First and foremost, we would like to thank everyone for their participation in Phase Two of our Beta. Lots and lots of feedback has been gathered, bugs discovered, and at this very moment we are hard at work to patch things up.
We would also want to apologize to those who didn't get in the beta, unfortunately, it is impossible to get you all into the game - but don't worry, good things are coming :)
Two short videos of The Jungle and Kanyon West filmed by one of our trusted beta testers showcasing the multiplayer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hh3oOtVYt1U
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4aftTbm4B0
Expect a new Dev Blog this Thursday where we will share some cool new information, don't miss it!
And as always, please help us in spreading the word - the more, the merrier! :)
Finally, the time has come to race against your friends, race the devs (we will be online from time to time) and check out the game. We would appreciate feedback on the appropriate Steam Discussions sub-forum for Phase Two, it has already been created.
Please be aware, some bugs may occur, but we are going to fix them as soon as possible. Please notify us of any bugs you might encounter during your gameplay so that we can get on fixing them.
Easter is here! Happy Easter to all of you!
Let's battle it out!
The Karters' Dev Blog #13 - Phase Two Date Announcement, 2 New Tracks Revealed & Poll Result!
Dear Kart Fans,
Allow us to welcome you in the latest addition of our development blog series in which we discuss what is going on at 10Ants Hill. Preparations are still in order, but we’ve made tons of progress thanks to our beloved community. This month’s issue will cover Kanyon East, the poll result from November and when Phase Two of our Beta will commence. We bet that everyone is getting excited about battling it out against each other, so let’s get this Dev Blog started, shall we?
Kanyon East Awaits!
For those who do not know, Kanyon East, the brother of Kanyon West is the third track that our players are going to have a chance to test out in Phase Two. Since Phase One, we have redesigned and polished Kanyon East based on your feedback from the previous tracks and we have to admit we are quite happy with the current result. Take a look:
We’ve added some more dirt on the road so it enhances the feeling of racing through a canyon in the desert. Expect some dust on the track, so be careful! The machine, and the shortcut have been revamped a bit, so our players should expect a heavy dose of awesome when they are going to try that famous shortcut on this track. If anyone noticed, we did some work on the post-processing part, thus the sky now looks way better than it used to. All in all, we are pretty satisfied with everything we did and we’re confident that Kanyon East is going to be a fun track to play on.
Kanyon East may sound quite similar to Kanyon West, but both tracks are different in their track design, environment (though similar), and time of the day.
What? Oh, you want to see it in action? Sure, here’s one of the shortcuts you could use:
The Dam Awaits!
Yes, this means you are going to have 4 tracks to test out our features on! The Dam is in the same region as The Jungle, a connection of both the industrial and wild environments. We wouldn’t want to spoil you with discovering this track and its deepest secrets, so 3 screenshots should suffice:
As always, since this is the first time we are showing this track here on Steam, let us know what do you think of its design so far. Naturally, we are all ears when Phase Two will begin, feedback is always appreciated here.
Poll Result
A couple of months ago we made a small poll to decide what our little support character should look like. It was very close, but we’ve finally a winner. Out of 4 possible cuties, the community chose number 3! What is the purpose of these small creatures? You will know soon enough! However, we’ve yet to decide on a name, let us know in the comments below of what do you think these little fellas should be called in the world of The Karters :)
Congratulations to the winner! Now, about that name?
Phase Two - When Does It Start?
Probably the most important part of this month’s Dev Blog, so we hope we will clear things up and tell you what can you expect in Phase Two. Before we start, yes, you can join in on the fun if you haven’t already: SIGN IN HERE
Please note that we will be sending out e-mails to people who filled the aforementioned form and, unfortunately, we have only a limited amount of keys to give out. Also, if you have been a part of Phase One then you are already in Phase Two :)
As we said earlier, we will triple/quadruple the amount of players in this phase, mostly because we need extra players to test out the multiplayer. This will take some testing in-house as well as a lot of testing during the Beta, but after that we would love to see more players in The Karters. Of course, we hope that everything is going to run OK and everyone is going to have a good time, that’s why we are here!
Alright, what’s in Phase Two?
