SpeedRunners 2: King of Speed News

Hey, speedrunners,

The SR 2 team here to give you a heads-up that we're going to wrap the Steam Open Playtest up at 12 pm CEST / 3 am PDT / 6 am EDT on September 23rd (tomorrow). Enjoy the game and, of course, keep that feedback coming! Love ya all.

It's underway, everybody. Be fast or be last, baby.🏃

If you've previously signed up for participation, check your inbox for an email with instructions. If you haven't signed up, do so right now on our Steam page! Please keep in mind that we will be inviting players in waves (meaning not everyone at once), so if you weren't in the first wave, please be patient: your email should arrive shortly.

[previewyoutube]TRAILER EMBED[/previewyoutube]
SpeedRunners 2 is a perfect game to play with your friends. When you receive that invitation by email, you'll be able to invite up to three buddies to run with you, so make sure to do that!

Now, it's a time for a very important disclaimer: This is the first version of SpeedRunners 2 we are sharing with the public, so everything is subject to change as we keep developing the game; so please forgive us at least some of the bugs and issues you might encounter! We wholeheartedly believe that the gameplay of SpeedRunners is timeless and unique, and we want the sequel to be attractive and accessible for new players while at the same time keeping all the little things that made SpeedRunners special for players who have known and loved it for a long time. We are going to carefully consider all your feedback (which you can fill in this form or share in our Discord or on Steam forums), and work hard on the game to make it live up to all expectations. For the Open Playtest, most of the familiar modes would be available, while at the same time, we are introducing a couple of brand new modes that we always wanted to do for SpeedRunners 1, but weren't able to due to engine/netcode limitations. Let's go into more detail on that.

[h3]NEW MODES[/h3]

• 🏆 Tournament Mode: an ultimate SpeedRunners battle royale! 64 contenders and only one champion. Make your way from the Round of 16 to the Finals, outrun others, and come out on top.
  

  

• 🏃 8-Players Mode: Online casual competition for up to 8 people, chaotic but very fun!

We would appreciate it if you tried out these new modes and shared your feedback with us. Now, let us review the classic stuff that already made its way to the playtest.

[h3]CLASSIC MODES [/h3]

• 🥇 Ranked: Earn points & climb the ranks.
  
• 🚀 Quick Match: Outrun other players in casual best-of-three runs.
  
• 🎮 Local Versus: Ruin your relationship with friends in couch multiplayer.😬 You can also train against bots of varying difficulty in this mode.
  
• 🚪 Custom Lobby: Create your own public or private lobby or join an existing one.
  
• 🎯 Practice mode for solo runs and training. There's a basic tutorial for first-timers and a selection of advanced tutorials to teach you complex techniques.
  

[h3]RUNNERS[/h3]
Let us be clear: we think all the runners from the original game are awesome. Your favorites will be coming back and eventually getting their spotlight. Still, we had to prioritize it. So, for our Open Playtest, here's what you're getting:

• SpeedRunner
  
• Cosmonaut Comrade
  
• Hothead
  
• Moonraker
  
• Unic
  
• Surprise! A wild Maneki Neko appears!

Yes, she has definitely changed. We've given her a new look to match the sequel's upgraded visuals and vibe, so it's safe to say that's Maneki Neko 2.0 for you right there! Let us know what you think about the new design in the comments.

[h3]MAPS[/h3]
Eventually, our goal is to bring all of the most beloved SR 1 maps to SR 2, and some of the best officials are already available. To spice it up a little, every map is going to have an alternative layout for you to learn! Here's the list of maps you get to play during the Open Playtest:

• Ⓜ️ Metro (Layouts A & B)
  
• 🎰 Casino ((Layouts A & B)
  
• 🚢 SS Royale (Layouts A & B)
  
• ...and a brand new official map called Museum (Layouts A & B apply to it as well)
  

[hr][/hr]There you have it, speedrunners! Enjoy the game and please, *please!* send us feedback on how it plays. Report bugs here and share your thoughts on this subforum or on our Discord server, the link to which is below.👇



Our dev crew will be streaming the game live on Discord today (Sep 19) from 7:15 pm CET/10:15 am PT until 8 pm CET/11 am PT, so feel free to hop on. Apart from that, we're planning on holding a community playtest tournament tomorrow, September 20th, at 6 pm CET/9 am PT: Some of the best SpeedRunners players literally of all time will be competing, so you don't want to miss that. It'll be streamed live on tinyBuild's YouTube channel.

Consider supporting us by wishlisting the game; also, follow our Steam page to keep up with the news.

Hey, Speedrunners!

[h3]We're ready to reveal the start date of the Open Playtest! It will begin on September 19th at 10 am PT/1 pm ET/7 pm CET.[/h3]

Tell your friends (I mean, your future rivals)! And, if you still haven't signed up for the Playtest, now's the perfect time to do so:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/3183760/SpeedRunners_2_King_of_Speed/
If you're granted access to the playtest, you'll receive an email with further instructions. Note that we will send out invites in waves, so if you're not granted access immediately after the playtest goes live, don't worry—that email may land in your inbox in a bit.

