Update log.

3/27/23 -
NEW! We've built our own custom launcher for the game (downshiftvr.com/downloads):
- Found in the "Advanced Settings" tab in the game settings menu, a new dropdown selection for launcher type has been added. Select between "None/External" or "Built-In".
- When "None/External" is selected, you can use our external Server and Client software to create and manage rooms with limited capabilities and launch Downshift on your stations. Best used for Synthesis arcades with per-minute licenses.
- When "Built-In" is selected, Downshift itself will overlay with a Client launcher menu and wait for input from the Server. The "Built-In" launcher has more functionality and more planned in future updates. Best used for Synthesis arcades with monthly or yearly licenses, and for Springboard VR arcades who must launch their games directly through Springobard.

- Added an "Update Notes" section to the main menu. Upon new updates, the main menu will appear and display the Update Notes section on first launch. Subsequent launches after the game has been updated will not automatically display the Update Notes.
- Red Dunes Raceway's road lines have been optimized; previously they were a single mesh by accident and was causing some performance degredation. The road lines have now been separated into individual meshes and loading in correctly.
- Game file size has been drastically reduced (about 2GB) by eliminating uneeded/unused assets.

1/09/23 - - Added Manual shifting support for the VR controllers. Joysticks / D-Pad are used to upshift/downshift.

- Brake / Back Button now lets you go back to the previous game option when making selections in the arcade room.

- Highland Hills Motorway lighting issues are fixed.

- Bad occlusion spot on Coastal Cruise is fixed.

- Overall strength of the Force Feedback for steering wheels has been cut in half. We found that setting the force feedback too high would cause some setups to behave unpredictably. Current users may need to readjust their force feedback setting.

- "Sim Racing Studio" and "Post-Processing Effects" under the Advanced Settings tab in the in-game menu, have been defaulted to "Off" for computers newly downloading the game. These were previously defaulted to "On" for new users, but given the hit on performance we decided to make this change. For current users, your previous setting should stay in-tact, but double check to be sure.

- It was found that the program "Restrictr" isn't compatible with OpenXR framework that we use, and was causing Restrictr to behave incorrectly and block user view. If the program "Restrictr" is running when Downshift is launched, Downshift will now close out of Restrictr, but will reopen Restrictr when Downshift is closed.

- (Synthesis VR only) Fixed a bug that was causing the transmission type to always be set to Automatic when launched via synthesis; now will let you launch it in Manual mode without having to change it in game.

9/18/22 -Lighting system updated to with better shadows and contrast, and real time reflection.

Vehicle updated with higher quality textures and improved 3D models.
Race tracks updated with higher quality road texture and more atmospheric lighting.

Highland hills track converted to nighttime race.
New options in the controller settings menu: VR controller options for steering sensitivity and max steering angle.
New Physics adjustments to improve driving quality in VR,  less jarring and smoother motion during, crashes, and when the vehicle is off the ground.

5/13/22 - Changes to Nitro boost system to make matches more competitive and accessible; when picked up by a player, Nitro power ups no longer de-spawn for other players.  The amount of boost obtained has also been altered.  1st place: 25%, 2nd place: 50%, 3rd place: 75%, 4th-6th place: 100%.  The way the player's vehicle resets when going the wrong way or stuck for too long has been changed.  The vehicle resets on the road more smoothly. Upon resetting, the vehicle will get a velocity boost and the vehicle's AI is turned on for 4 seconds to more smoothly transition the player back into the race.  And a quality of life update to the settings menu.  When configuring controls for steering wheels or gamepads, you can now assign bindings automatically by pressing the desired button, pedal, or turn of the steering wheel, when an input drop down menu is open.  There is also now a button binding for restarting the game; 2 buttons must be assigned (to keep player's from accidentally restarting the game) and held down for 3 seconds.

4/29/22- Updated in-game VR player hands: new 3D model, fixed scaling when hands are on the steering wheel. Fixed an issue with the initial "Press Gas To Start" starting scene; other objects are no longer visible until the player hits the gas button / trigger.

4/22/22- VR Controllers can now be used to play the game. Fixed an issue where finishing a race wasn't restarting the game; the game now restarts once everyone in a session has finished a race or the countdown timer ends, allowing players to make new selections. Fixed an issue where keyboard shortcuts for Arcade Mode, Darkening vehicle windows, and Recentering Headset were not working properly; they are now working as intended.  AI vehicles in Single Player mode now use nitro power ups.  Nitro power ups now respawn every 4 seconds insteads of 7 seconds; we also increased the hit box size so they are easier to collect.

3/19/22- Global Re-centering option now displays a count-down from 3 seconds message before activating. Added lap indicators to all vehicles, displays completed laps next to maximum laps of the race track. Single player AI now properly displays map indicators on the map screen.

3/14/22- Global Re-centering added to selectable steering wheel button.

3/10/22- Updated in-game Operator Panel 

Added dropdown field for multiplayer Region selection - For SVR users this is also located in the Syntheses "Extra Settings" tab under the game.

Added a toggle option for race track barriers to be turned On/Off. Will sync in multiplayer mode

Added multiplayer syncing functionality to Restart button - will now sync and restart all games within the same session when pressed

Organized operator panel into two sections, "Arcade Settings" and "Controller Settings"

The ctrl / control key can now be pressed to bring up the operator panel along with the esc / escape key

New Operator Launcher!