ * Windows * macOS * GitHub Release Page * The Flatpak release won’t be updated for prerelease versions. Technical Linux/Deck users can compile from source: check out tag `v2.4-rc4` and use the assets linked in the GitHub release. > **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.

_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 ## Download links > ## 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!_ * Windows * macOS * GitHub Release Page * The Flatpak release won’t be updated for prerelease versions. Technical Linux/Deck users can compile from source: check out tag `v2.4-rc3` and use the assets linked in the GitHub release. > **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 below 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

_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. ## Download links > ## 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!_ * Windows * macOS * GitHub Release Page * The Flatpak release won’t be updated for prerelease versions. Technical Linux/Deck users can compile from source: check out tag `v2.4-rc2` and use the assets linked in the GitHub release. > **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 no 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 Snatching an orbital item. * Mitigated against a few possible runaway packet data scenarios in the voice chat implementation. * Raised the length of voice frames to reduce networking overhead in voice. * Reduced the size of the microphone input buffer, lowering latency in some configurations. * Fixed an inconsistency in Lua number parsing between platforms. Integer parsing is now limited to a 32 bit integer clamped in all cases. - !9 * Added support for floorClip and RF_ALWAYSONTOP sprites in Legacy GL renderer. !8 * Follower color is now correctly written to replay files. * Rivals with internal skin ID greater than 256 can now properly be added in GP. * The Modded server list now refreshes properly instead of showing Core servers. * Fixed the level select while in a level unintentionally resetting some game variables, including Gear speed. * Dedicated servers no longer get stuck in permanent Duel Mode match when interrupted by players disconnecting. * Mitigated some issues with menu music playback in certain situations. ## Course Changes Sunbeam Paradise, Drifting - Adjusted texture-based directioning between the SPB and Sliptide segments. Sunbeam Paradise, Items - Fixed wordwrapping issues for Item usage descriptions - #33 - Adjusted descriptions for Ball Hog and EXP. - Fixed S.P.B. capsule softlock. - Adjusted the Proration segment to discourage taking it in reverse. - Added talksprite for our new friend. Green Hills - Corrected music credit (was adapted for SMPS by std282). Cadillac Cascade - Increased consistency of the final shortcut at a minor sacrifice in speed by adjusting launch method, dash ring usage and dash ring angles. Storm Rig - Eliminated the sky flash from lighting when Reduce VFX is enabled. Obsidian Oasis - Adjusted out-of-bounds areas or waypoints (to prevent lost progress / trapped players). #98 Regal Ruin - Fixed an issue where a sector alignment linedef was conflicting with a checkpoint activator linedef - #120 Gigapolis - Extended the tripwire in the final shortcut to take up the entire height of the tunnel. Mystic Cave - Fixed an scripting oversight from gamewide system changes. Marble Garden - Fixed an issue where checkpoint line was not extended correctly - #122 Darkvile Castle Act 2 - Adjusted out-of-bounds areas (to prevent exploits). Scarlet Gardens - Fixed an issue where several slope linedef specials without an action were printing console warnings - #118 Speed Highway - Adjusted waypoint properties to mitigate exploits. Sky Sanctuary - Music has been reverted to the original version. Death Egg - Corrected waypoint coordinates for the first reverse gravity segment - #30 - Adjusted waypoint properties to mitigate visual issues appearing from skipping certain parts of the course - #113 Sunset Hill - Fixed an issue where checkpoint line was not extended correctly - #111 Dimension Disaster - Adjusted out-of-bounds areas (to prevent exploits) - #84 Operator’s Overspace - The Garden Top capsule has been replaced. Gravtech Dimension - Adjusted out-of-bounds areas (to prevent exploits). Quartz Quadrant - Added an Ark Arrow for directioning assistance on the spiral turn. Chemical Facility - Adjusted out-of-bounds areas or waypoints (to prevent lost progress / trapped players). Las Vegas - Adjusted waypoints at the end of the level to remove respawn related issues - #74 - Adjusted CPU handling at certain setpieces to prevent them from falling off. MEGA Aqua Lake - Fixed minimap not adhering to standards - #125 Sky Babylon - Repositioned waypoints out of crumble FOF path to help prevent a possible crush when respawning on bottom route. Blizzard Peaks Classic - Adjusted out-of-bounds areas (to prevent exploits). ## Modding * The “Communication In Progress” message during tutorial dialogues can be disabled on a level-wide basis. - !10 * The latest kartmaker build is now included. ## Additional Contributors These community contributors helped with this release. Thank you! * Freaky Mutant Man * Hanicef * Indev * JugadorXEI * Nep2Disk * Spring E. Thing

_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. ## Download links > ## 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!_ * Windows * macOS * GitHub Release Page * 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 mode. * _Players threaten vastly different areas of the course depending on their item. The best option was often to avoid them altogether—not very fun for either party. Now, it ’s easier to get up close and personal, using blind-spots and deadzones to keep the pressure on._ * **“ Snatching”:** In Race modes, driving into your own missile or trap items now picks them up, placing them back in your item slot. When playing on a team, you can also pick up your teammates’ items. * Insta-Whipping a field item will also pick it up. * If your item slot is occupied, you’ll hold the item in “reserve” until it clears out. Picking up another allied item will drop your reserve slot as a paperitem. * _This makes it less punishing to go for ambitious shots or trap your own line, and affects several intentional-hit momentum exploits._ * After starting a sliptide, you can continue sliptiding in a straight line as long as you stay above 100% speed. To end your sliptide early, steer in the opposite direction or start a drift. * _This is an input-fairness change for d-pad and keyboard users, allowing them to take the same lines and use the same boost-storage strategies as players using analog sticks. Wavedash charge rate is based on turn strength, so a straight-line sliptide won ’t grant any credit, but it preserves the special handling state without requiring gate-riding analog inputs or an additional drift._ * Reduced wavedash charge rate when sliptiding in both directions (“snaking”). * _Technical: “Left” and “right” charge are now counted separately, and a penalty is applied to the lower value. This has the strongest effect on sliptides where your total turn magnitude is similar in both directions—in other words, when you’re sliptiding back and forth in a straight line—and has minimal effect on small angle-correction adjustments. We typically like to leave emergent handling techniques untouched (sliptiding itself is a “bug made feature”), but sliptide snaking was a high-input-intensity, latency-sensitive technique that short-circuited the opportunity cost of the wavedash, alllowing players to gain bonus speed without ever losing it. While you can still lock a full wavedash from Sneaker Panels, you’ll typically need to pre-steer to do it._ * Prepping a wavedash grants you a marginal speed and acceleration boost, as long as you can see the vortex behind you. A larger vortex grants a stronger boost. * _Coming from other arcade racers, a surprising amount of people expected sliptiding to work this way, or assumed that it already did! This is a pretty marginal speed buff, but serves as a slight reward for something that was already just flat-out fun to do._ * When a Ring Box, Super Ring, or other track elements award Rings, you’ll now see your pending payout next to your Ring count. * As long as you’re getting paid, you can spend Rings from your pending payout at increased speed, awarding a stronger but shorter boost. * _We ’d sometimes see people ask whether it was better to hold Item after picking up a Ring Box. The truth is, in prior versions of the game, it made almost no difference—Rings above your cap of 20 are automatically spent to boost. Now there’s a real tradeoff._ * The Item Roulette no longer uses fixed tables at fixed distance brackets. Your item odds will smoothly change as your position and distance changes, and most reels will have a more consistent level of power. * Most item reels are now signficantly shorter, and a new cue has been added to when a reel “loops”, allowing you to catch target items on the second go-around. * _This is still a deterministic system, but you can no longer memorize specific reels to blind-guarantee specific items; instead, players will need to read their reel as it spins. Also, that reel that contained a single Double Jawz in a sea of Invincibility and Triple Sneakers? Gone. What was that even about?_ * When far away from other players, the Item Roulette will contain fewer attack-only items. * _Attack items will still be present, but the reel will be weighted towards more impactful tools, like speed or trap items._ * In lobbies with more racers, item odds become weaker; you’ll need to fall further behind before seeing strong items. * _This was actually already in the game, but wasn ’t impactful enough. This should give players time to breathe in larger games, and help thrill-seekers show off their skills on offense—plus, it makes life easier for engine class C, who often had to stay near the pack to keep their pace up._ * Damage and respawning no longer reset Item Lockout. * _Repeatedly overcharging a Spindash or tapping Ring Shooter could let players quickly combine power items or guzzle thousands of rings. Worse, the mechanic was an invisible knowledge check; when hit near an item set, a novice player would simply drive forward, rather than reversing into the set to try again. In this case, it ’s better to make the obvious play the right one._ * If two players make contact with an Item Box at almost the same time, they’ll both receive an item. * _In cases where players are nearly tied for an Item Box, it can be hard to guess the outcome. This window of leniency is pretty small, but should reduce situations where a player ’s reasonable push leaves them out in the cold._ * Ice physics now make slopes stronger, and mud physics make slopes weaker. * _Ice in this game makes your top speed higher, so tall slopes were very easy to climb under ice. This change was especially targeted towards ice slalom sections, such as those in Blue Mountain and Blizzard Peaks Classic, which now guide your kart into the right direction, instead of it being easy to bump the walls. Downhill ice is also even faster now, which is just plain fun!_ * Reduced handling interference from stepping up/down (“stairjank”) when traveling at high speed. * **“ Acid Drop”:** After being launched from a wall transfer (like “quarter pipe” set-pieces), you’ll see a sparkle effect as you start to descend. If you fastfall while this spark is visible, you won’t bounce when you land, converting the speed of your descent into forward momentum. * _Most wall-transfer areas were designed before the development of the Fastfall, and it was usually strictly better to take them with a fastfall-tridash combo, causing an awkward break in momentum._ * **“ Proration”:** Crossing Tripwire without an item now requires more speed when you’re near 1st place. Crossing with boost items remains unchanged. * New VFX and SFX have been added as you approach the speed threshold, and the cotton-candy “aura” of Tripwire access has been made more visible. * _Tripwire shortcuts can be crazy strong. Until now, there were tons of ways to take them from strong positons; this skewed up-front interactions that should be about driving skill and space control, and the tenuous balance meant we had to keep 1st place ’s raw speed in careful check. This opens up some design space for things like the improved Super Ring, while keeping position play focused on fundamental racing._ * While moving at Tripwire speed, strong damage types (explosion, tumble) are downgraded, and weak damage types become a brief “stumble”. * Sneaker Panels no longer grant automatic Tripwire access, but will extend Tripwire access from Sneaker items. * _This lets mappers use them more freely without worrying about breaking their shortcuts, and makes races more visually readable near sections with lots of panels._ * **“ Stun”:** After taking damage, you become briefly “Stunned” and unable to collect Rings, indicated by circling Flybots over your head. * Stun lasts longer for lightweights. Stun is _much_ shorter if you’re far away from the pack or damaged by a map hazard. * _Between emergency Spindash, checkpoint awards, and more prevalent Super Rings, it ’s easier to stay out of Ring Debt than ever, and many damage events put the player back in control much quicker. That can be a bit of a problem for attack items; players with a high Ring count and a good opportunity to tether can go for “double attack” scenarios, immediately catching up to the player that just damaged them for another shot. Stun still lets you push for a counterattack, but puts you under pressure and weights the odds towards cautious play._ * Slightly increased the damage radius of Insta-Whip. * If your Insta-Whip doesn’t make contact, ring pickup and Insta-Whip charge is disabled for a short period of time. * _The “zero-ring berserker” playstyle was already strong in 2.3, but the standard of offense has raised a bit in 2.4. This aims to make Insta-Whip more forgiving, to match the bigger consequences for missing—and since Amps let you attack with it better, a whiff should let the rest of the lobby breathe, too!