🚀 What's to expect from the playtest?
We're delivering 4 maps (each with 2 layouts), 5 (or maybe 6??) runners, and several multiplayer modes: 8-Players Mode, Tournament, Quick Match, Ranked, and Local MP. In addition, you'll be able to run against bots, practice, and learn advanced techniques in tutorials. The option to create custom lobbies is there, too.

Be fast or be last! See you all next week.

[hr][/hr]Join our Discord Community to chat with other speedrunners and share ideas with the devs directly:



Consider supporting us by wishlisting the game; also, follow our Steam page to keep up with the news.

[hr][/hr]
This is a series of developer "Speed Blogs" dedicated to the development of SpeedRunners 2: King of Speed. They are meant to give you a better idea of what kind of game it'll be when it comes out. Expect development updates, peeks into the creative process, and simply cool details about the upcoming sequel. Today in Speed Blog №2, let's talk about brand new Tournament and 8-Player modes and why we thought implementing them would be a splendid idea.

[h2]🏆 TOURNAMENTS[/h2]

To state something that's absolutely obvious, SpeedRunners is a very competitive game. "Who's the fastest?" is one of the main questions in the community, and what is the best way to get an answer than good old playoffs? Since the first game didn't have an official way to play tournaments, we decided to fix that in the sequel.

The Tournament mode is meant to serve as a means for many players to get together and engage with one another simultaneously. Besides, we feel casual players will appreciate the ability to participate in tournaments since matches there are snappier—best-of-two instead of the classic best-of-three. Hence, less pressure compared to the Ranked mode.

[h3]HOW IT WORKS[/h3]
Tournaments are not tied to a specific time and are held continuously.

Matchmaking for tournaments works similarly to quick matches. If you search for a tournament, the game puts you in the bracket that's the fullest at the moment, but has fewer than 64 players.

• Maximum players: 64
  
• Players are shuffled into 4-player matches
  
• The tournament is held over four playoff rounds, with single elimination
  
• The top 2 players advance in Rounds 1–2 (Round of 16 and quarterfinals)👇
  
  
  
  
• Only the 1st-place finisher advances in Rounds 3–4 (semifinals and finals)
  
• The winner of the final match becomes the champion
  
• Spectating will be available!
  

[h3]SPECTATOR MODE[/h3]



Speaking of spectating, do you see that Ui element in the left-hand corner of the screen? If you click on that field or press X, a code will be revealed that, when shared, can allow people to spectate the tournament you're in.

A participant can spectate the rest of the tournament from which they've been eliminated. You can also select any tournament from the list and watch speedrunners compete from start to finish. Just a head-up, though—you won't be able to join a match that's underway as a spectator.

We don't currently have a way for people to join the same tournament as you, other than being in the same region and joining within the same minute, but we plan to add that functionality eventualy.

[h3]PROGRESSION[/h3]
"Okay, I won a tournament. What do I get?" As of now, we have plans to add a badge to the player profile that will count your wins. This is our projected scope for the launch. After we've launched, we might introduce more cool rewards like cosmetics. Creating your own custom tournament? We have this idea on our "things-to-consider-during-Early-Access" list!



[h3]DEVELOPMENT CHALLENGES[/h3]
Okay, great. We came up with the idea to implement tournaments. Sounds fun, and it really fits the game. There's a "but," however: What if players are so good that they just keep running? And running. And running. Competition can't drag on forever, now can it?

First, to keep tournaments within a specific timeframe, we shortened the number of rounds to win from 3 to 2, as we already mentioned above. Our game designers also considered a timer-based elimination system, which was tested... and not liked. We'll probably just start spamming rockets if a tournament match drags on for too long... I'm serious, we're considering that. If you have more ideas, feel free to share them in the comments below—we'd be uber-happy to read them, guys!

[h2]🏃 8-PLAYER MODE[/h2]

At the prototyping stage, our team wondered how to make the game bigger than the first one. Why not just double the max number of players in an online match? We believe this simple but effective solution can inject more chaos and fun into casual runs (yup, 8-player matches will not be available in Ranked). Character outlines and toning down the level backgrounds should help with visibility.

In this mode, the ring of fire appears and begins shrinking as soon as a player is eliminated.

Just like the Tournaments, you'll be able to test this mode during the upcoming public playtest.

[hr][/hr]

That should do it for today, speedrunners! Let me know what you think about this Speed Blog in the comments.

Last but not least, can't wrap this post up without addressing the elephant in the room. Yes, I'm talking about the playtest. It's coming real soon, folks: Our "before the end of the summer" promise stands, so keep your eyes peeled for an announcement. And sign up, if you haven't.

[hr][/hr]Join our Discord Community to chat with other speedrunners and share ideas with the devs directly:



Consider supporting us by wishlisting the game; also, follow our Steam page to keep up with the news.

