Little Racers 1.2 available for download

Finally, after a troubled review, the v1.2 update is available for download. You’ll have to redownload the game since updates aren’t automatic yet in Xbox Community Games.

You can do it directly from this link, or in the Xbox Marketplace in Community Games -> Racing & Flying -> Little Racers.

Remember the changes for this revision. The most important ones are the freezing fix and the incorporation of the Multiplayer mode.

Full Change log from the v1.1 version:

Bugfixes

  • Fixed freeze issues that happened on V1.1, they were due to the Sound.Play() framework bug and memory leaks.

Gameplay tweaks

  • Lightened car textures to improve visibility and details.
  • Reduced engine volume
  • Handicap effect is more smoothed to reduce the “stats hiccup” that it could produce
  • Set a minimum speed below which the car doesn’t reduce speed when crashing
  • Now cars going over a wrong side can’t collide with other cars. They get a ghost effect when this happens.
  • Crashes don’t affect car attributes at all (before they did for half second).
  • Improved cars grip.
  • Cars are slowed a little more when skidding
  • Cars can turn a little better when skidding.
  • Reduced a bit max car speed.
  • “Random” Car class only selects classes between E and A, to avoid too slow or too fast cars.
  • Lessened wait time after choosing cars to 3 seconds

Improvements

  • Improved a lot game performance on crowded races.
  • Improved ingame font readibility.
  • Improved upsell screen.
  • Sign in screen shows the sign in level needed (Guest on local games, Signed in on System Link, and Gold over Xbox LIVE).
  • Reduced gamertag text size on sign in screens.
  • Improved the song start system when starting a race.
  • Player icons aren’t show on race countdown
  • Improved skid particles

New features

    • Online Multiplayer mode
    • System link, Xbox Live
    • Integrated championship mode, can be restarted over and over.
    • Joining system much like Race Driver GRID: You can join while a race is in progress but cannot race until the current race finishes.
    • Allows host migration
    • Allows invites
    • Quick join and find game features.
    • Public and private session features.
  • Added dynamic obstacles to many tracks, they serve two purposes: Add more movement on screen (races were a bit “static”) and serve as walls, but less clausthrophobic.
  • When a crash issue is found, the game tries to show the exception message on screen instead to giving a Code 4 directly.
  • Added one extra particle effect on crash
  • Added intermitent vibration when going off track or over the pianos.
  • Added a cloud system to add some extra variety to tracks.
  • Added 2 new tracks, “Derby” and “Asphalt”
  • Now the time difference to the car in first place is shown when finishing a lap.
  • Car color configuration is saved automaticallly for each player.
  • Race configuration is saved automatically.
  • Added a tips section that browses all the loading tips available.
  • Added ingame sounds for events like race start, race finish and last lap.
  • Now cars leave a colored trail when going fast.
  • Added a detailed trail when the car is going in first place.
  • Added a section about car attributes on the how to play.

And many other minor improvements.

Tags:

  • XBL: Armadillo Punk says:

    NOOO!! You took out the epic drifting physics. That’s the reason I bought this game! Version 1.2 is dead to me. Good thing I have a copy of 1.0 and 1.1 on my 360’s hard drive.

  • WaaghMan says:

    I’m sorry you don’t like the new handling scheme, but I’m afraid that it will stay. The new handling makes it far easier to complete laps without crashing too much, and since you can clear corners faster, we think it’s still very spectacular.

    If I were you I would give v1.2 a second chance and get a car with low grip, to check if that fits you.

  • crimson says:

    i love the new patch alot but wall bouncing is becoming easier to do with the enhansed handeling and it is now almost faster to not even touch the breaks in corners.

  • WaaghMan says:

    Thanks for your feedback. Although wall bouncing now is probably easier, usually is faster to turn the corner as usual, you have to rely a lot on luck to take corners by crashing into walls.

    About the brake issue, it’s absolutely true, except on very thigh corners. It’s a shame but we’ve had to make it easier. The opposite (making cars slide so much that it would be mandatory to brake before corners) did not generate a good feedback from testers.