Exo Rally Championship News

[p]Happy New Year! Aside from a nice break during the holidays, we’ve spent the last few months with our heads under the hood, upgrading the game engine to Unity 6, reworking the training flow, and implementing some fundamental changes to how races start and how rovers handle as we push towards release.[/p][p]Here are the highlights of what we've been up to since the Fusang reveal.[/p][p][/p][h3]The "Roll-Up" Start Line[/h3][p]We’ve upgraded the stage entry experience. Instead of simply spawning at the start line ready to go, players will now drive to the start line themselves during the intro sequence.[/p][p]This isn't just for immersion, it gives you strategic freedom. The start gates have been widened, allowing you to angle your rover to navigate the first checkpoint or terrain exactly how you want. You will have total control over your approach and positioning before the countdown even begins.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][h3]RCS Overhaul & Class Identity[/h3][p]We’ve done a major pass on the RCS Thrusters to give each vehicle class a more distinct personality and progression as you rise from the starter to fastest classes. Previously, every rover had similar air control capabilities. Now, their RCS profiles are strictly tied to their class:[/p]

• [p]UTV: Pitch/Tilt only (limited air control).[/p]
• [p]Exo4: Up/Down + Pitch/Tilt.[/p]
• [p]Exo6: Full control (All axis).[/p]
• [p]Miner: None (You're on your own!).[/p]

[p]To help players master these differences, we’ve overhauled the tutorials. The flow is faster and the introduction more friendly to new players.[/p][p][/p][h3]Paddle Tires[/h3][p]We've introduced a new tire type: Paddles. These are monsters on soft terrain like sand, mud, and salt, providing incredible forward bite. However, they come with a trade-off: they have poor lateral (side-to-side) grip and perform terribly on rock or hard surfaces. They demand a different driving style - less sliding, more point-and-shoot.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][h3]Physics & Stability[/h3][p]We’ve been working hard on refining the physics engine to ensure the rovers handle predictably during landings and hard impacts, and have been generally hunting a nasty 'high speed eject from the terrain' bug.[/p][p][/p][h3]Auto-Shifting & Diff Tuning[/h3][p]For those playing on gamepads or who prefer not to shift manually, we’ve implemented a new Auto-Shift system based on virtual RPM. It’s smarter and smoother than our previous iteration. For the tuners out there, you can now tune Differentials in the setup screen. You can tweak both your axle and center diffs power on/off behaviour, drastically changing how the rover rotates in different scenarios.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h3]Reaching the Finish Line[/h3][p]We've also been spending a lot of time on performance in general, stability, bug fixing, tuning, testing, stage timing, difficulty tuning, story improvements and so on. We're not at the stage yet to be able to offer a release date, but we're starting to get close now![/p][p][/p][h3]January 2026 Changelog[/h3][p]Features & Gameplay[/p]

• [p]Start Line Freedom: Drive to the line and position your rover at any angle within the wider start gate.[/p]
• [p]RCS Class Update: RCS capabilities are now unique to each vehicle class (UTV limited to pitch, etc.).[/p]
• [p]New Tire Type: Paddle Tires added (High fwd grip on soft surfaces, low lateral grip).[/p]
• [p]Differential Tuning: Torque splitter adjustments, axle diff and center diff.[/p]
• [p]Auto-Shift: New virtual RPM-based system for smoother automatic shifting.[/p]
• [p]New Earth Refresh: Terrain overhaul with new mud/water textures, raised tree stumps, and better distant terrain.[/p]
• [p]Training Overhaul: Faster flow, new Boost RCS tutorials, and timed Advanced Training.[/p]
• [p]Incidents: Introduced crash incidents which can cause repair delays in Campaign mode.[/p]

[p]Physics & Vehicles[/p]