Multiplayer - that’s not really a shocker right? Phase Two is mostly about seeing how you guys can fare against each other, playing from all around the world at the same time. We will be constantly monitoring the state of the game, so if you will see any bugs or disconnections, you can let us know on Discord as well as in a special thread created for this sole purpose. 4 tracks, 5 characters, Speed Mode - let's go!
Time Attack - the previous mode returns as we are eager to see how our community is going to handle Kanyon East. Worth mentioning is the fact that some players are going to try to beat their previous scores on Jungle and Kanyon West as well, so there was no reason not to include Time Attack in Phase Two.
Ghost - want to race against other players’ times? Well, you will be able to do just that! Now you can finally see how someone achieved that best time that you are so desperately trying to beat!
Replay System - have you always wanted to save your best lap and show someone later on? In Phase Two you will be able to save your race and share it with the world.
Options - Phase One had some options disabled during launch, so now we’re bringing both sound/video options so you guys can adjust the game to your gaming needs.
Returning to the roster are Puma, Gorilla, Snowman, Meerkats, and Minion. Laika was found racing, but she said she will not participate in Phase Two, because she wants to focus on getting better as she plans to crush the opposition later on. Well, what can you do?
Also, you will be able to play Speed Mode in Multiplayer - which means you will be racing against other players in a single race without weapons. The reason being is that we need to test out the mechanics in a multiplayer setting and the best way to do it is, simply, without weapons.
Phase Two will commence on: 29.03.2018
That’s it, we hope everything is going to work as it should work, so see you in 3 weeks. Oh right, we almost forgot! You will be able to race the developers and we are all looking forward to the challenge :)
That’s all we got for you this time, we hope you are just as excited for Phase Two as we are! Help us in spreading the word, it really helps!
Until next time Kart Fans, remember that you can also join the Steam discussions as well as on our official Discord channel to share your excitement. Take care!
Show us your support and your excitement by liking this Dev Blog - Phase Two is coming and we can't wait to see you guys in the game! Let the HYPE begin!
The Karters' Dev Blog #12 - Visual Upgrade, Feedback & Phase Two Preparations!
Hello Kart Fans,
Whew! We’ve wrapped up Phase One and the amount of feedback and the meticulous approach to bug-finding have enabled us to make huge steps forward in terms of our development, thank you for your contribution. Powered by your encouragement we are setting our sights for Phase Two! Let’s get started with the first Dev Blog of the New Year 2018!
VISUAL UPGRADE
Before we start mentioning what we have fixed and what can you expect in Phase Two, we thought that we would show you the stuff you haven’t seen in Phase One. So, right of the bat we got the 6th character in The Karters roster in her full 3D glory - Laika. She made a pretty painless transition from 2D to 3D and she is preparing to join The Karters’ Crew. Will she be available for Phase Two? She is an experienced kart racer, but she said that when she is ready, she’ll let us know; so far we haven’t seen her on the track. We’ll keep you updated on her status as we continue our preparations.
We want our characters to have, well… character. That’s why the details are so important in developing one, from the high concept to the in-game presence. The entire 10Ants Hill is ecstatic to see how Laika is going to fare on our tracks! Also, do you like the cute hat?
Right now, we are undergoing a process of making our characters more polished, more visually appealing, so the original characters will look like this (incoming sneakpeek):
Stunning, isn’t it? Oh, you mean what about the rest of the roster? Don’t worry, Puma, Meerkats, Minion and Snowman are also getting some work done along the way.
FEEDBACK
One of the biggest and most important parts of creating a game is to share it with people who will play it. Since we at 10Ants Hill can’t do it ourselves, Phase One was all about the game’s mechanics, track design; but most importantly, it was a great opportunity to allow our community to help us out in finding issues, crashes, glitches, and pesky bugs.
In our mind Phase One was a tremendous success, one we would really like to repeat with the upcoming Phase Two, so we trust our community will show up again and deliver, yet again!
Right, feedback. Here’s a GIF of our Jungle after we heard your suggestions. We believe this is pretty much self-explanatory, so enjoy:
Self-explanatory, yeah right. During Phase One our community mentioned that those obstacles along the road weren’t really challenging and that they felt out of place to begin with. So what do we do? We hear the feedback, we make a quick brainstorm, we apply.
Now we have a rolling boulder that will crush any racer along its path. Nostalgia much?
We’ve tested out our tracks and the changes are really showing the true potential of how our tracks can be both fun and visually stunning at the same time. We simply can’t wait to see our community battling it out in Phase Two!