_ * You can now punt “bumper” hazards away when you’re traveling at high speed or using Grow/Invincibility, like other map hazards. * Slightly improved steering response in Gear 3. * Redistributed stat-based ringboost properties. Base ringboost duration has improved, bonus ringboost duration has decreased, and ringboost _speed_ now considers stats, adding a small bonus that favors class A. * Reduced the power of extreme Ring counts, like from successive Ring Box awards: * Super-strong ringboosts power down faster, even if you’re currently getting paid from a Ring Box or other award rings. * You now lose ringboost when falling off the track or lightsnaking, the same as if you’d taken damage. * Ring payouts now happen faster when you’re already under the effect of a strong ringboost. (This decreases the time you spend in “payout mode”, which lowers ringboost decay; this is a nerf.) * Ring Box payouts increased by 25%. (This isn’t a straightforward buff, but partial compensation for the system-level nerfs.) * _Stacked Ring Boxes were a powerful (and really goofy-looking) win condition on maps with tight item spacing (and they warped TA into something _very_ strange—stay tuned!). These changes aim to bring outlier stats a little closer to the center when it comes to ring awards, and keep the “guaranteed” speed of Ring Box in line with its risk and difficulty._ * You can now Drop Dash even if you’re tumbling or spinning when lightsnake activates. * Gear 1’s base speed has increased, but boosts are slightly less effective, and stacked boosts are much less effective. * _Gear 1 could be boring on simple layouts when playing well, but still really tough when playing from behind and using multiple boost items—the worst of both worlds! Ring Racers is at its toughest when your speed and handling properties suddenly change; less volatile boosts should make it easier for inexperienced players to stay in control._ * Maps in Gear 1 will have 75% of their normal lapcount, rounded up. * _This only affects maps with lapcounts greater than 3._ * **Speed Assist** : Players who have been _extremely_ behind for a while receive a small increase to base speed. This bonus speed reduces greatly when boosting, and disappears if they make forward progress. * _This increase only starts if a player is substantially behind the bottom 25% of the race, or when they fall extremely behind in Duel. This is not intended to help with overtake progress directly, but helps players who are far away from_ _everyone_ _and struggling with items rejoin the race._ ## Items * Added the Stone Shoe to Race mode! This leader-only trap looks like a dropped Sneaker, but chains the victim to a bouncing boulder, reducing their speed. * Bashing enemies with the Shoe (or tripping them with the chain) inflicts a low tumble, paying out Amps to the chained player _and_ the leader. * Holding Down when activating the Stone Shoe chains it to _yourself_ , instead of setting a trap. * Added Toxomister to Race mode, a leader-only trap that covers passing enemies in clouds of smog. Touching one slows you down and drains your rings, while paying out Amps to the leader! * Toxic clouds can be blown away by reaching Tripwire speed, even if they’re already attached to you. * Toxomister can be destroyed with direct bumps or item shots. If it’s not destroyed, the leader can pick it up next lap and redeploy it! * Ballhog has been completely redesigned, and is now a multi-function lobbed item. * Ballhog now starts with 7 shots instead of 5. * Instead of shooting missiles in a fan pattern, lobbed projectiles are tossed in a circle pattern. * Holding Up will throw the projectiles farther (similar to Proximity Mines), while holding Down will throw them closer to you. * While charging, a reticle will appear on the ground showing the expected flight path. These are visible to all players, not just you! * After holding Ballhog at a full charge for 2 seconds, you’ll consume your remaining shots to blow yourself up, launching forward in a low tumble. * _Ballhog has been due for a rework for a while, and we ’re finally making good on our promise from the 2.2 patch notes! This version is more flexible (and more potent at the right ranges), but no longer shuts down huge areas with little counterplay._ * At medium distances, stacks of Super Rings can appear in the Item Roulette. Using a stacked Super Ring pays out all the Rings at once, and pushes you in the direction you’re looking. * _Amps made all the offensive “leader items” stronger, so Super Ring needed a tune-up—and inventive frontrunners will definitely get some mileage out of instant thrust! This also gives mid-pack players more options for pure speed, reducing item chaos in a distance bracket previously crammed with exclusively missiles._ * Missile items now cause a brief “stumble” while orbiting, dropped, or thrown backwards, similar to Insta-Whip. Instead of being knocked away, you’ll keep traveling in the direction you were already moving. * _Going for razor-thin overtakes versus orbital items is cool, and deserves to be less punishing when it doesn ’t work out. This also gives dedicated trap items a better niche._ * Sneakers now travel significantly faster, and grant brief invulnerability when used. * _In situations where strong Tripwire shortcuts weren ’t available, Sneakers often felt pretty weak. In 2.4, they sorely needed a tune-up next to offensive items and their Amp rewards._ * The elemental shields have been graphically overhauled, and Bubble Shield is now much more visible from a distance. * When set as a trap, Bubble Shield is slightly larger. * Bubble Shield no longer pops in 1st place, but applies extra “air drag” until you reach a speed cap. This cap starts at 400% and decreases as you approach the leader, visually affecting the shield. * _Arbitrary item cutoffs lead to weird player incentives, where people try to hang around near 2nd and time their overtakes. Applying a speed curve, like other high-impact items, means that players will have to make their own choices about when to toss their shield—and normalizes Bubble Shield on courses with steep drops or exploitable slopes._ * Bubble Shield no longer drops as a trap if it’s used to boost. “Neutral set” (L + no direction) will drop it as a trap, and Down+L will immediately pop it and dash forward. * _Bubble Shield ’s neutral-set behavior was originally a bug, but we decided to keep it, since it provides a lot of linear speed that can sometimes ruin tight lines. This gives it its own niche, preserving Bubble Shield’s versatility but lowering its raw power._ * Dramatically improved handling while traveling at high speed under a Flame Shield boost. * Flame Shield’s “overheat” boost now thrusts you farther. * Lightning Shield now has a “charge” window when activated, exploding after a delay. While charging, you retain infinite tether range and gain tether speed twice as quickly; after exploding, you’ll zip forward. * Lightning Shield no longer hits players who are extremely far above or below you. * Players can no longer trigger their own Proximity Mines by stepping into the detection range. They’ll still be affected if another player triggers the mine. * Proximity Mine has a new visual for its activation range. * _Did you know Proximity Mine has a higher activation range right as it arms?_ * Fixed an issue causing your own Shrink lasers to grant significantly more Grow time than intended. * _Players can no longer stack a lap ’s worth of Grow time from a single Item Box, and will almost always power down after making significant progress. Shrink is supposed to be strong, but was never meant to be this strong!_ * Landmines can now be thrown forward, sliding along the ground and inflicting a softened Tumble. * _Landmine has the weakest defensive profile vs. approaching attackers, so it deserved some bite versus confident overtakes._ * You can no longer spindash while riding a Garden Top. * When throwing a Garden Top backwards, you’ll automatically fastfall. * _Garden Top spindashing let players go from a standing start to an instant 400%+, which led to some goofy-looking skips when combined with sloped map geometry._ * A “shaking” Garden Top (near 1st place) will take longer to stabilize when 1st pulls away. * When near 1st place, Grow and Invincibility decay at double speed. * _This should make frontrunners safer from high-risk power overtakes—and prevent those overtakes from turning into an even worse frontrun._ * Invincibility grants a brief period of Tripwire access after it ends, to make shortcuts more lenient. * Garden Top and Shrink now only appear for trailing players with high EXP. * _Both items are intended to propel skilled players forward, but often disrupt the race for no reason if weak players fumble around with them. Players who are consistently struggling are better served by straightforward speed items._ * The Self-Propelled Bomb no longer hits players immediately after switching targets. * Garden Top and Shrink no longer appear in Gear 1. * _Shrink made several setpieces impossible to complete, and Garden Top is simply too volatile for a slower mode._ ## Battle * The location of the next Combat UFO, and the time until it spawns, is now displayed on the minimap. (blondedradio) * _This was never meant to be purely random, but conveyance slipped away during the launch frenzy. With advance warning on the next UFO location, players have big incentives to group up and get fighting!_ * Players can no longer be hit during the visual “freeze” when grabbing a Power-Up. * Picking up a Power-Up grants longer invincibility, but that invincibility now depletes in the air. * In Battle, Bubble Shield has a 50% longer cooldown, and pops when it deals damage or triggers a clash. * _Bubble Shield can still reflect an unlimited number of items …provided no one attacks you directly, or during the cooldown._ * Players with an inflated Bubble Shield can no longer suffer Barrier Break. * _This fixes a nasty anti-synergy with Mega Barrier. A non-inflated Bubble offers no protection, though!_ * You can now inflict Barrier Break on players using Grow, affected by S Monitor, or in other clash/invincibility states. * _This previously caused a confusing state where players would appear to suffer Barrier Break, but take no damage._ * If your Insta-Whip doesn’t make contact, Guard and Insta-Whip charge are disabled for a short period of time. * _This previously used the standard “defense lockout” window of 7/10 seconds, but Insta-Whip’s half-second duration covered the majority of it, making it difficult to punish reckless whips. Since Whip now steals items on contact, it needed a more targeted weakness._ * Last Chance now bounces you upward only once, but you regain control and bounce much further. * _Fastfall quick and aim for a reversal, or hang out in the air and try to dodge the followup …?_ ## Time Attack ver.B * All Time Attack times from prior versions have been invalidated. * _Don ’t worry, any medals you’ve earned will remain!_ * Several changes made to ringboost mechanics and “award rings”, to reduce runaway uncapped speed. See “Core Gameplay”. * Adjusted TA Ring Box payout values and stat scaling to favor heavyweights. * _This affects only Time Attack, which already paid out variable amounts for different characters._ * TA Ring Boxes pay out more with each checkpoint you cross. * _Class-A characters often got to enjoy some dramatic pacing, where their speed would ramp up over the course of a run as they stacked up more and more ringboost. This was fun, so we wanted to give everyone a little of that rising tension._ * Time Attack now starts timing the instant your character moves. * In Time Attack POSITION, added input leniency to Accel+Brake e-braking, preventing three-button Spindash from accidentally moving early. * Time Attack POSITION time shortened slightly, but Spindash charges at 4x speed. * Crossing the starting line in Time Attack now grants the First Blood boost, minus the Amps. * _No more rainbow driftboost starts! On the overwhelming majority of courses, a Spindash standing-start is now the fastest way to get going, reducing time spent between resets. You can still adjust your angle before you release, though._ * The screen transition when restarting Time Attack is now faster. * After beating your best time, you can no longer quick-restart before reaching the intermission screen. * _This prevents players from setting new best times, but exiting before the ghost can save._ * _Perhaps a more powerful being exists …?_ _Massive kudos to everyone who pushed Chao beyond the limits of speed, finesse, and human sanity; the summit of competition has been equal parts awe-inspiring and concerning. Sadly, that level of imbalance isn ’t fair to those who want to play their favorites—but we’ve had a great time watching everyone pull together and break the game one tic at a time. Now let’s see what you’ve got!_ ## Interface * Added the “Button Display” option when mapping controls. This affects button prompts across the entire game, allowing you to select between modern responsive button prompts, profiles optimized for 6-button reproduction controllers, or 2.3’s “emulator” style control display. When using a keyboard, keyboard keys will be displayed by name where available. * _Sadly, not everyone grew up playing emulated Genesis games—not everyone has a decade ’s worth of muscle memory on which shoulder button they mapped “Y” to. This wasn’t easy to implement, but hopefully it can ease some growing pains in the game’s opening moments, or for players who frequently switch controllers._ * During the Tutorial, the Pause screen now shows a control guide. * The Cup and Level Select screens now show more information about unlocked awards and pickups. * The Grand Prix podium screen now shows your difficulty level, and which maps you retried. * During a Tutorial, or in a certain encounter in Grand Prix, the true map name is now shown on the top right of the screen. * The Challenge Board now has subtle coloring to go with each tile’s category, to improve navigating through the mountain of rewards. * In Match Race (and Online as a server admin), pressing “Action” on the Level Select screen now allows you to queue multiple maps for continuous play. * _This was already a feature via the Developer Console, but that basically meant it only existed for technical users. A UI like this was always meant to help tournaments and local play run smoothly!_ * The name of the chosen Follower color will always display when extra information is enabled, even when using Default, Opposite or Match - !106 * Added an on-screen control reminder for Spindash (and boost items) after taking hits with 0 rings, or moving slowly through offroad. * _New players make Ring-management mistakes a lot, and when you ’re panicking your way back onto the road, it’s easy to forget you’ve got options._ ## Singleplayer * Instead of “tournament points”, Grand Prix is now scored by EXP. Play well throughout the race to take the gold! * EXP also replaces Lap Bonus, so Grand Prix ranking criteria has changed; maximum scores and rank thresholds are lower. * Adjusted Grand Prix CPU difficulty to rise slower for struggling players, but fall less when retrying. * _Struggling players would often “fail forward” on higher difficulties, ping-ponging between “too easy” and “way too hard” as they advanced. Rise to the challenge, or train on a lower difficulty—no boring wars of attrition!_ * Relaxed difficulty Grand Prix no longer uses a lives system, and you can advance even when placing below 4th. You also won’t immediately explode if you’re guaranteed to place last. * _Relaxed plays at “Gear 1” speed, which also received some changes to be more friendly to inexperienced racers: see “Core Gameplay”._ * Master difficulty Grand Prix now disables players’ positive EXP modifiers, making human item odds worse. * _Depending on who you asked, Vicious might have been_ _harder_ _than Master difficulty, since your Rival had an easier time catching up without other strong bots around. Master is a bragging-rights maniac mode for the most devoted players, and we ’ve tuned it accordingly; with weaker catchup, you’ll need both finesse and consistency to win!_ * In Grand Prix, finishing while “ring locked” from a trailing Self-Propelled Bomb now awards 20 bonus points of Ring Bonus. * Improved CPU racer driving on technical layouts, and made them play more fairly on simple layouts. * CPUs now slow down more when bumping walls or taking damage from items. * CPUs inflict less knockback, and get bumped farther, when colliding at high speeds (bugfix). * CPUs slow down slightly on long straightaways. * CPUs tether to other CPUs at reduced speed. * Reduced CPU “slope resistance” (bugfix). * _Sneaker Cup was infamous for a reason: CPUs love narrow maps with forgiving guardrails and simple turning. This should make their driving less disruptive._ * Strong CPUs rubberband less effectively if they’re at low EXP. * _CPUs get most of their speed from fast driving, not from item play. This change aims to make them feel more like human opponents, making it harder for them to disrupt you when they ’re consistently struggling._ * Removed CPU “turn confirmation” state, speeding up their turn response. * _CPUs previously had an artificial delay added to their turning, to ensure they didn ’t rapidly wiggle back and forth in a way that looked unnatural—but when approaching corners from a straightaway, the delayed steering would sometimes make it hard for them to take their preferred line, making them tough to tune._ * “Map complexity” no longer affects CPU speed. * _CPU driving is more competent and consistent than prior versions, so they don ’t need a speed multiplier based on layout anymore. This could occasionally cause problems in addon courses with strange waypoints, and was part of the problem with Chemical Facility._ * CPUs have increased grip when taking sharp corners. * Fixed issues with CPU bonus traction that could cause them to reach unusual speeds on certain maps, and adjusted their base speed to compensate. * _These changes are meant to make CPU racers more consistent and engaging, not necessarily easier. Mid-cup difficulty spikes should be much less drastic, but high AI levels may perform significantly better than you remember._ * CPUs are now slightly less effective at using Bubble Shield and Lightning Shield, even at Lv.MAX. * _Against skilled human players, quick speed changes can bait them into whiffing their shields; this gives strong CPUs a similar weakness._ * Improved overtake potential and pack breakaway for CPUs favored to win. Packs of CPU racers are more likely to spread out in all gamemodes. * Fixed an issue that could rarely cause CPU racers to reach impossibly high difficulty on Relaxed mode. * Significantly raised requirements to enter a certain encounter. * _Players shouldn ’t feel pushed into difficult encounters before they’re totally comfortable with what’s on offer. Enjoy racing and hone your skills, without the shadow of a certain adversary—but when you’re ready…!