• [p]Physics Stability: Work continues bug hunting some problem physics explosions[/p]
• [p]Tire Model: Increased friction contrast from peak to limit, plus slicks are now stickier on rock but lose significant traction on wet rock.[/p]
• [p]Aero Buff: All rovers have slightly higher aero values (more traction at speed, faster jump touchdowns).[/p]
• [p]CoM locks: Center of Mass locked on all classes[/p]
• [p]Miner Update: Fatter wheels, wider track, thinner tray.[/p]
• [p]Dynamic Drag: Lateral sand drag is now more accurate.[/p]

[p]Visuals & Tech[/p]

• [p]Engine Upgrade: Project updated to Unity 6.[/p]
• [p]Fusang Optimization: Massive performance pass (shader complexity reduced, particles optimized) for better FPS.[/p]
• [p]Tensei Update: Environment textures, lighting, and terrain splats updated.[/p]
• [p]UI: Repair tabs are now clickable; repair commands removed from tutorials.[/p]

[p]Fixes[/p]

• [p]Fixed: Fog/Water interaction on Tensei.[/p]
• [p]Fixed: RCS cooling was too efficient in rain (you could boost forever).[/p]
• [p]Fixed: Leaderboard rows breaking online views.[/p]
• [p]Fixed: Snow on Dhool no longer locks to local space.[/p]
• [p]Fixed: Replay cameras skipping static cameras.[/p]

[p]Here’s what we’ve included![/p][p]
[/p]

• [p]Dhool: a dusty, meteor-wracked moon orbiting a gas giant[/p]
• [p]A 6WD Racing Rover with RCS thrusters for air control[/p]
• [p]Realistic physics and damage simulation[/p]
• [p]Full 10 Stage Rally. Locked stages for demo, random in full game[/p]
• [p]3 ever-changing Daily Stages with online Steam leaderboards[/p]
• [p]In-depth rover tuning, servicing/repairs[/p]

[p][/p][p]In the full game you can look forward to:[/p][p][/p]

• [p]Climbing the ranks in career mode to win the ultimate off-road event[/p]
• [p]Explore Diverse Planets, from moons to volcanic worlds to dark frozen rogues[/p]
• [p]Multiple rover classes, advanced tuning options, specialized tires and RCS fuel types[/p]
• [p]Compete in daily and multi-stage rallies on global leaderboards.[/p]
• [p]Enhanced Physics, Realism and Soft-Surface Tire Models.
  
  [/p]

[p]We’ve loved crafting this game over the last 2 years and are really looking forward to your feedback on our Discord or the Steam Discussion Boards![/p][p][/p][p]Hope to see you on the leaderboards! And please don’t forget to Wishlist if you like the demo![/p][p]
[/p]

[p][/p][p]We've been hard at work finishing one of the last (?) planets, Fusang, a volcano world. The current planet list now includes:[/p][p]- Dhool (meteor desert world)[/p][p]- Lunar (Earth's moon)[/p][p]- Tensei (strip mined, earth quake riddled planet)[/p][p]- New Earth (terraformed forest planet)[/p][p]- Fusang (volcano world)