Q: I was a Beta Tester in Phase One. Do I need to fill the form again to test out Phase Two?
A: Nope, by becoming a Beta Tester in Phase One you have also become a Beta Tester for Phase Two! Congratulations!
As we mentioned before, Phase Two of The Karters Beta will focus on the Multiplayer aspect of the game. In addition to To make matters even more interesting, we are going to throw in some epic features for you to take on:
LEADERBOARDS - You wanted? You got it! Now you can show who is the best racer yet again!
TIME TRIAL - Hey now, we’re sure you would want to try out Jungle and Kanyon West once more, both of which have been improved thanks to your feedback!
REPLAY SYSTEM - Had an amazing race? Now you will be able to save and share it with the rest of the world!
GHOST - Add your rival’s Ghost on the track and see if you can beat him! Or, save your own and let other players give it a shot of conquering your masterful time!
Throw in Kanyon East into the mix and we’ve got some amazing testing to do! Phase Two is still in the works, and when we are ready to make an announcement, we will let you all know :-)
FAN ART
A Dev Blog wouldn’t be completed without showing and sharing the love we get from our fans. Especially from the young enthusiasts like Oliwia (7 years old). Thank you very much! Puma always enjoys the spotlight :-)
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That’s all folks! Thank you for taking the time to read this issue of our Dev Blog. Last Dev Blog had almost 100 likes, can we knockdown this barrier as a community? We surely hope so!
We encourage you to post your thoughts in the Steam Discussions and on our Discord channel! Are you excited for Phase Two? :-)
Allow me to thank you all for the wonderful contribution that you have provided us with in Phase One of The Karters Beta. The amount of feedback is simply staggering to say the least, which enables us to work on fixing those pesky bugs as well as it fuels us to work even harder on the game.
The first phase was all about the mechanics and our beloved community showed us the right approach to tackle issues that we haven't even seen before. This, naturally, allowed us to find and fix some bugs that makes our game even better and most importantly, that much more competitive. We've patched the game three times and with each patch we were able to fix a ton of issues that our users have experienced. Like this one (thank you Nova):
Also, worth mentioning is the fact that our Beta Testers were running the game on the lowest video settings. Phase Two should be much more visually stunning.
In the following hours from posting this announcement, we are going to shut down the game and make preparations for Phase Two. We're positive that with this amount of feedback we can surely implement it into Phase Two without any hesitation. The community has been our focus and our guide throughout the development of the game, so we're confident that we are doing what is right for our game.
We've got everything we need! So, if one of our Beta Testers still hasn't got his hands on The Karters, now's the perfect time to do it as the clock is ticking!
Q: When is Phase Two going to start?
A: Phase Two still is in preparation, so we will keep you posted when we're ready to let you guys in and allow you to face new features and . . . bugs. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Steam discussions and in the always active Discord to be up to date.
Q: I've been chosen as a Beta Tester in Phase One, do I need to fill the form again?
A: No, you don't have to. You are already invited to Phase Two!
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Current Leaderboard Status (yes Tazua, we saw what you did on Kanyon West *wink*):
That's it! Get those last PRs and WRs while you still can. Soon, we are going to Phase Two!
Once again, thank you for all of your help and those crazy times you have achieved. Phase Two will be about testing the multiplayer, so you will definitely have your skills put up to the highest test!
Until next time Kart Fans!
Also guys, please let us know about your first impressions from the Beta in the comments below!
The Karters Closed Beta Update - v0.1
Hello,
We'd like to thank all beta testers for your amazing support and insightful bug reports! We haven't manage to fix them all so far, but you can find below a detailed list of fixed issues!
Beta v0.1
Improved collision precision
Fixed bugs with collision detection with walls (or we hope that we fixed it :-) )
Fixed back-moving non collision detection
Fixed non collision detection when player makes no input
Changed collision walls to more align environment (not perfect yet but should be much closer to the proper one)
Fixed controls not responding during drifting
Improved controls responsivity
Fixed 0/3 lap counter
Fixed 4 laps requirement after race restart
Fixed lacks of shadows and overall rendering quality (possibility to choose lower graphics settings are coming)
Improved overall performance
Improved performance on Canyon West
Changed Camera Draw Distance on Canyon West
Leaderboards - resetted
Leaderboards - integrated anti cheat tools
Leaderboards - window view changed from 10 to 20 best players
Leaderboards - Fixed not refreshing player records
leaderboards - Fixed not showing world record in map selection
Leaderboards - Fixed not updating new records from user
Removed possibility to resume the game after Race finished
Changed boost value after big jump - not final
Changed boost strength on big jump at Jungle1 - not final
Changed Character voice frequency when using drift
Blocked player input before race start - blocking possibility to boost before race
Once again thanks a lo, and we're looking forward for your futher input! :-)
The Karters' Beta Phase One Has Begun!
