- v0.12.20 Released: Sound & Particle Effect Enhancements, Tweaks, and Fixes - 30 June 2023
We've made many small improvements that add up to a decent overall effect on the gameplay experience, especially around the audiovisual cues of battle. Hyperwheel Overdrive v0.12.20 also includes various bugfixes and start-up loading optimizations. We've been refining many aspects of the game in the leadup to our crossplay Meta Quest release (no official date yet, but very soon!), which will be welcome many new players into the Hyperwheel Overdrive community. We have also included a new setting placed somewhere in the menu for a big gameplay feature not yet released... so keen players who look around may find a reference to an upcoming feature ahead of announcement! We hope you figure it out! =) v0.12.20 (Build 810): June 30, 2022 improved performance during start-up and stage loading (spaced out loading processes) improved performance when creating new player / vehicle objects improved…
- Bot AI Overhaul, Race Ghosts, and Sky Fortress Updates - 10 March 2023
Hyperwheel Overdrive v0.12.16 is here! We've undergone a major effort in overhauling our bot AI system and turning it into something that works well enough for most situations in most stages. There is no aspect of our bot AI that was untouched during this work, and the result makes for much more dynamic play when playing with bots only. For example, a bot may use a spring to try to jump over you and shoot you from behind! They will also attempt to collect green rings in collection challenges, can see player positions when their markers are visible (just like human players), and can vary their combat strategies at close range. The risk-based steering system has also had some big upgrades, which means that the bots can often drive around for awhile in Sky Fortress without being fried by the laser grid (we're working on it! =) ). They will also set targets to distant positions that they've…
- v0.12.12 Released: LIV & Sim Racing Studio Integration, Unlockable Lists - 9 December 2022
Hyperwheel Overdrive v0.12.12 has arrived and brings support for two different types of third-party software: LIV (for mixed reality capture), and Sim Racing Studio. The former includes our new LIV Camera Cube feature that lets you drag a cube in 6 different directions for custom camera modes (this only affects your LIV camera). You can control how your viewers see the match as it unfolds. Just remember to tend to your actual driving & shooting as the main priority. =) The Sim Racing Studio support involves a new setting to expose telemetry data to Sim Racing Studio for potential use with a motion simulator seat... we're excited about the prospect of trying one with Hyperwheel! We've also added unlockable Golden Ring & Stunt Gap Lists. After all prior unlockable conditions are satisfied, the lists will appear in Free Play, ready to be found. Once you have picked up a list, you can acces…
- Hyperwheel Overdrive v0.12.10 Released - 18 November 2022
With Hyperwheel Overdrive v0.12.10, we've revamped the car customization UI. Recently, we've also made some big graphical enhancements (to terrain texturing as well as grass/vegetation). As shown below. As you can see, we've significantly upped the amount of vegetation (while keeping it performant) and also made the terrain textures look better when really close and far away (look at the cliffside off to the right). The release of v0.12.10 also brings us that much closer to our Meta Quest 2 release, which will contain all content that the Steam / PC version does, which is an important fact because the Quest version will be fully cross-play compatible with the PC version for online play, which we anticipate will help improve the player base a lot. If you're interested in seeing what it looks like on the mobile VR side, we've begun sharing screenshots & videos of the Quest version on our…
- Hyperwheel Overdrive Launch, the New Demo, and the Latest Updates! - 29 July 2022
Hyperwheel Overdrive has moved beyond Early Access to full release on 2022.07.20! We are so excited to have moved beyond Early Access on July 20. The Early Access program was great for helping us refine the product with player feedback, but Hyperwheel has matured significantly over the 28 months since Early Access launch and is now ready to be considered a full-featured game and reviewed as such. Of course, we will continue to improve the game in major ways from here; leaving Early Access should not be taken to mean development is complete. In fact, we have plenty of unpublished Hyperwheel content that we'll be adding to the game going forward, along with stuff we haven't even created yet. We are also working towards an AppLab release which will improve online sessions a lot. Enjoy the Brand New Demo! To celebrate our launch, we published a brand new time-unlimited demo that includes al…