Hopefully we will still have time to add one last planet, but 5 is a decent start point at least for release.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Fusang is a tidally locked planet close to a binary star system, which causes a large heat gradient from the hot to the cold side, as well as extreme volcanism. It is on the more difficult end of the spectrum in Exo Rally, and features a much bumpier surface, lava river canyons, unexpected drop offs and an array of hazards. Careful speed management is more important here than anywhere else on the rally circuit.[/p][h2]Lava Bombs[/h2][p][/p][p]Most of the volcanos in Fusang eject lava bombs that fall and roll down across the stage area - they create moving obstacles and once they stop rolling, stationary ones as well. They can be tricky as they bounce off terrain and other boulders, and sometimes are hard to see coming. Luckily your rover is fairly tough, and direct impacts typically don't cause much more than a tire or wheel failure. [/p][p]The rule for Fusang, we feel, will be - always take 3 spare wheels![/p][p]We will be looking at your feedback if you're a tester to see what you think of this planetary feature![/p][h2]Lava Rivers[/h2][p][/p][p]Highly viscous lava rivers cover large areas, and are a threat to both your tires and RCS fuel. Driving directly over and on top of lava causes your tires to rapidly heat up to the point they'll catch fire and begin melting, however brief crossings are quite safe as your rover's high tech rubber tires don't conduct heat. Care must be taken to limit wheel spin on lava as this will rapidly increase heat, and sink the tire into the lava.[/p][p]At around 1200C, lava will also quickly cook your RCS fuel and cause it to cook off on individual thrusters and even eventually ignite your fuel tanks, so keep an eye on your temperatures.[/p][h2]Lava Fountains[/h2][p][/p][p]Volcanic vents eject lava out in fountains that can drop onto your rover and cause damage to any and all of your rovers systems. The close you get to the center of a fountain, the more damage and the quicker you'll receive damage to your systems as lava melts through your systems, damages suspension and punctures tires.[/p][p][/p][h2]Fire Tornados[/h2][p][/p][p]As hot air travels from the hot to the dark side, high speed air currents form tornados that pickup hot gasses and lava that ignite to form fire tornados. In addition to high speed shrapnel damage, fire tornados will also quickly overheat your rover's RCS systems.[/p][p][/p][p]From both playing Exo Rally now for years, and also watching both new and old players, I became increasingly annoyed with the tendency for rovers, especially the 6-wheeled Exo6, to 'kick' the rear up over bumps. While you'd possibly expect racing vehicles to be better the lighter their weight, current-day off-road racing trucks like Trophy Trucks actually have a sweet spot which is quite heavy, that keeps them more level over bumpy terrain due to inertia and weight resisting rotation. Given our rovers have to tackle terrain even bumpier than stuff in Baja or Dakar, we've pushed the rovers weight up quite a bit, and also reduced fuel weight at the same time for a couple of reasons:[/p]

• [p]Lighter fuel means one setup feels more similar between min and max fuel loads, and we can stay more stable in both situations[/p]
• [p]After introducing RCS overheating, choosing different fuel loads became less important, as you usually couldn't use it all up in one stage[/p]
• [p]A more stable weight gives each rover class a more defined feel and character (a heavy rover wont feel like a lighter one on lower fuel loads)[/p]

[p]So the TLDR is that rovers now fly much straighter and flatter over most (not all!) terrain. You'll still hit bumps and jumps with just the wrong shape at just the wrong speed and get some big kicks, but it shouldn't be a near constant RCS correction required as it once was for many bumps.[/p][p][/p][h2]Screenshot mode[/h2][p]For those who love dialing in some nicely framed photos, you can now pause at any time, or during replay to save a screenshot to Steam.[/p][p]Controls include:[/p]

• [p]Tilt/dutch[/p]
• [p]Fstop[/p]
• [p]Focal Length[/p]
• [p]Focus offset[/p]
• [p]FOV[/p]
• [p]Orbit/look direction/pan/dolly[/p]

[p]Here's a few![/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Playtesters, please read the FULL release notes below before posting bugs/thoughts/feedback, thank you! [/p]