[hr][/hr]
We're happy to kick off a series of developer "Speed Blogs." They'll be dedicated to the making of SpeedRunners 2: King of Speed—to give you a better idea what kind of a game it'll be. Expect development updates, peeks into the creative process, and just some cool details about the upcoming sequel. Let's dive right into the first blog.

In the first blog, let's focus on the world and level design of the second chapter. "Why did you guys decide to make SpeedRunners 2 in the first place?", you may ask. Well, it's no secret how beloved the first game is among you, members of the community. "Let's take SR1 with all its classic levels and make it even better and prettier," we thought. Easy?

Not at all.

[h3]🎨 2D → 3D[/h3]

You might've already heard that we're transitioning from 2D to 3D with SpeedRunners Part Two. We really hope this change will allow us to do justice to the series and make both the original levels—"officials"—and fresh maps look more vibrant and immersive. There's always a catch, though, right? Make them too busy or colorful, and players will struggle to keep track of their characters and tell what's going on on the screen.

After releasing our first two trailers, we received community feedback about a certain amount of visual clutter. Our team is currently making sure to address those valid concerns. We've added adaptive character outlines that change their...

• Size—depending on camera distance.
  
• Color—depending on the runner and skin you equip
  

We've also implemented player indicators and cleaned the backgrounds of redundant detail. In essence, our goal is to make the sequel look different from SR1 without compromising the gameplay and disrupting the display of those speedy skills of yours.

Would SpeedRunners be the same without its traditional futuristic setting? Not on our watch! Here's how our studio is approaching worldbuilding.

[h3]🌇 THE SETTING[/h3]
The utopian aesthetic with a distinct "Atomic Age" vibe is making a comeback.⚛️ We were heavily inspired by the American retro-futurism of the 1950s: Comic books, illustrations, and other art forms from that era served as references. You can also say that SpeedRunners 2 has some things in common with the Fantastic Four franchise when it comes to the art direction.


Another source of inspiration for our artists has been the Googie architecture, with its slick arches and upswept rooftops. As you can already notice, the world feels very "analogue"—no holograms or any of that digital stuff!


Now that we've settled on the art direction, it's time to put work into level design. "The 'officials' from the first game were great, but how can we refine those levels?" Enter alternative layouts.

[h3]🔄 ALTERNATIVE LEVEL LAYOUTS[/h3]
Each map will have two variations:

• Layout A. If a map is returning from SpeedRunners 1, Layout A's track is identical to its counterpart from the original game. The background, details, and decor, like signs and ads, may be different.
  
• Layout B—an alternative variation. Sometimes, Layout B is the more challenging of the two, where SpeedRunners gigachads will have the chance to showcase their technical prowess.
  

Example 1☝️ Layout B of the Museum stage introduces some fresh level design decisions to encourage players to mix up wall jumping/floating with the usage of the grappling hook.

Example 2☝️

The original levels had been created before the SpeedRunners meta crystalized. That was one of the reasons why we decided to implement alternative layouts in the first place—for them to lean towards the meta for more challenging play.

[h3]🛠️ OTHER PLANNED FEATURES[/h3]
We're putting maximum love and care into SpeedRunners 2, and our crew is eager to shake things up so that the second installment offers new things to the player base. Note that some of these will be introduced at launch, and some throughout early access.

• 8 Player Mode! This experimental mode is already working—we've tested it internally many times, and it seems chaotic and fun so far. In the future, we plan on constructing new maps specifically suited for that mode. By the way, there will only be casual 8-player matches, no ranked.
  
• Spectator mode. Watch your friends outrun each other. Or host a tournament and oversee it.
  
• Breakable glass shortcuts: move at a certain speed to break the glass and take a different route.
  

  

  NOTE: This GIF ☝️ was taken from the game's tutorial, so it doesn't show an actual shortcut. It's just to give you an idea of what those shortcuts would look like.
• Lasers: Disable them to reach and pick up a cosmetic collectable.
  

  

• Speaking of collectables, we'll hide cool easter eggs on stages for you to discover, and some of them will be really tough to find!
  
• Level editor (after the Early Access launch) and bringing popular community maps from the first to the second game. Speaking of community-made zones, our designers integrated many good ideas from workshop creations into our new speedrunning arenas.
  
• And finally, time leaderboards for every map—so that you can compete with other players and show off your records!
  

[hr][/hr]

That would do it for today, speedrunners. Let us know how you feel about this here Speed Blog, and expect the next one to arrive in the near future.

I know the first question on everybody's minds is: "Where is the playtest, mate?" We're cooking, and it'll arrive sooner than later; our team is taking that extra time to make the whole thing more enjoyable for you all. Keep your eyes peeled for the announcement when it drops. Love ya all, and until next time!

[hr][/hr]Join our Discord Community to chat with other speedrunners and share ideas with the devs directly:



Also, wishlist follow our game on Steam to stay updated with the latest news.