Greetings Kart Fans,
Finally, The Karters Beta Phase One has begun! Our Beta Testers have begun testing the game’s mechanics, so we are definitely looking forward to see what they will find out.
There’s a high possibility that you will encounter some pretty laughable bugs along this Phase, so we apologize for their appearance. That’s why we have Beta Tests, right?
Once again, we apologize for the delay, but we are confident that this release will be stable, so hopefully our Beta Testers will be working without interruptions. We’ve created a subforum for the Beta Testers to discuss their findings as well as provide us with suggestions on how to improve The Karters. The usual stuff :)
Oh, and don’t worry - we are going to add content in small updates throughout Phase One! This time you get Leaderboards on . . . board. Show'em who has the best time on both Jungle and Kanyon West!
First of all we would like to thank all who have participated in awaiting for the Beta, both on Steam, E-mail and Discord. We were surprised by the amazing response, and for your willingness to help us with those pesky bugs to make a very good kart racing game.
We've been always honest with our community, thus, we regretfully have to postpone The Karters Beta Phase One up until 22.12.2017. This is a necessary step in order to grant our players access to a stable version of the game. We've encountered major problems with the game and we do not want our players to tackle problems that are basically outside of the core of the game.
Regretfully, we have to do this.
The Beta keys are fine, and they will remain activated for the chosen Beta Testers. Don't worry, this is not a step backwards, this is merely a delay. A necessary delay. Phase One will commence next week.
We truly apologize for this inconvenience and we hope we will be able to welcome you into the world of The Karters with as much enthusiasm as we had the privilige to witness it today.
It has been a long journey, thank you for being a part of it. We hope to see you next week!
Sincerely,
The Karters team
The Karters' Closed Beta Sign Up - We Want YOU to Become a Beta Tester!
Finally! We can get this show on the road!
Greetings Kart Fans,
Alrighty, so what do we need to get you into the beta? Simply fill out THIS FORM.
As stated earlier, the beta will be conducted in Phases.
How many? Well, two Phases is a must, but there could be more.
After we receive all of your applications, as promised, we will put priority on the most active members of our community. If you do not get in into the Phase One, don't worry! There's a high chance you will get into the Phase Two, which will test out a different component of the game.
We've come a long way, time to get testing!
So, get those applications ready Kart Fans - The Karters Wants YOU!
The Karters' Dev Blog #11 - Here, Here, The Beta Comes Near!
Greetings Kart Fans!
This is the last Dev Blog before launching our beloved community to help us out in tweaking, fixing, and balancing The Karters. We’re working extremely hard to make sure the upcoming beta will function properly and most importantly, that you will find some enjoyment in the process. This issue will be mostly about answering some questions as well as, naturally, giving you the chance of becoming a beta tester.
Ready?
Set?
GO!
THE KARTERS BETA (AND HOW TO GET IN)
Ah, finally we can shed some light on the upcoming beta. Without further ado then.
On 15th December The Karters Beta will start and we have decided to split it into a couple of Phases.
"What does it mean?" It means that our beloved beta testers will be testing each Phase separately, focusing on certain parts of the game. We’ve decided to take this approach to carefully bug-fix each important part and give it the attention it deserves.
Phase One will be solely focused on The Karters’ mechanics. The gameplay is one of, or rather, the most important part in a kart racing game, and we would want you guys to check whether we are on the right track with its current state. We’ve made small changes into how the game should feel, based on the feedback of our incredible community and staying true to both Crash Team Racing and Mario Kart.
The mechanics will be tested on two tracks, namely: Jungle and Kanyon West (it’s not a typo!). To get a feeling of the maps, here are two little screenshots in their respective, majestic glory. Also you can read more about them later on, in their dedicated section.