_ * In a certain encounter, lowered the speed threshold required to deal damage or pass Tripwire. * _This allows Super Ring to be used offensively, and opens up damage opportunities on a number of short inclines._ * Changed the appearance of a certain foe as damage is inflicted. * When retrying a certain encounter, reduced “carryover damage” from repeated attempts. Carryover damage is disabled entirely on Master difficulty. * _To some people, this might be a surprising nerf, but for everyone dumping Orbinauts on the first slope in A*******, you might have seen it coming._ ## Online * Fixed an issue preventing players from accessing the Server Browser after disconnecting from a modded netgame. * _You ’ll still need to restart the game to join a new server, but rejoining the server you were just on should work fine._ * In sessions where there are not enough player slots for all the players connected, the NO CONTESTed player will become a spectator and be replaced by one of the spectators. This is controlled by the cvar `shuffleloser` and is enabled by default. * _Try setting “Max Players” to 2, then “Max Connections” to something higher, for a rotating lobby in the new Duel mode._ * If you’ve been waiting for a while after finishing a round, the tally screen will transition to a spectator view if there are still players to watch. * Improved compatibility with certain VPN software or strange home networks. When you connect with an unusual IP, you’ll connect as a GUEST instead of crashing. * _The RRID system checks the server ’s IP to prevent certain kinds of impersonation. These checks are disabled on a physical LAN, but there’s no way to tell how weird VPN software will remap private IP space; this is the next best thing._ * Removed the ability to join in-progress races during the first 20 seconds. * _This caused replay desyncs we weren ’t able to resolve, and is a nasty edge case for addon authors besides. Sorry!_ * Significantly improved the speed of file checks and the HTTP downloader, making it easier to join Modded games. (Hanicef, alufolie91, Indev) * Fixed “server verification failed” errors when waiting for a long time to join a full server. * The new “Mobiums” rating system replaces PWR.LV. This system is more forgiving at low ratings and less volatile in general. * _PWR.LV is a zero-sum system: if you gain points, someone else has to lose points in return. This meant that a room ’s maximum rating had a hard maximum: the number of players who had “donated” their starting 1000 PWR to stronger players. It’s now much harder to drain away all of your rating, and modestly successful players should sustain higher ratings, but the top end of the scale still demands consistency vs. strong players. Try the Auto Gear and Auto Encore settings to spice things up for high-rated rooms!_ * Players who disconnect or spectate mid-round will now forfeit some Mobiums (previously PWR.LV), unless they were in the lead. * _Forfeit penalties have existed in the code since 2.0, but were never triggered thanks to a small oversight. Whoops._ ## Challenges * A new challenge for a new unlockable character has been added! Sounds like trouble’s brewing… * Additional challenges for new unlockable followers have also been added! * An additional Battle Course has been added as a bonus for clearing the Tutorial Challenge. * Once you’ve collected every Spray Can, all uncollected locations will become “KKD Medals” available for bragging rights. * _A common refrain among those who really got into finding Spray Cans is “It’s over already??” We always wanted a way to continue the hunt for those who loved the puzzle just as much as the reward, but it required a little extra engineering to put in place. With the luxury of post-launch support, this expanded exploration is finally here!_ * Adjusted some calculations for the at-a-glance info on the Challenge Board. * The brightness of each pixel in the scroll bar above the Board * The fill percentage of the Chao Medal in the top right * Pulseman’s unlock condition no longer requires being in Grand Prix, but now also requires an A rank. * In addition to its existing unlock condition, Test Run can now also be unlocked by loading an addon. * Removed a stray comma in Tridentz’ description. * Marble Foyer, Speed Highway, Cyber Arena, Chaos Chute, Daytona Speedway, Thunder Piston and Fae Falls have new unlockable Alternate Music tracks. ## Accessibility + Quality of Life * Added “CPU” indicators above CPU players. * Raised the chase camera on “flat” maps, like MEGA Cup, to improve forward visibility. * Looking backwards now adjusts the camera’s momentum and distance, making the effect instant and hopefully reducing motion sickness. - !45 * You can now skip through the SEGA logo (to the disclaimer) faster. - !26 * Votes are now logged to the server host’s chat, including the name of the calling player. This allows hosts to take action against players abusing the vote system. * Added the “Strict Fastfall” profile option. When enabled, the E-Brake button combo will never cause you to fastfall, requiring you to press your Spindash input instead. * _This is normally the sort of control option we avoid, but in corner cases involving unexpected airtime or lag spikes, the input-overlap between brakedrifting and fastfalling could be hard to bear._ * Added a 5-second rewind in Egg TV playback, for finer control than the “Restart” option. * _The extremely granular Rewind option in SRB2Kart was devastatingly buggy and had to be disabled for Ring Racers ’ launch, but it was pretty dull to get the exact clip you wanted with only a total restart for stepping back. Hopefully this coarse tool fills the need without any of the headache!_ * When playing alone, you can immeditely update the Character, Follower, or Color on your current Profile from the Challenge Board. * The game will now remember the last display it was on, and restores it on start-up. * Three similarily named Developer Console commands are now a suite of closely related utilities, accepting almost the same argument format and differing primarily in output. * `map` is for immediately switching to a Course. * As the standard-bearer, its parameters are largely unchanged. * `queuemap` is for interacting with the Round Queue, the active collection of Courses. * Added `-show`/`-s`. * Reveals the next Round in the queue via server shout message * Can be used manually, or with `automate` commands for tournament rulesets that permit foreknowledge of the next Round without requiring the host needing to constantly work off memory or document * `-clear` now also supports the partial parameter `-c` * `showmap` is for printing information about a Course. * Added the ability to provide partial names (or full lumpnames/IDs) to identify Courses without going to them. * `showmap robo` will preview you the Course `map robo` or `queuemap robo` would have resolved to! * Added `-gametype`/`-gt`/`-g`. * Matches the other two’s accepted parameters * Can be used for checking compatibility * All three now support `-random` (or `-r`). * Can be combined with `-gametype`/`-gt` in all contexts, otherwise uses the current active gametype (or fails on menu) * `randommap` has been deprecated, and will now only print the replacement instruction `map -random` * _The Developer Console isn ’t really intended for end users, but it’s essential for server management. Minor increases in utilities utility can go a long way in the right hands!_ * Level images are displayed again for Discord Rich Presence. * _These were originally omitted because we ran out of image space on the Discord application, which was extremely unfortunate because it made the feature a lot less useful. But, we discovered that there ’s an undocumented feature where you can self-host your own images instead to bypass said limits, so they’re back now!_ * “Reduce Effects” now removes: * Palette flashes - !48 * “Prize” flickering on the Cup select - !76 * Spray Can/Super Flicky flare flickering - !76 * Flashing on not-yet-unlocked Characters in replay playback - !138 * Ring Sting VFX jittering - !137 * Teleporter animations in Tutorial maps * Texture animations can now be overridden for Reduce Effects using `RVFXANIM` lumps. These are considered non-modifying so they can be adjusted locally, like music - !135 * Several base-game animated textures known to be problematic for photosensitive players have either reduced or completely stopped animation speed with Reduce Effects enabled. ## Fixes * Fixed a 1-tic delay in handling response when playing online or using the Minimum Input Delay option. * Fixed minor input pacing problems when your network delay was below your Minimum Input Delay. * Fixed mass desync during Battle overtime. * Fixed many unintuitive slope launches. This is a core physics fix that prevents you from launching off of shallow grade slope transitions. * Fixed sliptides failing to start in certain netgame conditions, or while turning with Lite Steer. * Fixed unusual respawn behavior when dying after faulting, or while affected by certain map gimmicks. * Fixed strange Eggmark pass behavior when passing to a player already rolling an Eggmark roulette. * Fixed “invisible shield” behavior when obtaining an elemental shield while buffering Ring usage. * _In situations where you can grab a shield without pressing the Item button, like timing out a roulette or picking up a capsule, you ’ll still be able to buffer rings—but the shield won’t appear, and won’t protect you, until you release the button. Shields protect the holder from Ring Sting, and the holder could always react to pressure and reactivate the shield, so this tactic was difficult to play against!_ * Fixed turbines and ice cubes cutting certain boosts short. * Fixed clouds resetting your drift on contact. * Fixed unusual collision behavior when triggering a Ball Switch with an inflated Bubble Shield. * Fixed Flame Shield boost bar length on maps using a non-standard object scale. * Fixed Heavy Magician transforming into the same character as the previous lap. * Fixed many unwanted wallbonks while wall-transfering (like curved “quarter-pipe” setpieces). * Fixed strange high-velocity launches when making contact with the side of a Wall Spike. * Fixed unusual race results when respawning or taking fatal damage after crossing the finish line. * Fixed lingering sliptide and wavedash sounds when taking damage. * Fixed unusual player rotation when attaching to pulleys. * The mouse cursor is now hidden when the game window is in focus! * Fixed unusual character select behavior with more than 255 colors loaded - !67 * Fixed hang in character select with more than 255 followers loaded - !68 * Fixed modded skincolors corrupting the Spray Can cache. - !50 * Fixed netgame desyncs when using -file with add-ons with custom console variables. - !29 * Fixed alignment of “status line” messages (“Last Chance!”, “Crack the Combat UFO!”) in non-green resolution splitscreen. * Fixed some demo/replay crashes that could appear when restarting Time Attack quickly. * An issue with UDMF map parsing that affected certain processor architectures and build configurations was fixed, particularly on ARM processors. This issue lead to broken vertex configurations during loading caused by undefined behavior. - STJr/SRB2!2476 * Fixed ACS `CallFunc_SetThingProperty` only removing one object of a given TID at a time * Fixed various important visuals not displaying, or displaying improperly, when the player had their gravity flipped in certain levels. - !28 * Fixed Tricks failing instantly when performed under reverse gravity. - !28 * Fixed an error that prevented all TC_ `v.colormap` HUD effects from working in replays. - !37 * Fix reversed horizontal inputs in input display for Encore replays. - !30 * Music credits on Motobug Motorway, Mystic Cave, and Sky Sanctuary have been updated for oversights. * Fixed a crash when players are typing in-level under OpenGL. - !49 * Fixed opening Profile options during a game changing your skin and color. - !51 * Fixed the minimap dot being green when playing as a character with a different startcolor. - !50 * Fixed an issue where the game name was incorrectly displayed for Marble Foyer’s song credit. * Fixed a memory leak when joining netgames and resyncing. * Fixed volume cvars not being applied during the first wipe after launch, causing all volumes to be at 100% for a brief moment. * _This mainly affected development workflow stuff, like the`-server` or `-warp` options._ * Optimized memory allocation in level loading and level runtime. * _Slower CPUs and CPUs with small caches are likely to see a more noticeable improvement here, especially in levels with precipitation._ * Added arm64 macOS Gitlab CI build - !87 * Fixed undefined behavior on non-Apple AArch64 platforms in NodeToSplitPlayer - !82 * Fixed a misallocation that could result in crashes during SPB pathfinding - !83 * Fixed Legacy GL polygon batching comparison for fade_end property - !74 * Fixed an off-by-one error indexing the player list in signpost thinker - !78 * Fixed Legacy GL transparent FoF alpha values wrapping around incorrectly - !57 * First person/`chasecam off` fixes - !71 * The kart HUD overlay is hidden while dying badly (fixes #180) * Fixed camera roll/tilt (fixes #179) * Adjusted maximum camera tilt in first person, to make it easier to judge a safe landing * Fixed some issues preventing Clang 18 from compiling on Windows - !59 * Fixed Legacy GL chat window text rendering - !96 * Fixed `MF2_OBJECTFLIP` being applied incorrectly in `P_SpawnGhostMobj` - !98 * Fixed polyobjects carrying players due to code error - !97 * Fixed bopping Prison Eggs after the timer runs out incorrectly awarding points for the final Grand Prix result * Re-enabled Mumble positional audio link - !109 * Fixed infrequent crash related to third person camera - !105 * Fixed server ban storage (`srvbans.json`) rarely being corrupted and preventing server startup. * Fixed Challenge Board tiles briefly showing the incorrect side while flipping in interpolerated frames * Fixed an order-of-operations issue where your current Follower’s category wouldn’t be pre-selected when updating your Profile’s character * Fixed a theoretical attack for snooping on Round Queue commands from promoted players * Improved startup times by not hashing core files more than necessary * Fixed physics issues with loops oriented in certain directions, allowing loops in all directions - !132 * Map IDs are now properly included in PNG screenshot metadata - !118 * Fixed a potential crash when loading models.dat - !114 * Fixed a netsave bug loading SRB2 “Thwomp” thinkers - !116 * Battle monitors now disappear when they fall in pits - !124 * Exiting SPB Attack while the profile character select is open no longer causes the regular character select to become the profile character select screen - !119 * Lua: Fixed `displayplayers.iterate` causing a hang