- v0.12.2 Released: Vert Ramp Physics Improvements & Xenodome Refresh - 29 June 2022
The Xenodome, designed mostly in 2019, has had a nice 2022 refresh with improved ramp positions & a new bowl corner ramp in the Southwest corner that lets you drive upside-down. The ramps are set up in a far more functional manner than the original arrangement, and the whole stage has a better flow to it than before as it is now easier to reach the more remote areas like the Upper Plate. Back in the v0.12.1 update on June 10, we also improved tire traction, especially when driving on terrain... you can hug the hills of Volcanica far better than previously. We have now also implemented a vert ramp guidance system to help the physics engine out on vert ramps; when cars have gone off a totally vertical ramp (quarterpipe), as long as they are within 5 meters of the lip of the ramp, they are subtly guided towards lip alignment so that the landings are likely to be smooth (barring any of the…
- The Big v0.12.0 Update - 31 May 2022
Hyperwheel Overdrive v0.12.0 has taken us quite awhile to get out, but the wait is worth it. This update sets the foundation for the future of Hyperwheel Overdrive on the latest Unity LTS version. We have to do some reworking to get it working for Unity's new XR system, and with that means many big optimizations including the move from single pass to single pass instanced rendering (stereo instancing). There are bunch of other technical improvements under the hood, but rather than bore you with the details, we'll just tell you the highlights, and then include the full changelog item list as always. Voice Chat Upgraded to Spatial Audio The voice chat system was hit-and-miss and more often than not during testing evenings, we had to rely on Discord anyway. We've updated the voice chat system and worked through the bugs we were experiencing and now we're left with something that is reliabl…
- v0.11.7 Released: Big Bot Upgrade! - 29 October 2021
Hyperwheel Overdrive v0.11.7 is here and it's bringing some shiny new bots with it! v0.11.7 comprises the last 2 months of development work, which includes a bunch of fixes and improvements, along with the big bot AI upgrade. No longer does Hyperwheel Overdrive need to rely on online play for some good combat action or competitive racing. We have also added an option to switch from 2 teams to 3 teams for all team-based matches. This means CTF is still an option if you have 3 players in an online session. The bot updates definitely round out the core gameplay and improve the feel of the overall game. On that note, we will be leaving Early Access for full release very soon! The new hyperwheel bots are ready to face you down in the latest update. If you don't already have a copy of the game, add it to your wishlist. You won't regret it if made-for-VR car combat & racing is your thing. See…
- v0.11.5 Released: Custom Item Positions - 6 August 2021
Hyperwheel Overdrive updates keep coming and the latest couple bring a bunch of bugfixes (not all listed in changelog) along with some long-planned but never implemented features, like the ability to set custom interactive item positions in your cockpit (power-ups, laser rifle, and thruster controls). There have also been some additional performance optimizations. v0.11.5 (Build 400): August 6, 2021 intro sequence tweaks fixed third-person camera bugs (UI & follow behaviour) fixed "Hybrid" perspective setting third-person camera activation implemented custom inventory item positions including rifle & thruster controls fixed bug where spectator collider was sometimes disabled in "Free" mode enforced time limits for server rejoin if player kicked for serious reason added low-pass audio filter for when player is submerged v0.11.4 (Build 390): August 1, 2021 more CPU optimizations fixed bug…
- v0.11.2 Released: Airborne Rotation Thrusters & Performance Optimizations - 1 July 2021
Hyperwheel Overdrive v0.11.2 brings some big performance improvements on the CPU side and adds thrusters for adjusting car rotation in mid-air (with controls that work by picking up a holographic sphere and pointing it where you want to rotate towards). This is a huge game-changer in terms of combat play; airborne players are now quite dangerous as they can face players in the air and rain rockets down on them or just take some shots with their laser rifles! We also added a new race track to Volcanica called "Island Triathlon Course", which is the only track to feature the car, boat, and plane. Transitions between the boat and plane are particularly fun. Let us know what you think about the latest update on our Discord! View the full list of v0.11.2 changes below, along with the entries for v0.11.1 as well: v0.11.2 (Build 373): July 1, 2021 added new thruster system for correcting & sta…
