Surprise Wreckfest 2 update adds new cars, new tracks and Last Man Standing mode

Wreckfest 2 continues its under-the-radar early access progress with another free update today, and it’s available to download now on PC (via Steam).

In typically laconic Finnish style, developer Bugbear delivered a video presentation of ‘Content Update #2’ (with an unintended shoutout for Traxion at the beginning, kind of…), showcasing two new cars, two new tracks and a ‘Last Man Standing’ mode.

The new cars include the Cardinal, a large American saloon based on the Ford Crown Victoria, and the Motorhome, which is sure to be a favourite among the caravannette-loving/hating community.

Not only was the new Scrapyard demotion area and banger racing dirt track previewed in the new footage, but so too was the Last Man Standing mode, where cars battle it out in a fight to the death. The new mode is playable both offline and online now.

The Scrapyard track also has a couple of interesting features, with car crushing machines and an errant excavator keeping drivers on their toes (not to mention the lovingly detailed destructible concrete pillars). 

The game’s nascent online mode has been given some attention, improving multiplayer damage modelling and server stability. Servers can now be favourited too, making it quicker and easier to crash into your friends.

What are your thoughts on Wreckfest 2’s early access progress? Let us know in the comments below.

Wreckfest 2 Content Update #2 key details

New cars

• Cardinal
• Motorhome

New tracks

• Scrapyard demolition area
• Banger racing dirt track with oval and figure 8 layouts

New mode

• Last Man Standing demolition derby mode added

Other

• Improved online performance and damage synchronisation

Wreckfest Content Update #2 changelog

CARS

– New American special vehicle: Motorhome.

– New American large sedan: Cardinal.

TRACKS

– New Banger Racing dirt track with Oval and Figure 8 layouts.

– New Scrapyard demolition derby arena.

– Tree collisions now work as intended.

– Improved Sandpit track surface.

SYSTEM

– Improved game stability.

– Improved input system robustness.

– Optimized VRAM (video memory) usage.

– A warning is now displayed when launching the game and there could be low amount of VRAM available.

ONLINE

– Added configurable event rotation.

– Improved client prediction precision and reliability for smoother gameplay.

– Selecting a server in the Server Browser now brings up Server Info with additional information.

– Server can be favorited/unfavorited in the Server Info screen.

– Lap times now match between multiplayer and single player.

– Gameplay damage now better matches visual damage in multiplayer.

– Fixed a bug which caused the health bar to erroneously appear full or empty.

GAMEPLAY

– Improved car handling.

– Improved collision physics.

– Physics surfaces now work as intended.

– It’s now easier for cars to lose panels.

– Cars now last longer in the normal damage mode.

– Realistic damage mode is now more realistic.

– Wrecking machines now cause appropritate health damage.

– Added Last Man Standing demolition derby game mode.

– Fixed an issue which caused contact effects (both visual and audio) to vanish after a while.

– Car engine may now stall in a heavy collision especially when it’s damaged (can be restarted by just holding throttle).

– It’s now possible to get a faster launch at the event start by holding revs at the optimal range, visualized in the tacho.

– When using automatic clutch, it’s now possible to speed through gears even when a shift is already in progress.

– Reset can be now triggered with a push of a button instead of needing to hold it down when reset delay is used.

HUD

– Start lights are now displayed at the event start.

– Redline is now visualized in the tachometer.

– A wrong way notification is now displayed in the HUD.

– Bogus damage notifications are now longer displayed in the HUD after a respawn.

– What is shown in the damage HUD now better matches the visual car damage.

– Car tags are now shown from further away.

– Improved HUD element placements and resolution.

AI

– Improved turning in racing mode.

– Smarter racing lines with more realistic apexes.

– Better pathfinding in derby arenas.

– Reduced car getting stuck in derby mode.

AUDIO

– Added rev limiter effect.