Each Phase will be covering a different aspect of the game, but you will see added content along the way. Updates can come often, or you will get a big update that will basically enter the game's state into the next Phase. Expect a new Phase in about 2-4 weeks from the start of the previous one. We need time to fix those pesky bugs and enable more content to test out. We will read each and every comment (as we always do!)
The game mode will be a simple time-attack/time trial, where you will be racing against the clock. However, the most important factor is that we need you guys to test out the mechanics; how are the turns? Is the timing sufficient? What about the boost? Those things will need to be answered if we are to improve them at this Phase.
That being said, Phase One will not have multiplayer. Reason is fairly simple, we need our beta testers to be focused on the mechanics whilst playing solo. Adding multiplayer, which is of course extremely fun, could hinder the accuracy of the movements itself. Not to mention it could be a small distraction for players who prefer to analyze at peace.
The next phases of the beta will introduce new content as well as stuff that needs your attention. Slow and steady wins the race, right? Right?
"But, but we've got a small rivalry brewing here, when can we play together?" Definitely not in Phase One, but the next Phase could introduce multiplayer, so please don't feel disappointed, as you will surely play with other players in no time!
At your disposal, in Phase One you will have five characters, two tracks (still a work-in-progress, but almost finished), one game mode, a whole lot of bug-hunting and reporting. Reports will be carried out in a separate Steam discussions thread.
Streaming. Yes, if someone sees fit then by all means we give the permission to let everyone know about the Phase One of The Karters Beta.
"YouTube? Twitch?" You’ve got the green light. Share your best times while you at it and we have to say that we would be absolutely thrilled to see our game being streamed and watched around the world :-)
HOW DO I GET IN? To be a part of the Beta Phase, you have to be an active member of the community (thank you for your commitment guys!) and next week we will release an official announcement where you will be able to apply.
"Wait, does it mean . . ." Yes, active members will be prioritised, as promised.
"Does it mean everyone can get in from all social medias, Discord, Steam?" Sadly no, but we are going to steadily increase the number of beta testers with each Phase. If you have been very active, you will get in, as promised!
Everything is going to be in a form of a survey, where we are going to ask for your specs and other pretty important data. We will notify selected beta testers by e-mail. That number is going to grow, so don't worry if you can't get in the Phase One. There is a very high chance of entering Phase Two!
JUNGLE & KANYON WEST
Both maps have been enhanced visually:
Kanyon West - we’ve noticed an increase in cacti movements in the area, buildings have been activated, water has been improved, a little bit of post-process magic; Kanyon West has never been so beautiful, we tell ya!
Jungle - the Tikis came out of the bushes and started cheering, buildings aren’t static anymore (to some extent of course), water has been improved, a lot of post-process magic; our Jungle became wilder!
Both tracks will be available for testing, so we are looking forward to see your best times, but most importantly, as developers we need to find those pesky bugs, and a whole list of suggestions would come in handy as well. This is of course a big thank you for staying with us for almost two years now. We have to admit, this is a huge step forward in the development of the game, let's make it a memorable one together!
UGA-BUGA!
There is something . . . in those trees.
They finally showed themselves and started to cheer on our beloved beta testers who will keep on finding bugs on the Jungle track. Tikis are the inhabitants of that particular region, but they prefer to hide their faces, for reasons still unknown. They are, however, keen on spectating kart racing and they strongly cheer on the participants. Sources say, they are completely harmless.
FAN ART
We still love, and we will always love it! Thank you Trakan for sending and sharing your work! Guys, don't be shy to showcase your talent and work on our social media, we absolutely love seeing your creativity!
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That's it! Finally everyone knows what is going to happen in the next couple of weeks. We're very excited to see you guys test out our game in each of the Phases. We hope you guys will make our game that much better.
We're proud of both The Karters' development over this two-year period and of the immense growth of the best community there is! We would like to thank you for the continuous support and for your activity on our social media, it really, really means a lot. It gives us motivation, knowing that you've got our backs whatever may come. The Beta comes, that's what's happening! Let's all get excited! We're counting on you!
In a couple of days we are going to enable submissions, so stay tuned for the exciting info!
Guys! We've made over 80 likes on our latest Dev Blog, can we raise the bar even higher? 90? Let's show the world of what a kart racing community can do!
