Tire Friend News

...then there's some good news for you: Tire Friend should run at least a little bit better on your lower-end hardware!

The lowest possible Graphics Quality setting (Options > Graphics/Sound) covers more ground: fog planes, drop shadows, dust particles, and more. Even more optimizations to come as I test it on my own spare potato—I'm looking to make it playable for as many folks as possible.

Some other things:

Completely revamped some models such as the Flamethrower and Cannon, along with some props (power pole, street lamp, ...).
Introduced Hubcap Shards. Collect five for a Golden Hubcap ("those medal things"). First set is in Totomesu Temple, replacing one of the existing Hubcaps.
Retooled many of the textures, especially in the Space Debris levels.
Fixed some (inevitable) bugs to do with the new drop shadows (aligning with the ground, shadows where they shouldn't be casted, ...)
More theatrical lights and effects (Golden Hubcaps again, Overdrive effects, spot lights, ...)

I've been putting a lot of focus into sharpening what's already here—Tire Friend's move set, the physics, optimizations, graphics, objects, scripts, style, and so on—to really beef up the game's foundation. A couple more new courses are in the works as we speak, though.


As always, let me know what you think: the courses, physics, controls, options—nothing's off the table.

And for those of you running the game on a potato: Has performance improved?


As usual: happy tiring!

Ever been in the air and just wanted to get right back down to the ground? Alternatively, ever wanted to hang out in the air and enjoy the view for another, say, 0.25 seconds? Well, now you can do both of those things! That gives you even better control over your vertical momentum.

Hold Brake in midair to hang out for just a bit. Press Bounce while holding Brake to slam down to the ground. (If you're using a controller, using LB to brake makes that easier.) There are some parts of the courses where these can be completely exploited used to help yourself out.

Even more moves to come, including some climbing and on-the-wall Revving Up. They're just undergoing some testing. Hopefully nothing broke with these new moves, though!

Also, new lighting/drop shadow engine. Revamped all the courses (and some collectibles) to varying degrees to match, too. Should look better for the most part, though there's a little bit of a tradeoff there with shadows being more... blobby. There may still be some jankiness with the shadows, but hopefully not too much! Let me know what you think.

More:
Bug fixes. Your lovely tire doesn't (or shouldn't!) get stuck facing the wall when at a 90 degree corner.
Credits are linked directly in the title screen of the game. Probably will be moved/mirrored in the game proper later on.

Happy tiring in 2025!

A couple more updates:

• Disagree with your friend on color choices? Tired of having your two-year-old start out in Tire Physics Mode? Well, no more! Tire Friend's cosmetics (colors and hat) and gameplay options are now set per save file, rather than being global. It makes the save files easier to tell apart, too.
  
• Goofy elf hat for the season. Another second hat because it's funny.
  
• Lighting improvements, level tweaks, and bug fixes.
  

If something broke, please let me know. The tire's in Early Access, after all.

And if you're still looking for a last-minute Christmas gift, Tire Friend's still discounted in the Steam Winter Sale for a bit longer. It's about a dollar for a tire. All of your friends will love it!

And a very merry tiring to you and yours!

A smorgasbord update.

• Improved lighting all throughout. Everywhere.
  
• Significantly reduced the game's file size, something like 20% in the full version.
  
• Snazzified the courses' Finish Lines.
  
• Reworked a few models, such as the Spike Strips and a couple of the hats.
  
• Reworked parts of Asphalt Hill and Dusty Gears levels.
  
• More stats on the hub and course UIs, especially to do with the challenges (Options > Gameplay > Challenges).
  
• Bug fixes, including to Revving Up and polling for the "safe position" (where your tire returns on dropping into a pit).
  

Please let me know what you think. I'd really like feedback on performance: has it improved? Has it... done the opposite?

And, in any case—as always, happy tiring!

This Thanksgiving, set sail for the new (hub) world! A giant play area for your second-favorite tire!

It's a work in progress and will necessarily need updates as I add levels. But I'm aiming to make the hub world much more of a playground -- and a place to showcase the tire's moves -- just as a hub world ought to be. It's also much more interconnected and consolidated.

You can bounce around, practice your jumping and rolling, speed up hills, take rides on claws, knock down cones and barrels, and.. fire chairs from a launcher.

Other updates include quite a few reworked models, under-the-hood optimizations, and rearranged level order.

The game's also on sale, so buy several discounted copies for all of your friends. Treat your loved ones to some tires, just in time for Black Friday!

Happy tiring!