when multiple viewports view the same player - !127 * Fixed inconsistent sector special detection on dynslopes - !133 * Fixed banana dragging wrapping around and disabling the effect again when held for too long - !117 ## Character Changes * Fixed Fang’s lookback/drift sprites having the incorrect tire shine in certain frames. * Fixed Flicky’s lookback/drift sprites having the incorrect tire shine in certain frames. * Fixed Whisper’s lookback/drift sprites having the incorrect tire shine in certain frames. * Fixed Orta’s lookback/drift sprites having the incorrect tire shine in certain frames. * Cleaned up Pulseman’s signpost. * Cleaned up Azusa’s sprites. * Adjusted rival lists for Rouge and Headdy. ## Course Changes * Replaced the layouts of Chaos Chute, MEGA Aqua Lake, and Sky Babylon Zone. * Several maps have received lapcount changes: * Avant Garden, Coastal Temple, Cyan Belltower, Operator’s Overspace, and Palmtree Panic raised to 3 laps. * Northern District, Lucid Pass, Darkvile Castle Act 2, Azure City, Skyscraper Leaps, Zoned City, Leaf Storm, Bigtime Breakdown, Cadillac Canyon Classic, Dragonspire Sewer Act 1+2, Daytona Speedway, Panic City, Roasted Ruins, Mysitc Cave and Gigapolis raised to 4 laps. * Robotnik Coaster, Joypolis, Hardhat Havoc, Trap Tower, Dimension Disaster and raised to 5 laps. * Scarlet Gardens, MEGA Bridge and MEGA Sandopolis raised to 6 laps. * MEGA Green Hill and Green Triangle raised to 7 laps. * Death Egg changed to 3 laps. * All Phantom Cup levels have received two system-wide changes: * Blue Spheres now grant Rings, and the amount of them has been increased to accomodate the removal of normal Rings in these maps. * All spikeballs have been increased in size. * Added additional rings to Sonic Speedway, Azure Lake, Balloon Park, Chrome Gadget, Desert Palace, Roasted Ruins, Endless Mine Act 1+2, Marble Garden, City Escape, Gigapolis, Sunsplashed Getaway, Opulence, Ice Paradise, Withering Chateau, Death Egg, Storm Rig, Darkvile Castle Act 1, Technology Tundra and Crispy Canyon. * Adjusted out-of-bounds areas or waypoints (to prevent lost progress / trapped players) in Green Hills, Fae Falls, Las Vegas, Emerald Coast, City Escape, Sunsplashed Getaway, Virtual Highway, and Gigapolis. * Adjusted out-of-bounds areas (to prevent exploits) in Diamond Dust, Abyss Garden, Cadillac Canyon Classic, Dimension Disaster, Emerald Hill, Spring Yard, Hanagumi Hall, Cyan Belltower, Scarlet Gardens, Darkvile Castle Act 2, Hot Shelter, Leaf Storm, Dimension Disaster, and Shuffle Square. * Adjusted erroneous Instakill sectors to be Respawn sectors in Azure City, Cloudtop Dimension, Technology Tundra, Mirage Saloon and Sonic Speedway. * Adjusted map geometry (to prevent exploits) in Azure Lake, Scarlet Gardens, Green Triangle, Turquoise Hill, Technology Tundra, Blizzard Peaks, Monkey Mall and Las Vegas. * Adjusted waypoints and map geometry to improve CPU driving in Green Hills, Regal Ruin, Gigapolis, Balloon Park, Trap Tower, Haunted Ship, Metropolis, Withering Chateau, Death Egg and MEGA Ice Cap. * Added shortcuts to Sonic Speedway, Azure Lake, Balloon Park, Kodachrome Void, Opulence, and Robotnik Winter. * Enlarged Sonic Speedway, Scarlet Gardens, Kodachrome Void, and Chemical Facility. * Added Time Attack starts / “Fault Points” to Espresso Lane, Hill Top, Desert Palace, Virtual Highway, Crimson Core, Dragonspire Sewer Act 1, Advent Angel, Abyss Gate, Nova Shore, Pestilence and MEGA Scrap Brain. * Some maps have had their music appropriately marked as Content ID Unsafe: Abyss Garden (main music) and Thunder Piston (alternate music). * * * Sunbeam Paradise, Controls - Automatically open the gate by the lighthouse when taking the shortcut, repairing access to some bonus material. Sunbeam Paradise, Rings - Added extra dialogue and obstacles for a few new mechanics. - Fixed an incorrectly-tagged door, repairing access to some bonus material that broke before launch. - Improved directioning in the Spray Can Hall. Sunbeam Paradise, Brakes - Adjusted a setpiece to make it easier to traverse, and adjusted the dialogue accordingly. Sunbeam Paradise, Drifting - Added an additional setpiece to showcase one more technique. Sunbeam Paradise, Springs - Fixed an issue where the incorrect control method for Tricks was being displayed in dialogue. Test Track - Fixed an issue where the loop gates were off of the intended line by an extremely small value, which would occasionally cause desyncs. Northern District - The bridge jump has been made slightly shorter, and now lowers on the final lap. - The ending girder shortcut has been given Tripwire and taller fence. Sonic Speedway - Added more Sneaker Panels. - Removed some springs in the course. CD Special Stage 1 - Sky animation will be completely stopped with Reduce Effects on. Green Hills - Added Sneaker Panels to the spike pit shortcut. - Added Tripwire to the wall transfer shortcut. - Adjusted the jump after the spiral turn to be more forgiving. Emerald Coast - Widened the circular split in the middle of the lighthouse section. Storm Rig - Added several more rings along the corner of the spirals and immediately before the starts of each upwards spiral to give more resources to help scale the slopes. Lucid Pass - Made the Dash Rings in the Tripwire shortcut stronger. Withering Chateau - Removed the first Sneaker Panel at the start, and added another Sneaker Panel to the Tripwire shortcut with a few 30 Ring capsules to help make it faster than the main road. - Added several more rings near the ending to help reduce player frustration/lack of resources. - Extended the ending walls further towards the sides and added trees to help guide/prevent players from taking the shortcut too early and triggering the deathpit failsafe by mistake. Cadillac Cascade - The Bubble Shield capsule has been replaced. - Added an additional item to the second itemset. - The final shortcut has been slightly redesigned to make it more consistent, and the main path has been adjusted to accomodate system-wide changes to Super Ring. The shortcut is now disabled on the final lap. Rumble Ridge - Adjusted midtextures that were intended to be solid, but were not. - Moved an item set’s location. Opulence - Adjusted geometry to be easier to traverse in some areas. - Removed the last shortcut. - Increased the size of some Sneaker Panels. - Adjusted some visuals, including a finish line banner. Roasted Ruins - Added an additonal item set and increased ring placement. - Fixed Thok Barrier hole. Mystic Cave - Extended the finish-line completely. Obsidian Oasis - Lowered the fence midtexture near the spiral and added blockplayers to the linedefs to prevent shrink players from slipping underneath. Isoland Island - Adjusted waypoints in the 3-beam section to improve bot traversal. - Removed a large set of unintended Sneaker Panels in the c-turn. - The Shield capsules in the shortcut at the upper level have been removed, and the Item Boxes in said shortcut are now Ring Boxes. Gigapolis - Weakened the final shortcut, adding a Tripwire and new signage. - The ending turn was changed to be much more approachable. - Minimap has been updated to better reflect the track layout. - Fencing was added for the final section to improve player readability. - Removed most Ring capsules from the ending turn and replaced with normal Rings. Bronze Lake - Reduced the amount of dash rings when exiting the underwater section. Collision Chaos - Adjusted waypoints, spring positions and an itemset to mitigate an unintended skip. - Adjusted the underground section: The main path is wider, the shortcut is slimmer, and the maces have been adjusted to prevent players from getting stuck. - Removed the small blue spring shortcut, and replaced it with a smaller incentive. - Adjusted the waypoints and removed the deathpit in the middle of the spring elevator. Emerald Hill - Adjusted the placement of all item sets. - Redesigned the tunnel shortcut to have an easier exit and be longer. - Adjusted spiral geometry to make them smoother to drive. Azure City - Adjusted geometry such that the sidewalks would be too high on a specific slope, causing players to bump into it like a wall. Joypolis - Replaced the ending shortcut’s SPB Capsule with a 60 ring capsule. - Resized dash ring near the ending spiral to prevent clipping through it by accident when driving near the edge. - Removed dash ring wall transfer shortcut as it leaded to consistent major exploits. - Reworked the ramp-into-Trick-Balloon shortcut near the spiral to just be a set of Trick Panels that lead into a Dash Ring. Marble Garden - Reduced the amount of spikes in the course. - Adjusted the placement of several item sets. - Adjusted the geometry in mud area to make it easier to drive through when taking the intended route. - The downward spiraling turns at the end of the course were completely reworked to be wider and smoother to take. - The exit at the end of the course before the course loops has been reworked to no longer drop the player (it is still a vertical-wrap under the hood). Silvercloud Island - The Invincibility capsules on the second shortcut have been replaced with Ring Boxes. Sub Zero Peak - Added Tripwire to the first shortcut. - Extended the second shortcut’s Tripwire. Launch Base - Fixed an issue where the flamethrowers sometimes wouldn’t hit players. Chrome Gadget - Fixed an issue where the button would not be unpressed, and added an incentive to take it. - Adjusted object placements. - Brightened the entire map’s light levels by 32 units. - Blue Spring trap now respawns players. Desert Palace - Adjusted itemsets and capsules. - Adjusted texture usage to better improve clarity. Endless Mine Act 1 - Moved slope after first spring jump down to avoid bumping it’s wall at higher speeds. - Adjusted texture alignment on all of the wooden beams. Hard-Boiled Stadium - Increased the size of Asterons. Press Garden - Adjusted Item Box and Ring placements. - Adjusted geometry near the end of the circuit. Palmtree Panic - Adjusted the Fault Point to have players start at the intended location when faulting out via deathpit or death in Position. Scarlet Gardens - Removed the water puddle in the U-turn and extended the Tripwire out to the edge of said turn. Star Light - Added wind effects to the appropriate sectors. Metropolis - Reworked the entrance to the first Tripwire shortcut so that it’s clear what portion of it is safe to sneaker through. Aqueduct Crystal - Removed the springs at the start. Sky Sanctuary - Added downwards facing dash rings to end of Wind section. - Added extra FOF to wind section with stronger upward wind to help reduce wall bumping. Hydrocity - Added a failsafe to the ledge before the finish line to catch players going in with stacked speed. - Moved up the ledge before the final Tripwire shortcut to prevent players from going underneath with Voltage Drop. - Removed Yellow Spring right after the final Trick Panel section to prevent players from using Spring Grease to phase through the Tripwire with a voltage drop. Trap Tower - Bots will now attempt to properly respond to and attempt to avoid the spike wall cycle hazards. Diamond Dust - The Iceblower midtextures are only solid from the axis that matches the direction they shoot in. - Tweaked hitbox size of the bumpers. Blue Mountain Act 2 - Fixed visual issues in the final section. - Removed dash rings in the final section as they leaded to consistent major exploits. Speed Highway - Fixed an exploit where players could fastfall before the last section and skip the entire glass-breaking sequence. - Spread out the blockade objects in the final section to be closer to the edges of the road so players can’t just go all the way to the side and avoid the hazard. - Replaced the Sneaker capsule behind the helipad’s Tripwire shortcut with a Double Jawz capsule. Carnival Night - Increased the pickup range in the turbine setpieces to allow for grow-state players to take them more consistently. Virtual Highway - Moved a blockplayers linedef such that it wasn’t directly intersecting with the road. Spring Yard - Removed a handful of hazards, namely after some turns. Death Egg - The map has been given a new music track. - Added chainspikes to some parts of the level. Skyscraper Leaps - Adjusted the track geometry on the last set of turns to allow for players to take it easier. - Modified the track geometry throughout the level to reduce the amount of invisible walls used for when players overshoot jumps. - Adjusted the colormap. Sunset Hill - Minimap has been updated to better reflect the track layout. Quartz Quadrant - Removed the Grey Springs on the sides of the spiral turn. Umbrella Rushwinds - Removed a Sneaker Panel to prevent easy access to a shortcut. Vantablack Violet - Added Tripwire to the castle shortcut. Dimension Disaster - The Red Springs near the end have been surrounded by a set of floor spikes. - Moved the second item set to be slightly further in the course. Turquoise Hill - Added tons of banked turns to the higher sections of the circuit. - Added rings to the ending’s FoF turns. - Changed the final Sneaker Panel into a dash pad. - Widened the first indoors turn section. - Added cheese protection near the end and replaced a tree. - Altered the dash ring placement of the final shortcut. Ice Paradise - Widened the intro slalom section. - Added rings and capsules to a couple of empty corners. - Modified the first Trick Panel shortcut to be more consistent. Sunsplashed Getaway - Removed an itemset, moving the second further into the map. - Added proper terrain visuals and removed the offroad particles. - Updated the fence & tree visuals. - Added a finish line banner. Sundae Drive - Added Tripwire to Sundae Drive’s small center patch of offroad towards the end of the map. - Removed the dash pad and adjusted the landing zone for the spring jump in Fae Falls to accomodate system-wide changes to Super Ring. Azure Axiom - Removed Sneaker Panels that were too close to a shortcut. Hanagumi Hall - Increased the speed at which the starting gate goes down. - Tweaked the arrow texture to fix mild discoloration issues in encore mode. - Removed capsules inside of the easter egg rooms, as players were using landmines to consistently reach them. Crispy Canyon - Removed an itemset to reduce chaos from too many sets, moving the second further into the map. - Fixed waypoint issues with several shortcuts. - Removed a few cacti on the first S-turn. - Completely redid the first shortcut. - Changed Yellow Gprings to Grey Springs after the Trick Panel section. Technology Tundra - The last shortcut is now disabled on the final lap. Operator’s Overspace - Adjusted the first shortcut to better benefit players who try to enter it in the intended fashion and penalize players entering it via fastfalling. Leaf Storm - Adjusted waypoints to make Self-Propelled Bomb chases more reasonable. - Fixed an issue with some visuals that was causing them to not display. Cyan Belltower - Moved the Spray Can location. - Adjusted both Trick Panel areas to accomodate system-wide changes to Super Ring. Water Palace - Adjusted waypoints to prevent players from abusing lightsnake to skip too much of the course too quickly. Final Fall - Adjusted the layout on the final section to fix erroneous stair-janking as well as a ramp into the spring section. - Adjusted exit for first spring section for Gear 3. - Adjusted the first shortcut to improve accessibility. Haunted Ship - The slope transfers have been given fences at their entrances. - Modified the final shortcut to be easier to enter, and overall stronger in general. - Doubled the size of the fences. Robotnik Winter - Lowered pillars at the spring jump to prevent bumping into them. - Added fencing near the third shortcut to prevent unintended entry. Abyss Garden - Removed the Jawz capsule near the beginning of the level. Monkey Mall - Superseeded deathpit FOFs where nessesary to use Respawn Linedefs instead. Blizzard Peaks - Fixed the normal path ice bridge by shallowing out the slopes. - Moved the rings at the Trick Panel section so players can actually