GeneRally 2 News

Welcome to our Online Multiplayer Update Preview! As there's a lot of updates and changes coming with the launch of Online Multiplayer, we thought we'd start by giving you a bit of a look at what you can expect to see.


It wouldn't be the "Online Multiplayer Update" without the addition of Online Multiplayer, now, would it? 😊 Over the past month we've been running a number of multiplayer tests, which some of you have even been a part of! We're now at the point where we are happy that the core of the Online Multiplayer is ready for release, and now we're finishing up things like localisations; the keyboard key rebinding system; and the like.



Creating an Online Multiplayer game will be quite familiar to anyone who's already played the game. Select your tracks, set up your race (and server) settings, start a lobby and wait for your friends (or complete strangers) to join. If you don't want to start a game yourself, you can join an existing game, too.



At launch, we'll have the ability for you to host games, join games, invite your friends, set up championships, configure all of the various race settings, etc. We support admin tools for kicking and blocking users, too!


This one has been in the pipeline for a while, and has undergone a lot of testing and tweaking, but it's safe to say it's been worth the wait. The GT is fast, grippy and excellent fun racing online with your friends 🏎




Tuomo has gone through almost all of the default tracks, and has carefully upgraded them with new objects and new features that weren't available when the game originally launched! Only visual changes have been made, so your laptimes are all still valid.



Many thanks to Tuomo for his hard work on these - they look great 🙌


Recently, Steam launched Steam Game Recording, which is a great new feature that allows background recording of gameplay footage, and provides easy tools to cut, edit and share clips.



As part of this, games can support adding different features to it, to allow users to find and enjoy their favourite moments. We have added basic initial support for Steam Game Recording's Timeline feature, which means that you'll be able to easily find important race events like race starts, pitstops, and the like - and we'll expand it in upcoming patches with more events.

We look forward to seeing your various clips and interesting moments from online races, in the #pics-and-videos channel on Discord 🎥

• Added over-car names as an option for single player and multiplayer.
  
• Added driver flags to the race/championship results UI.
  
• Added an in-game console - this is currently used only for the Online Multiplayer, but will have other features further down the line.
  
• Fixed a bug with the menus on Steam Deck.
  
• A variety of under-the-hood improvements to support Online Multiplayer and future features.
  

With all that said, we're really excited to start racing online with you all soon. Stay tuned for the precise release date - and don't forget to join us on Discord to discuss more about the update, and the game's development in general!

Welcome to the February 2025 Community Update! We have our regular update for you on the state of development - primarily what we've been working on recently; and what you can expect to see in the near future.

To join the discussion, as well as get more info direct from the development team, you can join us on Discord!

Online multiplayer implementation is feature-complete! 🎉 It has been a long road, but we are now finally at the point where we can stop talking about "when it's finished" and start talking about release dates!

We have selected the players to join us for the online multiplayer private beta test - please check your email inbox for an email from us over the next few days (as we decide on specific testing periods and dates). If you've been selected, you will likely be participating in a test sometime in the next 7-10 days. As long as those tests go smoothly - and no major bugs are found - we'll be on the final road to launch! If you haven't been selected, don't worry, it won't be long now until you're able to play GeneRally 2 online 😊

Below are a few questions we assume might be on your mind...

[h2]How will the testing work?[/h2]
We'll be defining a couple of testing periods (roughly 1-2 hours each) on specific dates, where we (the developers) can try out all aspects of the online features with the selected players. We'll be looking for bugs and assessing if the network performance is acceptable.

After these initial testing periods, we'll determine whether we need to do more testing (for example, to try out any fixes we make), or if the feature is ready for release.

[h2]Why wasn't I selected for testing?[/h2]
Unfortunately, we can't select everyone - and we did receive a lot of applications 😢

Primarily, we've chosen people with a range of hardware specifications, and in groups that are located close enough to each other geographically that latency doesn't become a major issue in tests (for example, not mixing people from Oceania and Europe in a test group). We've preferred people who are regular players of the game and who are members of the GeneRally 2 Discord.

[h2]When will the Online Multiplayer be released?[/h2]
Assuming the tests go well, and we find no new show-stopping bugs, we're most likely a maximum of a few weeks away from launch 🙌 We have some other, related things to do before then (such as updating some of our Steam store page texts and images to announce the feature) but it's mostly "admin" work at that point!

[h2]Will there be a discount at the launch of Online Multiplayer?[/h2]
Yes, we will be running our first discount for GeneRally 2 to coincide with the launch of the Online Multiplayer. This should make it a lot easier to convince your friends to join you for some races 😊

[h2]What comes after Online Multiplayer?[/h2]
After the Online Multiplayer feature is released, and we're content everything is in good order, we'll move back onto the other features on the road to v1.0. This includes things like replays and save games; time trial mode; photo mode; physics and AI improvements (including AI driver profiles); and more. We also have a long list of "minor" improvements to make to the Track Editor!

As far as our set of Early Access development features, Online Multiplayer is the last major one - so we'll then definitely be heading towards the end of Early Access ✨


Alongside the Online Multiplayer, we've also had a few other things in progress:

• Control Rebinding - Work continues on this system, which we aim to have in place for the Online Multiplayer launch.
  
