Monday Update - May 4, 2026

Yo, big news this week — we're launching a new playtest on Steam! We're replacing the old demo map with the actual open world, so you'll be able to ride the real thing. The plan is to go live on Thursday and run it through Monday. The whole team is focused on getting this polished and optimized before launch. Here's what we are focusing on this week.

Michael

• Remove the demo map, add wishlist button to main menu, update controller layout loading screen.

• Monitoring server load over the weekend — the server can hold up to 1,024 players, but we want to make sure everything stays stable if we get a big surge.

• The modding button will show up as grayed out with a "Coming Soon" label. Modding is progressing well behind the scenes but won't be in this playtest.

Joe

• I'm working on a basic placeholder tutorial so first-time players have some guidance when they drop in.

• If I get done with that quickly, I'll work on getting the rivers in the map updated.

Damien

• Optimizing the bike models to handle more players at once. If we hit a full lobby, the current setup would be too demanding.

• Laying out the new river splines (If I don't get to it first) by Wednesday so we have proper rivers and waterfalls flowing for the playtest.

• Continuing work on vegetation assets — hoping to get some ground vegetation in for the playtest if the optimization goes smoothly.

Cedric

• Doing a polish pass on all existing trails

• Fixing a shader issue that breaks when you hit play.

Maggie

• Optimizing the rider model textures to improve performance.

• If optimization wraps up early, she'll finish the weather system and start planning landmark locations in the zones.

Julian

• Going hard on social media once the playtest launches Thursday. He'll be making sure everyone knows when it starts and when it ends.

• Setting up a meeting this week to plan out the content strategy around the playtest.

• Also — we just hit a new all-time high of 674 Patreon members! A video from Jimmy Cruck drove a huge wave of wishlists and new supporters.

Bryan is on vacation this week.

Here's a shot of Jake on Rosie's Dog Beach from a few years ago. He loved that place.