hit them. - Buffed the second shortcut’s speed, making it quicker and requiring a fastfall. - Modified the first Trick Panel shortcut to be more consistent. Chemical Facility - Adjusted the scenery in one of the u-turns in the outdoor section to increase visibility. - Adjusted several waypoints to reduce unintended jumps in CPU difficulty. - _Chemical Facility ’s CPUs have been known to be a significant difficulty spike. While they are still harder than a lot of other maps, they should be noticeably more reasonable now._ Coastal Temple - The ceilings in the tunnels have been raised. - Added fences to the bridge section. Ramp Park - Increased the size of the diagonal springs that were attached to wall-transfer setpieces to catch grow and shrink players more easily. Hydro Plant - Raised the height of the translucent surface of the floor pipes to be level with the surrounding slopes. Las Vegas - Removed the Flame Shield capsule. Autumn Ring - Extended bridge edge to prevent dash ring skipping. MEGA Sandopolis - Removed an item set. Thunder Lab - Fixed an issue where several walls were assigned the wrong texture. Thunder Piston - Adjusted the geometry of the Trick Panel setpiece to better prevent players from forward tricking without a boosting item. Cadillac Canyon Classic - Fixed music name to correctly denote English and European track listings. - The Dash Rings have been further moved out to reflect general system changes. Blizzard Peaks Classic - Removed unnecessary springs, including some that softlock players. - Completely changed the ending section. - Removed a spring set in the slalom section. - Moved springs near the first slalom section. - Added directional lighting. Lavender Shrine - Replaced the old spike hazards with the spears from the new version of the map so that players can observe and react to the cycles more quickly. - Removed stairjank sectors near the position area. “Spikes”, “Steeple” - Adjusted waypoints to improve the pathing of the catcher. “Gallery” - Correctly tagged the finish line for consistent visual effects. Test Run - Added developer commentary radius actions to the render mode linedefs to better explain how each mode works. - Added new tutorial prompts for the new mechanics. ## Modding Please see the merge requests for details on new Lua functionality exposed; some are just too much to detail here! * Added the `MODINFO` lump. This is a standardized way for addon authors to add name, author info, external links, and required game version to their addon, as well as a (currently unused) icon. * The same KKD Medals that permit the Spray Can hunt to continue in base-game Race Courses will appear in custom ones where Spray Cans previously failed to appear. * `K_AddMessage`, `K_ClearPersistentMessages`, and their player-specific equivalents (as seen in Battle and Tutorial) are now exposed for Lua scripters’ use. - !9 * New function `V_ParseText` allows addon authors to display control prompts. This function is accessible from HUD hooks, and converts a string like “Press \<a> to trick” into a string containing the relevant player’s bound controls. * Lua A, Lua B, and Lua C have been renamed to Lua 1, Lua 2, and Lua 3, to make them easier to distinguish from main gamepad buttons. They also have new graphics for players using the “Emulator” Button Display option. These can be accessed from `V_ParseText` with “\<lua1>“, “\<lua2>” and “\<lua3>“. * Additional button flags (BT_) are now parsed by Lua. - !32 * `player.startboost` timer is now visible and mutable in Lua. - !32 * Added `v.splitscreen` to get rendering splitscreen in Lua HUD hooks. - !38 * Added `v.setClipRect` and `v.clearClipRect` to change the clipping rectangle in Lua HUD hooks. - !39 * Exposed several Music functions to Lua. - !41 * Exposed constants for `tripwirepass_t`, `trickstate_t`, items, kickstart, tripwires, tricks, and tumble to Lua - !66 * Exposed `player_t::whip` to Lua - !91 * Fixed an issue where the Terrain ID system could run into memory issues when adding new Terrain types mid-game, breaking all special texture behaviour for that play session. - !36 * Fixed a character or new-line being required after the last definition in TERRAIN and BRIGHT lumps, a common footgun as other lump types do not require this. - !35 * Fixed colormap functions not supporting more than 255 skincolors. - !50 * Fixed a copypaste error with player.lastpickupdistance, allowing it to be modified from Lua. - !44 * Fixed `hud_disable_options` missing the “names” element - !62 * Fixed `aizdriftstrat` named `aizdriftstraft` in the Lua `player_t` table getter - !65 * Previously, Lua’s `v.drawOnMinimap` was completely untouched from SRB2Kart. This function now matches the minimap in all cases - including alignment, custom minimap bounds, and not rendering when a certain encounter’s progression bar is active. - !40 * The `hurtme` cheat command now takes a damageflag argument instead of a damage value, for more easily testing damage types. * Added `spinout`, `wipeout`, `explode`, `stumble`, `whumble`, `tumble`, `sting`, and `kill` cheats for testing a specific damage type. * Fixed player-owned items losing their `target`s when the owner died or respawned. * Fixed an issue preventing players from rejoining modded netgames in DEVELOP builds, even when using direct IP. * _This only happened in development setups, and is unrelated to the issue with the Server Browser screen—but that ’s fixed, too._ * Restored PlayerMsg Lua hook - !134 * Exposed structures related to loops as read-only userdata - !128 * Add ability to control the visibility of the Rings and Gametype hud elements from Lua - !126 * Exposed many visual and VFX functions to Lua from `k_kart.c` - !129 * Fixed `K_SpawnSparkleTrail` crashing when it is used on a non-player mobj - !129 * Added INLEVEL check to `K_DoInstashield` - !129 * Added a Lua hook to adjust Grand Prix rank point calculation - !122 * Exposed many Item Roulette-related functions from `k_roulette.c` (JugadorXEI). Documentation pending. * Exposed many gameplay helpers from `k_kart.c`, too many to list here individually. See MR - !130 * Adding the following global tables to Lua: `terrains`, `splashes`, `footsteps`, `overlays` - !103 * Exposed `terrain_t`, `t_splash_t`, `t_footstep_t`, `t_overlay_t` types to Lua (get only). * Exposed `player_t` members `stairjank` and `outrun` to Lua (get and set). * Exposed `mobj_t` member `terrain` to Lua (get and set). * Exposed `t_overlay_action_t` constants: `TOV_UNDEFINED`, `TOV_STILL`, `TOV_MOVING`, `TOV__MAX` * Exposed `terrain_flags_t` constants: `TRF_LIQUID`, `TRF_SNEAKERPANEL`, `TRF_STAIRJANK`, `TRF_TRIPWIRE`, `TRF_REMAP` * Exposed the following terrain-related functions to Lua: `K_GetDefaultTerrain`, `K_GetTerrainForTextureName`, `K_GetTerrainForTextureNum`, `K_ProcessTerrainEffect`, `K_SetDefaultFriction`, `K_SpawnSplashForMobj`, `K_HandleFootstepParticles`, `K_UpdateTerrainOverlay`, `K_TerrainHasAffect`. * Exposed the `botvars` member from `player_t`, as well as various functions related to bots. - !75 * Exposed the `botcontroller` member from `sector_t` (as well as being used as part of `K_GetBotController(mobj_t mobj)`) * Created new hook: `PlayerUsesBotMovement`: `function(player_t player)`. Return true to force bot movement, return false to force disable bot movement. * Created new hook: `BotJoin`: `function(player_t player)`. Triggers when a bot joins the game or gets replaced in Grand Prix. * Fixed a bot’s style not being preserved between deaths, as well as not being saved before for netgames. * Exposed several gameplay functions from `k_kart.c` to Lua - !131 * Exposed tripwirestate_t values: `TRIPSTATE_NONE`, `TRIPSTATE_PASSED` and `TRIPSTATE_BLOCKED` * Fixed `K_FindJawzTarget` so that it properly returns a `mobj_t`, and allow angle to be set. * Added respawns and waypoints library to Lua - !81 * Increased the skin limit to 1024 characters - !52 * Increased the sprite freeslot limit to 2048 - !70 * Added “baked” sprite offsets, allowing sprites to be displaced in world coordinates rather than relative to billboard facing angle - !63 * Added custom SPR2 gibs for characters - !89 * Fixed an issue with `highresscale` where custom skins would sometimes interact badly with `Linkdraw`, causing some items to display incorrectly. ## Additional Contributors These community contributors helped with extra assistance for this release. Thank you! * Alu Folie * blondedradio * Cheariisan * Craftyawesome * Freaky Mutant Man * haya_underscore * Ibly * Indev * Jisk * JugadorXEI * Hanicef * king the memer * Kimberly * Lactozilla * Logan Arias * luigi budd * NepDisk * PencilVoid * SMS Alfredo * Spring E. Thing * Superstarxalien * troy236 * wehrlia

_Dr. Robotnik ’s Ring Racers_ version 2.3 has been released! This is a targeted patch to some big technical issues and some small gameplay tweaks—including a **huge** improvement to control response! _There are no map changes in this version, since we wanted to get some of these fixes out fast. Keep an eye out for future updates!_ ## Download links * Windows * macOS * Flatpak for Linux and Steam Deck * GitHub Release Page ## Manual * The Ring Racers Online Manual is now available! Check it out here, or find the “Online Manual” section under Extras. This exhaustive reference guide contains everything you could possibly want to know about how to get ahead. ## Gameplay * Fixed the “Minimum Input Delay” option adding significant extra delay, even in situations where it should have been inactive. This improves input and handling responsiveness in all game modes. * _The specifics are hard to explain, so here ’s the short version: unless you turned Minimum Input Delay down to 0 in your Profile Options, you’ve been playing on up to __double_ _the intended delay. Yes, even online. Networking sucks! Thanks to Diggle and JugadorXEI for their help during initial investigation of these issues._ * Fixed “gentleman” input delay (the delay applied to netgame hosts for fairness reasons) being unnecessarily strong. * _Same root cause as the above. This effect was relatively small if anyone in your lobby had a good connection, but could sometimes be dramatic in small coast-to-coast games._ * Braking while drifting no longer cancels Insta-Whip charge. * When tricking, diagonal inputs are no longer ignored. * _This was an input-safety feature from 2.0/2.1 that allowed players some time to correct sloppy inputs, but it causes more problems than it solves now that tricking requires a button press._ * Slightly increased the analog stick distance required to input a trick. * _This change is intended to be small, and will mostly affect controllers with strange behavior near their deadzone._ * If you collide with players or walls over 30 times within a few seconds, you’ll automatically respawn. * _This should never trigger during standard play, but should “un-stick” you quicker if you’re caught in a narrow spot or tight scenery and bouncing like crazy._ * You can now press Spindash to execute a trick without fastfalling—press the button again to fastfall. This allows players to trick without releasing the accelerator, if they prefer. - !15 ## Items * Shrink cooldown increased from 20 seconds to 60. * Making contact with Shrink laser trails inflicts slightly less Shrink time. * Increased Shrink laser “near miss” range, allowing you to graze further into the edge of a laser trail without punishment. * _In rooms that couldn ’t stabilize long distance gaps, Shrink was affecting really large portions of the race—sometimes more than the racers!_ * Reduced the intensity of Shrink’s darkness effect in dimly lit areas. * _Shrink is meant to disrupt the leading racers, but not by blinding them. This effect was far too strong in certain portions of the game, like underwater sections._ * Bubble Shield can no longer appear at the start of races. * _When players were closely packed from POSITION, this could set several players far back on the first turn, before appropriate counterplay was available._ * Flame Shield and Garden Top can no longer appear at the end of races. * _Power items are meant to be attractive targets, but power items that allow an “anytime” Tripwire pass affected position play disproportionately, punishing mid-pack players towards the end of races._ ## CPUs * Lower-level bots can now misjudge Lightning Shield / Bubble Shield distances, like players do (and like they already do with Insta-Whip). * _Before, a CPU racer with a Bubble Shield would often hold it until able to score a guaranteed hit. They ’ll still do this at Lv.MAX, but they should typically be more “human-like” in Relaxed and Intense GP._ ## Maps * Updated a texture in Melty Manor. * Fixed an issue in Las Vegas where respawning players could get on a Rideroid, leaving them unable to interact with objects afterward. ## Accessibility * “Reduce Effects” now prevents the Item Roulette and Casino Roulette from flashing when confirmed. * “Reduce Effects” now stops item icons from flickering when deployed or dragged—instead, they’ll be transparent. * “Reduce Effects” now prevents the lamps in the POSITION! HUD from flickering. * “Reduce Effects” now slows the color changing of the Position Number on the HUD. * Pressing Spindash, Brake, or tricking with Accelerate will no longer disable Kickstart Accelerate. - !20 ## Fixes * The author information for Dark Fortress (Sonic Megamix v5.0) is now correctly primarily credited to Leilani Wilson. * _We ’ve made a few errors with by-hand crediting — if any more persist, please don’t hesitate to drop us a line and we’ll happily fix them too in future patches._ * When the game saves, rather than writing to temp files and moving them to their destination, the game will move the old data to a backup file and write a new one. * _This should hopefully mitigate against save corruption, and provide a backup if it does happen._ * The game will no longer try to save gamedata and profiles in the event of a non-signal crash fatal errors. * _It was never actually safe to do this, and we are reducing the risk of memory allocation failures causing file corruption as we try to track down the game data corruption problem._ * Fixed an issue where the Free Play roulette would sometimes be used in Attack modes. * _Rest in peace, Bubble Shield Angel Arrow._ * Fixed an issue where staff ghosts would play back incorrectly when drifting. * Fixed the “gamestochat” and “allowguests” cvars not being available for dedicated servers. * _“ gamestochat” can be very useful for unattended servers, since the game requirement makes kick/ban evasion time-consuming and annoying—but only if they’re actually allowed to use it!_ * Fixed certain passwords having no effect when cheats were disabled. * Fixed a technical issue where ACS wouldn’t interact correctly with dynamic objects while playing online. * Fixed an issue where a large total accumulated PWRLV can cause the calculation of average PWRLV to erroneously wrap around. - !19 * ACS scripts which run too many instructions will terminate early instead of executing indefinitely. - !22 * Corrected old text in the message displayed when loading a gameplay-altering mod. - !16 * Fixed Instawhip charge VFX being positioned incorrectly in reverse gravity. - !14 * Fixed a major performance issue with Instawhip charge VFX. - !14 * Restored Orenzo * Fixed palette indexing issues in RHI Software which led to incorrect display colors on drivers with less precise FPU operations. - Johnny on Flame, no MR * Potentially fixed shader integer uniform implicit coercion causing issues on some Mesa GL versions on Linux. - Johnny on Flame, no MR * The gravity cheat cvar no longer crashes the game when altered from the debug menu. - !21 * Fixed held item amount underflow bug when using an item and being hit by the same kind of item at the same time. - !23 ## Contributors These community contributors assisted with this release. Thank you! * Alam Arias * Callmore * Lactozilla * Logan Arias * Johnny on Flame * JugadorXEI * katsy

The Game Manual for Dr. Robotnik’s Ring Racers is now available! You can check it out at this link.

