SpeedRunners 2: King of Speed News

[h2]What's up, Speedrunners, [/h2]

Antishyr here, SR 2's community manager. First and foremost, thank you. We appreciate you all joining the playtest and checking out what we have in store for you with the current version of SpeedRunners 2—that was the first and important step of a long, ahem... run, and we are very happy to be on it together with you all.

Almost 70k unique players tried the playtest build, a few thousand have left us feedback using the in-game feedback form, and we also have hundreds of feedback topics I'm going through as we speak on Steam and Discord—with valuable insights, detailed comments, and kind words. It's awesome to see a lot of interest, love, and care for the game.

HERE'S A SHORT LIST HIGHLIGHTING OUR CURRENT MAIN PRIORITIES

• Improving general gameplay flow. Countless improvements for UI/UX to make playing one match after another without interruptions and redundant actions feel more fluid.
  
• Various movement & animation tweaks to make the game feel smoother.
  
• Further improving the netcode based on the data we collected during the playtest.
  
• Adding means of communicating with other players
  
• Bug fixing. In particular, we'll fix that pesky bug where runners disappear at the start of a match.
  
• QoL additions, like saving your last runner choice.
  
• Revamping the Tournament mode.
  
• Experimenting with some new gameplay mechanics we have in store.
  

New content, like new runners and levels, is also on the way! It'll take some time to bring the game to the level we want it to be and to the level you guys deserve; the first game was also released in Early Access back in 2013 and spent some time in that phase before finally releasing Version 1.0 in 2016. We plan to stick to a similar route with SpeedRunners 2, updating it gradually, listening to and considering community feedback on every iteration. Expect our next public beta to happen very soon!

Last but not least, special thanks to Mr. SilentChaos and Edakk for hosting an invitational tournament—Open Playtest Trial Cup—with me. This competition was a collaborative effort between tinyBuild, the game's publisher, and the community. Congratulations to the winners:

🥇 Redz
🥈 Edakk
🥉 David
4️⃣ Ahmad

If you want to rewatch the cup, here's the link.
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Anyways, guys, thanks again for playing, follow the page for future news, and join our official Discord server. We'll let you know as soon as we know what's next for the game.

Be fast or be last!
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Wishlist the game and follow our Steam page to keep up with the latest news.

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

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.

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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.

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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.