• [p]Fusang, volcanic planet complete[/p]
• [p]Fusang: Lava that melts tires, fire tornados, lava fountains, rolling lava bombs, steam obstacles[/p]
• [p]Fusang: Ash fall weather that coats the surface in ash (reduced traction/increased drag)[/p]
• [p]Rovers made heavier to increase stability and fly flatter over most jumps and bumps[/p]
• [p]Fuel weight greatly reduced, so a setup will work better between min and max fuel[/p]
• [p]Tire model tweaks[/p]
• [p]Pace note update + linked close notes together along with a ! to draw attention[/p]
• [p]Mining rover is now more of a 'fixed suspension distance' vehicle (minimal travel)[/p]
• [p]Photo mode, drone or orbit with aperture/fov/dutch(tilt)/focal length/focus offset[/p]
• [p]Volumetric headlight dust[/p]
• [p]Headlight shadows added[/p]
• [p]Update to sand-like ground material physics (more consistent)[/p]
• [p]Improved blending between checkpoint light walls and other fx/distant light walls[/p]
• [p]Monoliths now interfere with the HUD/comms[/p]
• [p]Tensei lighting minor improvement[/p]
• [p]New Earth, more details and different ground materials, slightly less grass[/p]
• [p]Map wide stages on Fusang only (for now) with extremely long distances between checkpoints[/p]
• [p]Rain updates to all planets[/p]
• [p]Rover setup screen, some sliders faster to move[/p]
• [p]Fixed drone's spotlight being rotated incorrectly[/p]
• [p]Added dust build up to all rovers[/p]
• [p]Improved reflections (may be too much reflection on some ground materials in non-wet weather still)[/p]
• [p]Tread loss now controlled per ground material (less loss on stuff like sand, more on rock)[/p]
• [p]Damage to suspension now only occurs vertically if fully compressed[/p]
• [p]New stage overview music[/p]
• [p]Fixed collider on Tensei 'snow-trees'[/p]
• [p]Crosses visible on the checkpoint lightwalls earlier now[/p]
• [p]Headlight improvements/should look better against particle effects[/p]
• [p]Fixed: Ambient intensity increasing each time a planet is restarted[/p]
• [p]Updated service UI repair tabs[/p]
• [p]Removed eye-level bar from Exo4[/p]
• [p]Tornados no longer 'get you' after crossing the finish line, and dissipate near some terrain types/objects[/p]
• [p]Fix: rear wheels always account for toe correctly now[/p]
• [p]Reduced excessive wheel skew on impacts[/p]
• [p]Fix: replay camera skipping static cameras[/p]
• [p]Smoothed out camera-look which should help over smaller bumps and whoops[/p]
• [p]Minor strength boost to rcs-steer[/p]
• [p]Reduced size of checkpoint spheres to prevent wheels being ripped off occasionally[/p]
• [p]Donuts now require 340 deg to complete compared to 300 previously (may vary for custom checkpoint sequences)[/p]
• [p]Rover setup saving: now auto focuses[/p]
• [p]Fix: rcs fuel not being consumed at slight inputs[/p]
• [p]Fix: saving spare tires in tunings[/p]
• [p]New Earth should be less blinding[/p]
• [p]RCS override timer increased[/p]
• [p]Reduced FPP camera shake values[/p]

[p] WIP (might be broken): [/p]

• [p]New tutorials[/p]
• [p]Team comms appear when starting your first event/series[/p]

[p] Known: [/p]

• [p]Photo mode doesn't highlight some controls[/p]
• [p]Exo4 might be particularly hard to flip with RCS with certain setup configs[/p]
• [p]NPCs still think you're still on Dhool when on other planets[/p]
• [p]Trainings are in progress, so may not work as expected[/p]