- v0.11.0 Released: Welcome to Sky Fortress! - 25 May 2021
Hyperwheel Overdrive v0.11.0 is here, along with our shiny new sixth stage, Sky Fortress! Be careful though; there are few guard rails! Along with the treacherous Sky Fortress comes many new features including region boundaries (smaller stage boundaries for the various selectable regions), car suspension physics improvements, an overhaul of the point steering system for the plane, and many bugfixes & tweaks! We're excited to get it out to players as it contains improvements to many things players have asked about and commented on. Check out all the awesome changes below and please keep your feedback coming! It really helps us here at Neon Engine figure out what's important. v0.11.0 (Build 351): May 25, 2021 added stage 6: "Sky Fortress" changed default forward-facing driving control mode from "Regular" to "Dual" updated driver IK system (VRIK 2.0) and set IK to be reset on respawn adjus…
- Hyperwheel Overdrive available now, get a FREE key for YOUR friend! - 23 December 2020
Grab a FREE KEY for your friend! "JOIN" the group and enter the "CHAT": https://steamcommunity.com/groups/JoinUsInVR In the CHAT area mention Hyperwheel Overdrive, the name of the friend who needs a key so they can join you (you must mention the game name to get keys from that independent steam group). Join the group play Saturday, December 26 at 1pm EST / 10 am PST / 18:00 GMT. Pilot a hyperwheel car, 2197's most versatile sport combat vehicle. Race or battle against other drivers in VR, or perform big stunts on the massive quarterpipes of the Xenodome. Take advantage of a large assortment of power-ups, as well as your laser rifle & dedicated launcher, to alter the situation in your favor. Use a plane kit to soar over the daunting HyperCorp Complex, or a boat kit to navigate the long shores of Volcanica Island! After briefly being out earlier in the year, we disabled sales for awhile t…
- Who else wants a FREE key for YOUR friend to come play with you in Hyperwheel? - 19 December 2020
Grab a FREE KEY for your friend! "JOIN" the group and enter the "CHAT": https://steamcommunity.com/groups/JoinUsInVR In the CHAT area mention Hyperwheel Overdrive, the name of the friend who needs a key so they can join you (you must mention the game name to get keys from that independent steam group). Join the group play Saturday at 1pm EST / 10 am PST / 18:00 GMT. Join us and JoinUsInVR.com for our upcoming LAUNCH PARTY! Rockets and lasers will be provided! =)
- v0.9.3 Released - 27 October 2020
We're very close to the game being available again, and v0.9.3 marks a major milestone in that journey. We're aware it has taken very long, but we are on the home stretch now and the game you'll eventually play will be awesome from moment one of your first launch! And smooth... So many issues ironed out, and even now we're continuing to make major improvements in all areas from car and plane physics, to settings & menu streamlining. For now, if you don't own the game yet and love PC VR, rest assured that the big pain points are being swiftly dealt with (the glaring issues resolved already) and you'll be launching a refined Hyperwheel Overdrive from Steam very soon. Here are the Changelog entries for v0.9.3 and v0.9.2: v0.9.3 (Build 267): October 27, 2020 added new "Play Style" selector at start-up; 2 options adjust multiple underlying settings "360° Body Rotation" play style improvement…
- v0.9.1 Released - 6 October 2020
v0.9.1 (Build 259): October 6, 2020 decreased menu size & moved it closer to player various menu page layout changes added inline option selector form field type to improve settings input simplified "View & Comfort" and "Controls" settings pages implemented UI pointer tooltip system & added tooltip messages to various UI targets added tooltip descriptions to all unlockables made UI pointers turn red when highlighting some targets renamed "Classic" control mode to "Regular" as it is used for many varying control styles added menu toggle hand interactable for third-person view adjusted Motion Lines to work in third-person view eliminated third-person camera height jitter improved third-person view offsets for all World Scale / Follow Distance combinations adjusting extrapolation settings to slightly smooth networked car position updates fixed bug where deployable spawn point changed to wr…
- v0.9.0 Released - 21 August 2020