_High Voltage Ring_ , our customized fork of Ultimate Zone Builder, is now publicly available. You can find version 1.0 at Github Releases. As with Ring Racers itself, the Github repository is a mirror and a host for release artifacts, and the Gitlab repository is our actual origin. Note that if you are on Linux or macOS platforms, you will have to compile High Voltage Ring from source for the Mono runtime.

Promo art courtesy of Awryval—check them out on Twitter! _**NOTE: This version is out-of-date! Please find the latest version on the News page.**_ ## Download links * Windows * macOS * Flatpak for Linux and Steam Deck * GitHub Release Page Since we released Ring Racers version 2.1, we’ve been hard at work collecting and addressing feedback for this follow-up. This update includes a modest amount of new content, some new accessibility options, and a large swath of balance adjustments and bug fixes. Key to this update is the new Auto Ring accessibility feature: if you are struggling with managing Rings to keep your kart’s momentum, you may find this feature helpful. However, like the distinction between Automatic and Manual Transmission in other racing games, you should learn to use Rings effectively to maximize your potential! ## Auto Ring Your browser does not support native videos. * Added the “Auto Ring” accessibility toggle for profiles. * Your Follower will automatically use a couple rings for you, when you happen to be in ideal scenarios to use them. * _Just like “Auto Roulette”, this is not ideal for advanced play. However, we hope this option can help reduce mental load for newer players, and even be a teaching tool._ ## General Gameplay * Fixed a regression from SRB2Kart that was preventing control when exiting a drift. * _This could cause your steering to “stick” when releasing miniturbos, or produce some unusual “strafe-like” countersteering when exiting a partial drift. If you’ve felt any handling downgrades when playing Ring Racers, please give this update a shot!_ * Improved general handling at high speeds, especially for heavyweights. * _The core math behind handling has been largely unchanged since SRB2Kart—but you get pretty fast in Ring Racers, even on simple courses. The new values should help heavyweights take tight corners at speed, but otherwise won ’t affect much until you start combining boosts, helping you stay in control with power items._ * Slightly reduced the power of upward slopes, making them easier to climb. * _This is a small tweak, but allows you to retain more speed in sustained upward climbs._ * Tricks are now input with direction + A, allowing you to slightly adjust your angle on the way up. * _The pure directional input caused some input-overlap issues; players would sometimes prepare to countersteer, unaware they were about to hit a trick panel, then end up flying sideways as the input system suddenly changed. The new input method requires a distinct button press, which should almost completely eliminate accidental tricks—and allows you more room to adjust from bad entry angles. Fair warning, this might take a race or three to get used to._ * Forward tricks allow you to steer slightly while in flight, like back and side tricks. * Improved handling when releasing blue or rainbow miniturbos with Voltage (the “charge” you get from completing a trick). * _This is mainly aimed at heavyweight players; with their quick MT charges and low handling, a sudden burst of linear speed could often be more frustrating than exciting. This state now grants you massive countersteering ability, letting you quickly adjust your angle to make use of the speed._ * Fastfall bounces now nudge you towards where you’re looking. * _Fastfall bounce creates some interesting airtime tradeoffs and routing choices, but in the situations where you ’d use it on instinct—to correct for mistakes—the uncontrollable bounce often sent you to your death anyway. This makes it easier to manage your landing if you’re at an unusual angle or speed, improving its utility as a recovery tool._ * You no longer instantly fastfall if you slide off a ledge while brakedrifting. * _This was already fixed for slide-off E-Brake, a similar situation, but brakedrifting slipped through. This should prevent unwanted fastfalls in tight cornering situations._ * E-brake now brings you to a stop quicker. * _A more responsive E-Brake means quicker Spindashes, quicker Ring Shooter, and better overall maneuverability in crazy terrain. This should improve recovery options when you ’re out of Rings or in a rough spot._ * Spindashing while invincible will no longer reduce your rings below 0. * _Spindash isn ’t meant to be a first-line recovery option, but if you’re beat up enough to need it, there’s no need to put you in a deeper grave._ * Spindash speed increased by ~25% in Race only. * _Spindash was always intended to be a little stronger, but shortly before release, we tweaked it so that overcharging would no longer grant extra power—making a “perfect” release much more lenient. However, this lost an entire “stage” of charge, making it slower overall. This buff brings it more in line with the original intent, and should make it easier to use in a variety of situations._ * You now start races with 10 rings (was 5). * _This change is almost entirely for POSITION and the first item set. For new players, this should reduce the likelihood you get Stung before you can get your bearings. For experts, while heavyweights still have the greatest incentive to cause problems on purpose—and have more chances to do it!—lightweights risk a lot less when trying to disrupt ambitious starts or sneak through the pack. Don ’t be afraid to get a little rowdy!_ ## Items * Ballhog now explodes on contact with walls, instead of bouncing. * _Ballhog is pretty chaotic. New players are often afraid to use it, since the punishment for a bad ricochet can be pretty severe. On the other hand, random spam can make long curves a nightmare, and a well-placed shotgun can totally shut down a tight corner with little counterplay. We ’d like to do a lot more work with this item, but for the time being, this should reduce its lockdown potential while making it more usable for novices._ * Invincibility’s duration has been reduced to 7-17 seconds (was 10-20). * Invincibility bonus activation duration scales slower: players need to be farther away to receive extra time. * Invincibility hits inflict a lower tumble, with fewer bounces, and don’t knock the victim’s item away. * _We ’d like strong items to each have their own niche, but Invincibility was doing double duty as a strong overtake item and a strong attack item. This made it pretty prevalent in mixed-skill lobbies, creating a sort of “black hole” effect at mid-pack—plus, CPU racers and their agile handling use it really, really well. You can still earn bonus duration by landing hits, so go crack some karts!_ * Shrink’s “grow lasers” now grant less Grow time on players who are already powered up. * _Shrink ’s effect can usually be dodged by adept players, so its direct benefit to the user is an important part of its balance. However, unscaled Grow duration made it super prone to variance: sometimes a track’s layout and the pack’s position dumps 20 lasers in the same location, and rolling through that spot gave you enough Grow time to steamroll the race. With this change, your Grow access should roughly scale to how many overtakes you need._ * Fastfalling with Bubble Shield (“bubblebounce”) no longer extends Grow and Invincibility. * During “tripwire lockout” (a brief period after being bounced off a tripwire), bubblebounce bounces lower. * Bubblebounce now pops Bubble Shield in 1st place. * _You knew it was coming. Bubblebounce is a rulebreaking movement option, allowing players to redirect their momentum and take all sorts of strange routes, but its incredible flexibility makes it course-dependent and challenging to tune. These changes are meant to bring Bubble Shield ’s movement capabilities in line with its offense and defense capabilities. It’s still a compelling overtake tool, especially for players with good map knowledge and creativity, but doesn’t allow you unlimited chances to hop over tripwire, and doesn’t allow frontrunners to outpace their opposition. You get one bounce: make it count!_ * Flame Shield’s final “overheat” boost travels faster, and briefly allows you to pass through tripwire. * _Even though overheat wasn ’t intended to be very strong, spending the final boost sometimes felt more like a formality than an opportunity. Most people expect item-based boost mechanics to pass tripwire, too._ * Reduced rebound velocity when running into Drop Targets at high speeds, or while under the effect of boosts. * Drop Targets can now be Insta-Whipped to knock them away. * _Frontrunners have every mechanic in the game working against them, so the 1st place item pool is meant to be strong—but they ’re meant to have tradeoffs, too. Drop Target trades direct damage for the ability to disrupt invincible opponents, making it a stellar trap at shortcut exits, but it was a little too good at impeding regular play._ ## CPUs * CPU rubberbanding relaxes towards the end of the race. * _CPU racers are tuned to fight hard and keep you on your toes—but losing a point of Lap Bonus and losing the entire race are very different things, especially if you ’re trying to bank some rings at the finish line._ * CPU racers require more speed to cross Tripwire, and to hydroplane over water, when rubberbanding. * _From player clips, instances of CPU racers being able to cross Tripwire were mostly due to combining mechanics that human players can also perform. But, we decided that it doesn ’t hurt to bias towards the player when their difficulty level is high enough to possibly be recieving help._ * Fixed an oversight that caused CPU ringboost to last longer than intended on many maps. * _CPU parameters sometimes change based on the course layout, to try and keep their overall challenge consistent. While this was working well for most things, it was busted for ringboost—situations that were meant to nerf CPUs were actually leaving their ringboost exactly the same. This affected Rivals more than usual, in part because they ’re so likely to snipe the Ring Boxes you leave behind._ * Fixed an oversight that could significantly increase CPU ringboost speed. * _This was a regression during the development of Ring Box, where ring mechanics changed considerably. This should reduce runaway Rivals and disruptive high-speed bumps—and, on some technical circuits, keep them on the track more consistently._ * CPUs below Lv.8 no longer use Insta-Whip. * _This should give players who are just starting out better opportunities to observe Ring Sting, and dampen some rough POSITION starts in early GP rounds._ ## Grand Prix * On all difficulties but Master, CPU racer difficulty decreases by an additional level when using a continue. * _There are instances where dynamic difficulty when using a continue was not impactful enough. Biasing slightly harder towards leveling down should help reduce crazy difficulty spikes._ * After using a continue in a Sealed Star, part of the damage you’ve dealt so far will be preserved. This effect can continue to stack with each attempt. * _These extra challenges can put players under incredible pressure, and it ’s easy to get demoralized after a bad start—but with persistence, near misses and failed attempts can lead to victory. Hold out, UFO smasher!_ * Grand Prix difficulties have been renamed to better match their tuning—from lowest to highest intensity, Relaxed, Intense, Vicious, and Master. * _Ring Racers is a crazy, technical game, and there are parts of it that ask the player for a lot. Rather than feeling like they ’ve fallen short of “normal”—or worse, pushing through a miserable experience to avoid “easy”—we want players to choose how hard they want to push, and how hard they want the game to push back._ * New cups can now be unlocked by placing Bronze or higher on the previous cup, even on Relaxed (“Easy”). * Getting A Rank no longer increases CPU racer difficulty on Relaxed (“Easy”). * _Relaxed is intended to be …well, more relaxing, so there’s a more aggressive limit on how quickly it tries to match your skill level._ * Fixed a bug where CPUs that reached the difficulty cap could not get their level reduced from anything besides using a continue. ## Maps * SPB Cup Race Maps have been increased in size by 20%. Staff Ghosts and medal times have changed. * Fixed an issue in Balloon Park that caused players to rebound off the “elephant wall” at unusual angles. * _Polyobject collision was in a pretty dire state, and basically guaranteed that you would get knocked _away_ from the direction you were steering! This area should be much easier to navigate._ * Villa and Church have swapped positions; Church is now encountered 2nd, while Villa is now encountered 4th. * _While we still believe the layout is not very challenging, Villa is one of the first places a player can encounter Trick Panels in a level, and tends to catch players not ready for them off-guard since it has a lot of them. Now that it is in the 4th spot, you are guaranteed to have played a standard Race with this gimmick in it first._ * Fixed an issue in Towers where the map was missing the correct number of player starts. * Fixed Eggman getting stuck in a pillar in the Rings tutorial. * “Springs” has received updated text to reflect the changes made to performing Tricks. * _An additional piece of optional dialogue has been placed to inform players regarding the Voltage Drop technique._ * Added additional geometry in the fastfall section in “Springs”. * _This should help players identify where to fastfall a bit better than before._ * Fixed an issue in Water Palace where players could skip significant parts of the course by getting launched high enough. * Fixed an issue in Water Palace where an intended out of bounds section was missing a death pit. * Fixed an issue in Water Palace where players could intentionally respawn to travel faster than intended. * Adjusted part of Water Palace where players could get launched into an upper platform by making it traversable to the next section, instead of a wall. * Added additional respawn lines in Thunder Piston to prevent players from skipping the final turn. * Updated Thunder Piston’s alternate music to have slightly better audio quality and a better loop point. * Fixed an issue in Melty Manor where part of the level was missing a texture assignment. * Fixed an issue in Azure City where bots would struggle to take the first shortcut. * Fixed an issue in Angel Island where you could miss the 1st shortcut on Gear 1 as well as fixed transparency textures. * Fixed an issue