HIGHLIGHTS

• Tournament Mode
  
• A new demolition derby arena: The Maw
  
• Support for American All-Star Car Pack
  
• Up to 80% shorter loading times
  
• Stability and performance improvements
  

We're pleased to announce the availability of Tournament Update!

The eponymous Tournament Mode is all about putting your racing and wrecking skills to the ultimate test by competing in thrilling challenges, not only against the game, but also against the other players! It all boils down to being a boss by winning trophies in challenges and earning fame, with new challenges coming every day, every week and every month, and then using the acquired fame to claim exclusive rewards from the tournament shop, with new epic rewards each season. The daily challenges are like bite-size snacks, a fun thing that you can tackle each day to prepare you for the real meat of the Tournament Mode: the prestigious weekly and monthly challenges that make you face-off with the other players around the world in exciting time-limited leaderboard challenges, with the goal of conquering the leaderboards and being crowned the undisputed king of demolition!

Some of the Tournament Mode events are completed with DLC content, but in case you don't own the specific DLC no need to sweat because everyone can join! That also goes for the computer-controller AI Players, so for the first time you can actually race against computer-controlled DLC cars and special vehicles. We've also used the opportunity to tune the game for Tournament Mode so you can expect maximum action and maximum damage – in short, maximum carnage!

Speaking about DLCs, there's a new one out: American All-Star Car Pack! This new pack adds three new American heavy-hitters, each offering a different kind of gameplay experience. Grand Duke marks the return of the demolition derby royal that packs some serious punch, Wildking is a true American icon with a plenty of power to go forward fast, and Little Thrasher is great little truck that punches above its weight.

Of course, that's not all. Our love letter to the demolition derby fanatics gets another chapter in this update, and we're adding another new free demolition derby arena called [I]The Maw![/I] This one's like a deranged brother of [I]Hellride[/I] and takes the battle onto a platform high-up, with the wimps and losers facing their untimely demise by falling off. In other news, we've also massively improved the loading times and dialed in a number of tweaks to help with online stability. We're also constantly working on improving the gameplay experience based on the feedback, and this release contains numerous other improvements and additions. Please find below a complete summary of items fixed or improved upon in this release.

RELEASE NOTES

Game version

• Xbox: 1.4.0.0
  
• PS4: 1.41
  
• PC: 1.259287

CONTENT

• Added Tournament Mode.
  
• Added a new free demolition arena: The Maw.
  
• Added support for the new DLC: American All-Stars Car Pack.

SYSTEM

• Loading is now significantly faster (up to 80%).
  
• (PC) Improved file system robustness.
  
• (XB1) Improved title stability.

USER INTERFACE

• Updated HUD visuals.

GAMEPLAY AND VEHICLES

• On Tribend, the player no longer resets on top of the overhead walkway when resetting beneath it.
  
• Random parts of the vehicle are no longer be missing when restarting the event while in a ghost mode.
  
• Ghost mode is now automatically disabled when the event ends, eliminating blinking cars in the background of the post-race screens.
  
• Ghost mode is now disabled after 15 seconds to prevent stuck AI cars from blinking forever.
  
• Reduced the chance of wheelhubs getting stuck inside walls during heavy deformation.
  
• Improved Bugzilla handling, suspension and visual damage.
  
• It's now possible to use the front splitter without the front bumper on Roadcutter.
  
• Honey Pot and Bumper Car wheels no longer get damaged from the slightest nudge.
  
• Improved El Matador, Venom visual damage to prevent handling being destroyed when damaged.
  
• Improved Honey Pot, Bumper Car and Sofa Car handling to make them less twitchy.
  
• Fixed Wardigger torque curve.
  
• Fixed Nexus side mirrors glitch.
  
• Fixed Hornet wheel clipping.

MULTIPLAYER

• Output to server console and log is now performed asynchronously, improving stability.

AUDIO

• Front-end: The "Effects" volume slider now also works as master volume for "Interface Sound Effects".
  
• Front-end: The "Interface Sound Effects" volume slider now also affects car part equip & counter sounds.
  
• Front-end: Added variation to car part equip sound.
  
• In-game: Each AI engine sound adjusted for smoother loudness across full rpm range.
  
• In-game: AI engine sound optimizations to lower memory and processor requirements.
  
• In-game: Removed flanging/phasing effects occurring with AI engine sounds at start of a race.
  
• In-game: Add automation to lower music volume up to 3dB based on overall AI vehicle loudness (e.g. when driving amidst a dense pack of vehicles). Effect is disabled when music volume is configured below 75% in game settings.
  
• In-game: Add 30-second end countdown sound effects to time-limited races (to signal player that race is about to end soon).
  
• In-game: Added reverse gear warning sound effect for large player vehicles (Big Rig, Harvester, Motorhome and Schoolbus)
  
• In-game: DSP effects settings, synthesis and automation tweaks for Big Rig.

Let the carnage commence!