GeneRally 2 - Pre-Alpha Demo Released

Where to discuss the official sequel. Developers blog, kickstarter, your experience with pre-alpha demo, ideas etc.
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bduddy
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Re: Developer Blog

Post by bduddy »

Maybe it's just my PC, but the aliasing of the shadows looks really bad, almost like GT5-ish. A couple other minor things... It seems way too easy to get hung up on the low walls. Also, a lot of the cars hit their top speeds way too early for my taste, halfway down the straights or earlier (and this isn't a very long track!). I know that's probably a car issue more than an engine issue, and other people may disagree...
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Trigger Happy
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Re: Developer Blog

Post by Trigger Happy »

Similarly like puttz mentions the chimney I hope there will be also uncovered stand, in GR1 is great we can choose if to make roof or not or mix it on one track. It'd be IMHO pretty large step backwards having all stands mandatory covered. :scratch:
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James
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Re: Developer Blog

Post by James »

Trigger Happy wrote:Also the tyre barriers remind me rather concrete walls, not a feeling of hitting something softening my crash (contrary to GR red soft wall). Finally (and mentioned already too) hay bales are way too light, in theory their point on track is to bit safely slow down the car before it hits something hard, but it does almost nothing to car speed atm.
Both of those things are on the agenda to improve :)
The Formula and Group C are very twitchy. — As if one is guiding a missile through an obstacle course rather than driving a car on a track. I may have to look to other cars for my balanced racing purposes.
As Kimmo mentioned above, we're still refining car physics (after all, this is still very early in the development process) and the Formula is definitely going to be undergoing some tweaks to bring it more in line with a GR1 Formula 'feel' :)
puttz wrote:Ah, one thing I noticed. I hope that you will make it possible to have the large office blocks without the air conditioners on top? Because it would look strange and also probably make a big hit on framerate, especially on lower-end computers. And also, it looks like the new office blocks will not work as well to combine to make city streets or more unique buildings. I hope there is a version of the office block that will have a flat top so that we can put a bunch together to make fancier buildings like in GR1.
Trigger Happy wrote:Similarly like puttz mentions the chimney I hope there will be also uncovered stand, in GR1 is great we can choose if to make roof or not or mix it on one track. It'd be IMHO pretty large step backwards having all stands mandatory covered. :scratch:
We're going to try and give trackmakers as many options as possible - we're planning to have toggle-able options on most objects, which would allow for things like choosing whether you want catch fencing on walls, the roof on stands, the AC on office blocks, etc.
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Re: Developer Blog

Post by Glen »

James wrote:Both of those things are on the agenda to improve :)
Could you create a "GR2 Agenda" topic were you will list the things to do, in progress and done? :shy:

We could make suggestions here in the "Developer Blog" topic. I'm very interrested in how you guy's are working.

EDIT: oh i'm in the "GeneRally 2 - Pre-Alpha Demo Released"
Last edited by Glen on Thu Apr 03, 2014 11:19 am, edited 1 time in total.
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TuomoH
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Re: GeneRally 2 - Pre-Alpha Demo Released

Post by TuomoH »

Splitted the pre-alpha discussion to a new thread. :)
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Crowella
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Re: Developer Blog

Post by Crowella »

TheZkip wrote:
Crowella wrote:The physics feel really strange. I tried the Formula style car and it seems like the front end just "floats" when you hit a sunk tyre or go over hills, then it feels overly heavy everywhere else. It's kind of strange as if any weight/downforce disappears when the wheels are lifted. Still early days but it feels very different and I can't say whether I like it or not. Feels very slow too compared to the old cars, not that I think it's a bad thing though. I think I've figured out what seems so different about these physics and I believe when I was trying the mini, it felt like there was roll so it seems to still want to turn when you let go. If that is not a controller thing, then that feels fantastic, like there is weight and roll. :)
The stuff you described about the formula car is mainly because of how downforce is applied at the moment. And it is as you described: the downforce only affects the car when the wheels touch ground. It really is a temporary hack before we get something that works properly and doesn't cause weird behaviour. Well, the current behaviour is a bit weird too, but it was the lesser of two evils at the time it was done. The car feeling heavy is also because of the downforce.

Also yes, there is indeed body roll and pitch as the car can move freely on its suspension. This causes the loads on the tyres to be different when accelerating/braking/cornering and gives you a mild feeling of oversteer/understeer. The effect most apparent on monstertruck as it has quite a big body movement.
Awesome to know. :bg: Yeah, I can tell you from figuring out real world examples that forces can actually be a difficult thing to calculate on the fly (stupid pun) (when for example, the car goes airborne ;) ) but it feels cool none the less. :bg:

The feeling on exiting corners is fantastic. I like how the racing has become a lot more difficult so I can see once tyre wear comes in where this will feel a lot more dynamic. I do think they are perhaps a little slow still and a bit odd handling with the high downforce but it's a great start. :D
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Re: GeneRally 2 - Pre-Alpha Demo Released

Post by Hangman »

I'm not sure if I like the analog steering, it just feels very different. I hope there will at least be an option to have it fully digital.