[p][/p][p]Since it's been a little while, it's a big one! The current planet list now includes:[/p][p]- Dhool (meteor desert world)[/p][p]- Lunar (Earth's moon)[/p][p]- Tensei (strip mined, earth quake riddled planet)[/p][p]- New Earth (terraformed forest planet)[/p][p][/p][p]...and we've recently begun work on a deadly volcanic world, "Fusang". Here's a look at both:[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]New Earth was seeded with trees and grasses from earth over the course of 100's of years, creating a green, earth-like forest-world.[/p][p][/p][p]This planet is somewhat easy to drive with plains and rolling hills, but of course with densely wooded areas, destruction is always close at hand! Terraforming structures still dot the landscape, emitting gas that is still helping to fine tune the atmosphere - it creates dense blankets of cloud that completely block visibility. If in doubt, flat out?[/p][p][/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p][/p][p][/p][p]Fusang, a tidally locked planet in a system orbiting a nearby black hole, features a raft of deadly challenges, including tire-melting lava, fuel-igniting temperatures, fire tornadoes, lava fountains and more. [/p][p][/p][p]Even today's tires can manage a brief skip over lava, due to rubbers low thermal conductivity, but in the near future of Exo Rally, drivers can push the limits by 10s of seconds before their tires pick up molten clinkers, catch fire and finally explode. It's just wise not to spin your wheels and really dig into the molten surface...[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]In the furnaces of open volcanos and whirling fire tornados, your tires can melt, rover's systems can cook and ignite your RCS fuel tanks if you stay too long, or push your RCS heat levels so high they're unusable.[/p][p][/p][p]If your rover takes too many showers in lava fountains, it'll collect more and more molten rock, weighing you down, sticking to tires and jamming up suspension. [/p][p][/p][p]And like Tensei, Fusang is also visited by earthquakes as a nearby black hole pulls on the planet.[/p][p][/p][p]Finally, you'll have to dodge incoming lava bombs ejected from numerous volcanoes dotted across the landscape. GL, HF![/p][p][/p][p]We've added tornadoes to Dhool's storm weathers, and also Fusang in a fire variant. In the outer radius, your rover is showered with shrapnel that can puncture tires and vital systems. And of course the closer you get, the more your rover is pulled around before being lifted off up into the funnel entirely.[/p][p][/p][p]Tornadoes move across the surface as well, so you'll need to adjust your racing line to steer clear.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p][/p][p]Players familiar with current day off-road racing or simulations might already be familiar with the new, super customizable dual-rate springs and 6-stage bypass shocks that allow players to adjust spring strengths and dampers by compression distance and speed, both bump and rebound.[/p][p][/p][p]We've added a power sweet spot, where >50% heat level will gain you additional thruster strength. Power was slightly reduced below this threshold. We've also got per planet heat baselines and heat up/cool down rates, which for example means that the Moon has a low baseline, but very slow cooldown due to lack of atmosphere. Thrusters will now more realistically shed heat faster at high temps, and glow as they heat up.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]We've added detailed overheating mechanics, including the ability to cancel automatic RCS shutdown. Once you reach > 100% heat, your RCS will take more and more damage effects like melting, fuel leaks, jams, thruster explosions and finally catastrophic fuel tank explosion. So while a strategic and brief override into >100% heat levels occasionally is ok, if you really push it you'll regret it![/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]We'll be launching with the following events:[/p][p]- Daily A (random class/planet)[/p][p]- Daily B (random class/planet)[/p][p]- Weekly (random class/planet)[/p][p]- Ironman (one attempt only)[/p][p]- New "Oblivion" type. For those that thought Ironman was too easy, in this mode, you'll have one attempt only with no droning, no stage overview, cockpit view only, limited RCS fuel and no spare tires.[/p][p][/p]

• [p]Physics optimizations: frame rate (accuracy) around 4x'd for around the same performance, should help with damage consistency. Playtesters, please let us know if you notice any degraded feeling from handling or frame rate problems.[/p]
• [p]Some performance improvements on CPU and GPU[/p]
• [p]New damage detection system to go with above. Damage may currently be a bit too high, but should feel consistent. [/p]
• [p]New suspension system, dual rate springs, 6 stage bypass dampers[/p]
• [p]Initial rover setups for above, some might need more tuning than others[/p]
• [p]New 'testing' sliders for suspension[/p]
• [p]Added downward force to rover test-drops on service screen, not just height as it was before (needs tweaking!)[/p]
• [p]Tuning sliders rounded up/dn[/p]
• [p]Old style 'terrain scanner' partially back in (only shows drop offs, the main 'impossible to see' terrain)[/p]
• [p]New planet, New Earth, terraformed forest world[/p]
• [p]New Dailies: Daily A, B, Weekly (all classes). New type (Oblivion)[/p]
• [p]Oblivion: Ironman-like with no droning, no stage overview, cockpit view only, no spare tires.[/p]
• [p]Tornados in Dhool's storm weather[/p]
• [p]RCS heat changes: 'power sweet spot' >50% heat. Per planet heat baselines and heat up/cool down rates.[/p]
• [p]RCS overheat damage: thrusters melt/rotate/get blocked/explode etc[/p]
• [p]RCS heat shutdown override: engage before or after overheating to risk damage to RCS but maintain control. D-Pad Up, Up.[/p]
• [p]RCS repairs added for above[/p]
• [p]RCS thrusters glow when reaching critical heat levels[/p]
• [p]Lunar RCS heat: due to lack of atmosphere, cooling is severely reduced, but starting temps are lower.[/p]
• [p]Checkpoint light wall brightness method change (let us know if any too dim or bright)[/p]
• [p]Hopefully improved transparency handling with light walls and other transparent particles/fx[/p]
• [p]Tweaked chassis colliders on mining and rover classes (let us know if any bad looking collisions),[/p]
• [p]Credits screen added[/p]
• [p]Dust storm weather particles not completely opaque anymore[/p]