It's been awhile since we announced an update. Over the summer, we quietly put up v0.8.15, v0.8.16, and v0.8.17 that all contained various feature improvements and fixes. Here are all the changelogs, including the brand new v0.9.0 that goes live today! This represents a major development milestone and, while we're not quite ready to put a date on allowing sales of the game to new players, it will happen soon. Please bear with us for a little while longer. We can hardly wait to get new players into the world of Hyperwheel Overdrive! The multiplayer experience is a blast. Much of what has happened over our summer can be summed up as: massive comfort improvements implementation of a proper third-person aiming system & improving the third-person camera the addition of "Hand Position" and "Hand Point" controls, along with the refining of existing analog stick / trackpad controls Basically, t…
- v0.8.14 Released: Homing Rockets! - 25 June 2020
The Homing Rocket power-up has been in the game design since the beginning, but has not been implemented until now! If there aren't any other players or bots, the Homing Rocket (just like the other new power-up, the Seeker Ball) will target the only player. This makes it easy to practice evasive techniques (and also offensive strategies in the case of the Seeker Ball). Flatland has had some geometry changes as well that close down a few sight lines and assist in the greater potential of car vs. boat combat (a new platform has been added over parts of the pool). The other change to Flatland was the changing of the wall and ceiling textures to various metal textures to differentiate them better from the concrete floor. v0.8.14 (Build 223): June 25, 2020 added Homing Rocket power-up updated Flatland geometry (new platform over the water in the pool for car vs. boat combat) and changed out…
- v0.8.13 Released: Hand Position Controls & New Regions System - 20 June 2020
It is now possible to have all-boat and all-plane combat matches in each of the 5 stages (okay, no boat in Xenodome... but then again, there's also no water in Xenodome) thanks to the new Regions system, which allows selection of different sets of spawn points within the stages, some of which are set to start players with boats and planes. Also, check out the new hand position controls; set your throttle, steering, plane pitch, or plane roll inputs to either your left or right hand to control the vehicle by moving your hand left / right (for steering or plane roll) or forward / backward (for throttle and plane pitch). Let us know what you think about these new features, along with the many comfort features that have been added in the last few weeks! v0.8.13 (Build 220): June 20, 2020 implemented new regions system that contains sets of spawn points within the stages regions defined in a…
- v0.8.11 Released, Purchases Temporarily Unavailable - 9 June 2020
Over the couple months since release, we've identified, along with our testers and players, a number of things that need to be fixed to ensure new players' first experiences with Hyperwheel Overdrive are comfortable and properly introductory, especially given the fact that our game is more demanding for comfort-enhancing allowances than many other VR games. Because we want to offer a first-time experience to people that is comfortable and easy to get into, we've decided to temporarily pull the ability to purchase the game while we take it back to the garage to tweak. Existing players will still be able to install the game and download updates as normal, but new players will have to wait until we, along with our testers, feel that it's ready. We're hoping to keep this period short and get the game back out and available as soon as we are able to though, and so potential buyers should WIS…
- v0.8.9 Released: Flatland - 28 May 2020
v0.8.9 (Build 210): May 27, 2020 added new "Flatland" stage for learning the basics without so much ramp inteference and made it the starting stage moved Vector Stadium ahead of Xenodome which makes Xenodome stage 3 now instead of stage 1 fixed menu bug where Match page buttons were sometimes being activated when on another menu page fixed bug where potency for all stunt modifiers was being decreased in Stunt matches rather than just the active ones fixed bug where stunt modifiers become increasingly powerful fixed sparks particle system bug that over time results in the inability to cause damage to players reduced jitter in car physics reduced cases where wheel colliders catch the surface of an incline and upset the car dampened boat buoyant forces based on vertical velocity to make bounces out from the water less extreme fixed stunt bug where air time could be longer than the total st…