in Umbrella Rushwinds where transparency textures could be visible. * Fixed an issue in Sky Babylon where an fof had the incorrect properties killing the player. This has now been changed to solid walls for players but not for objects. * Added respawn lines in Darkvile Castle, Act 2 to prevent unintended shortcuts. * Marked some waypoints in Aerial Highlands as no-respawn to prevent players from falling backwards into previous parts of the course. * Fixed an issue in Regal Ruin where an intended out of bounds section was missing a death pit. * Added the missing Rappy-specific dialogue to the easter egg in SRB2 Frozen Night. * Adjusted the Mighty-specific dialogue in the easter egg in SRB2 Frozen Night. * Adjusted the Ring capsules on the ice slalom cut of Blizzard Peaks as they were unreachable before. * Removed most Sneaker Panels at the start of Blizzard Peaks to prevent running into the Position Beam accidentally. * Added a respawn line at the end of Ice Paradise to prevent Bubble Shield cheese. * Added Fast Fall Ark Arrows to Green Triangle’s slope jump section. * Fixed an issue in Green Triangle where an intended out of bounds section was missing a death pit. * Fixed an issue in Green Triangle where there were two finish line waypoints. * Removed unnecessary blockplayers linedefs in Las Vegas’s first section. * Fixed an issue in Wavecrash Dimension where a part of the level was missing copyslope, causing players to sometimes get stuck in a pit. * Fixed an issue in Voiddance Dimension where part of the level was missing a death pit. * Adjusted the Spraycan location of Diamond Dust Classic. ## Challenges * You can now use Chao Keys to unlock Big Challenges that are next to other locked Big Challenges, as long as all other conditions are met. * _Large tiles were always intended to require a disproportionate amount of work to skip, but requiring standard progression to break the stalemate is counter to the idea that you can do (almost) anything in this game just by playing it and earning Keys._ * The prizes that drop from Prison Eggs will now show up after every 15 targets broken, not every 30. * _This was definitely a little too rare for our liking. While it ’s intentional none will appear your very first run through Ring Cup, you should see one almost every attempt after that, helping you get started quickly on the Challenge Board. This also incentivises replaying more difficult Cups over simpler ones—you’ll now be in with a chance of seeing two in those with particularly dense Bonus Rounds._ * The number of Spray Cans you’ve picked up, along with the total the game has to offer, are now both visible on the Statistics menu. * _Fair play to those who got so addicted to the process of grabbing Spray Cans that they didn ’t realise their journey was over. This should help communicate that you’re done with this process (at least for now.)_ * Honey, Ray, Espio, Silver, Blaze, and Bean have been given secondary unlock conditions. * Chaos Zero’s unlock condition is no longer tied to Grand Prix. * The time requirement for Honey’s primary unlock condition is now more lenient. * The Grand Prix difficulty requirement for unlocking Mecha Sonic has been reduced from Master to Vicious (“Hard”). * Reworded Bomb and Gutbuster’s challenge descriptions to be a bit clearer. * A few Follower challenges have been made slightly easier and/or given secondary unlock conditions. * _In particular, some Follower unlock conditions from courses towards the end of a Cup are no longer tied to Grand Prix, which should make them a bit quicker to retry._ * A new Follower has been added, along with its associated challenge. * A password has been added solely to claim 25 Chao Keys. * _This is intended for players who don ’t want to use a category-unlock code—whether you want to knock out a single frustrating challenge, reveal some extra unlockables, compensate for a glitch, or for any other reason._ ## Modding * `player_t` `tilt` is now visible and mutable in Lua - !6 * “score” added to disableable HUD elements - !5 ## Accessibility + Quality of Life * Reduce Visual Effects will now remove the ripple effect (but not textures) from the surfaces of liquids, and both the ripple and heatwave effects from the viewport. * A “streamer-safe” mode has been added to the Sound Options to silence music we know can be flagged by Content ID. Several tracks are now marked internally as Content ID Unsafe. Modders can set the `MUSICDEF` property `ContentIDUnsafe` to `1` to apply this to their own music additions. * _We will expand on this later, but for now this simply mutes music that is marked as unsafe._ * Auto Roulette now displays a warning when toggled, to help players understand the impact of their choice. Old profiles will have Auto Roulette disabled when updating, but can freely switch it back on at their leisure. * _This is kind of an unusual thing to do, but we saw a number of new players switch on Auto Roulette without properly understanding the weaknesses, only to be frustrated by it later. Auto Roulette is a good way to reduce mental overhead and input intensity, but sections of the game are designed around manual item selection, and Auto Roulette will make it harder to perform well. If it makes your experience better, please keep using it—that ’s what it’s there for!—but we want to make sure everyone understands the choice they’re making._ * Players using Auto Roulette can no longer receive Garden Top from Item Boxes. * _Garden Top is a powerful catchup tool, but it ’s tricky to use and has a pretty aggressive learning curve. Players using Auto Roulette can’t choose to select something else, so we’ve restricted Auto Roulette to friendlier and more general items._ * The Free Play roulette, which is used when you’re alone in a Match Race or Online setting, now contains every item in the game, instead of only Sneaker and Super Ring. This is affected by item toggles, allowing you to select specific items to use while alone. * _This one ’s mainly for secret hunters and challenge seekers, but can also be a good way to practice navigating the course with catchup items._ * When selecting your character and follower, you’ll now hear your character’s attack taunt and your follower’s horn. ## Fixes * Fixed an issue that could cause Auto Roulette to take extremely long selecting an item. * The author information for Robotnik Winter Zone Act 2 (Sonic Triple Trouble 16-bit) is correctly credited to Emnesium and Ex Prodigy. Sorry about that! * Guarantee author information is shown for all shown song credits, not just shorter ones. * _We put a limit on the amount of horizontal space a song credit could take up on-screen to prevent UI overlap, but it ’s more important for credit to be given than for aesthetic harmony to be achieved._ * Fixed a common crash when joining multiplayer servers that serve addons from HTTP sources. * Fixed an oversight that caused certain maps to have stronger upwards slopes than others. * _This could make it harder for new players to get a feel for the physics. Technical: This was releated to a map ’s “object scale”._ * Entering secret Rounds will no longer apply the Encore mode setting for Match Race if found during a Grand Prix. * Dropping a Land Mine on your own head no longer counts towards Land Mine dunk Challenges. * Recording and taking screenshots in the Software renderer at certain resolutions (such as 1366x768) now works correctly. * _Technical: There was a bug with “Pack Alignment” handling when reading pixel data from the GPU with certain resolution widths._ * A rare but catastrophic gamedata and profile corruption issue has been mitigated against. * _We weren ’t able to reliably reproduce this problem, but our best hypothesis suggests this will be a good long-term solution._ * Running the game multiple times in the same directory should no longer risk save and profile data corruption. You should still not run the game multiple times concurrently, though. * The default audio mixing buffer size is doubled. This addresses audio crackling and other buffer underrun artifacts occuring on some devices. * Fixed an issue in a map where debug logs were being displayed under certain circumstances. * A new configuration option, “Mixing Buffer Size”, is available under Advanced Sound Options, to allow the user to configure the above buffer size. This is measured in samples per channel. To use the buffer size from 2.1, set it to 1024. This option’s cvar is named `snd_mixingbuffersize`. * Fixed a crash starting the game on devices without OpenGL 3.0 support. * _The current intended minimum system requirement for Ring Racers is OpenGL 2.1 support, but an oversight in the new rendering abstraction layer caused it to require OpenGL 3.0._ * Fixed several infrequent crashes playing back replays in the Credits and Attract modes. * Emptying out a name for a replay will no longer try to save it. * _The game would crash attempting to do so, and there was previously no way to decide a replay already marked as to-be-saved shouldn ’t be - so clearing the text box now serves this purpose._ * Fixed a crash in Sealed Stars when breaking the UFO Catcher after previously viewing a post-Credits sequence. * Fixed `debugitemamount` - !4 * Changed Minimum Input Delay to 15 tics maximum, and adjusted maximum tic prediction to 30 tics, to fix issues with lag compenstation for the item roulette - !10 * Restored the password for unlocking Online Play. Oops… ## Technical * Fixed GCC build for non-x86 targets (only using `-mno-ms-bitfields` if detected available) * discord-rpc is now built with rapidjson’s deprecated `<iterator>` usage disabled. This fixes building with GCC 14. * Various fixes for FreeBSD builds - !2 * Fixes for building with `muslc`, allowing for Alpine Linux builds - !3 * Added Gitlab CI for all 3 major platforms. - !8, !11 * Fixed compilation errors with older SDL2 versions. * Fixed some implicit expectations of `int` being 4 bytes wide, which may enable compilation for targets where that is not the case. - !7 ## Contributors These community contributors assisted with this release. Thank you! * AAGaming * Aurora Latius * Alam Arias * bitten2up * Callmore * Hanicef * JugadorXEI * Logan Arias

Thank you for playing Dr. Robotnik’s Ring Racers! The last 48-ish hours have been a wild ride, and we are appreciative of your feedback and support. We have seen a fair amount of questions come up frequently, so we will do our best to address the ones pertinent to the initial launch here. These answers are documenting the recent 2.1 version release; that version changes a number of things based on feedback, so we encourage you to read the release notes for that as well. ## General ### How do I install a patch if I previously installed the game? On Windows, you can run the installer for the new version onto the same path that you installed the previous version to. Your save data will be unaffected. On macOS, open the .dmg disk image for the new version and drag the .app bundle into Applications, just as if you were installing the game. Your save data will be unaffected. ### How do I skip the tutorial? In the _Sunbeam Paradise_ tutorial courses, there are large Exit signs which point you off the main path. Follow these to enter the _Test Track_ challenge. If you succeed, you will unlock _Test Track_ on the Challenge Board, and skip the remaining tutorial sections. You get another chance to try every time you proceed to a new tutorial course. Alternatively, there are teleporters at the end of the _Sunbeam Paradise_ _Rings_ , _Brakes_ and _Drifting_ courses which will end the tutorial without completing the _Test Track_ challenge. You may also use the secret password `gaster` if you bring up the password prompt when starting up the tutorial sequence. ### How do I unlock Online play and mods/addons? As of version 2.1, the Online and Addons menus are unlocked by completing the _Test Track_ challenge or completing _Ring Cup_ with a Bronze placement or higher. ### How do I unlock Time Attack mode? As of version 2.1, _Time Attack_ is unlocked by completing a race. ### Are there 3D Models? Yes! You need to use the Legacy GL renderer for now, and turn on models in the settings. Our modelers did a fantastic job so please give it a shot! Eventually, we intend to replace Legacy GL with a new hardware renderer; this renderer will be closer in parity to Software while also supporting models. ### What happens to SRB2Kart/v1? SRB2Kart will remain indefinitely: we are not removing it! You can play and make addons for it as usual. However, we will not be creating more updates to v1 outside of security patches and community contributions. The server list website shows Ring Racers servers by default, but you can click the link to the SRB2Kart server browser on that page. Alternatively, you can bookmark the new listing page directly. And as before, you can always use the server list in-game to see SRB2Kart servers. ### Am I allowed to cheat to unlock things? Yes. We only ask that you do not share cheats in official community spaces, other than the passwords we have publicly released. ## Multiplayer ### Why isn’t my server visible to my friends? Your PC may be connecting to the Internet behind a firewall (e.g. Carrier-Grade NAT) that prevents other PCs from connecting to you over the public Internet. You will need to forward the UDP port 5029 in your router’s networking settings. Port Forwarding tutorial ### How do I use Discord invites to my Ring Racers server? Make sure that Activity Sharing is enabled in Activity Privacy in Discord. When you start a local server in-game, Discord will show you an option to include an invite widget in a channel. ### How does Battle mode work? There are 3 win conditions in Battle mode: 1. K.O. a player after earning enough points from attacking other players. 2. Collect all 7 Chaos Emeralds. 3. Be the last player standing in Overtime. ## Modding ### Does Ring Racers support mods/addons? Yes! Though there are a substantial number of changes from SRB2Kart, and we have not (as of this writing) provided documentation yet. Those familiar with the engine will likely already have started breaking ground. Kartmaker is included in the Windows installer for 2.1. Players will need to initially unlock the in-game Addons menu by completing certain prerequisites, as explained above. ### Can I use SRB2Kart v1 mods/addons in Ring Racers? No. The changes to the game are too great, and each mod will need to be ported by their authors, if they so choose. ### How hard is it to make custom characters for Ring Racers? The version 2.1 patch includes a Ring Racers-compatible version of the popular Kartmaker project, which is a great starting point for modders to experiment with. You can also find the source code on Gitlab.