• Steam Deck Fixes - We've located and resolved a few issues with both the menu rendering and the default control profile.
  

Welcome to the January 2025 Community Update! It's a new year, and we have some updates for you on the state of development - primarily what we've been working on recently; and what you can expect to see in the near future.

To join the discussion, as well as get more info direct from the development team, you can join us on Discord!


As mentioned in the end-of-year update, we have been working on the last parts of the Online Multiplayer UI, with a view to starting testing very soon. We had hoped to have already started testing in January, but it looks like it'll still be a couple of weeks before we're ready to proceed with that due to some delays in getting the last bits of the UI finalised. At this point, though, we're really happy with the state of the netcode, and the general gameplay of Online Multiplayer, and we're looking forward to sharing that with you!

After the testing has been completed, we'll be finishing up the controller-profile system (that allows you to rebind controls) and fixing any bugs that arise during the testing period. When that's done, we'll be ready for general release on Steam.

Internally, we've broadly decided on a release schedule for multiplayer, so things are starting to fall into place (finally) - once we've finished the testing, we'll be able to start talking about the release date!


Alongside the Online Multiplayer, we've also had a few other things in progress:

• Control Rebinding - As mentioned above, this is something that we hope to ship along with the Online Multiplayer feature.
  
• Car Physics Updates - Markku has been hard at work improving some of the car physics and car handling characteristics. This has been a fairly universal improvement across the board!
  
• Unity 6 Upgrade - We've been upgrading the game to allow us to take advantage of some of the new features offered by Unity 6. As with all upgrades, we've had to spend a little time fixing some things broken during that process.
  
• Next Car - The next car has been in testing for a while, and tweaks to its handling and performance are ongoing. It's been a lot of fun in testing 😊
  
• Steam Deck Fixes - There are a few small problems with the menus (and controls) in the most recent updates, on Steam Deck, so we're trying to get to the bottom of those.
  

We'll have more about the Community Choice Award soon - and we'll be posting the back-dated results for the missing months as well!

This update fixes a small issue with achievements not unlocking properly.

[h2]Changes[/h2]

• FIXED: Achivements can now be unlocked/incremented again.
  

Welcome to the End-of-Year 2024 Community Update! This one will be a little bit different to normal, and includes a little "mini-interview" with Markku, James and Topi!

For those still wanting to know what we're working on, December (and particularly Christmas) has been a bit of a relaxation time for the team - but we're now in the final stages of work on the Online Multiplayer UI, along with the control rebinding.

To join the discussion, as well as get more info direct from the development team, you can join us on Discord!

[h2]Markku[/h2]
What was your favourite update for GR2 this year?
Probably the latest one. The AI is a challenge to develop, and I had many great ideas for it that for one reason or another did not end up working in practice. But when you hit upon something good you get concretely rewarded by the little cars going around the track a bit faster.

What are you most looking forward to in GR2 in 2025?
Having more time to work on the AI. Seeing the multiplayer finally get out there, and how it will develop over the year.

Do you have any plans for New Year's Eve tomorrow?
I intend to enjoy my own company in peace (unless the latest patch has broken something that needs fixing).

Anything else you'd like to add?
Huge thanks to everyone who played the game and/or showed up in our Discord. I love game development, but it's even more motivating when you know there are people out there enjoying the game. Seeing the hundreds of tracks people have built for the game is quite humbling.

[h2]James[/h2]
What was your favourite update for GR2 this year?
In terms of gameplay, I really enjoyed the Monster Truck update - it's a lot of fun to drive. And it's especially fun in multiplayer. It also has quite a sharp line between "everything's going okay" and "okay, now I'm on my side and going nowhere", which makes it fun in competition!

What are you most looking forward to in GR2 in 2025?
Online Multiplayer, without a doubt. We've had such fun in testing, and I really do think players are going to enjoy it a lot. It really is, for me, a "dream come true" as far as GeneRally is concerned.

Do you have any plans for New Year's Eve tomorrow?
Board games and fondue with some friends, and then fairly early to bed. A lot will depend on how our year-old puppy reacts to fireworks (which are very popular to set off in Finland on New Year's Eve) - hopefully he'll be fine!

Anything else you'd like to add?
I'd like to say a big thank you to the entire GeneRally community for their support, encouragement, feedback and just general awesomeness. Also to the feedback & testing team for their thorough and honest (sometimes brutally so) feedback. And, well, ultimately I'd just like to say that we're by no means done, and we have plenty of plans for 2025 and beyond!

[h2]Topi[/h2]
What was your favourite update for GR2 this year?
The stand outs for me were the addition of the new UI and the Monster Truck. Also love the new improved handling of the Drift.

What are you most looking forward to in GR2 in 2025?
Obviously the launch of the Multiplayer as it has been in the works for a long time.

Do you have any plans for New Year's Eve tomorrow?
No major plans this year. Decided to take it easy and chill at home for the most part. Will go out and check some local fireworks around midnight of course!

Anything else you'd like to add?
Just want to thank everybody in the community who's helped us develop GR2 this year. I think with all the help and feedback we've received, we've been able to improve the game significantly.

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With that, there's nothing left to say but a big thank you to you all for 2024, and Happy New Year from the GeneRally 2 Team!