Other than that, I'm looking forward to more updates! Online play pls :)
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Re: GeneRally 2 - Pre-Alpha Demo Released

Post by Whiplash »

How about classic (local) PC version of the demo? I'm afraid this one will not be attractive enough for the people who aren't familiar with the GeneRally game yet.
Anyway, even I had no such a smooth experience by my browser, I still see great improvements. :bg:
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Re: GeneRally 2 - Pre-Alpha Demo Released

Post by XYY »

I have to say, that I really like all of the visual stuff seen so far in this demo, even the higher-poly cars :bg: Hopefully there'll as well be a classic mode (or extra objects) so that we're able to make things just as simple as in GR1.
I didn't like so much the physics of the cars, so if it is possible to make it more like in GR1, I would really appreciate it ;)

And I want to say thank you for all the stuff that has been made already. If you continue like this, GR 2 will be awesome :bsmile:
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Re: GeneRally 2 - Pre-Alpha Demo Released

Post by Scholl »

Maybe it would be a good idea not to change the physics (at least of the original cars, General, Formula, Mini etc.) at all.
If that´s possible with the new game engine.
Never change a winning team... IMO the physics of Generally1 are perfect, so why should they be changed?
I think many guys in this forum would agree.

As far as I understood, car creators will be able to change the physics of the car they create, so there will still be enough freedom for change.

Another question, I´m not sure if it has been answered already.
How many colors will be there be on the palette of the Generally2 Lmap?
Will it still be possible to use paint and do the pixel-for-pixel work as it is now?

How many pixels will the map have? Still 512*512?
For example in GR1: When you paint something green in paint it will not simply be green in the game but grass (a mix of green/dark green/brown).
Will it stay this way?
I think it would be the end of many guys track-making career if the number of pixels would be increased too much. :worried:
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Re: GeneRally 2 - Pre-Alpha Demo Released

Post by Glen »

Scholl wrote:For example in GR1: When you paint something green in paint it will not simply be green in the game but grass (a mix of green/dark green/brown).
Will it stay this way?
You can see a grass texture if you look closely :D
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Re: GeneRally 2 - Pre-Alpha Demo Released

Post by James »

Scholl wrote:Maybe it would be a good idea not to change the physics (at least of the original cars, General, Formula, Mini etc.) at all.
If that´s possible with the new game engine.
Never change a winning team... IMO the physics of Generally1 are perfect, so why should they be changed?
I think many guys in this forum would agree.
The physics of the cars will be adjusted, but one of the major reasons behind even starting out on GeneRally 2 was that the way in which GR1's physics were implemented prevented us from doing a lot of things we wanted to do (like rolling cars, proper moveable objects, different vehicle types, etc.).
Another question, I´m not sure if it has been answered already.
How many colors will be there be on the palette of the Generally2 Lmap?
Will it still be possible to use paint and do the pixel-for-pixel work as it is now?
How many pixels will the map have? Still 512*512?
Land map is larger than 512x512, but we've not gone and just stuck a zero on the end or anything, it's a reasonable increase (but exact number TBC). There's still a limited palette, and plenty of room for pixel-by-pixel work :)
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Re: GeneRally 2 - Pre-Alpha Demo Released

Post by RodSk8Punk »

About the track colors...

Would it be possible to have a separate texture for color and for type of terrain (tarmac, grass, sand etc.)?
That way, we could have a painting on tarmac for instance, but it still being tarmac. That could be cool.
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Re: GeneRally 2 - Pre-Alpha Demo Released

Post by bgcatfan »

Very nice. I love the graphics and I like the night cycle better than I thought I would. I have nothing important to add regarding bugs or physics that hasn't been mentioned already.

My only suggestion, and this is not related to the demo itself, is to have the background color change with the color of the sky. I personally miss the bright blue background from G1, but I think actually it would be cool to have it change as if it were bright blue in the day, to almost black at night. If this isn't a possibility then I would suggest a slightly brighter color for the background, but no biggy.

Keep up the good work! :)

P.S. And congrats on the baby!
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Re: GeneRally 2 - Pre-Alpha Demo Released

Post by Crowella »

Another thing I didn't notice until I used a controller, there's a reset switch for the car if your car gets stuck. That's fantastic! :)

Curious to see what the hit boxes are like. I did my best to topple the monster truck and I did, but I ended up like this. :geek:

Also noted the GroupC shoots up sparks on the straight on the left hand side. Under carriage scraping or front hitting? :shock:
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Re: GeneRally 2 - Pre-Alpha Demo Released

Post by Marco »

I don't know if it was said earlier, but I'd sugest putting headlamps on GroupC aswell ;)
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Re: GeneRally 2 - Pre-Alpha Demo Released

Post by Canadiens1160 »

A great start. Unbelievable :up:









:shhh:
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Re: GeneRally 2 - Pre-Alpha Demo Released

Post by jefcam »

Have to see the improved experience/car identification when racing at night (by using “spotlights” to locate player cars instead of glowing cars). Can this be an option on or off. As it might look a bit unrealistic.
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Re: GeneRally 2 - Pre-Alpha Demo Released

Post by Black Rebel »

Agree on this last coment.