Routing the largest part of the playerbase through a mandatory tutorial wasn’t a choice we made without considerable deliberation. Ring Racers is a lot to take in; its strengths lie in its many options and mechanics which allow for endless amounts of player expression and mixups. Ring Racers is a maximalist game by design (I mean, check out that track list) and it’s a significant departure from kart racing norms. It’s our belief that the initial frustration and even overstimulation a player experiences in a game like this is a near unavoidable hurdle, especially in a game where many players will have their first experience in a 16-player netgame (possibly filled with mods). So by choosing to instead force the player into a low-pressure environment where they have room to sandbox around with their controls, feel out the game’s physics, and get a sampling of the tools at their disposal, we hope to keep new players from experiencing too much discouragement in live games where they may not be guaranteed a mentor or a knowledgable friend. Naturally, a mandatory tutorial is something people turn their noses up at on instinct. So it was important to us to do the best we could to make it feel like an adventure and not like a class. Personality, the rare bit of world building, popping off in the visuals department, and silly setpieces… we didn’t want it to feel like an afterthought, but more like a celebration with a surprise around every corner. We performed a variety of external beta tests (on everyone from children to the elderly, believe it or not, gamers and nongamers alike) and our experience was a universal enjoyment and sense of wonder at it all. We iterated on it until we stopped seeing issues crop up among fresh blood, but it’s clear there have still been a few catch points. Based on our blind tests pre-release, we failed to anticipate in full the exhaustion wall some people would run up against, and underestimated some people’s eagerness (for better or worse) to throw themselves into the mosh pit. As such, these changes: Both the additional opportunities to challenge the ROYGBIV Rangers on Test Track, and the options to exit early at the end of the Rings tutorial and every following area, should help mitigate those frustrations while still making sure players at least get exposed to the most crucial mechanics, the baseline of finding your footing in the game. Keep an eye out: Every mechanic in Ring Racers can give you a competitive edge in its own way, and almost every visual in the game is a tell of some sort. Don’t be too quick to dismiss anything with potential that isn’t immediately obvious!

_**NOTE: This version is out-of-date! Please find the latest version on the News page.**_ ## Download links * Windows * macOS * Flatpak for Linux and Steam Deck * GitHub Release Page This is a minor patch to clean up some of the most pervasive launch issues. We’ve prioritized the biggest problems and the simplest solutions, to make sure everyone can get back to racing quickly—but we’ve still got plenty on the to-do list. ## Tutorial _TL;DR: If you ’re overwhelmed by the Tutorial, you can get racing much quicker._ * You can now exit to the full game after completing the “Rings”, “Brakes”, or “Drifting” instead of just at “Springs”. * _This allows for you to start the game proper at your own pace if you feel confident to take on races._ * The “Tutorial Challenge” trial race is now available in every Tutorial stage, instead of only at the start, and is more clearly marked. * _As you progress through the tutorial, players get a chance to try the challenge at the start of each level._ * The “Tutorial Challenge” will now use the character selected in your profile, rather than the character you entered the stage with. * Dramatically reduced CPU difficulty during the “Tutorial Challenge” trial race. * _The new difficulty should roughly match the difficulty of the average Grand Prix run. If you can beat them, you can hold your own in single-player._ ## Unlocks _TL;DR: Important things unlock faster, and we ’ve added passwords to skip certain categories of unlock entirely._ * Playing Online can now also unlock when winning the “Tutorial Challenge” trial race. * _We believe that the existing Online requirement is in the right spot that it needs to be (though see below!). However, players that are able to complete the optional challenge race have already proven themselves, and don ’t need any additional road-blocks for Online._ * Playing with Addons now unlocks at the same time as Playing Online. * _We ’ve been pretty cautious about add-ons—we’ve all heard horror stories from new SRB2Kart players getting overwhelmed by tough custom courses or complex gameplay mods. This time, though, we were a bit too cautious; changes to other parts of the game have reduced this risk a lot, and there’s no need to treat everyone with kid gloves. If you’ve got the basics of racing, you’re already ready to play it your way._ * Time Attack now unlocks after completing your first race, or when winning the “Tutorial Challenge” trial race (previously was a late-game unlock). * _Time Attack is Gear 3 racing with tons of extra resources; it ’s the fastest that Ring Racers can get without a Drop Target involved, and it can be pretty unfriendly to new players. However, people were a little confused without a dedicated practice space, and Staff Ghosts can be great references for advanced handling techniques—so it’s better to show it off early._ * Prison Break now unlocks after completing your first Bonus Stage (was 4). * _Not a massive change, but we decided to lower it to bring it in-line with the new Time Attack requirement._ * Chao Keys are given every 5 matches (from 14), and you now start a save file with 10 (from 3). Existing save files will be granted 7 Chao Keys accordingly. * _We want to encourage people to spend more on unlocking new things for participating, and Ring Racers will never mark your save file for doing so the easier way. We noticed that players weren’t using them as often as we’d like. Starting players at 10 Chao Keys should hopefully make the board less daunting on its first viewing, and generating them more often rewards players for playing the game however they like._ * New unlock passwords have been added. * Almost all progression passwords are now included with the game - check `PASSWORDS.txt` for the “Tournament Mode” temporary-unlock password, category-unlock passwords for specific rewards, and quick ways to jump into online play. * _We get it —some people want their favorite color early, some want to play a quick round with some friends, and some people just want to dive into the deep end and handle the consequences on their own. We wanted to keep the lid pretty tight at launch, and let all the secret-hunters experience the game at their own pace before handing out the keys: in the whirlwind of release, combined with some other issues, it ended up sending the wrong message. All of the progression-related changes, plus passwords as a safety valve, should make it much easier to quickly boot up and play with friends at your own pace. Sorry we missed the mark on this one!_ ## Profiles * Lite Steer is now disabled by default. Existing profiles will have it switched off when upgrading. * _Lite Steer is an advanced input feature that allows digital inputs, like D-Pads and keyboards, to input shallow turns like an analog stick can. It ’s a valuable tool for advanced players, but it’s missing feedback and conveyance at the moment, and players were unknowingly activating it with messy inputs or loose D-Pads. If your steering felt unresponsive or inconsistent, this might be why!_ * Default gameplay Field of View raised to 100 (was 90). Existing profiles with 90 FOV will be raised to 100. * _Most players who knew about this option have already changed it. Ring Racers is a busy game, and a little peripheral vision goes a long way, especially when orienting yourself on tight corners or searching for that elusive third switch._ * Added a default keybind (T) for “Open Chat”. Profiles that have already bound Open Chat won’t be affected. * _Oops._ ## Gameplay * Dramatically reduced the effect of CPU rubberbanding while using speed items and rings. * _We ’d like the AI to put up a good fight, but the way they combined power items and rubberband potential made them feel pretty capricious and unpredictable. We’ll keep tuning this, but this should go a long way towards making them more consistent opponents—and easier to catch when they slingshot ahead._ ## Fixes * Fixed objects becoming invisible on certain maps when draw distance was set to “Penultimate”. * Fixed a typo in the item toggle menu. * Reduced the likelihood of the “check your clocks” error appearing when joining netgames. * _This error should never appear if both the host and client have their time set correctly, but it ’s been made more lenient in 2.1._ * Fixed an issue where a debug print in certain maps was being displayed. * Replaced the music in Darkvile Castle Act 2, per musician request. * Fixed the Challenge Board glass areas in widescreen Legacy GL. * Compilation when using CMake 3.16, the version packaged in Ubuntu 20.04 and Linux Mint 20.3, now works. * Added cmake option `SRB2_CONFIG_ENABLE_DISCORDRPC`, defaulted on, to disable Discord RPC features. This is a stop-gap to fix issues with compilation on some Linux distros. ## Online * Dedicated servers can now access all cups, not just the first 7. * _Spoiler window ’s over. Let’s see what you’ve got!_ ## Modding * The Windows installer now includes the Ring Racers version of “Kartmaker”, a set of tools and templates for creating your own custom racers easily. This is currently Windows only, but the adventurous types may find the source code at our Gitlab. Special thanks to MelonadeM for helping provide us with the replacement track for Darkvile Castle Act 2, “Stage 70”, an arrange of an original track by HertzDevil.

_**NOTE: This version is out-of-date! Please find the latest version on the News page.**_ After over 5 years of development, _Dr. Robotnik ’s Ring Racers_ is finally complete. You can download this release using the following links. **Windows and macOS users, please read the Additional Instructions at the end of this article.** * Windows * macOS * Flatpak for Linux * GitHub Release Page You can also view our release trailer on YouTube here. _Dr. Robotnik ’s Ring Racers_ has been a tireless effort by the _Kart Krew Dev_ team, and additionally comprises the work of many more independent contributors across the _SRB2Kart_ , _Sonic Robo Blast 2_, _Doom Legacy_ and broader _Doom_ communities. We want to issue a heartfelt thanks to everyone who has made this project possible, spanning back over 30 years to Doom’s December 1993 release. Thousands of hours of work—from the core development team, our dedicated tester team, the _SRB2_ development team, community contributors, independent musicians, and our volunteer moderators across the various community hubs—have culminated in this artifact of passion and dedication. The meticulously crafted pixel and 3D art, catchy music and sounds, elaborate level design, and tightly tuned gameplay all come together into a complete product we are immensely proud to present to you, entirely for free. _Ring Racers_ is a Kart Racing video game that builds upon the successes of its predecessor _SRB2Kart_ , with features including: * A ludicrously long list of courses and playable characters * A complete Grand Prix mode with CPU opponents and multiple difficulty levels * New and revamped items * Unique game systems and mechanics * Local split-screen multiplayer up to 4 players, and online play up to 16 * A comprehensive Time Attack mode with replay support * A wealth of secrets to find We hope that you will enjoy the game for many years to come. **Welcome to the Next Level.** ## Additional Instructions Windows and macOS have stringent security requirements that Kart Krew Dev cannot fulfill due to the excessive cost of obtaining developer signing credentials. Due to this, neither OS will recognize our game as being built by Kart Krew Dev. In order to run the game, you must override these security controls. ### Windows Windows users may receive a dialog prompt with the text: > Windows protected your PC > > Microsoft Defender Smartscreen prevented an unrecognized app from starting. Running this app may put your PC at risk. If you see this, please click _More Info_ , and then a button labeled _Run Anyway_ will appear. You will not need to override this again until you reinstall or update the game. ### macOS Starting with macOS Catalina 10.15, by default, all .apps must be signed and notarized by Apple to run. You may see a window with the text: > “Dr. Robotnik’s Ring Racers.app” cannot be opened because the developer cannot be verified. macOS cannot verify that this app is free from malware. To override this, please follow these instructions: 1. Click _Cancel_ on the warning prompt. 2. Open the _Privacy & Security_ section in the _System Settings_. 3. Under _Security_ , enable the setting _Allow applications downloaded from App Store and identified developers_ 4. Near that setting, there should be a box with the text _“ Dr. Robotnik’s Ring Racers.app” was blocked from use because it is not from an identified developer._, and a button labeled _Open Anyway_. Clicking this button will override this block. **You may be prompted to log in as an adminstrator.** If your user on the system is an administrator, you can also use this via _Terminal.app_ : 1. Open _Terminal.app_ or an equivalent app 2. Type `sudo xattr -d com.apple.quarantine "/Applications/Dr. Robotnik's Ring Racers.app"` and press enter. 3. Enter your user password when prompted. You will not see anything appear in the terminal until you press enter again.

Hello world! We figured it was about time that this domain had an actual website associated with it. We wanted something that is immediately readable and works well on mobile devices. The design will likely see some updates over time. This will be our landing page and news site for the future. For detailed updates about Kart Krew Dev projects, you should come here first!