[p]While we were aiming for mid this year for release, some unexpected personal issues have come up that have made that a bit too ambitious right now. Q4 is now looking more likely.[/p]

Happy to announce development is proceeding well and we’re targeting mid this year for full release.

If you’re a playtester, we have a new build now live for you to try! We're not yet decided on whether we will be adding more testers at this point.

This is a fairly unstable, early stage, unbalanced build so please don't have super high expectations. There's a bunch of unfinished stuff in here! Would love your feedback on what is working, though!



Lunar
This is a very, very low gravity body so traction is almost non-existent. It's a completely different driving feel, and requires copious RCS usage to stay grounded/upright.

Tensei
A 0.8x earth-gravity world, once a mining planet, now abandoned and eroding away over time. Extensive over-mining has caused constant planet-wide earthquakes, and these will cause traction challenges while racing. Due to the low temperatures, some ice lakes and rivers have formed on the surface and present more traction challenges.

Tensei is currently a one-stage hill climb event (Tensei's Peak) that runs approximately 20 minutes from the coast to the peak. More hand made and/or random stages probably to come.

Earthquakes are detected by your rover's seismograph part, and give you 3 seconds to respond to the incoming quake.

Dhool
Go check this out in the demo now if you're yet to try the game! A challenging meteor wracked desert world with earth-like gravity and atmosphere.




UTV
A lightweight, front-biased 4WD with 250HP. Primary power goes to the front axle, giving the rover a somewhat FF feel, but with the highly necessary 4WD exo-planetary rally requires.

This class has no RCS thrusters, meaning no fuel weight and therefore by far the lightest rover at 1000kgs.

Rover
A 2 ton 4WD, handling much like Earth's classic 21st century trophy trucks, rear biased 4WD and 750HP. Fitted with RCS thrusters.

Mining
Re-used mining trucks once used to haul ore, these extremely heavy and cumbersome rovers require a unique and careful driving style. This rover is 6 tons, 6WD, 1900HP with no RCS thrusters.

Rally
A purpose built, 1500kg, 1200HP, no costs spared 6WD exoplanetary rally rover, with RCS thrusters.

Full List

• 4 vehicle classes
  
• 3 planets
  
• Tensei with a single locked stage + earthquakes
  
• Rallies and Series events
  
• Time trials with a custom seed option
  
• New Bennet Engineer voice
  
• New driver and team principal portrait art (all AI now removed)
  
• Some new graphics options (screen space reflections on/off, noise on/off)
  
• Longer draw distances
  
• More accurate audio reverb/falloff at distance
  
• Donuts can be circled either clockwise or anticlockwise
  
• New music
  
• Computer reports multiple damage instances instead of listing all (we’re aware of a bug that may read this warning multiple times at once)
  
• Removed “Optimize For” fuel loads (progressive suspension mostly handles this) and matched suspension stiffness on quick setup with advanced suspension settings
  
• Improved drone spare wheel replacement
  
• Added “Repair All” on service screen
  
• Numerous menu improvements/additions
  

KNOWN ISSUES

• Expect loads of problems! This build, the classes, planets, stages have all had far less testing than Dhool + Rally class.
  
• Bennet doesn't know when he's on Tensei
  
• Mining class can crash game in replays
  
• Sometimes computer reports multiple damage instances multiple times
  
• Competetive AI times only exist for the Dhool/Rally class combo
  
• Free roam results in no sound unless you Restart
  
• Rover class RCS thrusters possibly overly sensitive