Apart I have to say the pre-alpha demo is stunning and I see perfectly all the reasons that took you to start working on GR2, as GR1 was a perfect game, but with many diferent things to get improved. Per example the 3d objexts diversity, the palettes a bit too limited, and of course that top things you are adding as the night/day transition, headlights, smoke, fog, etc.

Do you think guys it would be possible to create a weather model aswell?

After trying quite a lot the demo, an idea came to my mind. As tracks are normally created with invisble checkpoints, etc. It woud be great to include track marshalls showing yellow flags when one damaged car cross through one of these specific checkpoints, so you can know there is an upcoming danger with an slow car. Maybe it is really hard to do, but it would add a really nice touch to the game.

Apart, I think that dust should fade away a bit slower than it does now. It would make it look even better IMO.

About, the game features, I am sure I might have missed the specs, but I am curious to know how many cars will be able to get on track same time.
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Re: GeneRally 2 - Pre-Alpha Demo Released

Post by Tedminator »

James wrote:(Thread split from the developer blog thread)

Please remember this is very early in the development process, so there will be lots of bugs and issues and many features are not working as intended yet :)

hey wow.. thats awesome that a GR2 is in the works. Best of luck with it and the Kickstarter :bg:
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Re: GeneRally 2 - Pre-Alpha Demo Released

Post by nielske »

Oh wow, I'm super late. I need to check this place more often than once every 3 months.

First of all, I'm really enthusiastic about the demo. I love the smoke and the day and night cycle, and the way the objects behave.

There are a few things that I don't like, though, and I suppose now is the best time to tell you ;)

1) The colors. GR1 has a very soft, pastel, unsaturated look to it which gave it a really unique appearance. In the demo, everything is simply way too shiny and over-saturated. The lit sides of the objects are too bright, and the unlit sides are too dark. It looks too 'digital'. I know how hard it is to get colors right, but I really hope that you guys will take another look at it. For me, the 'faded jeans' look of GR1 was just perfect.

2) The steering is too sluggish. I liked the snappy, responsive feel that the original GR cars had. I enjoyed the races being like watching a pack of hyperactive dogs running down a track. It's not terribly realistic, I admit, but it suited the game well.

Those two issues are really key, for me. I'd like to hear what other people think about this. (Well, okay, many have already commented on the steering)

Anyway. Thank you very much for the time you're investing in the development of this sequel. I have high hopes for it :)
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Re: GeneRally 2 - Pre-Alpha Demo Released

Post by puttz »

nielske wrote:
2) The steering is too sluggish. I liked the snappy, responsive feel that the original GR cars had. I enjoyed the races being like watching a pack of hyperactive dogs running down a track. It's not terribly realistic, I admit, but it suited the game well.
They said they were working on the car physics to bring them more in line with the GR1 cars.
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Mad Dan
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Re: GeneRally 2 - Pre-Alpha Demo Released

Post by Mad Dan »

I'm sure guys will work on colors as well :) I totally agree with nielske :nod:.
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Re: GeneRally 2 - Pre-Alpha Demo Released

Post by James »

nielske wrote:1) The colors. GR1 has a very soft, pastel, unsaturated look to it which gave it a really unique appearance. In the demo, everything is simply way too shiny and over-saturated. The lit sides of the objects are too bright, and the unlit sides are too dark. It looks too 'digital'. I know how hard it is to get colors right, but I really hope that you guys will take another look at it. For me, the 'faded jeans' look of GR1 was just perfect.
Definitely something we want to 'fix' - at the moment, the vast majority of the problems you describe come from a 'known issue' on our end... we didn't feel spending days trying to tidy up that was as important early on as ensuring all the basics were there (moveable objects, good physics, etc.) - but it is in the top half of our to-do list :) I'm definitely not satisfied with the lighting at the moment - as you say, the daytime lighting leaves everything looking far too saturated. Lots of this will be fixed when we do our rework of the terrain system (after KS), as we'll then be able to have different shaders for different surfaces (whereas now it's essentially only one).
2) The steering is too sluggish. I liked the snappy, responsive feel that the original GR cars had. I enjoyed the races being like watching a pack of hyperactive dogs running down a track. It's not terribly realistic, I admit, but it suited the game well.
Part of this is the input lag to the web-player (which, in hindsight, was not the best choice for our demo), and the other part of that has been (hopefully) fixed in the build for KS :) We'll definitely be looking for more feedback on that build to ensure we're getting closer to the mark!

Always good to get solid feedback :bg: We're always reading and listening as, ultimately, we don't want to make a "new game", we want to make a "new GeneRally game" :)
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Re: GeneRally 2 - Pre-Alpha Demo Released

Post by nielske »

Thanks for your explanation James :)!

I'm really looking forward to this, so I'll be sure to follow things a little more closely than I have been.
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